Our Opinion

With Saturday's exciting Kentucky Derby still fresh in our minds, it's time to turn our thoughts to our own local "horse" race this fall.
The deadline for board of supervisor and school board candidates to file their paperwork is just over a month away (June 9) and already people are jockeying for position.
Certainly, we've got the candidates, who are collecting signatures and support. Regrettably, we've got the "trainers" who are attempting to wield influence and align candidates with their interests.
In recent weeks, we've received reports from potential candidates who have met with various individuals and special interest groups who are either lobbying them to participate or vetting them for support.
Undoubtedly, this is part of the political process, but it's somewhat discouraging.
From the conversations we've had with these potential candidates, there seems to be a premium placed on falling in line with the agendas of the special interest groups and little room allowed for individual thought, much less broad, constituent-based representation.
We understand this is sometimes how the political process works. But our hope is that we'll have viable candidates who can stand on their own merits, not simply shill for a special interest group or individuals who may be able to get them elected.
Who represents the unaffiliated citizenry? Who is their advocate if our candidates take orders from others? What about those of us who don't align with the lobbying groups or the influential individuals? Where is our voice?
We have two supervisor and two school board seats eligible for election this fall. According to the state board of elections, no one has been certified yet as a candidate for either of these two races.
We're encouraged to think we may have contested elections.
But if our candidates are simply fronting for other groups, we really don't have contested elections. Sorry--we simply have multiple candidates running for the same seat and the average voter is left out in the cold. After all, there's a reason everyone's vote is equal in value. Money, land, status, position, influence should not make any individual vote more valuable than another.
Contested elections offer voters choices. We don't want candidates firmly entrenched in one camp or another. We want candidates capable of considering each and every issue on its own merits, regardless of how their backers or other board members feel. We want flexible candidates who are clear in what they support, but considerate of an engaged and active constituency. We want candidates that will listen to voters, not just a few who happen to have their ear. We want candidates who can think for themselves, evaluate issues, process and digest information and come to reasonable conclusions based on thoughtful discourse and sincere contemplation.
We want candidates who can run honest, open races, we want candidates who can remain effective, responsive representatives once they've been elected. These are the candidates we want.
For candidacy information, visit the Orange County Registrar's office in the Sedwick Building or the state board of elections website at: http://www.sbe.virginia.gov/cms/.