Toughest job you’ll ever love

Aug. 1 is the deadline to become more than a local political observer. For those who have an interest in serving on their local governmental bodies, it’s an open invitation to get off the sidelines and get into the game. The filing period for Houston, Wasilla and Palmer city councils, the Mat-Su Borough Assembly and school board opened yesterday; it closes 5 p.m. Friday, Aug. 1.

Politics — even at the local level — isn’t for everyone. Serving on a local board or council is a commitment of time and energy that frequently outstrips the newcomers’ expectations. Some people’s job commitments, family obligations, residency situation and other issues make it difficult or even impossible for them to serve on a local board. We admire those people who take the time and make the time to do so.

It’s not unusual for incumbents to be unopposed in local elections. We submit that even stellar incumbents benefit from some opposition, if for no other reason than it makes them hit the campaign trail, where they can hear the voices of the people they represent.

Incumbency is a great stabilizer of government. It allows the processes of government to move forward without continual slowing to get great numbers of people up to speed.

It’s also a two-edged sword. We’ve seen at the local, state and national levels that incumbency can effectively block out voices calling for accountability, change and reform.

We cherish our rights as voters. But those rights are diminished if we aren’t faced with choices on the ballot. We admire those who take up the ch   imes they stand taller, and that’s a good thing, too.

None of that happens without individuals willing to take themselves out of the crowd on the sidelines and onto the political playing field. We need people to serve on our local school board, our city councils and our borough assembly. We need new people with new ideas; we need familiar faces with ideas new and old.

We need people who are committed to doing an often-thankless job because it needs to be done. We need people doing that job because they are representing their neighbors, their friends, strangers and even people who don’t like them. We need people who serve, knowing that we will be watching them, reporting their words and sharing their ideas, and offering our own opinion of those ideas in this space.

We don’t say it is an easy job, but it is an important job.

For the few, the hearty and the brave, you have 11 days to meet the requirements of filing for your preferred office and file your intent. Win or lose, you’ve been a valuable part of the democratic process.