Come on, Marion. A few weeks ago, the operator of Mis Viejos food truck was talking about moving to town, looking for a storefront, and running a regular restaurant here.

Now, suddenly, she’s left town for good, citing repeated harassment. It’s no surprise that no one admits to harassing her. It’s also possible that no harassment actually occurred. Regardless, this isn’t exactly the welcoming image Marion has tried to portray. Whether it’s true or not, one could have hoped that someone might have stepped in to help mediate whatever situation led to her departure.

It’s odd, of course, that a replacement serving similar food was so quickly found — as if, perhaps, an attempt was being made to undermine the business of That One Place, which serves similar fare next door.

If that’s true, it’s just as worthy of a “Come on, Marion,” as is the failure to ensure that Mis Viejos’ operator felt comfortable here.

All of this is mired in preconceived notions that border on hateful and racist. It’s true that the owner of That One Place had some run-ins with the law in his youth here. It’s also true that the operator of Mis Viejos appears to be Hispanic.

Whether she’s an immigrant, no one knows. She might very well be a multi-generation American. Merely to assume that someone of Hispanic heritage is an immigrant — worse yet, an undocumented one — is a form of racism. And there’s no room for racism in this or any other community worth living in.

The continued food fight over taco vendors does nothing to make the community stronger. Is it any wonder why all three of the places that did or will serve tacos on Sundays do so out of mobile vehicles that can be untethered and removed from the city on a moment’s notice?

Given the environment of charges and countercharges tossed about on all sides of this matter, why would anyone want to put down roots that might be difficult to move.

Still, it’s not just those involved in the food fight that deserve a “Come on, Marion,” this week. Brainstorming their ideas for the future, county commissioners managed to establish a goal of never approving additional conditional use permits for wind farms.

That might be popular in some quarters, but it has grave legal consequences. Permits are supposed to be issued on the merits of each application. Making a blanket statement that the county doesn’t want to approve any permit, regardless of what it might say, is the type of evidence that could cost the county millions in a lawsuit.

One more thing this week needs a “Come on,” but it’s not “Come on, Marion.” It’s “Come on, Centre.”

The Centre school board has been meeting in marathon sessions, all behind closed doors. The meetings may be perfectly innocent, but what’s an average citizen supposed to think with so many executive sessions? Are teachers being evaluated, or is there some problem that parents and taxpayers have a right to know about.

Whether innocent or not, agendas and minutes so full of secret sessions are reminiscent of spy movies in which some character’s personnel file is pulled out and all the words except two or three are blacked out. Anyone seeing so much secrecy is bound to become suspicious.

While it might be impossible to tell everything that’s being talked about, at least some general indication of what’s going on might allay public doubts.

People hereabouts like to talk about improving our image. Being kinder, smarter, and more open would be a good first step in that direction.

— Eric Meyer