October Reading Material

     We went to the AAUW-sponsored Candidates Forum at Hilltop Auditorium last night hoping to become better informed concerning the candidates and issues we will soon need to vote on.  To say that we were disappointed is an understatement in the extreme.
     Our greatest interest was to hear the two women vying for the county commissioner’s position.  They seem equally qualified, equally eager, and equally inexperienced.  On the particular questions that we raised – one on historic preservation in the county and one on the possibility of zoning to encourage sustainability – they fell back on the “I’d have to do some research” and “I’d have to hear what the people want” kind of answers.  Not satisfactory.
     Next on our need to know list was more information about the initiatives on the ballot.  We’ve been inundated with media sound bites but we feel confused about the real issues at stake.  Last night, mostly, we heard more sound bites.  Explanations on both sides of all the issues were heavy on cutting or eliminating taxes while increasing revenue and job opportunities.  Huh?  I still don’t understand how we can have it both ways.
     Finally, we wanted to hear more from the candidates for sheriff.  Both have made in-person visits to us in the last few months and in these ‘up close and personal’ opportunities we found that the incumbent focused on the issues while his opponent focused on demeaning the incumbent.  We were hoping that there was more to the challenger than whining and complaining about the status quo.  Apparently, there is not.  But there was a little added value in the presentation when the challenger unknowingly revealed that he has difficulty understanding and interpreting data and therefore misuses information that he gathers.  Not a good quality in someone running for the position of chief executive officer of the county.
     Perhaps most discouraging of all, was the reaction of the audience.  The auditorium was probably a half to a third full – a few more than 100 people.  They seemed satisfied with the sound bites, especially those that dealt with cutting taxes.  Never mind the consequences.  And they made obvious their approval of the bad-mouthing by the young candidate for the sheriff’s position.  I felt embarrassed and uncomfortable sitting among these people, even though there were many familiar faces among the crowd. 
       We did not head for home feeling that the democratic process is alive and well in Pacific County.  We can only hope that the results of the November election prove that impression wrong and that our fellow citizens will, indeed, make informed decisions on their ballots.