Learn everything you can about candidates

A few months ago it seemed as if North Carolina’s primaries were ages away, but now the big day appears to be closing in on us quickly.

We still have two months before the May 6 primaries, but with such a loaded primary ticket, it’s more important than ever to soak in all of what the candidates have to say.

But you won’t learn about any of the candidates that will shape the future of Brunswick County on CNN, Fox News or Saturday Night Live.

And while the presidential election is on all of our minds, in the next two months, it’s important to take the time to get to know the local candidates. In last year’s municipal elections, your votes changed the face of leadership in several of our county’s towns.

On the ticket this November, three county commissioners seats and three board of education seats are there for the taking; four of these contests will be battled out in the May primary.

These six seats are incredibly important for the future of this county. Don’t like the direction the county is going? Do you think taxes too high?

How about the board of education; are you worried about the future of the school system for your children?

Or, if you like the direction in which the county commissioners are guiding the county, then know what their challengers offer.

The incumbents have an advantage over their challengers—you know where they stand and how they vote.

But for the challengers, it’s equally important to hear their message.

How will they change the direction the county or the schools is heading?

The burden lies with the candidates—the incumbents and the challengers.

The candidates owe it to the voters to prove why they deserve the vote.

But as voters, it is equally important to get out there and know in what direction you want the county, or the schools, the state and the country to head.

Gov. Mike Easley’s term expires this year. What, if anything, do you know about the eight candidates vying for his spot in the governor’s mansion?

Just as it’s critical to learn what the local candidates have to say about the issues important to you, take the time to learn what those at the state level have to say. In addition to the governor and lieutenant governor’s seats being up for grabs, so are two state representatives seats, a state senator seat, a U.S. House of Representative seat and a seat in the U.S. Senate.

Take the time to learn about all the candidates before the May primary so that November’s election has the best candidates for what is important to you.

Caroline Curran is a staff writer at the Beacon. Reach her at 754-6890 or ccurran@brunswickbeacon.com.