By early January, Wisconsin law requires citizens declare their candidacies for local office, as challengers, incumbents seeking re-election, or incumbents who will not seek re-election, having tormented their communities enough during their current terms.
In Whitewater, there will be some incumbents seeking another term, on our common council or school board.
It’s sure to be an interesting season, even if no challengers step forward. I’ll cover both races. I am curious how one of the candidates covers his own race, how he reports on city events during his candidacy, and how he may handle council matters, or those of commissions on which he serves, that involve his advertisers.
What, though, could be the campaign slogan of someone seeking re-election on our council? Sadly, “The Voice of the People” is already taken; incumbents will have a hard time finding something more presumptuous than that, although I am sure they’ll do their level best to find something.
You may have heard, as I have more than once, how important it is to have “adults in the room.” I am sure it is important, but only in the banal way that one considers it important that candidates have a pulse – necessary, but hardly exemplary.
One could not find a standard that’s greater proof of what’s wrong with Whitewater, Wisconsin’s politics (at least, not one to which one might readily admit). The standard of politicians as adults reveals how little we expect of politicians, and how much politicians think of themselves.
Someone who runs for office on the platform that he or she has good judgment might kindly answer the question: Could you please tell us what your good judgment entails? If there’s no ready answer, we can safely conclude that that judgment amounts to little more than a high opinion of himself or herself.
For what do they stand, other than their own re-election?
The year ends with interesting political and legal questions ahead for our small town in the year to come.