To the editor:

I was privileged last weekend to attend a meeting of candidates for the city commission arranged by the Douglas County Democratic Party. I am fortunate enough to live in a nation that at least holds representational democracy as an essential value and has managed to maintain regular peaceful transfers of power. In this election, we each have a very real opportunity to select our local decision makers.  At the meeting we also were fortunate that 12 of the 14 candidates were able to be present. I feel especially privileged to live in a community where so many capable and willing people are vying for the three positions    

I also am grateful to have available an extensive review of the candidates along with their answers to various questions. The Journal-World, not a government agency, gathered this valuable information and published it Sunday.

Now is the time for voters to do their work, to listen to the candidates and read what they have written. I like my paper copy of the newspaper and think it is worth the small cost, but anyone can read the candidate information free on the website. The act of voting, commendable as that is, is not particularly valuable unless we do our homework and make knowledgeable decisions. The decisions this year are more difficult than usual because of the quality of the candidates and the seriousness of some of the issues. Don’t wait until the last minute to look into this. See you at the polls on March 3.