On Feb. 2, 2010, the primary elections will be held. Between now and Feb. 2, it is time for every voter to really take note if the people running for positions are really the honest-to-goodness ones to fill that position.
    We are having a big problem with recession right now, and with that in mind, we need to research if the person we are voting into office really knows what he/she is doing to have control of that office. Do you really want them to represent you? Will you not complain further down the road that you shouldn’t have voted this person into that office?
    Right now, some of the county board members, the sheriff, the county clerk and county treasurer aer coming up for either re-election or election, with some having their position challenged. When you think about who you are going to vote for, you should remember the following:
    1) If they were in office already, what do they need to do for your county?
    2) Were you happy with the work they did while they worked in their position, or were you always upset with what they did?
    3) Were they part of the problem or the solution? (You need to do your homework and make sure they did what they needed to do.)
    When you vote for a person for a certain position do you pick them because:
    1) They talk the talk but don’t walk the walk, so they will take the title and let someone else do the work?
    2) They are a friend of yours and you don’t care if they know what they’re doing, just that they’re a friend and that’s what counts.
    3) They are a big person in your town and this will give more power and bragging rights to your town.
    4) You are a straight-line party voter and really don’t care if this person is qualified, as long as your party has he/she on the card or they are the incumbent.
    5) You vote to keep all of your friends/co-workers off you or you vote just to say you voted.
    6) You like the signs that you see in the yards and just because you saw the sign, you voted for the person. After all, this person must be qualified or they wouldn’t have signs out and be running for the position, right?
    7) Your friend told you to vote for this person, so you did.
    8) You like the way the name sounds.
    9) The person is in the department tha they are running for so they must know what they’re doing.
    10) This person won’t get your vote as he/she works too closely with the person who is in the office right now who you don’t really like. Since the person running for office is so close to the incumbent they must be just like that person, so ...
    If these are just some of the reasons that you are going to vote, then you are going to be part of the problem, just like some of those who are already in office. Remember, to get a turnaround, we need to be the solution.
    You need to take the time to do your homework. (Homework didn’t stop just because you graduated or quit school. It continues throughout life.) We’ve complained enough, and if we really do want change, then it’s time we all do the homework before this election.
This means that we check out why each and every one of these people running for their respective office feel they are qualified for that position.
    You need to go to a meeting and ask the candidates questions.
    For those already in office, ask:
    1) What is your record of helping the county?
    2) Have you been part of the solution or part of the problem that we are having with our county government?
    3) What school did you bring into this office and have you or are you continuing with this while you are in the office?
    4) Do you work well and closely with your co-workers by keeping them informed of what you are doing and what you wish to do?
    5) Do you show up to work at the county building every day and/or check in every day?
    6) Do you actually do the work, or do you let your workers do it all and you take the bow?
    7) Do you feel that we are doing everything possible to get our country out of a problem or are you a shadow in the background or a puppet?
    For those new candidates, you need to ask:
    1) Why do you think you should be in office?
    2) Have you gone through the ranks of your department to learn the position or are you going to come from the bottom with limited to no experience and let those who went through the steps do the work and you get the title? (Or worse yet, try to learn as you go.)
    3) If you feel you are going to make a change, what changes are you really going to make? How long will it take to see the changes that you say you will make?
    4) Will you actually work well with all the other workers who you will have to be with, or are you going to cause a problem right up front because you have the title?
    5) Do you feel that since you are going to get this title, you won’t need to go and talk with those who voted you into the position after the election? Or do you feel that you need to stay in touch with the voters and work and be honest with them at all times?
    OK voters, we’ve only got until Feb. 2 to get it together and do our part in getting our respective counties back on track. Vote with your brains.
    Remember, change has to start somewhere and it might as well start with all of us doing the right thing and making the candidates to their job and after they get into office, we need to remind them that we, the voters, have the last say and not them.
    You, the voter, should know that elected officials don’t really have to answer to anyone after they are elected into their office. This means that we, the voters, have to keep a close eye on every elected official.
    If we don’t like what we see in the four-year term, then the next time, we will make that official history as they answer to us the voters.
Carol Wiesman, Colona