Get an issue: It’s time for substance from candidates for office

The men and women who have decided to put their names in the hat for positions serving their communities are to be commended.

It is not easy to put yourself out there and ask voters to put you in office.

And the same should be said for the incumbents as well. After all, serving your community takes a lot of time many business people do not have these days.

But in many races, Thursday’s League of Women Voters’ forum left interested bystanders unsatisfied.

It was all just a little too safe.

Offering a choice or alternative candidate is not enough when you are talking about something as important as a city council seat — or a mayor for that matter.

What is important is a public stand on what you would do if you had the controls in your city or town — and details about how you would get there.

So, if everything is really OK, there is no need for a challenge.

But if there are some issues that you see as key to the future or if there is a direction that the city is heading that you think is not quite right — or if you simply think the leadership has been the same people with the same ideas for too long — say so.

Voters should be looking for leaders who are ready to push to envelope — to try new ideas or to demand even more for their city or town.

If they are happy with the status quo, there is no need to elect them — or to re-elect them.

The opening gambit is over — and now it is time to get down to the real nitty gritty.

Tell us what you really think. Take a stand. Take a chance. Or, to coin a phrase, go big or go home.

Published in Editorials on October 26, 2007 10:21 AM