Editor, Times-Union: Having watched and listened to the recent mayoral primary, I am concerned in several areas. First of all, the Times-Union stated there are 11,034 registered voters and only 2,756 that actually voted. That itself is very sad. With our world of politics as it is, shouldn’t we all be more involved, concerned and yes, even worried about our futures? Such a small turnout shows that too many people just don’t seem to care one way or the other. And the man that won the election? He only collected 883 votes out of a possible 11,034! Yikes! It is time, or maybe past time, to grow up! Take a good look at our politicians. Are they actually working for us – to help us and Warsaw grow and be a safe place to live? Or are they looking to fatten up their own lives and pocket books? It is sad to see what the mayor receives in salary for what, in most cases, is a “part time” job. Out of the 2,756 that actually did vote, or, even the total 11,034 registered, how many actually listened and/or watched the mayoral debates? How many listened to what the four candidates had to say about their dreams and visions for Warsaw? Not very many I would guess. The candidates were fantastic! The candidates were educational and very informative. I was, however, bothered that some of the candidates actually seemed to be reading their answers. They did not look up and talk to the audience. Did they have prepared answers to the questions? They aren’t able to talk to a group without notes or a teleprompter? Only one candidate stood there and answered the questions without any notes and did not have to read from a script. I do believe that if more of the voters had taken the time to be involved with the debates and listen to the candidates, a different man may have been selected as mayor. The winning candidate was not as relaxed or informative as the others; and did not give the impression of a man capable of leading Warsaw into the upcoming future. But as everyone says – that is just one man’s opinion. It just seems that we, the public, did not give this election the time and effort it deserves to get the best qualified man elected into office. We are all to quick to elect a man we know and have seen for years, around town or in an office – and not electing a man based on his abilities and knowledge to lead our city. I hope in the next election, and all elections, we all get more involved and concerned for our future and for the future for our children. Ken Parcels Warsaw
