Winfield residents yearn for civility

Winfield residents yearn for civility

Too often there is a lack of candidates from which voters can choose on Election Day. Democracy is not supposed to work like this.

Stan Zegel's recent letter correctly identifies this glaring problem in local representative democracies across the country. He incorrectly assumes that this general problem also applies to the village of Winfield. It does not.

Over the past several election cycles, Winfield elections have included many individuals opting to run for office. The April 2015 elections promise to be no different. Numerous residents have been circulating petitions to get their names on the ballot. For the three village trustee seats available next spring, voters will probably have many options from which to choose.

I myself have volunteered for three good candidates who have spent countless hours in the past months reaching out to community members by knocking on over 600 doors, gathering signatures and making introductions with the residents.

The challenge for Winfield today is not one of a void of candidates; rather the challenge confronting our village is the too-often toxic political environment that plagues our community. Listening to residents over the past several weeks has revealed to me that people want real solutions to the problems that challenge so many municipalities, and they yearn for a more civil village board.

Winfield is a friendly town and a great place to live. We are making significant progress as is demonstrated by the recently approved comprehensive plan, a valuable guide for future development and sustainable revenues.

We can build a better future for Winfield, but residents must pay close attention and vote wisely for the candidates that reflect these values, and engage in civil, constructive debate about the future of our town.

Phil Hardy

Winfield