One week from tonight the polls will close and the election for school board representatives in ISD 833 will have ended. The voters will have decided on who they want to represent them on the South Washington School District board and whether or not they agree with the 3 ballot questions relating to district financing. There will be some candidates that earn the most votes but in the end all of us that have participated in this process are winners as we have participated in something very sacred in our country and that is representative democracy with free elections. Whether you consider yourself a conservative, progressive, liberal or somewhere in-between the practice of going the polls and voting is what we have in common and that is a good thing.
I remember watching the movie Mr. Smith Goes to Washington as a kid—the version with Jimmy Stewart—and remember thinking how wonderful it was for the outsider to get a chance to make a difference. I certainly am not comparing myself to Mr. Smith but I am a firm believer in representative government where persons from all walks of life share in the governance of the country from local offices all the way to Washington. When I decided to seek a seat on the school board it was out of desire to serve the community as an average citizen and be a voice of reason. If you follow the posted comments in the candidate profiles some might believe I am pawn of a political party or the unions have got me in their pocket. I have chosen to run my campaign without taking any donations from anyone or any organization. Not a dime from anyone. I have spent a few dollars of my own money on a copy paper, toner for the printer and gas for the old Ford. Keeps things simple and I know no one is going to be expecting any favors for their contributions. I guess I long for the days when it didn’t take huge sums of money for the average guy to run for office.
So when you drive around and see all those yard signs for the other candidates remember there is one candidate that is running that doesn’t have signs as he is trying to keep things simple and within his own budget. Which reminds me of something else I saw a few weeks ago down in Iowa, homemade candidate signs. At first I thought they were garage sale signs, then on closer inspection they were for a city council race and they were everywhere. Homemade signs, kind of reminded me of Mr. Smith Goes to Washington. Remember to vote on November 5th.
