Our View: Opportunity is there for the taking

This was a big week in local politics, although it passed quietly enough. During Tuesday’s primary, voters in District 5 whittled down the number of county commissioner candidates to two — Dan Reed and Alex French — who will advance to the General Election in November.

Countywide, we also voted for judicial candidates in a rare local race with no incumbent. Shawn Reed (an Esko grad) and Gunnar Johnson advanced to the general election in that race.

But Tuesday was also the final day to file as a candidate in seven local school board races with 22 spots up for election, 22 mayor and city council seats (not counting Cloquet because they filed in May) and 41 township positions. That’s a lot of opportunities to effect change where you live.

Most races saw enough people sign up to fill the seats. A few were more highly competitive (Wrenshall and Kettle River city councils, Thomson Town supervisor seat C, Carlton school board, for example).And some, disappointingly, saw no candidates file.

A huge round of applause for all those who filed. We thank you for your willingness to be an engaged member of your community.

But it’s not too late if you slept through the filing period. For races where no one or not enough candidates filed, the seat(s) will be filled by write-in candidates. To get the job, potential candidates just need enough people to correctly spell their name on the ballot Nov. 5.

These races are not for rabid partisan candidates — the seats are all nonpartisan. The goal in local politics is to keep things running smoothly, to make decisions based on what’s best for yourself and all your neighbors.

There is opportunity for write-in campaigns on the Cloquet school board, Cromwell city council and races in Skelton and Split Rock townships.

Don’t think of it as getting into politics, think of it as a way to help make your community a better place to live. And you won’t even have to fork over the $2 filing fee.