Government and the public interest is best served when the people who want to set policy that shapes life in our valley are required to endure the rigors of discussing why they're best suited for the tasks.
The likelihood is that voters in Ketchum and Sun Valley will witness that ritual leading up to the November election as the result of a number of challengers tossing their hats into the ring.
Voters will be asked to decide if challengers' ideas are better than the incumbents'. Or do voters approve of the performance of incumbents?
The Ketchum mayor's race should be especially lively. Five candidates, including incumbent Mayor Ed Simon, are vying for the powerful seat. The mayor appoints the city's most important executives and virtually manages municipal affairs through those appointments.
Two challengers also have their eyes on unseating two Ketchum City Council incumbents. In Sun Valley, the council race for two seats has attracted five candidates, including two incumbents. All candidates should be commended for offering voters a choice on the future of the cities.
Both communities have demanding challenges ahead, none more so than Ketchum, where retailers and restaurants are taking flight, lodging rooms are severely short, and expensive second homes are changing the character and demographics of the town.
Will the election reverse those trends? Now that willing candidates have stepped forward, it's up to voters to do their part—show an interest in the candidates' campaigns, ask questions, attend candidate speeches and then go to the polls and vote.
Ketchum and Sun Valley are no better as communities than the people who are elected to serve. Voter complacency only breeds mediocrity in government and the services the public expects.
