Critical Assessment is OK

I’ve always been someone who assesses and reflects.

That allows me to look at myself and be critical of my actions, if need be.

Having said that, I want to address the aftermath of one of our Questions of the Day on our website and our Morning Coffee program.

We asked last week if you thought a visitor to Fairfield would leave with a positive overall impression. Over 77-percent of the 357 people who voted said “no.” The topic was also shared on another local Facebook page.

Many of the comments were very negative. Some of them came from people who no longer live here. There were some that thought it was an open invitation for Fairfield-bashing. I don’t see it that way. I think you have to look at the community, assess its strengths and be critical of the things that need to be changed.

There are strengths. I note them every time I go to church and see people I have known for years and experience the caring nature of the community. We have wonderful parks, a number of great schools, a stellar hospital and a great community college. 

It's OK to assess and reflect and it is also OK for out-of-towners to chime in. A fish never notices the water it is swimming in. Outside eyes are good.

This all comes from someone who lived here in the early 80s, the early 2000s, and made the conscious decision to move back in 2018. I see the problems but they are small in comparison to the attributes of the Fairfield community.

Now let's go to work on our problems.