Strained relationships between elected officials and village police.
Combative relationships between taxpayers and county legislators.
Quarrelsome relationships between property owners and developers.
Contentious relationships between presidential candidates.
Deadly relationships in Afghanistan and Baghdad.
Lusty relationships between the crime-fighting governor and a prostitute.
Could there be a better time to be watching what’s going on in the world?
Probably not.
Could there be a better time to get involved?
Absolutely not.
When Penn Yan village residents became vocal about issues in their government, their options for the upcoming election increased with new candidates coming forward and incumbents seeking ways to engage them. That hasn’t always been the case, particularly in any of the local political arenas. Too often, this, and other media have the job of reporting on elections with no options — when candidates are running unopposed.
Because of that, we felt it was important to provide voters with an opportunity to engage the candidates in a fair discussion about issues that are important.
Unfortunately, mother nature had other ideas, and the candidate forum we’d worked hard to pull together couldn’t happen.
But that’s no reason for voters to lose interest. We hope we’ve given village voters ample information about the candidates in this issue of the newspaper to make a decision about their representation on March 18.
And the public’s role in Democracy doesn’t stop at the voting machine.
It continues at the legislative sessions, board meetings, hearings, and during all the gatherings where decisions about our communities are made. Those sessions may not always be entertaining, and often they are downright boring (one reason we should all thank our elected representatives for doing their part).
But those meetings and sessions are all part of the important process that makes up our American way of life, and in this day of instant communication, there really is no excuse for being so out of touch that you’re unaware of a new tax that affects your property, for example.
People in Yates County have been busy sending emails, letters, signing petitions and raising money for a variety of causes lately. Those are just a few ways to be involved.
There are other ways to be involved — through organizations like The League of Women Voters.
The League of Women Voters, a nonpartisan political organization, encourages informed and active participation in government, works to increase understanding of major public policy issues, and influences public policy through education and advocacy.
