On Tuesday, Nov. 3, citizens in Baldwin County will elect their representative to the Georgia House of Representatives. At the same time, Milledgeville residents will vote for mayor and City Council members. They are elections we should not take lightly.
Our area has been badly hit by job cuts, layoffs, furloughs and industry and state government closings. Our pain has been in both the public and private sectors. It has not been an easy few years for many of our residents, and that is why it is so important to cast your vote this coming Tuesday. We need to elect those who will fight for new jobs for the community.
We also need to elect people who are deeply concerned about education and health care. Those are thorny issues, but they are vital to the ongoing progress of a stable democracy and a humane society. Do you know where the candidates stand on these and other related issues? If not, educate yourself before next Tuesday. The information has been made public for all to see, digest and reflect upon.
Keep those, and other, concerns in mind as you head to the polls. In local elections, your voice is more powerful than at any time. Since all politics tend to be local, you should be more aware of how such elections affect your daily life and that of the community. Don’t sit home and let others who vote make crucial decisions about your life and those you care about.
Some political pundits say we will be lucky to break a 10 percent turnout on election day. That would indeed be a pathetic circumstance for a society that presumably prizes democratic involvement. Let’s prove the critics wrong. Our region’s future is in the hands of those who vote.
Wednesday, Milledgeville will have a new state representative for the first time in three decades, heading to the Gold Dome in January to fight for jobs and make the tough decisions that could make or break this state’s economy. The landscape of City Council will possibly have changed, and we’ll know who will play an instrumental role in selecting the city’s next city manager.
The issues facing us are too great and the ramifications are too serious, yet the turnout for early voting has been light during the past couple of weeks. Don’t squander your opportunity to participate in determining that future — and giving it a chance to spiral upward instead of downward. Will we return to a declining past or head in progressive directions? An inactive voting public will not get the job done. Active citizens can.
You make the call.
Editorials
Make the call by voting Tuesday
- Editorials
-
-
How would new pool be kept up?
After weeks of input from area residents, the Baldwin County Board of Commissioners came to a consensus on how to fill the community recreational void left with the closure of the public county pool Tuesday, agreeing to pursue options for a new pool and other new recreational amenities in another location.
-
We all have a stake in GC president search
Georgia College will introduce a second slate of candidates in the running for its president’s post beginning this week.
-
Tourism has direct impact on local economy
One jobs sector brought in nearly $250,000 in tax revenue to Milledgeville and Baldwin County last year, but it may not have derived from the first area that comes to mind.
-
Exercise caution on waterways this summer season
In 2011, there were 11 reported fatalities on Georgia’s lakes and 66 injuries, according to statistics recorded by the Georgia Department of Natural Resources.
-
Recent graduates can contribute to Baldwin County
By weekend’s end, nearly 2,000 people in Baldwin County will have transitioned from students to professionals, joining the ranks of the aspiring workforce of tomorrow as Georgia College alumni.
-
Reading programs are vitally important
The Twin Lakes Library System is set to kick off its annual summer reading program later this month, and amid funding cuts that have hit the libraries statewide hard.
-
Speak up during Voices for Progress
Next week a series of local sessions begin designed for planning the course of Milledgeville and Baldwin County’s future.
-
County must focus on convenience
Baldwin County saw two more of its convenience centers close earlier this month, bringing the number of closures to six.
-
Use this incident to make improvements to existing protocol
As Milledgeville drew national attention this week following the incident at Creekside two Fridays ago, the case sparked a debate in many pockets of the country on whether the type of policing used, handcuffing a 6-year-old, is necessary in schools and particularly at this age level.
-
County fails to discuss oversight
Three years ago, the Baldwin County Board of Commissioners adopted a new set of policies and procedures that set forward rules of operation for both county recreation department and the volunteer associations that have, until recently, directly overseen the operation of each sport.
- More Editorials Headlines
-
How would new pool be kept up?
Serial Stabbings Suspect Guilty of Murder
Facebook Shares Continue Negative Slide
8 Hurt in Oklahoma Shooting After NBA Playoff
US Airways: Diverted Flight Has 'Landed Safely'
A Few Odd Business Sparks but Europe Gloomy
Revived Focus on Regulation After JPMorgan Loss
Gerard Butler: the Good, the Bad and the Cannes
At Least 25 Dead in India Train Collision
Raw Video: Private Rocket Blasts Off
Boy to Rescuers: 'Do You Have a Plan?'
Doctors and Devotees Debate Barefoot Running
Blacks Seek to Find Their Own Missing
Houston Museum Unveils $85 Million Dinosaur Hall
Chicago Police: 90 Arrested in NATO Protests
Ex-Rutgers Student Gets 30 Days in Webcam Case
Obama Sees Inspiration in Joplin Graduates
Raw Video: Man Saved After Niagara Falls Plunge
NATO: Afghan Exit 'Irreversible'
Catholic Groups Sue Over Contraception Mandate
4 Arrested After Man's Beating at Dodger Stadium
