One thing that came out of the primary and general elections this year is that people want change. They are fed up with the status quo.

 

The economy has hit everyone -- from the man and woman on Main Street to the banker on Wall Street. The only thing, the government gave a big helping hand to Wall Street and very little to families and small businesses, who are still feeling the effects of the financial fallout.

 

Come September 1, we will have a new county mayor and eight new faces on the Carter County Commission. Carter Countians are looking for change. They want more and better jobs, better schools for their children, a better infrastructure, and more for their tax dollar.

 

When finished, we will have a big and beautiful jail at the entrance to town. Don't kid yourself, it will take some money to run that jail! The sheriff's election also told us that many Carter Countians are not pleased with the sheriff for one reason or another. The challenge before him is to be conservative with his budget and to run this new jail as economical as he can. He must remember that every extra dollar he asks from County Commission will come out of the pockets of property owners in this county, most of whom are law-abiding citizens and are angry about their tax dollars being spent on the new jail and criminals rather than on education and other constructive programs such as the library, public health, etc.

 

He must also challenge himself to be a better role model for the men and women who work for him. The sheriff like any other public official owes it to the citizens of this county to be a person of integrity.

 

The next big election coming up will be the City Election in November. Four seats on City Council are up for grabs in addition to two school board positions. A total of nine candidates have already picked up papers for the council seats.

 

The City Election is a very important election. We are a city with a lot of problems, and before things are fixed we are going to have a lot of debt. Our water bills have gone up, and our electric bills are costing us more. We have an antiquated water system, departments have had to economize, and in some instances services have been cut.

 

I'm not sure that we realize how important it is to elect intelligent, responsible people to these positions in local government. Electing a "good old boy" to the position often doesn't get the job done.

 

Our city and county governments are among our largest local employers. Professional and service occupations account for more than half the jobs in local government: firefighters and law enforcement officers as well as teachers.

 

Our city and county employees perform vital services that may not be available otherwise, such as transportation, public safety, health care, education, utilities and courts. These government employees pick up our garbage, make sure we have water and keep the heat and lights on. They push snow in the winter, mow our parks in the summer, and pave our streets and roads. They transport our children to and from school and prepare hot lunches for them.

 

In addition to these paid workers, there are many volunteers out there such as volunteer firefighters in the county and constables, who provide a valuable service.

 

Also, our city and county governments employ people in occupations in nearly every industry in the economy, including managers, engineers, computer specialists, secretaries, planners, tax collectors, judges, judicial workers, correctional officers and jailers.

 

Elected public officials are your voice in government. Your city and county governments are the closest to the people they govern. Local government is important because it deals with issues that concern our daily needs. It deals with issues that people are passionate about. Right off, I recall the Ice House Saloon in Hampton and its expansion. People in the Hampton community were passionate about this issue. They cared enough to go down to the courthouse to argue and protest and accuse. They cared enough to speak up for what they believed. This is government at its best.

 

At the same time, our officials, especially our city manager, director of planning and the planning commission, need to be more flexible when it comes to new businesses wishing to locate here and to maintaining the businesses that are already in Elizabethton. Our intentions are sometimes good, but often we get too big for our britches and in doing so we offend others. We run our mouths when we should shut up. Never should city and county leaders reduce themselves to name-calling and making accusations in public. If the other person wants to do it, let him, but don't lower yourself to their standards.

 

Finally, the people we elect to the County Commission and City Council are those we entrust with our tax dollars. They not only decide how much taxes we will pay, but they decide how those tax dollars are spent. Would you trust just anyone with your billfold? No. You should be just as careful about the people you elect to hold the purse strings of government, because it is your dollars they are spending.

 

Finally, the people on City Council determine who serve on the various commissions and boards in city government, and who makes policy.

 

Before you vote for city council candidates in November, find out what they stand for. Do they have an agenda? Are they for themselves or for you? We need to hold them accountable, but first we need to elect intelligent and responsible people to these positions, people who have a vision, who are progressive in their thinking, and who wish to see Elizabethton move forward.

 

This election is important, and your vote is important!

 

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"What do you mean," roared the city official, "by publicly insulting me in your old rag of a newspaper! I will not stand for it, and I demand an immediate apology."

 

"Just a moment," answers the editor. "Didn't the news appear exactly as you gave it to us -- namely, that you had resigned as a city official?"

 

"It did, but where did you put it? In the column under the heading PUBLIC IMPROVEMENTS."