Politics

Politics! Some of us profess we hate them! But, let’s face it, politics are a part of life.

And right now, when early voting is under way and the General Primaries and Non-Partisan Election Day is less than two weeks away, we’re faced with decisions to make, and, for many of us, homework to do, and then a visit to the polls to vote for our choice, or in some cases, the lesser of the evils.

I wrote a story that ran in the April 21 paper, outlining all the candidates seeking all the posts that are up for grabs. It was confusing to say the least. Hopefully somewhere in today’s paper are sample ballots. I say hopefully, because I’m actually writing this before deadline and don’t yet know what will fit in the pages of this week’s newspaper, but I have every intention of including a sample ballot that will be only a little less confusing than the story I wrote.

And where do you learn about these people? Most don’t advertise in the local paper. Some send out mailers, and of course all can be googled.

And, it is interesting what you find when you google the candidates. I learned more than I already knew about Burt Jones when I googled him as I was writing this article.

And now I’m going to google lots more of the candidates.

At one point I decided I was not voting for anyone whose sign I see in the right-of-way. It’s a real pet peeve of mine. And, last week some signs appeared on several corners…some of them blocking the view, making for a dangerous intersection.

Luckily Monticello has code enforcement now, and I think she has been busy pulling up signs. And, she has assured someone I know that it is fine to pull up signs that are in the right-of-way and leave them laying where they are.

I find it ridiculous. If you can’t find a supporter to actually put a sign in his or her yard, why do you feel the need to put them in the right-of-way, especially if it blocks the view pulling out of a side road.

I have a couple of people I’m definitely voting against, because of their signs. I know it’s not the best determination for how to vote, but with so many people running, you have to eliminate some.

But, I just googled one of them whose sign I hate, and he sounds like a pretty good option. Better than some others.

But, I digress. Not many candidates for state, region or national office are advertising in your local paper. One is. And, some local candidates know thee’s a newspaper. Three candidates for School Board have run their announcements in the paper and followed up with advertisements.

I’m not sure what happened to the other candidates…but I feel they underestimate how many people use the newspaper for local news. I mean where else to you get local news?

So, don’t be like me and judge people just on their signs. Do some homework. It’s hard. There’s lots of candidates for lots of offices. Of course you can only vote either Republican or Democratic in the primary.

The School Board posts are non-partisan, so whichever ballot you choose, you can still vote for School Board. Districts 1 and 3 are contested. District 5 is not. District 2 and 4 will be up for grabs two years from now, as they serve staggered terms.

I hope you will join me in doing some homework, and we can end up with some good public servants. I don’t know how close the vote will be in any office, but I’m sure there are some run-offs ahead.

Remember every vote counts, so study up, and cast your vote for who you think is best. Who knows, even a long shot could win.