Editorial: Something New

It has always been a conundrum.

Interview after interview with local residents reveals a near universal desire for progress in Kimball. People want more diverse restaurants, shopping, downtown repairs, new industry, a completed rail spur and more—although some lean toward slower, more manageable growth and others aim for big ideas.

Yet this is offset by a nagging “it will never happen” form of pessimism, pervasive at coffee tables.

Who could blame them? The rail spur has been under discussion, planning and vetting for almost a decade. Renovations on the underpass—same story.

Before American Bullet opened, however, people also said “it will never happen.” When new restaurants open, the same group complaining about their tired hangouts seem loathe to make a change. An ethnic family moves into town and this same group insists some fictitious local hate group will ride them right back out. They doubt the motives of local improvement groups and even the Economic Development Director.

So Kimball residents want progress, but are convinced they can never pull it off—or so it would appear.

As an antidote, this combination of listless hope, we welcome Daniel Ortiz and Jo Caskey as City Administrator and Tourism Director. New blood, fresh ideas and, more importantly, a drive to overcome the pessimistic bent might just get us where we all want to be.