“This institution belongs to the city,” Mesa Community College President Shouan Pan emphasized as he set the stage for a lunch-time brainstorming session Thursday with Mesa activists.

That’s what Pan said. But what does that mean and does he mean what he said?

In exchange for a lasagna lunch, Pan and other college leaders wanted members of what is known as MCC’s Commission on Excellence in Education to talk about their expectations of MCC as members of the Mesa community and in general comment on the vision of its future that the college has been developing.

I don’t think MCC got their lasagna’s worth, except from one table—a table that I was not at.

Former vice mayor Claudia Walters said her table urged the college to “raise the expectations of Mesa.” She said MCC is the “best kept secret” in the community and needs to strengthen its public relations effort. Twitter it, she said.

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The boisterous greeting the Dobson High student body gave the president today was just the ticket for showing the nation what a warm and vibrant community Mesa is.

Boring?  Not.

The sun shone brightly in the background as CNN’s reporter did her recap, and the campus looked spiffy and inviting as students walked to their classes.

Mayor Scott Smith said in today’s Tribune he would rather welcome the President to Mesa under better circumstances, but there is no question the city gained valuable name and place recognition that is important to attracting future employers and investment.

CNN’s interview of Phoenix Mayor Phil Gordon seemed an odd prelude to the news network’s coverage of President Obama’s speech at Dobson High in Mesa, as did CNN’s roll of stats that focused on Phoenix–perhaps those were metro stats.

And perhaps, I’m revealing too much local sensitivity and pride.

While west Mesa is not the heart of conservative Republican Mesa, it still puzzles me why Obama’s team chose the Republican city to announce his mortgage initiative and the congressional district that launched John McCain’s political career.  But, then, why not?

Conservative commentators are working to pigeon-hole Obama as borderline socialist.  (”Borderline” may be generous.)   Yet, his concluding remarks should resonate with heartlanders who don’t make their living by being media conservatives.

“All of us have to learn to live within our means, again,” Obama said, referring to core values of “common sense” and “responsibility.”

Through the years and through both Republican and Democratic administrations, the federal government has hardly been a role model for those values, and the mind-boggling financial scope of Obama’s initiatives run contrary to the message.

Words and deed clash.  But it is the right time for the message.  We can only hope that it takes hold with those who govern as well as those who are governed.