Political forum a missed opportunity

What if we had a political forum for Warren County Commission candidates to express their views ? and no one showed up for it?

Thanks to the Southern Standard, public radio station WCPI, and some civic-minded sponsors, we did have a political forum last Monday night.?A first for Warren County Commission candidates, it was held as a public service to the citizens of Warren County.

Unfortunately, the public the forum was intended to serve stayed away in droves.? Thus, they missed a golden opportunity to see and hear, up close and personal, from those who, if elected, will be involved in making critical decisions for our future in Warren County.?Aside from the candidates and their families, less than 50 people bothered to attend ? out of a population of some 39,000 Warren County residents.

If you believe, as I do, that the strength of our representative democracy stems from active citizen participation, the turnout for this important event was, in a word, pathetic.?Citizen ignorance and apathy are part of a virus that weakens an otherwise vibrant democracy.

As for the candidate turnout, it was also pathetic.?All 45 candidates running for the Warren County Commission were invited to participate in this free forum. Only 25 actually showed up.?

Perhaps the others had more pressing matters to attend to than facing the public they aspire to serve.?Without presuming to characterize their motives for not attending, I believe they, too, missed a golden opportunity to have their say on why we should vote for them.

To paraphrase Thomas Jefferson, if we expect to remain ignorant and free, we expect what never was and never will be.? Yet, recent polls suggest many of us are woefully ignorant, especially on local political candidates and issues, which affect us most directly.?

It is true our commissioners are part-time legislators.?However, their actions, or inaction, have a lasting, full-time impact on the future of Warren County.?We need to know who our candidates from our respective districts are ??and what they stand for.? Only then can we make informed choices at the polls.

Despite the apparent epidemic of ignorance and apathy, there are a few rays of sunshine. Some incumbent commissioners did face competition in the local primaries.

They face even more in the local general elections. Still, some districts need more competition.?

Personalities and party labels aside, competition is a good thing.?Public office should be seen as an earned privilege to serve the public, not as an open-ended entitlement.?Lack of competition tends to breed arrogance and isolation from the very public our officials are supposed to be serving. ?

Fortunately, there is still time for us to educate ourselves on the candidates and the issues, not just for the Warren County Commission races, but for all those seeking office this year.?So get informed and then go vote, if you haven?t already.?It?s the least we can do to exercise our rights as citizens, and to combat the ignorance and apathy that plague our political system.

Thomas B. Vaughn is a professor at Motlow College and co-host of ?Viewpoints,? a radio show broadcast on WCPI.