Editorial: Be proactive, not reactive, in government, school meetings

I guess you can call this a public service announcement, but more importantly, encouragement for you all to make a difference.

In 2015 voters went to the polls to elect officials to represent respective counties on both governmental and school boards. Now it’s two years later; how are they doing?

I encourage you all to take time to attend a school board or board of supervisor meeting. I’m not saying you need to attend every one of them, but maybe one or two a year. If you have close friends or associates, make a group and have one person from the group attend that meeting.

The reason why I say this is because many times attendance at these meetings are low unless an issue arises. What you all may not know is that school board members and supervisors encourage your attendance. They do listen and weigh in on what you all have to say. They may not agree, but they do listen.

Remember, you are the people who cast the vote during election time. You don’t have to rely on supervisors or school boards to make every decision. As a citizen, you have a voice. Let your voice be heard, even if it’s just by sitting down in a row and hearing dialogue among members.

The impact you could have is unknown unless you try. Each board meets at least once a month. If you can’t find anything to do on an evening, take some time to discover what the people you elected are doing. They would be happy to see you there. And they wouldn’t be so lonely.