Opinions

Chance Mark Jones finally got justice last week.

The little blond-haired boy was just four years old when his father, Robert Babcock, brutally beat him from head to foot over an 11-day horror that is too terrible to think about.

And yet we must think about it. We are compelled to consider it, to learn from it, and make sure it never happens again.

This paper has devoted much space and time over the last year to keep this young boy’s memory alive, and we made the editorial decision to report it in a way far more graphic that we ever have. Why? Because everyone needs to know what happened to him. His suffering is more than some soundbite on the evening news or a few sensational inches in a daily newspaper. He was a boy just like all the kids in our community who deserved a chance to grow up, to have that first date, to hit that homerun, or to catch that big fish. In the words of Texas Ranger Jamie Downs, “His biggest worry should have been chocolate or vanilla.”

But a child killer took that choice and all other choices away from Chance and denied everyone the opportunity to see what he would become as he grew up. Instead, Robert Babcock thrust himself into all our lives, and changed us all forever – some more than others. Everyone from the investigators, to the prosecutors, to the jailers, to the EMTs, to the doctors, and even the jurors themselves have all been deeply impacted by this case. While most citizens are able to set it aside at the end of the day, folded up in a newspaper, other people have had to live and breathe this case on an almost daily basis. And the more you’re around this case, the more it eats on you.

Clarendon is a small, rural community with much of the idealism of small town America, but we lost our innocence when Chance Mark Jones lost his life. Certainly child abuse happened in Donley County before Robert Babcock ever laid a hand on his son or lifted him by the jaw and threw him on the counter. But except for law enforcement, most of us didn’t pay much attention to it before… or maybe we just didn’t want to pay attention to it.

But now we’ve seen it in all its ugly truth from a person we thought we knew. And to make matters worse another person knew what was going on, but didn’t stop it. Now she faces criminal charges as well and rightly so.

It would be easy to think this was an isolated case. It would be nice if we could just forget about this boy’s death and go on about our business, because, hey, what are the odds of it happening again?

But then last month a man lured three small girls into a van with candy at a Tee ball game right here in our town with scores of people all around, and we know – with every sickened fiber of our beings we know – our kids are not safe. We are not immune to the threat of predators and abusers. It shocks us, it scares us, and it should.

If we are to take anything away from this case, it must be that we have to look out for each other and that more importantly we have to be willing to take a stand when a child is in danger. We are living in a messed up world where some parents just don’t care about their kids, they don’t make sure they eat well or at all, they don’t teach them right from wrong, and, in the worst cases, they are physically abusive to them. It is a problem that has no easy solution. A religious marker at the courthouse won’t fix it and neither will PVC crosses and “the end is near” signs on the highway.

But there are people trying to make a difference in the lives of kids who are endangered. The Christ’s Kids ministry is taking an active role in trying to be a positive influence in kids’ lives and making sure that no child goes hungry in Clarendon. The Donley County Child Welfare Board, CASA volunteers, and foster parents are also on the frontlines of making sure kids who have been subjected to abuse or neglect have what they need to survive and thrive. And our law enforcement agencies and district attorney’s office also stand ready to step in when their services are needed. These people deserve our thanks and our support in all they do.

Of course, nothing we do can bring Chance back. But we can make sure that he did not die in vain. His death, hopefully, can educate people about child abuse and save someone’s life. In the meantime, we’re left with the memory of a sweet little boy who was taken from us way to soon. May he rest in peace.

DON’T TAKE A CHANCE ON CHILD ABUSE!

By Roger Estlack, Clarendon Enterprise © 2012

Without much fanfare or enthusiasm, the citizens of Clarendon gave the go ahead for the city to issue $700,000 in bonds to do some street work.

The 12 percent turnout was not impressive, but having a 58.8 percent approval was a solid majority. A total of 135 people took the time to go the polls on the issue. Seventy-nine of them can take partial credit if the project is a success; 56 of them can say “I told you so” if it flops; and 934 other eligible voters have no right to complain no matter what.

The apathy surrounding this issue was what was interesting. No one was actively pushing for the bonds, and there wasn’t a lot of vocal opposition to them either. The matter generated no letters to the editor, two comments on the Enterprise’s Facebook page, and 31 responses to an online poll on ClarendonLive.com.

It is interesting to point out, however, that the ClarendonLive.com poll accurately predicted Saturday’s election results. The poll showed 56 percent of respondents in favor of the bonds.

