There’s a little more bustle in the clerk’s office these days.
Around the county, municipal offices are in the throes of the final days available for nomination this election season. The official deadline is Sept. 12 at 2pm.
The reasons to run for local office are numerous; your community needs you.
Most successful councils benefit from a well-rounded group of people from different walks of life. Much of the work councils handle has to do with understanding problems and perspectives. For example, farm groups, arts groups, business groups – all have elements of self-interest best served by people with an interest in those pursuits.
These social aspects of a community have to be balanced by the infrastructure needs of a community. Farmers for example need rural bridges to get from farm to farm or off to the feed mill.
Urban dwellers need access to communal systems like water and sewer services.
Residents with young families will put more interest in recreational programs and access to parks than empty nesters or single people. Families dealing with aging parents or seeking access to more affordable home choices in their later years, will want more emphasis placed on the needs of that particular group.
What we hope to see this fall is the chance for residents to pick from a plentiful roster of candidates interested in the common good.
Having watched politics as long as we have, we would caution candidates from claiming and residents from buying the old saw of “tax fighters.” Over the span of two decades, the worst spenders and borrowers are the guys and gals that talked of tax relief. It’s a joke taken to such an extreme that these same self-proclaimed tax fighters helped implement pension plans, benefits and the like for themselves.
We do hope consideration is given to doing things better and applaud candidates with ideas to achieve that end.
Another critical factor for a candidate seeking office, as well as voters, is the necessity of team work. Issues are complex enough these days that it is important elected individuals can get along with others. Quickly, many people find out on council that it is a team sport and individuals bent on getting their own way all the time cannot last.
Roughly two weeks remain for candidates to get their paperwork filed. Encourage suitable people or consider it yourself. The deadline looms.
