Elections all about quality, not quantity

There are 54 part-time jobs in Kootenai County that need to be filled later this year, but anyone with any real hope of landing one of them has to apply by 5 p.m. today.

The jobs are all political. In most cases, they encompass a whole lot of work for a whole little pay.

City council elections - 13 in all - will be a highlight, with curiosity aplenty over who's going to replace longtime Hayden Mayor Ron McIntire.

In the important-but-not-exactly-politically-scintillating category are the fire district races. Stick around and those are sure to heat up.

Earlier this week, The Press reported that a traditional phenomenon of many candidates waiting 'til the last minute to file is probably in play, but Kootenai County Elections Manager Carrie Phillips admitted that to her surprise, there were even more vacancies than humans to fill them than she'd expected at that stage of the game.

Tomorrow's paper and cdapress.com will have a full accounting of the local office seekers. While anyone missing today's 5 p.m. filing deadline can still run as a write-in, history suggests their chances of winning the U.S. presidency are roughly the same.

If there's a significant decline in the number of people running for local office, no doubt some people will say it's because the plusses are dwarfed by the minuses in today's savage political environment. We hear it often: Who in their right mind would want to run for office when severe scrutiny and sometimes personal attacks are among the costs of competing?

Our hope is that candidates are motivated to improve their communities, and that that motivation alone settles the bill for whatever negativity might be slung their way. If they're afraid of a little heat, maybe local public service isn't meant for them.

When tomorrow's paper lands on your doorstep, don't worry about how many people tossed their hats into the ring. Worry about whether those who did can do the job.