10/31/12: Don’t lose sight of local elections

This op-ed appeared in The Virginian-Pilot on the date shown.

BETWEEN SUNDAY and Monday, I probably watched more television than I had for several months. Glued to the set for coverage of the storm, I was inundated by political ads. Such is life in Virginia today, where the federal contests are close enough to warrant them.

Although each ad had a kernel of truth, most were just designed to keep us from voting for the other guy. Strangely enough, few asked for our vote.

Missing from the onslaught, with a single exception, were ads for local candidates. If you were dropped into the area from somewhere else, you may not even realize that there are local elections going on in Virginia Beach, Suffolk and Ports-mouth. For the most part, those candidates lack the resources to air TV ads, relying instead on a ground game that leans heavily on volunteers.

Voters in those three cities have the opportunity Nov. 6 to remake their councils and school boards in an image that better fits their own vision for their city.

There are real differences among the candidates at the local level, little of which is related to the partisanship we see at the federal level. In fact, none of the cities in Hampton Roads — and only a few in Virginia — nominate candidates by party at the local level. Oh, the parties might “recommend” or “endorse” a candidate, but that is a far cry from nominating a candidate. All of them file — and compete — as independents.

That is as it should be. Few local issues lend themselves to be decided based on party ideology. While it might provide a framework for how to approach a particular issue, I’ve been an observer long enough to see that party positions have little bearing on local governance.

What I like most about local elections is the variety of candidates — and their common vision for wanting our localities to be the best places to live, play and work. It is that belief that generally motivates them to run in the first place.

Unlike federal candidates, who have to not only navigate party politics but also come up with thousands of signatures and tons of money, there are few barriers to anyone who wants to run for local office. Whether they are qualified is left up to us, the voters, to decide. There may be an unusual character here or there, but most are serious-minded people who have the people’s best interests at heart.

And that is also as it should be. Once elected, these folks are in charge of making decisions that affect us every single day. They set our water rates and our real estate tax rates. They determine where schools and recreational facilities are to be located — and how to pay for them. They, with their counterparts from other localities, work on making our region competitive within the state and outside of it.

Even so, many of those heading to the polls in Virginia Beach, Suffolk and Ports-mouth will leave blank the part of the ballot for local elections. Or vote for the person whose name they recognize. Or vote against the person whose name they recognize.

None of those options is really a responsible choice.

The government closest to the people governs best. You can’t get any closer than our local elected officials. Spend a few minutes and check out the candidates. And then cast an affirmative vote, one in favor of those who you believe will best represent your interests.

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As a follow up to last week’s column, I’m happy to report that the State Board of Elections did see fit to ask the attorney general to investigate the case of voter registration forms being discarded.