When I was told The Star-News was including an editor’s choice award for community impact at its annual “Best of” party Wednesday evening there was a little consternation on my part.
The thought of singling out an individual or organization for praise and recognition by me seemed unfair — to the recipient. My mom still tells me, “Show me the company you keep and I’ll show you the person you are,” so it seemed by extension I could be doing whomever I chose a disservice if people believed he, she or it was a favorite of mine.
“Oh, Davalos thinks you’re special? You hang around that guy?”
But even more troublesome was narrowing the field. There are a number of people and groups who work to improve their community. Some of them are featured within the pages of The Star-News. Many are not because of limited space within the newspaper or their own modesty — some people prefer doing good deeds without the weight of public attention.
There are individuals who organize food and clothes drives for the homeless, devote their time to inspire young students in after-school academic pursuits, or take time away from their personal and business lives to organize and lead community groups in improving their city and neighborhoods. Some people derisively refer to them as activists.
There are people like William “Bill” Schlegel who initially strike you as quiet and unassuming. A person you meet not as an individual but as part of a small group who believe a segment of the community is being treated unfairly, if not dismissed altogether.
Schlegel and his partners have for years been advocating for South County mobile home dwellers. Their cause is not one of the sexier ones. For better or worse the majority of people who live in National City and Chula Vista do not live in mobile home parks and can’t identify with the unique circumstances of park residents. Many of them are retired seniors. Or low-income families trying to squeeze by on minimum wage jobs. Or veterans living on a fixed-income. Many of them have to count every penny to make sure they have enough to cover medical expenses, food and rent. Literally. Schlegel et al advocate for legislation that offers protection and recourse against greedy and unscrupulous park owners.
Over time Schlegel’s partners have moved on but Bill still carries on the fight. Before Wednesday I last saw Bill late last year. He was at a meeting hosted by Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez, letting her know he appreciated her help in trying to get legislation signed by the governor. Ultimately the Mobilehome Residents and Senior Protection Act wasn’t made into law. Disappointed but not undaunted Schlegel told me he thanked Gonzalez for her help and that he was determined to keep working so next time they came out winners.
Sometimes the unsexiest of battles introduces us to some of the most admirable people.
