EDITORIAL: Time to pay attention to the candidates
Coeur d'Alene Press | UPDATED 11 months, 2 weeks AGO
It’s time.
Seats on city councils, mayor's offices, school boards, highway and fire districts are being contested and will be settled in the Nov. 4 general election, less than six weeks out.
Candidates will be doing what they can to get their messages to you, the voter. The Press will be publishing a special voters guide in October outlining who is running, what they stand for and why they should get your vote. The Press will also be conducting interviews with candidates, and posting them on its website.
There are also candidate forums coming up, and we encourage you to attend, listen, and ask questions of those who would represent you in public office. We know people are busy and free time is limited, but it would be to your benefit to be well informed before heading to the polls. You've heard it before, but we'll say it again. Your vote counts. Make it a good one.
Here's a few forums coming up:
• Let’s start with one presented by the North Idaho Building Contractors Association and Coeur d'Alene Regional Realtors. It’s 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. Thursday at the Coeur d'Alene Public Library and will spotlight Post Falls and Coeur d’Alene mayoral and city council races. Info: www.cdarealtors.com
• Coeur d’Alene candidates in the mayoral and city council races will be speaking at a paid forum run by the Kootenai County Republican Women Federated from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 2, at the Best Western Plus Coeur d'Alene Inn. Entrance costs between $29 to $32 and refreshments will be provided. Tickets: www.kcrwf.com
• The League of Women Voters of Kootenai County is hosting a free candidate forum from 2 to 4 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 5, at the Coeur d Alene Public Library. The forum will cover the mayoral and city council races for Coeur d’Alene. Coeur d’Alene attorney and former judge Pat Costello will be moderator.
Of course, we congratulate those running for office. It takes courage to put your name on the ballot. Even if you don't win, we know you tried.
As citizens, before we cast our votes, we need to know who is running for office, why, and what they hope to do if elected. If we fail to pay attention, we have only ourselves to blame if things don't turn out as hoped.
Watch for more stories in The Press as the general election approaches. We’ll do our best to keep you informed.