Maybe you’ve heard of the “road to nowhere” here in Evanston. I have a confession to make. It’s all my fault. I’ve even heard people have said that was the “road to our future.”

Now, about it being all my fault... Around 2002, I was very active in our community. We had a very active Chamber of Commerce (not that our Chamber isn’t active now and doing a great job! It just needs more help!)

I was the chair of the Visitor and  Convention Council. I wasn’t “important,” I just did it because no one else wanted to. Evanston hosted — may I say thousands of — people going to the Olympics in Salt Lake City.

I was, along with many other people, pushing very hard to have us build a convention center. We formed committees and held meetings and agreed that what we needed was an indoor/outdoor event center.

We found we could get some highway money right away, so we built a road. That’s what happens to a dream and then a goal — you do it one step at a time.

Unfortunately, I left town for personal reasons, so I feel personally responsible for not pushing, not leading the committees, not following up. 

What the heck happened? And I know I’m being a little dramatic. I am just one person, not important in the least bit.  I know the economy went south. It was and still is hard to get involved in the community when you can’t afford to put food on your table or pay your mortgage or your rent. Or when some of us are getting old or sick.

But one person does matter. Get involved in our community! Let’s stop complaining that there are no businesses downtown, or that they want to build an immigration detention center in Evanston, or that there is “nothing for anyone to do here,” or whatever it is we all complain about.