EDITORIAL: Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, even for a new logo on Ely’s water tower

Workers have been busy painting a new logo on the city water tower. On the ground, some keyboard warriors have skewered the move while others have left it as much ado about nothing.
A logo is much like a piece of art hanging in a gallery where two people can have opposite reactions after viewing. Is one wrong? Are they both right?
We’ll point out that there have been numerous logos on Ely’s water towers in the past 133 years. Some were just the three letters but they all conveyed the same message: if you’re looking at this tower, you’re in the right place.
Let’s also acknowledge that this current logo went through a review process and was approved by the Ely city council as well as the Ely Tourism Board and the Chamber of Commerce board. All three of these groups resolved to work together and present a unified look going forward. That in and of itself is a step in the right direction.
There will be some who will continue to say what was on the water tower previously was better. Fair enough, we still live in a free country and everyone has a right to their opinion.
What’s been more interesting to us is the number of people who have taken ownership of the new look because it’s on their water tower in their hometown. Thank you to all who have emailed photos to us of the painting process or called to say, “Did you see they are painting the water tower today?” Like it or not, this new look is here to stay.
For how long this logo will grace the water tower is unknown. If the tank start to rust again sooner than later it may not be that long until painters climb to the top and give the keyboard warriors another look to ponder.
Tomorrow we gather to celebrate our nation’s Independence Day. This day back in 1776 where some guys named Thomas Jefferson, John Adams and Benjamin Franklin were key in telling old King George III to take a long walk off a short dock.
For the next 245 years the United States of America has been the best form of government on the planet. It’s not perfect but neither is a logo on a water tank. The difference is here, in this country, we can all have our say without fear of censorship, persecution or prosecution. And that is a beautiful thing.