There has begun a stirring of potential political candidates for the 2016 election. We know this because already there are stirrings of smearing mud being mixed.

Unfortunately this has become the standard in recent elections and what this type of politicking does is blur what the real issues are.

We have a few characters in office locally who were elected because their constituents either do not care, do not inform themselves, or are swayed by the character assassinations  that are now prevelant.

We urge anyone that runs for local office to refrain from running a campaign that concentrates on throwing mud and other debris at their opponent and instead make every effort to communicate their beliefs and visions to the voters who vote.

To the voters you have an even bigger obligation – and that is to take time and first meet the person you are going to vote for and then to make sure you make every effort to understand the candidate’s vision and history before you fill out the ballot on voting day.

We ask you for the sake of our city and county to not just go and vote for someone because of their color or their party affiliation or because they can pose for a nice picture or you like the sound of their name. Do their actions match their words? How do they conduct themselves when they think no one’s watching? Are they accessible to all segments of the community? Do they show up more than just in campaign season when they want your vote? Do they try and make decisions that are in the best interest of the community instead of what is only in their self interest? 

Do yourself and all of us a favor and find the answers to some of these questions before voting. Take the time to be informed. We promise you that we will make every effort to see that you are.