Editor,

Town hall meetings. It was something I mentioned needed to happen during the interviews to fill the vacantLos Alamos County Council seat. I felt strongly (and still do) that the citizens should have an informal way to connect with the councilors and have an open discussion on a variety of topics. I was overjoyed to hear that my idea had been listened to, and the Council was going to have town hall meetings in both White Rock and Los Alamos.

I was unable to attend the White Rock session, so I am unable to comment about how that meeting went. I did make a point to attend the Los Alamos session, and wasn’t disappointed. The only low point of the meeting was the attendance, which was  only five of us (not counting the two councilors) plus a member of the media. However, this did provide a significant amount of time for every person to be heard on a variety of topics. The overall subject was the Council priorities, and how to address them. We talked at length about issues such as housing, the local business economy, property taxes, protecting our open spaces, addressing the numerous vacant properties throughout town, and various other items.

Overall, Councilors Ryti and Scott were very responsive to the ideas and suggestions brought forth. It was a very productive hour where the attendees were able to speak freely and have their voices heard. This is a much preferred option to having 2-3 minutes to speak at a County Council meeting. Town halls are a huge step in the right direction for the Council, who stated they wish to improve communication and transparency. I look forward to attending more of these meetings in the future, and hope more people will make the time to attend.

While I may not be on the same political wavelength as most of the County Council, I do have to praise their desire for input from the people and their willingness to listen to that input. I hope that trend continues.

Aaron Walker
White Rock