I Don’t Trust the Government

After reading all the responses to the Warren County Fair purchase decision, and honestly, to just about anything posted about the City of Lebanon on social media, there are always people jumping in with comments like “I don’t trust the government” or “they’re all in it for the money.”

I find that really hard to understand.
These are our neighbors.

I don’t understand the “If you’re depending on any government agency to ‘fix’ something” attitude, especially when we’re talking about local government. In my view, that mindset treats government like it’s some distant machine full of strangers with hidden motives. But here in Lebanon, our local government is made up of the same people we see at Kroger, at school events, around the neighborhood, and at community festivals.

These are people who live here, raise their families here, and genuinely care about this city’s future.

And honestly, this misunderstanding, this automatic distrust, is one of the biggest reasons I started Imagine Lebanon.

I wanted to help people understand:

• What’s actually happening in our city,

• How decisions are made,

• Why certain projects matter, and

• Most importantly, who is doing the work?

Imagine Lebanon exists to put faces to the people in local government — to show that they are not some outside force working against us, but our fellow citizens, trying to solve problems and plan for Lebanon’s future.

When people get to know the individuals behind the decisions, something changes.
The conversation becomes more grounded.
There’s more trust, more understanding, and a lot less “they’re all corrupt” energy.

So when I see comments saying “don’t trust the government” or implying that city staff and elected officials are in it for the money, I always circle back to the same thought:

These are our neighbors.
They’re part of this community.
They experience the same successes, frustrations, and hopes as the rest of us.

In my view, trusting local government isn’t naive; it’s recognizing that we are all working toward the same goal: a strong, vibrant, well‑run community. Through Imagine Lebanon, I hope more people will see that clearly.