The opinion of your humble editor even vacillated in the days before the election before finally deciding to support the measure. The reason for that support was simple: We made some progress in 2004, and we’re used to financially supporting that bond payment, so let’s keep moving forward.

With the election behind us, the city must now move forward to be good stewards of the trust that a majority of voting citizens have imparted to them. Screw this up, and it will be a long time before Clarendon supports another project of any kind coming from City Hall.

Of the two comments we received on Facebook, one said “$700,000 won’t touch the street problem,” which is an excellent point – but it is a start; and another said, “I have no confidence in our city officials at this time,” which likely sums up the feelings of many citizens and possibly 88 percent of possible voters.

The biggest problem with City Hall’s street project is that it includes seal coating two streets on the college campus, work that the city estimates will cost $50,000. Those streets are the responsibility of the Clarendon College District. Now that city voters have approved the bonds, the city should approach the college regents in the spirit of cooperation and ask them to come up with at least half the money to do those streets. If the college can’t or won’t do this, then the city needs to spend its money elsewhere.

City Administrator Lambert Little is on the agenda for the Board of Regents meeting this week, there to ask for an easement to allow the city to spend its funds on college property. Little really needs to ask for some money while he is there. Understandably, given Clarendon’s track record, the regents may not want the city getting its hands on the streets at the college. But the regents bear some responsibility for not getting their streets sealed, and they are now showing signs of deterioration. The college has an $8.9 million budget. If they can’t find $25,000 in there to help out, then they might need to consider their own bond election.

Besides that, most of the streets Mr. Little has selected need to be worked on. Certainly those that bound three sides of Broncho Stadium are highly traveled and visible to by both locals and visitors, and the same can be said for Sixth Street at the ballparks.

The citizens have spoken, they have given the city fathers some slack to get something done, and hopefully they won’t hang themselves with it. We have to keep moving forward, but we also need to hold our city officials and employees responsible for how these streets turn out and how they are maintained. There can be no more half-ass jobs. There can be no more shoddy workmanship, poor patching, and generally sloppiness.

It is time for progress, and it is time that we demand results from City Hall.

The Donley County Commissioners’ Court next week will consider a request to place a marker commemorating the Ten Commandments on the lawn of the 1890 Courthouse, but it is a proposal the court should respectfully decline as improper, unnecessary, and inappropriate.

The court was approached about this during its last meeting on March 12, but it correctly took no action at that time because two members of the court were absent. A group describing themselves as “Citizens of Donley County” made the request and stated in a letter to the court that “our history is being lost to the younger generations,” and the purpose of the monument is to “honor the influence of the Bible and the Christian faith has had on our nation and our county.”

One of the citizens making the request told the Enterprise that the monument in question is not a “Ten Commandments” monument but that it is rather a “historical marker.” This point of semantics is designed to preempt any possible legal challenge to the monument, but it seems obvious from the information presented to the county that the desire to place such a monument is driven by religious and possibly political motives rather than a desire to teach history. The photographs of sample monuments from other courthouses show what appears to be a dishwasher size piece of granite with the Ten Commandments prominently inscribed with several faith-based quotes from American historical figures on the sides. The supporter told the Enterprise that the local monument would also reflect the history of the county.

Certainly many of America’s ideals have come under attack in recent decades, and this column appreciates the “here’s mud in your eye” attitude towards the left that the backers of this monument seem to possess. Still, we do live in a litigious society and commissioners are sure to be mindful of this fact. Despite assurances that backers have secured the promise of legal representation if a court challenge is mounted, it is ultimately the county that will be responsible.

But this column’s objections to the marker are not about legality. Just because something is determined to be legal doesn’t mean it is right, and there are several reasons to object to this proposal.

First, allowing such a monument would be improper. During the restoration of the 1890 Courthouse in 2003, architects and state preservationists expressed concern that the Courthouse Square was somewhat crowded with markers, monuments, and buildings. This was brought up in 2007 when Sara SoRelle brought a proposal to the Commissioners’ Court to erect a memorial to her late mother, Dr. Zell SoRelle, for her contributions as a preservationist and civic leader in Donley County. Commissioners not only unanimously rejected SoRelle’s proposal, but they also prohibited any future commemorative markers from being placed on the Courthouse lawn. Later, the county took this a step further by actually removing a marker dedicated to pioneer rancher and philanthropist Cornelia Adair and relocated it to the Saints’ Roost Museum. Allowing a Ten Commandments marker would be improper, therefore, because it would go contrary the Commissioners’ earlier action and open the door to future requests. What would be next?

