I'm using this space to say thank you to some people I consider heroes: Barron Williamson, Michael States, Doyle Inman, Dave Malet, Kathleen Warren, Tim Gainer, Donald Kennedy, Kent Reitmeier, Laura Parsons and Rochelle Schoenleber.
These individuals have shown courage and community spirit in filing challenges for 10 of 21 West Plains elected offices up for grabs in the coming elections. That means over half the offices will go unchallenged, with those incumbents likely regaining their seats, sans any write-in candidates.
I thank those incumbent office holders too. They also demonstrate courage and spirit to again throw their hats into the public arena where it seems everyone — including the media — have better ideas about how to do things than they do. Many citizens are more than eager to tell them too, often under cover of the anonymous phone call or email.
Incumbents know and understand the challenges of the offices they seek, which in some cases makes the fact that they wish to continue serving that much more remarkable. Great job!
But unlike many people who grouse about things in the community they don't like essentially behind the safety of closed doors, challengers are willing to put their discontent out for everyone to see. Not that any of these 10 challengers are discontented, we don't know that yet, but they must not be satisfied with the status quo and feel they can do better, or offer something different to our city councils and school boards.
Otherwise why run for office? If the status quo is OK, why change it, right?
The first four individuals are running for three of four Airway Heights City Council positions with Williamson challenging Charlotte Lawrence and Malet facing John Holloway while States and Inman square off for the seat now held by Matthew Pederson, who is not running for reelection.
Two of four Cheney council positions have challengers, with Warren facing Bob Stockton and Gainer taking on Graeme Webster. Medical Lake features the only race that will appear on the primary ballot as Donald Kennedy and Kent Reitmeier face incumbent Howard Jorgenson. In the other race, former council member Laura Parsons challenges John Paikuli.
The only school board race happens in Cheney with Rochelle Schoenleber facing multi-term incumbent Rick Mount in one of the three seats up for election. Apparently the Medical Lake School Board is doing a great job as no challengers emerged against its three incumbents.
I'm trying not to let my cynicism run amok here, due to dissatisfaction that over half of the elected offices out here are going to go unchallenged, particularly school board positions which can wield as much power in their communities as city councils. It's really a sign of apathy in my opinion that only one of six in Cheney and Medical Lake will be contested.
Elections are important in democracy. Not just because voters get the chance to decide who will represent them, but also because they serve as a conduit through which ideas, opinions and beliefs can be disseminated and discussed — publicly.
It's great that elected and non-elected officials practice an open-door policy where constituents may come in, discuss issues and vent problems. But using this approach too often lets these matters get swept under the rug, matters that might be reflective of a wider problem meriting broader community input.
Elections provide the opportunity for public airing of all issues facing communities. And there are a lot these days.
That's why to me people running for public office are heroes, especially challengers. It takes a lot to offer up one's private opinions and beliefs for sacrifice on the altar of public service.
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