Editorial by Matt Marquardt –
As I am out and about in the community, it seems I am somewhat well-known as the Publisher of NorthIowaToday.com. People seem to know my name more than my face. As I have taken on this title, people have come to accept that they can offer their thoughts and information to me pretty freely. I’m grateful that folks feel this way; it’s taken a long time to build that trust.
One thing I have learned in the nearly three years I have been at this is to listen and let others speak, take in the info and process it as best I can. Information is power; you can’t really put a price on it in this business.
As I am out and about, on the streets or in this office or that office, either gathering information for news stories or conducting business, I do have quite a lot of folks offer information to me. Sometimes it is useful, sometimes it is simply their opinions on this or that. I take it all in and use it to help guide the upcoming stories that may appear on NIT.
This week, there were several quotes from various individuals that stood out to me. These folks come from all walks of life and may or may not represent the community as whole, but to me, what the people of North Iowa are saying means a lot. Without naming names, I simply offer these nine quotes as food for thought and discussion:
“Isn’t it great how well the Mohawk girls are doing?”
“Lionel Foster would make a great volunteer.”
“I hate that Scott Tornquist. I’d like to punch him in the face.”
“Couple years back, the school district said it needed money for new computers. I went in to (the administration building) to complain about it and I saw a room full of computers sitting there in boxes.”
“The Globe Gazette no longer does home delivery in the Thornton rural area. People have to buy the paper at the gas stations now.”
“Matt, if you decide to run for office, come see me, I want to help.”
“Homeowners are gonna get burned when the city comes around and appraises their properties.”
“We can’t hire enough people in Charles City.”
“Eric Bookmeyer is a bully.”