Second, the monument is unnecessary. There can be no denial of the influence that Christianity had on the settlement and development of this county. But that influence has already been recognized on the Courthouse Square. The county’s Centennial Marker erected in 1982 shows four elements as the foundations for this county – Ranching, Farming, Education, and Churches – and includes a representation of the Christian cross. The role of religion on the development of this county can be found on Texas Historical Markers throughout town at local churches and even in front of the office for this newspaper, in the visitor guide for our community, and even with the halo on our official city logo. Our history is not being lost in Donley County. It is already well documented, memorialized, and stated without having an unnecessary dishwasher size Ten Commandments marker on the Courthouse lawn.

Finally, the location of the proposed monument is inappropriate. Given prominent role of religion in the development of this county, isn’t it somewhat surprising that the Ten Commandments were not included in the design of the courthouse when it was built in 1890? Our county forefathers were men of faith, but perhaps they felt that the Commandments belonged at the church house instead of the courthouse. There must, therefore, be a better place to do this. Putting the monument on grounds of the Methodist Church, for example, would be adjacent to the Courthouse Square and would be a far more appropriate location to discuss the influence of religion on this county. If backers desire a non-denominational location for their “historical marker” and truly desire to teach people about Christianity’s influence in Donley County, then choose a location on the highway and create an attractive grand memorial telling the story of Saints’ Roost and all the many historic churches and religious institutions and the influence of faith in our community. Do something truly impressive that will become an attraction for our community like the cross is at Groom.

Commissioners are in a difficult spot. Turning down this request will likely result in citizens’ unfairly questioning their personal faith or values. But these men aren’t elected to just make the easy decisions. They are put in office to do what is right even when it is unpopular, and in this case it is right to say, “No, thank you.”

It’s mid-March, and the Republicans still don’t know who they want for their nominee despite all the “conventional wisdom” which says former governor Mitt Romney has the thing wrapped up.

Of course, the pundits and the national press have been on board the Romney express since before the Iowa Caucuses or a single ballot had been cast. But Republican voters across the country have denied Romney a landslide path to the nomination, making him work for every delegate as the majority of voters bounce their support around all the other candidates.

Earlier this year, it seemed that Texas voters, cheated out of any meaningful say in the 2008 primaries, would also have no opportunity to make a dent in this year’s Republican selection. The whole federal court mess over our state’s redistricting raised the possibility that Texans wouldn’t get to vote until sometime in late June. But with the court challenge settled, May 29 has been set as the date for the Texas primary, and there is a chance that Lone Star Republicans could have a real impact on who will be their party’s nominee.

The choices they will have, however, aren’t very good. The field wasn’t real strong to start with. Then one front-runner after another was chewed up by the national media, and then there was the embarrassing debacle of our own governor’s venture onto the national stage before he finally tucked his tail and came home.

And so Republicans are left with four not-so-glamorous candidates – Romney, former speaker Newt Gingrich, Congressman Ron Paul, and former senator Rick Santorum.

Paul would frankly be my choice just because I would love to have a president for once who would do nothing more than follow the letter of the Constitution. Yes, he’s off base on many levels of foreign policy, but he couldn’t screw that up more than Obama already has. But Paul is never going to be the nominee. Even if all the other candidates fell off the face of the earth, the GOP would still nominate someone else. The party simply won’t have someone who is not hawkish on foreign policy.

Gingrich would be my second choice.  He’s the smartest man in the race to be sure, and he is the only one who has successfully balanced the federal budget. It seems like such a distant memory, but when Gingrich led the Congress, they passed, and President Clinton signed, a few balanced budgets.  Not just balanced budgets, mind you, but budgets with surpluses. The former speaker does have a lot of personal baggage, but many great presidents had that same trouble. JFK, LBJ, and others had vices, but that was a different time… and they were Democrats.

Santorum then is left as the apparent “conservative choice” in the race. This is the guy that was almost as ignored as Ron Paul was earlier in the campaign… a nice fellow who appeared to have no chance to win. Watching him in the debates, he reminded me of Richie Cunningham from “Happy Days” and his positions always sounded like that episode where Richie ran for student council president and thought it would solve the school’s problems to just angle the parking spots in the parking lot. Now, this guy is one of the top two choices for the Republican nomination and he’s being painted as a guy who either hates women or wants to keep them barefoot and pregnant their entire lives. How the voters of Pennsylvania missed that when he was their senator is still a mystery.

