Jackson Free Press

Almost every day, Jackson voters can hear and question the candidates who will be making decisions on their behalf in the upcoming months and years. This year's slate of local Jackson candidates represents a variety of viewpoints and passions, and to help voters get to know the candidates and make informed decisions, local media and civic organizations are organizing forums, panels and debates in every ward, inviting candidates to appear at local churches, libraries, businesses and other meeting places.

When voters have so many options for interacting with candidates, it's a downright disgrace to base a vote on sound bites and slogans. It's an unfortunate reality, though, that voters often base their decisions on little else. (In a state of collective amnesia, we forget that basing votes on sound bites is how the city got its current slate of politicians, including Frank Melton, who is facing his third trial for ordering a duplex demolition.)

Local politics may seem like small potatoes to voters in comparison to the big national elections, but it would be a mistake for Jackson voters to ignore them. Local politics is the place where every citizen can make a difference; the place where "of the people" becomes reality. Local political action filters upward through every layer of government, from towns and cities to the state, and from the states to Washington, D.C.

In the same way that shopping locally strongly supports the local economy, voting locally also supports the vibrancy and integrity of your city. Think about it: It's at the local level that politics have a personal, daily effect on you. Local politicians make decisions about paving your roads, hiring the police and fire fighters that protect you, collecting your garbage, funding your children's libraries and so much more. Council members pass city ordinances—like the recent smoking ban—that affect you every day.

And local politics is the training ground for the men and women who go on to state and national positions.

For all of these reasons and more, your vote for local politicians is arguably the most important job you have as a voter.

It's up to you. We challenge all Jacksonians to take advantage of the forums, panels and debates. Get to know the local candidates, and then get to the polls to vote in the primaries and the general election.