The Greater Public Good

July 26, 2004

There are lessons and challenges in every campaign, and in every election… but some from the July 20th primary really stood out, or SHOUTED out…and we should recognize them, pay attention to them, and learn from them.

To begin with, voter turn-out in the primary was light…and with all the comments and issues we’d heard since the campaign began..it seemed like each person who voted had his or her own personal issue: a park here, a school there…public safety, health, sales tax revenue, animal control…and the list goes on. And that’s ok. We all have our OWN reasons for voting on election day…and interest in the issues shows a lot of public spirit.

But as we make election day decisions, and push our own individual causes, we should also remember the GREATER PUBLIC GOOD…and make final decisions that are not only in our INDIVIDUAL interests, but decisions that are in ALL our interests.

We remember talking to the sheriff of a near-by county once, who had served several terms in office. It was coming up on election time…and he commented that after that long in office, he’d probably arrested enough people that if all those, and their families and friends showed up to vote..he’d lose the election for sure…and he DID lose the election. He was a very good sheriff, he had done his job and had served the public well. But folks turned out on election day and voted their own INDIVIDUAL interests, and the county LOST an exemplary public servant.

Without a doubt, there was some of that in the primary election for county commissioner on July 20th. When you’re involved in local government, there are a LOT of tough decisions to be made. And with growing NEEDS and limited financial resources, EVERY decision is a tough one..and every decision leaves some one, some group, some community, some neighborhood, some department, some INTEREST—unhappy. It’s almost enough to make a public servant gun-shy..hesitant to make the RIGHT choices… knowing there WILL BE unhappy voters… and if there are ENOUGH unhappy voters, over ENOUGH tough but CORRECT choices… the numbers add up, and an election can and will be lost.

This is where a real commitment to the GREATER PUBLIC GOOD is necessary, on OUR part as voters as well as on the part of elected officials who must make the RIGHT but TOUGH decisions.

There were a lot of issues in the primary election…and there will be even more as our elected officials seek to serve us all. With a lot of NEED, and with limited financial resources, it is our hope that our elected public servants remember the GREATER PUBLIC GOOD…and make the tough, but right choices…no matter how individually unpopular or politically costly they may be. We’ve had public servants who have done that…and we’ve seen them lose.

This, we believe, is what REAL public service is all about.