Chronicle Editorial

By: 
Chronicle Staff

More options needed on fall ballots

     The campaign for this fall’s elections are starting to heat up just like our sizzling late-August weather.

     The races for seats on the Hampton-Dumont Board of Education and Hampton City Council have the potential to produce some very interesting contests. Three seats are up on the school board – those of incumbents Jennifer Hansen, Chad Hanson and Thomas Brolsma. Hansen’s spot is the only one being contested. Jeff Rosenberg filed papers and hopes to unseat her for a four-year term of his own.

     The city council is ripe with possibility as well. Three seats in Ward 2, Ward 4 and an at-large spot are on the ballot for 2013. Jim Davies (Ward 2) and Craig Eckhardt (Ward 4) aren’t seeking re-election, while Dick Lukensmeyer (at-large) is the only incumbent looking for another term. The mayor’s position is the lone contested city race so far. Brook Boehmler and Diane Weldin announced they’re seeking the office being vacated by outgoing mayor Shawn Dietz.

     It’s great to see competition in the current races, but we hope more people decide to file papers and seek public office. The deadline for the Sept. 10 school board election has passed; however, the Sept. 19 filing date for the city council race provides more than enough time for individuals to jump into this fall’s campaign.

     It takes a dedicated individual to serve in the public sphere. A lot more goes into it than bi-weekly or monthly meetings – committees, workshops and other commitments comprise a vast array of duties. A lot of procedure and monotony over city and school finances go into the job as well. Our elected officials are the punching bags for the public, be it warranted or not. A thick skin and great patience is certainly necessary if these candidates or other hopefuls wish to be successful if elected.

     Even though there’s currently a handful of locally contested races, there needs to be more. The benefits of a diversified ballot are numerous. The public is given a varied field of contestants, which provides a better opportunity for their vote to represent their particular desires and political ideologies. Uncontested races are not only boring, but they give the electorate virtually no voice or option unless a write-in candidate emerges during the campaign.

     Another disadvantage created by uncontested races is low voter turnout. If citizens have no other choice but a single candidate, there’s really no point in casting a ballot. One-person races lull the public into complacency through a lack of civic engagement. Candidates aren’t challenged to debate their differences and thoroughly discuss their platforms or political desires. They’ll get elected, but hardly anything is known about who they are or what they stand for.

     There’s still plenty of time to get candidacy papers, collect signatures and file them before the Sept. 19 deadline. Ward 2 and Ward 4 are currenlty wide open to anyone who’s intereseted in making a run. Hampton has had good candidate participation in recent elections, and that shouldn’t change in 2013. We hope more people step up to the plate and provide the city’s electorate with additional options, because a multi-candidate ballot is much better for the citizens in which the government serves.

 

 

Hampton Chronicle

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Hampton, IA 50441
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