File this away in the “Not sure if it’s a good or bad thing” folder: Around 25 people showed up for District 1 Supervisor Joe Walton’s town hall meeting last Thursday, and just about all of them seemed fairly happy.

The meeting, in fact, was perhaps the least contentious public meeting I have been to in some time. I’ve seen more hostile crowds at ice cream socials.

Not only did they seem content, they seemed well informed about the issues and interested to hear the progress the county was making on various things they were concerned about.

But here’s the kicker: most of the people, including those on the panel, also appeared to know the people in attendance at least fairly well. As in, “first-name-basis” well. Or “haven’t-I-seen-you-at-all-the-other-meetings” well.

I’ve had this sneaking suspicion before, having attended at least my fair share of meetings since starting as editor here last year (as I may have mentioned before in these pages that perhaps the most important characteristic an editor needs, after a passion for journalism, is a passion for meetings.) Of course it isn’t a surprise that you would see some of the same people at every meeting. Some people place a higher value on being in the know than others, for whom the inner workings of government are best left unexamined. Plus, attending every meeting and workshop just isn’t possible for so many people with demanding jobs and busy families.

I just couldn’t help but think to myself though, as I got in my car to leave, that either Joe Walton has magically transformed District 1 into the happiest district in America—otherwise, why would so few of the people in District 1 attend—or a whole lot of people just don’t consider knowing what is going on in their community to be terribly important.

The people who were there seemed content, I think, because they have attended enough meetings and studied enough about the issues to see the progress that is being made. The majority of the people who didn’t show up, I can only assume, just are not that worried about it.

As a former city dweller, I can attest to a certain laissez-faire attitude to be found in other places, a feeling of being a tiny fish in a gigantic pond. What’s going to happen is going to happen was always my attitude; just let me know what they decide.

It’s not secret that Powhatan is at a critical juncture right now. The county is poised on the brink of some massive changes, but it is still small enough that the residents can take an active part in shaping what the future will look like.

The opportunities to effect real change are a reality for anyone in this community willing to devote the time and effort.

We may not agree on everything and we may not ever get a tremendous turnout at most meetings. But a group of well informed residents working together with officials who are willing to listen, as evidenced by Thursday’s event, is a real possibility here.

And that, for sure, would be a good thing.

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