Yesterday we bid farewell to a sad time in our county's political history as Don Gresham, a convicted child abuser, finally, under immense pressure, withdrew his name from the board of education race.

Mr. Gresham's final comments were that he played the media.

How very sad and sick. Here is a man who thinks he has played the media and, in doing so, forever ruined what reputation he had. He apparently has shown no concern of the quality of life for his own family.

We have a large number of people who are running for office in Newton County that, in itself, is very positive.

Some candidates are sincere in their desire to be of service while others are in races for all of the wrong reasons. It is up to each of us to decide which of these two types of candidates we want to make decisions on our behalf - decisions that will affect us for years to come.

To serve as an elected or an appointed official on any level takes time, preparation and good sense.

It takes hours of reading, researching and observing to ensure a governmental body runs smoothly and efficiently - even if that governmental body only meets once or twice a month. Government is laden with complex terminologies and policies that require intelligence on behalf of those who serve.

The hours of preparation and work spent by a public official are necessary to ensure our leaders are well prepared to guide our county and cities into the future in an informed way.

That is true for each of our candidates running in Newton County; it is going to take your time and effort to represent us.

It is up to us the voters to determine if you are willing to do that.

To that end The Covington News will partner with the Covington/Newton County Chamber of Commerce to hold a candidates forum sometime this October.

Over the next couple of weeks, we will let you know the time, place and the format.

In the meantime, through our paper and Web site we will do our best to keep you informed on the issues facing our cities and county.