Tomorrow, Webster City goes to the polls to select the people who will serve us on the City Council for the next four years. We are proud and excited that so many people have stepped up to the plate and decided to offer to serve the community. That being said, tomorrow is an important opportunity to decide the direction the future will take.

While the election is supposed to be non-partisan, it’s become clear that there are two distinct points of view represented by the current slate of candidates. Affiliations may not matter, but ideologies do.

One view point is focused on the future. What can we do to attract new business, what can we do to continue to recover from the loss of Electrolux and build on the successes of the current City Council. In the last four years, the spirit of the community has been reignited, not only because of the efforts of the City Council, but also because of the Chamber of Commerce and strong civic organizations that have stepped up and re-energized the city with new businesses, a business incubator program, and multiple events, such as Summer Nights, RVTV and others.

The other view point appears to be focused on the past. What has gone wrong, what mistakes have been made, a return to the way things used to be, without considering what else has changed in the meantime. We support the need for careful consideration, research, and transparency, but not for the sake of conflict.

Our national politics have been crippled by this kind of partisanship. We don’t need the same sort of thing here. We need a City Council that first of all, works for the the City. Second, we need a City Council that focuses on solutions to our pressing problems, not rehashing the issues of the past. Finally, we need a City Council that is built on compromise and cooperation, not contention and confrontation. Disagreements will happen. That is why we have a City Council, to work through those disagreements and come up with the best possible solution.

Most important, however, is our responsibility as citizens to not only educate ourselves during this election, but to stay involved the rest of the time. This includes going to the City Council website and reviewing the information that the City Council is reading. If you don’t have a computer, Kendall Young Library has computers that are available for use free of charge. Or you can go to City Hall and request a copy. Attend meetings when they are addressing issues that are important to you. Ask questions of your city officials. Read the Daily Freeman-Journal to find out the latest in city news and tell us about things that are important to you. Write letters to the editor to share your ideas with the community.

Finally, call your City Council members. Tell them what you want and about your concerns. Let them serve you.

Most importantly, go to the polls tomorrow and VOTE!