Publisher's journal: Here's a thumbs up for more diversity

A reader called last week, concerned about wind sculptures and metal art on Clovis’ Main Street.

The gist of his concern is that the new downtown displays don’t really fit the “theme” of our community.

This started me thinking. What exactly is the “theme” of our community? I suspect we don’t really have one, though we have plenty of choices.

We were a “train town” during the first half of the last century. The railroad literally built Clovis from empty fields in the early 1900s and it’s possible none of our communities would be here today without the rails.

Some would argue we are more of a military town today. Certainly Cannon Air Force Base is a large part of our economy and a big percentage of our population has ties to the armed forces.

Tourism efforts focus mostly on our music history. Buddy Holly recorded all of his hit records in the 1950s at Clovis’ Norman Petty Studio, which still hosts tours today.

Waiting for ideas to attract crowds from out of town is the Clovis culture – an archaeology site south of town that boasts evidence of man co-existing with woolly mammoths and giant sloths about 13,000 years ago.

And don’t forget we’re still busy feeding the world with more cows than people and an agriculture foundation that will sustain us for as long as the water holds out.

I have to agree with our reader that most people don’t think of metal art and wind sculptures when they think about Clovis, or any of our other neighboring communities. But I’m not sure fiberglass statues of woolly mammoths or cabooses converted into restaurants downtown would make me feel any more at home.

I kind of like the diverse themes that run through our towns as much as I like the variety of people who live here.

Clovis City Commissioner David Bryant said something a few weeks ago that also suggested we need a little more uniformity around here.

Bryant was answering a reporter’s question about his support of an anti-abortion ordinance the city passed early this year.

“Here in Clovis, New Mexico, we are a conservative community,” he said. “We believe in life. We are pro-life. And that’s it.”

I will concede that most of the people in Commissioner Bryant’s orbit are probably “pro-life. And that’s it.”

But the outcry from the pro-choice crowd since the local abortion discussion went public is a pretty good indication that not everyone around here thinks the same way.

I respect those who want to compartmentalize their lives and those who want everyone around them to comply with standards historically established by those we’ve grown up around.

But I like freedom and diversity more.

Hooray for the wind sculptures.

David Stevens is publisher of Clovis Media Inc. Email him at:

[email protected]

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