Thank you for becoming involved

These are good people.
That’s the basic conclusion that comes to mind after reading the various candidate profiles that have run in The Commercial Review over the past week.
Because of early voting, which begins this week, the traditional candidate profiles are running earlier than they used to. That’s so early voters will take some knowledge with them to the polls.
And because plenty of folks still vote on Election Day itself, we’ll keep those candidate profiles live on The Commercial Review’s website through the election itself. That way, last minute decision makers will have the same information at hand before heading out to vote.
But one thing is particularly striking this year.
These are good people.
The motives behind their candidacies, their affection for their community, and their willingness to put themselves out there for your approval or disapproval are to be commended.
That last one is the big one.
It’s not easy to run for office. The risk to one’s ego is enormous. A successful candidate years ago who had received something like 55 percent of the vote still was humbled by the thought that 45 percent of the electorate favored somebody else. Even the winners are rejected by a good chunk of the voters.
Then there is the work of campaigning, and this year has been witnessing spirited campaigns. Doors are being knocked on. Conversations are being engaged. Dollars are being spent. It is serious business.
So before all the yard signs are put away, before the computer printouts of vote tabulations are spit out by the computers, before the whole thing is history, we’d like to say one thing: Thanks.
Thanks for taking the risk, thanks for all the hard work, thanks for stepping up as a citizen willing to take on public service. Win or lose, you have made a difference for your community.
Without you good people, representative democracy would be dead in its tracks. Thanks. —J.R.