Demand change
Editor, The Commercial:
The recent observation by The Commercial that it was a democratically elected Pine Bluff School Board under whose leadership the mess occurred from which the district is hoping to emerge soon is, as food for thought, highly nutritious.
Similarly, all participants in the on-going dysfunctional, thought-diseased Jefferson County government tragedy were, you guessed it, democratically elected, as were the members of the mostly malfunctioning United States Congress.
Independent reporting for Pine Bluff & Jefferson County since 1879.
One can then conclude that the democratic election process does not filter out future and functioning miscreants at any level, think Sen. Bob Menendez, it merely filters out those who got less votes.
Since these post-election issues are time consuming to remedy, it stands to reason that preelection would seem to be the time to encourage candidates whose only dog in the fight is to do the job for which they are elected to the betterment of the electorate who put them there.
Preelection is the time to ferret out those looking for perks, a title, an ego trip, travel on the taxpayers and a source of on-the-side income. Tell them “thanks, but no thanks,” and send them packing.
It is time to seek out knowledgeable candidates who can demonstrate serious qualifications, a track record of service and a zealous commitment to the job. Such folks are surely among us. Given a nudge in the right direction, they might throw their respective hats in the ring. You never know until you ask.
Think about the want ads that say “serious inquiries only.” Otherwise expect no change.
Joe Dempsey,
Pine Bluff