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Highlands Today

Best Political Races Will Be Right Here At Home

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Highlands Today Staff

Published: January 3, 2008

Forget for a moment — if that's possible — all the presidential candidates offering us the world if we elect them to our country's highest office. Instead consider all the important offices here in Highlands County that will be decided in November. It's enough to get even a mild political junkie excited about who will run and who won't.

All constitutional officers are up for re-election this campaign season. That means the sheriff, clerk of courts, tax assessor and tax collector are up for grabs. So is the school superintendent post, as well as county commission seats and school board positions. This is when we see some incredibly talented people take a risk and run for office.

We admire anyone who seeks public office. That's because the process is long, hard and sometimes ugly. It takes a brave person to know his or her life — or at least parts of it — will be made public, and that criticism will come no matter how good and decent a person lives his or her life.

Good business people risk alienating some members of the public by saying what they believe. Some government workers risk their long-held positions by running against their bosses. It's a difficult move, even at the local level. But it's at this community level where we need our best and brightest leading us into the future.

We're lucky that we have talented people wanting to run for office, or be re-elected. It's often a thankless job, and public criticism is never an easy thing to take. It comes with the territory, however, and thin-skinned elected officials don't last long in office.

So as the general election begins to come into view, remember that plenty of political action is going on right here on home soil. Good people are working hard to stay in office or land a seat in a position of power. They deserve our attention and fair consideration.

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