OUR VIEW: Public servants always needed

• OUR VIEW

OUR VIEW

Talk about it

By next month, the offices of Mitchell mayor, Davison County state’s attorney, Davison County treasurer and Davison County sheriff will all be held by different people than a year earlier. Some positions on the Mitchell City Council and Davison County Commission have also changed hands.

It’s a reminder to us all that new leaders are constantly needed to step up and take the reins of local government.

The latest position to open up is sheriff, after Dave Miles announced Tuesday that he’ll retire next month.

The last time Miles ran for re-election, he ran unopposed. That was nice for him politically, but it wasn’t very good for his constituents. A democracy is always better served by a lively discussion of issues among two or more candidates.

The Davison County Commission will appoint someone to serve the remainder of Miles’ term, but the time for another election will come in 2014. We hope voters will have worthy choices for sheriff and all other offices that may be on the ballot, whether those be city, county, state or national positions. When candidates run unopposed and there is no public engagement, no discussion of the issues, it’s a missed opportunity for all. Even the candidates themselves are sharpened by battling with their opponents.

With that in mind, prospective leaders of all political stripes should be thinking now about potential future candidacies. Local political party organizers can show their worth by cultivating viable candidates and preparing them to run. Programs like Leadership Mitchell, in which future leaders are groomed, can also play an important role.

As we’ve seen this year, our democracy is always in need of able people willing to serve. Circumstances can intervene and create openings even in non-election years.

We hope there are good people out there paying attention and getting ready for their turn.

Tags: opinion, updates, editorials