As 2002 comes to an end, the 2003 election season is athand.

Thursday is the first day for qualifying in local races rangingfrom supervisor to constable. On the state level next year, voterswill be filling offices from governor to state representative.

Following long-time District 1 Supervisor Cliff Givens’ deathearlier this year, the field of candidates for that office isexpected to be wide open. Other supervisor district races and somecounty offices could also attract a good bit of candidateattention.

Some candidates have already made their intentions known. Othersare sure to come out before the Feb. 28 qualifying deadline.

Lincoln County is blessed to have dedicated incumbent publicservants and potential challengers who believe they can do a betterjob of running the county’s business.

The decisions before voters next year will be important ones, asthe choices made will affect the state and county for the next fouryears and beyond. Education, economic development, taxes, road andbridge maintenance and a variety of other issues are all vital inthe state’s and county’s well-being.

We would encourage citizens to take an active role in nextyear’s elections, either as a candidate or an interested voter.

When a candidate asks for your vote next year, be willing to asktough questions about matters that are important to you. Andrealizing that importance, candidates should be able to respondwith well-reasoned, honest answers.

An involved public and candidates dedicated to good governmentcan only produce a prosperous future for all.