Enquirer: “The courage to be a candidate”

As today’s Enquirer editorial points out, technological advances are making it easier for candidates to get their messages to voters. At the same time, these same electronic instruments, including blogs, are being used to by anonymous posters for personal attacks and name-calling that serve to dissuade talented citizens from running from office. And according to some mayors and school board members, the abuse follows them into elected office. It’s a bad recipe that deprives us all of being able to choose the best among us to run our government and schools. Throw in the prior commitments of family/work responsibilities and community volunteerism, and it becomes a wonder anyone seeks public office.

Which us brings us to the candidate blog series we’ve been running the past 3 weeks. By Monday when we post the last candidate blog, 13 candidates running for local office will have accepted our invitation to appear here. Frankly, we’re both pleased and astonished at the number who agreed to take the plunge at the height of the campaign season's other demands on their time. While slanderous comments are verboten here, these candidates have taken the risk of being openly criticized, as some have been, and that requires a degree of fortitude in our book. Some of the candidates have answered commenters’ questions. We’d like our readers to know that that’s an unexpected bonus because it was not required in the terms of our invitations. Some of you may have been as amazed as we were when multiple candidates quickly and convincingly challenged the veracity of charges made by two anonymous commenters…which, by the way, relieved us of the need to moderate, another bonus. But the biggest bonus of all has been the opportunity these courageous candidates have given us to be more informed voters this year.

For more information about Norwood candidates, visit the League of Women Voters' smartervoter.org and the Enquirer’s Election Guide.