By JIM BROOKS
Nelson County Gazette
The deadline to file for political office looms large; the deadline is 8 days off — 4 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 26. And the question I have is simple: Where are the candidates?
According to the Gazette’s records, there are a number of offices that have not yet had a single candidate file; in other instances, candidates are so far unopposed.
As of today, no one has filed for Nelson county clerk, surveyor or constable (due to liability concerns, the county government has a large bond requirement in place to discourage anyone from running for constable).
In other races, incumbents face no opposition: County Attorney John Kelley, PVA Barbara Tichenor and three of the county’s five magistrates (Bernard Ice, Sam Hutchins and Jerry Hahn) face no opposition.
Former WBRT owner Kenny Fogle recently penned a column regarding the fact that no candidate should win simply because they have no one willing to run against them. During our three years together on the radio as “Brooks & Ken,” this was one of those issues where we agreed: No one running for public office should win by default.
It happens all too often, though we have seen recently how an opposing candidate can make a difference.
Four years ago, longtime county coroner Sonny Greenwell announced he would not run for another term. Greenwell’s deputy coroner Field Houghlin filed for the office. But Danielle Chladek challenged Houghlin, and her entry into the race made it a true campaign. Rather than a default win for the sole candidate in what has typically been an uneventful race, the race for coroner required both candidates to address issues related to how the county coroner does business. Houghlin did not win by default, but actually had to appear on debates and on the radio to discuss issues brought up by his challenger.
I expect — and hope — to see a flurry of activity at the county clerk’s office when it reopens tomorrow for the final week of candidate filings. If you have a desire to serve, to make a difference in your community, I urge you to give filing for office serious consideration. Holding our elected official accountable also means challenging their right to keep their office.
One of the lessons I learned this past year as a member of Leadership Nelson County is that leadership is not a quality we are born with; leadership is a decision we make as individuals to get involved. Leadership comes from identifying a need and acting on the person conviction that you can make a difference.
Don’t wait for someone to ask or for anyone’s approval; you’ll never know the difference you can make until you take that first step.
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