Resolve to attend meetings

It's resolution time, and here's one anyone can not only make but keep.

Sometime in the year ahead, resolve to attend a meeting of local government.

You have a virtual smorgasbord to choose from.

The Monday morning meetings of the Jay County Commissioners are so down-home and inviting that if you're not careful you may find yourself on the agenda; don't be surprised if the commissioners ask your opinion if you're in the audience.

Others are more formal, but none of them would qualify as intimidating.

And most have a spot on the agenda for public comment.

Believe it or not, your local elected officials want to know what you think.

They'd especially like to hear from you when you don't have a specific beef but just want to weigh in with an opinion.

That holds true across the spectrum: The Jay School Board, city councils, town councils, county council, library boards, and on and on.

Unfortunately, at most public meetings the public is hard to find.

Except for Jay County High School government students fulfilling a class requirement, the public audience at most meetings is slim to none.

It doesn't have to be that way, and our founding fathers didn't expect it to be that way.

The best government is the government that's watched most closely, not just by the press or political opponents but by ordinary voters as well.

So make a resolution while the year is still young. Attend a local government meeting. This newspaper lists upcoming meetings in every edition.

We call it the Citizens' Calendar. Make it your calendar in 2010. - J.R.[[In-content Ad]]