And then there is Romney, who, God help us, is still apparently the odds on favorite to be the nominee. He has the support of the old guard, blue blooded Republican establishment, the political pundits, and of the national media. He says he’s a conservative, but he’s really a moderate. And that’s what drives his campaign. He supposedly has that ability to appeal to those “independents” who we are told really decide presidential elections. The arguments in his favor we have heard before. Nominating the “safe” candidate has been done before, and each time it has led to defeat in November. Gerald Ford, Bob Dole, and John McCain were all the safe bets compared to more conservative alternatives… and they were all defeated. But when Republicans have nominated a true conservative with solid convictions – like Ronald Reagan and George W. Bush, they win. 

Given the field, it is reasonable to wonder if any of the Republican candidates can beat President Obama in the fall. The man has his supporters, and he’s getting enormous amounts of cash donated to his campaign, which will be used to broadcast lies, distortions, and half-truths about whoever the GOP nominates. Just look at how successfully liberals have managed to change the national debate over the last few weeks. Gas prices are approaching $4 per gallon and higher, the national debt is threatening to destroy our country, the southern border is still a problem, and America’s strength on the global stage is weakening. But the most important issue facing our country, apparently, is birth control, and the Republicans are portrayed as being against contraception. What parallel universe are we living in now?

This all seems to be geared toward destroying Santorum’s candidacy given his adherence to Catholic doctrine on contraception. Of course, no one is supposed to talk about Romney’s religion or Obama’s.  That’s all off limits. So again, the advantage is Mitt Romney’s. That’s who the establishment wants, it’s apparently who Obama wants, and that should be reason enough to vote for someone else.

Our Chamber of Commerce is at a crossroads, and what happens in the next few weeks and months may well determine if the organization survives or is even worth saving.
Nearly a year since the City of Clarendon pulled the plug on the Chamber’s number one source of funding, $20,000 in hotel occupancy tax monies, the organization is now making attempts at restructuring itself. And as part of that process, Chamber members are invited to attend an “After Hours” Social at City Hall this Friday evening. This will be an opportunity for businesses to get together for networking purposes and to make their feelings known about the Chamber itself.

This is a step in the right direction, but the Chamber of Commerce has a long ways to go before it becomes a driving force to enhance business and tourism activity. The organization has several flaws that it must overcome to regain its sense of purpose and earn the trust of members and potential members.

It has been a tumultuous twelve months for the Chamber. It ran afoul with the City over record keeping. Its longtime executive director retired, and numerous board members – a majority in fact – resigned, and, as the year progressed, the organization found itself operating without a president. Remaining board members seemed to be at odds over the cause of the Chamber’s weaknesses and what to do next.
The Chamber didn’t find itself in this mess in just a year. For a long time, the Chamber functioned outside its by-laws, and the board as a whole did a poor job of exercising any control over the direction or operation of the organization. The results were disastrous.

Now, the time has come to write a new chapter in the Chamber’s nearly 100-year history. The City and the Clarendon Economic Development Corporation this month agreed, in principle, to combine their resources and hire a professional to lead tourism and economic development in Clarendon. The job description and the details are still in the formative stage, but it is intended that this person would be available to help the Chamber get back on its feet. However, for positive change to come about, local business men and women need to come together and encourage some much needed reforms. And here are a few that should be implemented.

Formally Reorganize: There is a lot of bad blood in the Chamber’s recent past – too much “he said, she said,” too much petty bickering, and too little faith that the organization can function in a way that makes our community proud. There is also the problem of the bylaws. So let’s draft some new ones, hold a formal meeting of dues-paying Chamber members, and start fresh. Adopt the new bylaws, and allow members to elect a new board comprised of local business men and women dedicated to promoting our community and enhancing the opportunities that exist here. Put any plans for a 2012 Chamber Banquet on the back burner this year and focus on getting this ship back on course.

Restore the Chamber Name: When the current bylaws were adopted in the 1980s, the organization became known as the Clarendon-Donley County Chamber of Commerce.  That’s a mouthful and a bit confusing. Let’s return to the traditional name of the Clarendon Chamber of Commerce. It’s simpler, more recognizable, and more marketable. It is also reflective of the fact that a majority of businesses – and therefore members – are in the City of Clarendon, and it also acknowledges the fact that a sizeable portion of Chamber funding comes (hopefully again) from City Hall. Of course, businesses from all over Donley County would be welcome members, and the Chamber would naturally promote the entire county; but for simplicity’s sake and recognition’s sake, the original name is preferable.

