We will soon be voting once again for county and state offices. It is a bold and daunting thing to offer oneself for elected office. Or at least it should be. It is certainly a serious responsibility not to be entered into frivolously.
Asking your neighbors and friends to trust you to do what is best for them and your community can be viewed as the height of hubris. The gesture should be undergirded by a commanding and powerful belief in being able to achieve something meaningful. As a constituent you always hope that the motives of the candidates are more tied to public service than anger about some one particular issue or the desire to travel or exercise perceived power.
Those who knock on our doors seeking our votes should be accorded at least some measure of regard and at the very least civility of attitude. Even if they are not your candidate, it doesn’t behoove any constituent to be rude or threatening to the people who are willing to take up the mantle of responsibility. That’s not to say you shouldn’t ask the hard questions and insist on legitimate answers. It is fair to want to know where a candidate stands.
A simple “thanks, but no thanks” will suffice if you have already decided. I say that because abusing the candidate is one of the reasons that fair and decent people hesitate to enter the fray. We need people who understand working for a living, budgeting, making payroll and time management.
The elections that touch us up close and personal are the ones that seem to draw the least attention and the fewest voters. Maybe this year will be different. What can our various county candidates do to intrigue or entice or even irritate us enough so we will get engaged in determining our destiny?
We have a two-party system that should be encouraging us to inform ourselves about the issues. The parties should be creating opportunities for the candidates to strut their stuff.
The most recent election was woefully lacking in candidates willing to step up and be heard. Several opted not to participate in a debate. That choice was a disservice to their potential constituency. Some of them got elected anyway. Shame on those who didn’t hold them accountable.
It is time the Democratic and Republican parties join to sponsor a candidate forum for the county and statewide election this November. Between now and then there should be multiple opportunities to make this happen.
This is a public service opportunity that should be embraced by the parties and the candidates. If you believe that you are the right person for the job then you should be able to make your arguments publicly. The parties who are giving the candidate validation ought to insist on it as well.
Perhaps there could be candidate events like the ones they have at the Neshoba County Fair that might become a popular election year happening. Maybe we could coordinate them with the summer and fall downtown events or the community market.
I hate to believe it, but if it takes food to get us there then so be it. How about a candidate fish fry or barbecue before the primary elections hosted by the Greater Starkville Development Partnership and the party powers that be.
Maybe the Rotary, Lion’s and Shriners’ clubs could join forces to host a candidate forum. Maybe there could be a meet-the-candidates’ tent at the Cotton District Arts Festival. I am sure there are creative people out there who can think of ways to get this campaign front and center in a meaningful way.
The Dispatch Editorial Board is made up of publisher Peter Imes, columnist Slim Smith, managing editor Zack Plair and senior newsroom staff.
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