Local Elections are Important. Your Vote Matters

By RICK BOSTON

Staff Writer

In the 2016 presidential election, Hillary Clinton received 65,853,514 votes to Donald Trump’s 62,984,828. Clinton garnered 2,868,686 votes more than Trump, but still lost the presidency due to the electoral vote of 304 to 227.

It’s hard to convince people that every vote counts when the majority of the popular vote still results in a loss, but that is the system set up when electing a president.

That doesn’t mean your voice can’t be heard. This Tuesday, Nov. 5, elections for offices that have a far greater impact on your daily life than any presidential election will take place, and in this election, every vote really does count.

Local elections will be taking place and while most seats in our local municipalities and school boards were decided in the May primary election, some very important seats in county government remain to be decided.

In Blair County, two new faces are vying for a seat on the board of commissioners. With Terry Tommassetti announcing he would not seek another term after 11 years in office, we are guaranteed at least one new face on the board.

On the Republican side, incumbent Bruce Erb and newcomer Amy Webster join Democratic incumbent Ted Beam and political newcomer Laura Burke on the ballot. Erb is finishing up his first term on the board while Beam has served two.

The hot button issue in this years commissioner’s race is voter anger over reassessment.

County-wide reassessment hadn’t been done since 1958, and commissioners, faced with a crippling pension crisis and rising costs of state mandated programs, took the unpopular step of reassessing property values to bring them up to 21st century standards.

With Beam the only candidate who was on the board when reassessment was voted for, voters will decide if he should be held accountable.

However, reassessment is just one issue a county commissioner faces, and with it done and over with, it would hardly seem fair to judge an entire body of work based on a vote that raised property taxes, but also brought much needed relief to the county coffers, enabling the county to avoid bankruptcy.

To make an informed vote, voters must first decide why they are satisfied or dissatisfied with a candidate, and measure their body of work, or potential, on a larger scale.

What is the true source of anger over reassessment? Are voters angry because their homes are now valued at current day prices, or are they angry with the way it was handled?

Can a new commissioner make the sting of reassessment less painful? Faced with the same circumstance, would any of the current candidates have voted for reassessment had they been on the board at the time? It’s easy to look back and say no, but can we, or they, honestly say for sure?

Is the incumbent working well for the county as a whole or do you think a newcomer will be more effective?

Regardless of who wins, you can guarantee that the person you vote for will make some unpopular decisions over the next four years, it is unavoidable. And will one decision you don’t agree with make you change your mind and vote for someone else in four years regardless of the commissioner’s other accomplishments?

It’s safe to assume that whichever three emerge with a victory, they will vote for what they feel is best for the county, whether you agree with them or not.

The job the next three commissioner’s face, like their predecessors, can be thankless. They must balance the needs of a county that operates on a tight budget with the needs of its citizens, and with property taxes the county’s only source of funding, unpopular decisions will be made, whether you voted for the person or not.

Local elections are important, and every vote does truly count. One thing we enjoy in this country is the right to question our government without repercussion.

We also have a duty to vote but sell ourselves short by not understanding fully why we choose to vote for who we do.

So, whether you intend to vote for the incumbents, or one of the first-time candidates, inform yourself on all of them. Understand that these are the people whose decisions will have more of an effect on your daily lives than your President, congressman or senator.

It’s OK to vote your heart, so long as your mind agrees.