June 2025, Anyway

Hat in the Ring

A fascinating thing happened over the last few months. An election was held with various local positions to be filled. For the majority of the election, the number of candidates hardly equaled the number of available positions; one person ran for mayor, two people ran for two school board seats, four people ran for three city council positions, two people ran for two positions on the township board, etc. This was not merely a Milton phenomenon. All around Rock County positions of Judges, Clerks, Supervisors, Chair-people, Treasurers, and Sheriffs went to people running practically unopposed. This may be a common occurrence in most municipal and local elections, especially in the more rural areas.

The fascinating thing, though, is what happened next. The newly elected Mayor of Milton was previously on the City Council, and so left a vacated seat with his election. Instead of holding a full special election for the open seat, the city laws simply have people apply and present their case to the Council, who choose the replacement themselves. And in a time when the mode average local election seems to have but one option per seat, a total of 5 candidates threw their hat into the ring for the single open council position! It would seem that it is not the idea of serving one's community that is keeping people away from seeking local public office. Instead, it is the prospect of the election process itself. Perhaps the process seems opaque and alien to most citizens, or maybe the idea of months long public scrutiny and door knocking is unappealing. Perhaps prospective candidates are not aware of how shallow the pool of options is before the window of opportunity closes to get signatures and paperwork filled out. Whatever the reason may be, I think it warrants serious investigation, for what does a democratic process promise a people if not choice? Yet how can it be a choice, if there is but a single option?