Tuesday marked an important day in our communities as voters went to the polls to select the people who will represent them for the next four years in our mayoral offices and council, aldermen or selectmen positions.
As is almost always the case, the annual four-year cycle of local government will feature a blend of old and new faces when these bodies officially assume their duties on July 1. That’s probably the best situation: a blend of experience and new ideas.
As is the case with all elections, Tuesday’s voting produced winners and losers, but in a larger sense, all who chose to place themselves squarely in the public arena by running for office, have succeeded.
Our government works best when citizens step forward to serve and even for those whose efforts were not rewarded Tuesday, their contributions are worthy of our respect.
For those whose bids came up short, we encourage you to look for other ways to serve, to be actively engaged as an involved and informed constituent.
For those who will now occupy elected offices, we urge you to stay true to the commitments you expressed in your campaign. We encourage you to be open-minded, accessible, accountable and willing to work with those whose views you may not always share.
We also thank those incumbents who, either by their own choice or the will of the voters, will not return to office in the wake of Tuesday’s elections. As Caledonia’s Brenda Willis, who chose to step down after five terms as a town aldermen this year, noted: End of official service does not mean you do not have any contribution to make. Your experiences and insights may help inform those for whom serving in city government may be a new experience.
Finally, if we can add a bit of house-keeping: We urge all candidates to collect your signs and dispose of them properly. Hey, you may even want to store them away.
After all, we’ll do it again in four short years.
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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