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Editor's ViewpointMeditations Of A Minnesota Mossback |
The Very Best In Politics … And Joining The Conversation
In case anyone hadn’t noticed, it’s election season—and not only in Minnesota.
I just took a quick trip to Seattle to see family, and the highways and byways of Washington are lined with some of the same red, white and blue signs that appear along the streets of Hugo, Centerville and Lino Lakes.
It made me feel right at home, which I was, since—like all Mossbacks—I hail from the Evergreen State.
But I wondered, as I peered at Mt. Rainier out my airplane window, if they are having the same discussions in Mississippi, Montana, and Maine as we are in Minnesota?
Are the conversations in the coffee shops of Hibbing and Hinckley the same ones being conducted over the grinding of coffee beans in Hugo?
Likely not. I have this idea that the quality of small town politics is highly correlated with the kind of conversations its residents want to have.
We think that over the past four years, this newspaper has been engaged in some fairly highquality conversations.
The Citizen has written about issues of importance to voters in all three cities. Road and interchange construction, budget and taxation issues, emergency response and tornado coverage, local developments, TIF districts, public improvements, and how State Statute Chapter 429 works—those topics and many others have been all over our bi-weekly front page.
The Citizen doesn’t skirt the issues.
If you read our newspaper regularly, you’ve likely learned a thing or two. We certainly have.
We have learned that informed voters in Hugo, Centerville and Lino Lakes are having thoughtful discussions about important topics.
We agree that an election year is an opportune time to have those meaningful conversations. The very best in politics can happen on a local level, because voters have the best chance of making their voices heard.
It’s simply a matter of numbers.
In Centerville, for instance, voters have 10 candidates from which to choose for 3 positions.
Out of a population of around 4,000, that means 0.25 percent of the population of Centerville is running for a council position. In Hugo, 8 candidates are vying for 3 council seats.
But we are convinced that those discussions can best happen in communities where voters expect candidates to respect each other, and where the focus is on addressing meaningful topics rather than waging personal attacks.
At The Citizen, we believe the mud-slinging sometimes identified with higher-profile campaigns really doesn’t need to happen in the small communities we serve.
We simply have too much to talk about, to waste time by vilifying the opposition.
Of course, everybody has a beef: we encourage our readers to contact their local candidates to see where they stand.
And it has never been easier: besides picking up the phone, there is always e-mail. Voters can visit a campaign Web site.
They can also attend a local candidate forum.
What better way to bring a question on an issue that matters to you? Listen to your future elected representatives face the tough questions that you’d like to hear answered. Join the conversations happening this month.
It’s your best chance to make a difference.