On The Upcoming Bond

Dear Editor,

One of my favorite quotes, a personal hero of mine, is attributed to the late Theodore Roosevelt, when he stated, "In any moment of decision, the best thing you can do is the right thing, the next best thing is the wrong thing, and the worst thing you can do is nothing."

Our family decided to move back to Glasgow with the confidence in our community to have the desire to move forward and evolve without sacrificing the values which are held so near and dear to many. Part of this evolution often calls for a selflessness from all of us, as well as the ability to adapt to changes.

Since the announcement of this bond has been publicized, I have had questions. Questions which I have been told were unnecessarily assertive or bluntly displaying disapproval. These responses have absolute irrelevance to my views and opinion on the bond.

I have been fortunate enough as a professional to be involved with capital campaign fundraising as a Director of Alumni, nonprofit endowment fundraising, planned giving, as well as other board of directors positions and various volunteering endeavors in the private fundraising process.

The questions I have brought are, to simply put, questions I would like to know the answers to so I can feel confident in my vote. No other reasons, just taking the experiences and knowledge I have gained overtime and applying them to a fairly significant bond in the community we live in. Moving on.

I was fortunate enough in my younger years to play football fairly competitively. To the extent where I had earned a scholarship to play at the NCAA DII level. Partaking in this sport created opportunities, experiences and passions I never knew could exist. This significant chapter in my life formulated my ideals, my desires, and the pursuit of an ultimately beautiful life. Football, in more ways than one, has led me to the life and person that I am today. For that, I will always be grateful.

As I have played on surfaces at fairly competitive levels across Michigan, Minnesota and some in North Dakota, I can tell you, from a subjective stand point: turf is the best surface to play on. It is softer during the colder temperatures, and honestly I always felt better and more stable playing on turf. On a different note, the force generated from a NFL player vs. an average Class B Montana football player is, simply put, the most irresponsible, hilarious argument I have heard as an adult male. It does not make sense to compare these two. The evidence shows (please, listen to Dr. Beadle's words in his interview) the pros outweigh the cons in respect to a turf surface for the level of play this field will be used for. Please, for the future of our community, understand the benefits of this surface.

Regarding the track. Folks, the track is atrocious. It needs to be replaced.

And regarding the other bond items, they are needs for the schools to operate.

Now, there is an underlying problem which may need to be asked about. Ask yourself, truly, why are you voting the way you are voting for this bond? Is it because you have a passion for your area? Is it because you want the best thing for your community and its future? Do you simply want to vote a certain way because of how you feel about someone? Is your vote to just smite a different perspective?

We need to understand, investing in our community and its future is greater than one person. It is greater than ourselves. We need to broaden our understanding, broaden our curiosity, broaden our perspectives, to not be ones of internal gain and power, rather, to be ones working for the betterment of all those around us. Please, think beyond yourself, knowing there may be sacrifice involved (we canceled our Disney plus membership, something that is not a "need") and make the decision on what is right for our community.

With that, I will be voting yes to pass the upcoming school bond.

Sincerely,

Matthew Stevenson

Glasgow, Mont.

Matthew Stevenson is a local business owner of Stevenson Coaching and Consulting. He is on the Glasgow Chamber Board of Directors. Mr. Stevenson holds a Master in Business Administration, and has near a decade of experience as a professional. His professional background and training includes nonprofit leadership, nonprofit fundraising, marketing management and business development.