It's time to get off the bench, get into the game

It’s easy to be vocal about things you don’t like. Whether you’re discussing a current event that has you hot under the collar or complaining about happenings in the world, people, by nature, more easily complain than take charge of things and promote change.

Over the last year, the Brunswick County school system has come under fire for allegations that adults had inappropriate or questionable relationships and interactions with students. It’s been easy for the public to point fingers and tongue–wag about all the things that went wrong. Some have offered viable solutions; others have called for change, while others have merely grumbled and complained.

Having people in the public who want change and complain about the way things are run isn’t something that only affects the school system—any government, any entity run by tax dollars and represented by elected officials, falls under the same scrutiny.

While voicing concerns and complaints can promote healthy banter and create opportunities to explore solutions to a gamut of problems, the real answer to changing how things are done is to actively seek such change yourself.

And the time has never been better to promote change than right now.

On Feb. 11, the Brunswick County Board of Elections started accepting candidate filings for the May primary. Potential candidates have until noon Feb. 29 to file for an open elective office.

Tired of how things have been handled in the past? Now is the time to get involved.

Among races open during the upcoming election period are: N.C. State Senate, N.C. House of Representatives, Brunswick County Commissioners, Brunswick County Board of Education, Brunswick County Register of Deeds, Brunswick County Coroner, U.S. Senator seat, U.S. Congress seat, North Carolina Governor, North Carolina Lt. Governor, North Carolina Attorney General, state auditor, state commissioner of agriculture, commissioner of insurance, commissioner of labor, secretary of state, superintendent of public instruction, state treasurer, associate justice of the supreme court, several spots on the North Carolina Court of Appeals, and judge for the 13th district.

Whether you want to make a change on the local or state level, now is the time. Put your hat in the ring. Get up off the bench and step onto the playing field. While grumbling and complaining about how things are done might make you feel better, it does little to actually correct the problem.

Now is your chance. Register for an elective office and be more than someone who fusses behind the scene—be a player who’s committed to making changes.