Beware candidates who are too young

It's great to see young blood invested in the political process. But it's a widely accepted notion that the human brain keeps developing until the age of 25. Having raised two children to adulthood, I can testify to the fact that rational decision making comes with time. Hence the notion that the handful of young candidates looking to make waves in their local municipalities would bring fresh young blood into the mix is premature at best and dangerous at worst.

There is a reason we have minimum ages for things, and serving on your local board should not be an exception. Important decisions about the way a town serves its constituents should be left to people who understand the process and have qualifications to hold the office.

Age 25 is not an unreasonable age to begin a political career. Of all of the hopefuls mentioned in your article, the two Matthews are just too young to consider. A 17-year-old running for a village board seat in Gurnee? His heart is definitely in the right place, as is his passion, but his brain is not. Give it time to grow, to mature, to develop into the critical thinking organ it will become in a few years.

Then tell us your plans for your town. And finish your education first, you might just learn something along the way.

Scot Sinclair

Third Lake