Jamestown High School’s proposed new mascot is the sartorial equivalent of having one’s cake and eating it too.

A review has shown the district has a long history with the nickname Red Raider, without Native American imagery. The colors red and green have long been tied to Jamestown High Schoool, as was a panther-type animal. Keeping the colors and using a previously-used mascot makes some sense.

It’s likely not going to make many people happy even though it achieves the basic goal of eliminating Native American imagery from the school’s uniforms and athletic facilities. We have seen already some saying that the district is too quick to bow to external pressure while others are upset that the district took only a half-step by changing the mascot and keeping the “Red Raider” nickname. That nickname, some say, is also racist and should be jettisoned.

In returning to its roots, the district is walking a frayed tightrope. Go too fast and the rope breaks on one end. Go too slow and the rope snaps from the other end.

Make no mistake, though, that this is a serious matter. Take Cambridge, a small school in Washington County, as an example. The issue became a divisive one in the community. One batch of school board members voted to retire Cambridge’s Indian mascot only to have that decision rescinded a month later when new school board members took office.

A group of Cambridge residents then asked the state Education Department to rule on the issue. State officials told the district to abide by the decision to retire the mascot while considering the issue more fully, but when the district didn’t abide by that order, the state threatened both the removal of some school officers or withholding of state aid.

Jamestown is in no such position, a fact that is a credit to Dr. Kevin Whitaker and Ben Drake, Jamestown Public Schools athletic director.

Now comes the hard part. The cat, so to speak, is out of the bag. Members of the public have until at least January, if not February, to let district officials know their feelings. The district is creating a form for teachers and students to provide feedback and community members can address the board during its regular meetings.

Let’s keep the discussions civil, come to a consensus and make a decision we can all live with.