I have been very busy in the past two weeks attending a myriad of meetings, events and forums. You wouldn’t think that a place as small as Martin County could produce so much high drama. But it does. Perhaps it’s because it is an election year for some of the commissioners in each of our elected bodies. But I don’t think so. No, I think it is because so many people who call Martin County home are passionate about the place.

Most of the residents are transplants from somewhere else. We have found our little piece of heaven and want to preserve it. A few are from old Florida families. They grew up in Miami or Broward and know what over-development can do. Even fewer were born in Martin and have never lived anywhere else. But whether you sought this place out or are here by an accident of birth, we all know we have a good place to live.

That is why we disagree and argue about the future of the county and city and community in which we live. Some strive to maintain what we have, and others seek to improve it. That is where the rub comes in and the disagreements happen. Is it an improvement to build a new city in our west? Can we really entice jobs by providing subsidies? Or will an immigration and customs house at the airport be beneficial to us?

Most people on either side of an issue passionately believe that what they are advocating is the correct path for us to take. We should not demonize someone because he or she is on the other side of a particular issue. Our supposed “enemy” today may be our “ally” tomorrow on another issue. Rather, it is important that once the disagreement has been settled, we remember the community comes first.