ELECTION: Why nonpartisan works

Theodore Roosevelt, our 26th president, said it best: “A vote is like a rifle: its usefulness depends upon the character of the user.”

We sit at a crossroads in our community. The direction we take will be decided this November. Each and every candidate for our nonpartisan races should receive the full weight and measure from voters so the best and most qualified of our community gets the opportunity to serve.

Instead of focusing on the real issues we face in our community, on infrastructure, funding and growth, there is a swell of misinformation about CRT and mask mandates, which overshadow everything. Let’s be clear, there is no curriculum of CRT being taught in any of our schools and no mask mandate in place. There is also the notion that nonpartisan races are being “infiltrated” by the proverbial boogeymen, those “Liberals” and “Socialists.”

This has no merit. If you look at the vast majority of candidates, even in our nonpartisan races, they tend to be conservative and Republican. Good governance in our municipalities requires local solutions that don’t fit into either major political party ideology. Forcing national political issues onto our local candidates is doing a disservice to our community, our candidates and our voters.

If you are being told to vote for a candidate and they are using these issues, then maybe they have an agenda that isn’t to help our community. Instead of being told, use your own good judgment to inform your own vote this November.

CHRISTOPHER MATTHEWS

Post Falls