Candidate requests
Dear candidates,
First of all, let me commend you on the decision you have made to run for an elected office. During the first two weeks of filing, there have been a dozen names tossed in the ring for county commission seats, and only one of the state races for our area is uncontested at this point.
Being an elected official can be a trying task, I'm sure, and one that carries with it quite a bit of responsibility. As an elected official, your every move will be scrutinized by the public, the people who may or may not vote you into office.
Not all decisions will be popular. Ask any person who is holding or has held an office. You will have to be prepared to take the good with the bad when making your decisions. After all, they will affect nearly 80,000 people in this county we call home.
As you enter the peak campaign season in preparation for the May 6 primary, I ask only a few things of you as a citizen of this county and a voter.
First, be sure you know what you are doing. I want a county commissioner, a state senator and representative who truly wants to be in office for the good of the people he/she represents. I don't want someone who is only running because his/her best friend thought it would be a neat experience. I don't want someone to run in an attempt to take votes from another candidate to help someone else's cause. I don't want a candidate running to further his/her own agenda. I want a champion of the people, someone who will put us at the forefront of every decision made.
The person I want in office to represent me and my county is someone who is abreast of the issues, has his/her finger on the pulse of the county and is dedicated to doing whatever it takes to make this a better place for me and my fellow citizens. Anything less in a candidate is selling our citizens short on the leadership the deserve and expect.
Second, I want the candidates to tell me about the issues. I want to know their true views on what impacts this county and state. I don't want lip service. Don't tell me what you think I want to hear to get my vote. Tell me what you are going to do and then do it. Too many times we are misled by politicians who promise one thing and do another. Don't be one of those candidates. Stick to your guns.
Third, I want a person willing to take responsibility for his/her actions, a person who is not afraid to approach the hard topics confronting Caldwell County. If a person is brave enough to run for political office, he/she needs to be man/woman enough to deal with any criticism that comes from us, the citizens. Do right by us, and we'll applaud your efforts. Overstep your bounds, and we'll let you know about it.
Be up front and honest with us, the people you represent at all times, whether it's during the primary election, general election or after elected to office.
Finally, I ask that you take down all those political signs when the election is over. Nothing grinds my gears more than seeing campaign signs up six or eight months after an election. When it's over, take them down to restore our county's natural beauty.
OK, That's about it. If you as a politician, can adhere to my simple requests, you'll get my vote. If not, I guess I'll have to look at other candidates.
Again, thanks for listening to my requests and for your interest in our county's political scope. Best of luck in the election. May the best candidates win.
Managing Editor