Also lovely were the groups of high school students posing for photographs outside the White House. Wearing fuzzy boots and wrapped in polar fleece, they posed, grinning, with arms draped around their friends’ shoulders — friends of every size, shape and skin color. Regardless of the divisiveness in today’s politics, these young people wanted their photos taken outside the home now occupied by our first African-American president.
I’m always moved by the potential of our youth, and these teenagers drove home the promise of this great country: that every citizen has the opportunity to fulfill his or her dreams. I hope they do.
So with this inspiration I returned home and began to edit the candidate profiles for our coming municipal elections. In the over 20 years I’ve lived in this area, 2011-2012 may prove to be the toughest for our elected officials. There are tough budgeting decisions that must be made — even in our real estate-rich coastal towns — and strong leadership will be necessary to protect our small-town quality of life and unique coastal environment.
In the days leading up to the March 8 election, please ask your local candidates hard questions about the future of your town and its relationship with the other barrier island communities. We are all in this together.
We all know this is a special place and we’ve been able to coast along pretty smoothly over the past 20 years, but times are changing. Regardless of where you stand on the national and global issues repeated endlessly in the 24-hour news cycle, inform yourself on the issues that impact where you live. Some are the same. Some look very different when viewed through a local microscope. Take a look. Ask your candidates hard questions.
Then, vote.
That’s the real opportunity we have as citizens and the reason I want to keep the image of those flags snapping in the wind as a reminder that every vote counts — maybe especially the one for the candidate in your own hometown.
— Mary Kate Leming, Editor
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