Archive: Opinions

Four years ago I wrote an editorial that was mildly critical of The Village of Lansing's uncontested elections.  For many years the Community Party put up candidates who ran unopposed.  I was not critical of the way Village Trustees ran the Village, but I was uncomfortable with a system that seemed to have no interest in providing voters a choice.

Then again I wan't convinced voters wanted a choice.  I don't live in the Village myself, so I discount my opinion.  When I talked to villagers about it they seemed happy with the way things were running and didn't see all the uncontested elections as a problem.  If it ain't broke don't fix it.

So I wasn't sure whether I was just being pedantic or whether my understand of the American elections and politics should be imposed when everyone who actually mattered seemed to be happy.  I couldn't help thinking of how Nazi Germany happened, largely through citizen indifference according to some interpretations.  But even to me that seemed to be an outlandishly extreme comparison to a village that wasn't harming anyone except, perhaps, local merchants who don't like the strict sign ordinances.  Still, no choice for voters makes me antsy.

Yesterday I learned that there will be a choice in April's election (the Village is on a crazy schedule that puts its election day on April 24th this year).  Disagreements over Village handling of a proposed development got some villagers so upset that they decided to try to make changes from within the system by challenging the two Trustees whose terms are up this year. The result is that Yasamin Miller and Brian Goodell will be challenging incumbents John O'Neill and Julie Baker for their seats on the board.

I try hard not to publicly take sides, and I won't in this case.  But I am thrilled that voters will have a choice this year.  The election is a time for citizens to think about what is important to them as candidates raise their issues.  Having a choice makes people more thoughtful about what is going on in their world.

It is too easy to be complacent and not vote when there are no challengers.  But voting is one of the only ways we have in America to determine what is going to happen to some of the key things that affect our lives.  Good candidates make voters think and give them a reason to choose.  Having clear choices gives us a way to influence our communities by... choosing.  In my opinion April's election will be good for the Village.

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