Hold a Membership Drive: As part of the adoption of new bylaws, a new dues structure should be developed based on the number of employees a firm or non-profit organization has. Then every employer and every self-employed person in and around Clarendon should be asked, invited, and encouraged to join the Chamber of Commerce. An associate membership should be created for individuals who do not formally represent a business or non-profit employer, and these “Friends of the Chamber” could show their support for Chamber activities by paying low annual dues but not be eligible to vote or hold office in the organization.

Focus on the Purpose: Promotion of tourism is a vital role for the Chamber, but it is not the only role.  It is not, after all, the Chamber of “Tourism.”  Therefore the organization needs to hold multiple socials like the one this Friday to find out what it can do to promote commercial activity and opportunities for our businesses. One of the Chamber’s most successful endeavors was the creation of the Christmas Cash program back in the late 1990s. The zero-interest loans from local banks kept literally thousands of dollars in the local economy each holiday season. But over time the Chamber came to regard administrating the program as a bother and spun it off. Last year, there was finally no one to volunteer to run it, and the program died. Sales tax revenue for the City of Clarendon from December sales was down about $10,000 compared to one year ago. Coincidence?  Unlikely.

In a recent report to the City, Chamber board members expressed their wish that they had been able to help out during the Downtown Merchants’ Black Friday promotion after Thanksgiving. One board member said, “If we had been more organized, we could have had our office open and passed out candy canes and served refreshments.” What the merchants really needed was someone to help coordinate their efforts, someone to listen to what they were trying to do and build on it. They needed a functioning, professional Chamber of Commerce… and a well administered Christmas Cash program wouldn’t have hurt either.

Opportunity abounds: Despite its troubles, Clarendon has a lot going for it. The city deserves a Chamber that makes it proud and puts forth the best welcome mat for tourists and new businesses. The existing board has taken the first step to creating a better Chamber of Commerce. Now it is up to the members. Let’s all show up at City Hall at 5:30 Friday and make it happen.

It’s now that time of year where our local governments, with some trepidation, look to the taxpayers and voters and say quietly, “Are you paying attention? Is everything okay? Does anybody care what we’re doing?”

Yes, it’s filing time for local offices. The sign-up period is open for people who may be interested in the dealings of our college, hospital district, schools, and cities. And if you think you’ve got a better idea of how any of these entities should be run or if you just want to do your civic duty and give back to your community, this is your chance.

Local governments often dread filing time. They hope no one will sign up or that only the incumbents will sign up because they can save the cost of an election and go on their merry way. In this view, the expense of representative government is a terrible burden, but the cost of apathy is probably greater. What government officials really don’t like is the unknown of what an election could bring – change or, even more frightening, scrutiny from the public.

It’s not that our governments are doing something wrong, but they just get comfortable with their current board members and with the status quo. No one really wants to be confronted with too many “why do you do it this way” questions when it is so much easier to keep trudging along. And after all, the folks on these boards are all good, decent people who have volunteered to serve and are trying to make the best decisions they can often with little or no guidance or participation from the people they represent.

So back to those initial questions: Are we paying attention?  Is everything okay? Does anyone care? Take a look around and ask yourself if you’re satisfied with things as they are.

The Donley County Hospital District seems like a pretty well run organization right now. It’s lean without being mean. There are, of course, still folks who ask age-old “why do we have a hospital district when we don’t have a hospital” question, and the answer is worth repeating. The district pays for our county’s indigent health care – in other words it takes care of the very, very poor – and it operates our county’s ambulance service. The biggest challenge facing the district is the rising demand for the ambulance service and the wear and tear that places on its vehicles. How can that be dealt with?

A lesser issue, but one that would probably go a long ways to solving the constant “purpose” question, is why does the district still operate the EMS under the name “Associated Ambulance Authority?” Many years ago, the service was “associated” with the city and the county along with and under the “authority” of the district. But that hasn’t been the case for a long time. Why not drop that name and emblazon “Donley County Hospital District” on all our ambulances and advertise exactly where our tax dollars are going?

Clarendon College has suffered setbacks lately at the hands of the Republican leadership of this state. Funding higher education is a low priority for the Legislature, and now enrollment has taken a hit due to state decisions. But while Austin causes CC’s problems, it is left to our local Board of Regents to deal with them. Deferring maintenance has been one way of addressing shortfalls, but now that’s catching up to us. The pavement on our beautiful college campus is crumbling and will soon look like a typical Clarendon street if action isn’t taken, and there are other issues related to buildings that are more than 40 years old. How is this going to be addressed?

