Picture a city council meeting on a winter night. Parkas on chair backs. Coffee cooling in paper cups. Neighbors waiting for two minutes at the microphone while the plows keep Main Street passable.
Decisions in rooms like this set your tax bill, shape the road you drive, and touch the school your grandkids attend.
If we want smarter decisions, we need a reliable way to judge them.
Rotary International offers a plain, time-tested filter anyone can use, whether you’re in elected office or just sitting in the audience: the Four-Way Test of the things we think, say, or do:
- Is it the truth?
- Is it fair to all concerned?
- Will it build goodwill and better friendships?
- Will it be beneficial to all concerned?
I’m offering the test here as a tool for civic life, not an endorsement by or for Rotary International.
Now bring those four questions into Wyoming public decisions.
Start at the state Capitol.
When officials present a bill, ask whether the problem is real and backed by facts you can verify. That’s truth.
Read the fiscal note to see who pays and who benefits, across counties and over time. That’s fairness.
Consider whether the proposal strengthens trust between state and local government or strains it. That’s goodwill.
Finally, look at the outcomes, near and long term, for people statewide. That’s benefit.
At the county level, say a proposal shifts money from gravel maintenance to buying new equipment. Truth looks for condition data and a visible backlog. Fairness asks which communities get better access and which end up with more washboards. Goodwill checks whether ranchers, road crews, small towns, and unincorporated residents were invited into the conversation. Benefit weighs whether the purchase lowers costs in two years—not just in this budget cycle.
City and town councils face choices that land on monthly bills: utility rates, zoning near schools, police and fire staffing.
The Four-Way Test keeps the discussion honest.
School boards carry decisions that affect children, staff, and every taxpayer. Imagine a new safety policy that changes daily routines. Truth looks for incident data and input from people with real expertise. Fairness reviews the impact on students with different needs and on staff workloads. Goodwill asks whether parents and teachers were kept in the loop. Benefit asks if safety improves without hurting learning.
The power of the Test isn’t that it delivers one answer every time. Its strength is that it pushes responsible questions before a vote. It rewards transparency, forces tradeoffs into the open, and lowers the heat while raising the standard.
Policymakers can use this framework.
Truth starts with articulating a clear problem and backing it up with evidence.
Fairness discloses who bears the costs and who benefits across towns, districts, and years. Goodwill makes room for dissent and explains how public input shaped the outcome. Benefit weighs short-term effects against long-term consequences, including the surprises, and considers better options.
When leaders use this approach, decisions get clearer, the talks make more sense, and public trust grows.
Wyoming is built on plain dealing. We pride ourselves on showing up, talking it through, and then getting on with the work.
The Four-Way Test fits that culture.
Truth means we don’t decorate the facts. Fairness means we don’t load one neighbor’s wagon while letting another skip the pull. Goodwill means we listen hard before we vote. Benefit means we keep an eye on the long run, not just the heat of the moment.
Save these four questions. Bring them to your next meeting. Ask them when the legislature debates a bill, when your county commission weighs a road plan, when your town council adjusts utility rates, and when your school board reviews policy. If an action clears the Test, support it and say why. If it stumbles, ask for the missing evidence and better reasoning.
Rotary International is known for its motto: “Service Above Self.” That’s the ultimate test for anyone seeking public office in Wyoming. Do they put service above political ambition? Do they put our communities above their careers?
Wyoming stays strong when public choices meet a standard we can defend at a kitchen table or on a fence line. The Four-Way Test helps us keep it that way.
Gail Symons can be reached at: GailSymons@mac.com
