Rrrrrriiiing. Rrrrrriiiing. The telephone disrupts the brief moments of silence since it last rang.

Before even picking up the receiver, I know that the message will be one of two types that I have heard countless times in recent days.

&#8220Ironton Tribune, this is Mike, how can I help you?” I ask the caller on the other end of the line.

The response was either &#8220How could you?” or &#8220We appreciate you taking a stand.” Both are delivered with equal passion. The speaker always believes they are looking out for what is best for Ironton.

And so it went, after The Tribune's editorial board, consisting of myself and publisher Kevin Cooper, took a stand last week on the controversial plan to adopt a school bond levy that would result in the demolition of Ironton High School.

The reactions spanned the spectrum from pure hatred to complete joy, and every shade in between.

We took a stand on an issue that we have seen polarize the community. The newspaper is a key part of that community and should not be so irresponsible to stay on the sidelines.

A big misconception has been that we are against the levy altogether and against the city's children. That could not be farther from the truth.

We always maintained that the taxpayers must step to the challenge and provide for the future of Ironton's children. We simply said we do not support adopting a plan on Nov. 8 because the city remains divided over what is the best way to proceed.

The community must be united on this monumental decision. All property owners will be asked to pay for the plan for the next 28 years and we do not feel such an important decision should be made in haste.

We talked to both sides of the debate, countless residents and looked at the issue from all angles.

The district will have at least three more chances to approve a levy. What harm is there in taking a little more time to go back to the drawing board and allow for more public discussion and input?

We simply wanted to see if a middle ground can be found - a compromise that would allow for almost entirely new schools without completely forsaking the past.

Moving in this direction should allow the two factions two come together as one and focus on educating tomorrow's leaders.

Will a compromise be possible? Maybe or maybe not, but if the issue is thoroughly studied with ample opportunity for public discussion and input, then at least we would feel that all efforts have been made.

One of the questions I was asked most was, &#8220Why do you even get involved?”

That can best be answered with another question. How could we not? It is a community newspaper's obligation and responsibility to take a stand on what it feels is best for the community. Sometimes doing so isn't the most popular thing to do.

We aren't telling anyone how to vote and this in no way speaks for the views of all the hardworking men and women at The Ironton Tribune who are all entitled to their own views.

Like any endorsement, this expresses the view of two people who have been chosen to lead the newspaper and focus on the needs of the entire community.

Whether you agree with our opinion or not, we should never be accused of not caring.

The newspaper could have taken the easy way out and not weighed in at all. It would have avoided dozens of phone calls and lots of grief.

We may be &#8220right” or we may &#8220wrong,” but we know that not taking a stand would have been far worse.

Michael Caldwell is managing editor at The Ironton Tribune. To reach him, call (740) 532-1445 ext. 24 or by e-mail at mike.caldwell@irontontribune.com