And most importantly what can be done to grow enrollment in Clarendon? The Pampa Center is now outpacing the home campus. We need more housing here, and we need technical programs based here to draw commuters to Clarendon. We can’t have a program (wind energy, for example) on three campuses and then be surprised when it only succeeds in the biggest population center. CC is our biggest economic asset and our best chance of attracting young people to our community, and local people have supported the college since 1898 and with tax dollars since 1927.Yes, we want thriving campuses in Gray and Childress counties, but the board also needs to stay focused on growth at home.

The City of Clarendon has some good things going on, but we’re also still dealing with the same old questions that have haunted us for generations. The city has recently promised to crack down on “the dog problem.” To put this in perspective, in 1901, just after the city incorporated, it levied the one-dollar dog tax to deal with the same issue. Basically you had to pay a dollar and get a city tag for your dog, and now to do that you have to show proof of rabies vaccination. It’s still the law, but only a handful of people (usually less than 10) actually pay it. One hundred and eleven years, and we’re still dealing with the same issue. Not exactly progress is it?

And then there are the streets… the number one complaint of our citizens for literally decades. Can we really say the streets are better than they were a year ago or two years ago or three or four or five? You get the picture. This month the city makes its final payment on seven years of tax notes that financed a one-million dollar paving project on the west side of town. The project was not perfect, and city maintenance on those streets has been… well, typical. Nevertheless, seven years ago, city officials planned to pay off the indebtedness and then finance another project. Now there is no talk of another paving project. There appears to be no real plan whatsoever. In fact, proposals to seal coat some already paved streets have been canceled the last two or three years. The longer we wait, the harder it is going to be to deal with this, and our streets continue to be an embarrassment to this town.

And while we’re on the topic of streets, how about we put up some accurate street signs? You can drive through three blocks of downtown Clarendon and never know you’re on Kearney Street, and the story is similar all over town.

The Clarendon Public School is also subject to the whims of the state. In addition to steep funding cuts this fiscal year, the school is also faced with a new testing program, which promises to take up a lot of time, receive a bunch of attention, and do nothing to educate our children. But let’s focus on decisions made here at home. The school deserves credit for taking care of its facilities and making improvements that have added decades to the lives of aging buildings. Some folks feel the new technology building was excessive, but technology has been a strong focus for CISD. A few years ago, the school put a MacBook computer in the hands of junior high and high school kids. How has that worked out? Do teachers or parents like it? Are kids learning more?  Are they scoring higher? CHS has been ranked only “Academically Acceptable” by the state each of the last five years. It was last “Recognized” in 2006.

And then there is the budget. The school made some tough choices for this fiscal year, but there is still room for improvement. For example, was it really necessary to charge $200 per month for Pre Kindergarten? Parents were told that the school had to charge tuition because “Pre-K isn’t mandatory” and this outstanding program was going to cut otherwise. Well, brace yourselves for this…. Athletics aren’t mandatory either, but we didn’t charge kids to be in sports or eliminate a coach’s job. Instead, we didn’t fill the music teacher’s position, dumped her duties on the band instructor, and threatened to fire the Pre-K teacher unless parents came to the rescue. Make no mistake, our community and this newspaper support our student athletes. Always have, always will. They are an immense source of pride for our community. But the school exists for one purpose… to educate our children. More cuts are coming this next fiscal year. Where will our priorities be then?

And so… those are just a few issues to think about. If there are more, we invite you to write them down and send them to us for publication. We would be happy to share them. Maybe some of you think you could do better on these boards, maybe you’re fine with it the way it is. Public service is certainly no easy task. Local board members open themselves up to both praise and criticism – both from the citizens and from this newspaper. They endure long meetings, they wrestle with tough choices, and they try to do their best. Those folks who are up for election this year are encouraged to run again, but you are also encouraged to think about why it is you’re running and tell the folks what you hope to see accomplished in your next term. You owe it to the taxpayers and to yourself to know why you want to serve.

If you think you’ve got what it takes to join the incumbents, then be advised that sign-ups continue through March 5. If you’re interested in serving, contact one these governments, find out the requirements, and, most importantly, educate yourself on the issues. Don’t go in with an ax to grind, but rather go in with an open mind and a willingness to serve.