Editorial: Your chance to play a lead role in improving the community
Many of us are still in a stupor nearly a month after the presidential election but an even more important election is nipping at our heels, one that cannot be ignored.
We didn't say more exciting. We said more important.
The April 4 consolidated election is for local officials - the ones who makes the important decisions involving your taxes, your schools, your roads, your parks, your libraries, your life.
On Monday, Dec. 12, filing opens for candidates who are running for city councils, park boards, library boards, townships, school boards, community college boards, fire districts and more. Before filing closes on Dec. 19, hundreds of ordinary people across the suburbs will have collected signatures on petitions and placed their names in contention for these local offices.
You could be one of them.
Most people seeking local office do it not because they have vast political ambitions. They do it knowing that being elected to a board on April 4 will require a lot of work and a lot of time. It'll mean missing some work, missing family time and taking phone calls from constituents at inconvenient hours.
It will mean doing homework to get prepared. It will mean knowing the specifics of local issues, their impact on a community's quality of life and on their neighbors' tax bills. All without remuneration, for the most part.
People undertake all this work, inconvenience and, occasionally, hardship because they believe they can help and are eager to try. They want to do more than just sit back and accept the decisions that affect their daily life or merely complain about them. They want to take part in the decision making.
If you are just now thinking about running, it's not too late. If you believe you can add valuable perspective, know-how or energy to one of your local governing boards, why not? You can find what you need to know to be a candidate at elections.il.gov or at the Illinois Association of School Boards website, iasb.com.
These races are in most cases nonpartisan and free of the big money, hardball political tactics that color many state and national elections, raising the appeal for people whose motives are focused on improving their communities.
Pick up petitions, get the required signatures and turn them in by Dec. 19. You'll feel the satisfaction that comes with trying to make a material difference. You'll make sure that your ideas are part of the larger debate about issues in your community.
And, win or lose, your community will thank you.