I moved to Traverse City from Chicago in 1970 and went to work at the Record-Eagle. I soon noticed that the American flag flying above our building was in tatters, so I walked into Bob Batdorff’s office to tell him.
Bob was the publisher of the paper and later that day he walked down Front Street himself and bought a new flag.
In Chicago I had worked for a multi-national company and never met the president. I liked the idea that in Traverse City my voice might be heard. A lot has changed since 1970, but I want to believe that I—or any citizen—can still be heard.
I’m always moved when I attend a City Commission meeting and see others like myself, ordinary people in jeans and sneakers, who overcome their fears and step up to the microphone.
Because when I say “Not my back yard,” I’m not just talking about the few square feet behind my house. I’m talking about the whole city, about which I feel a very personal sense of ownership.
Whenever I get discouraged I remember Bob Batdorff and the new flag.
