The Cuba city election is coming up on April 7.
We will vote for four aldermen and a mayor.
Usually we vote for only three aldermen, one from each Ward. But this year is different because one of your Ward 1 aldermen resigned during his term. That means one of your current aldermen was appointed by the mayor, not elected by you. This is your opportunity to change that.
And yet, no one from Ward 1 has filed for Alderman.
Many of you complain about city government. “Our water is full of chlorine.” Yes, it is. We once had some of the best water in the state; now some people in town can’t drink it.
“The Mayor is spending far too much money on things we don’t need.” No argument there. This summer I sat through City Council meetings in which we didn’t even have enough money to spend a few hundred dollars to hire two part time workers to mow the grass. But want of money didn’t stop the Mayor from ramrodding the purchase of expensive playground equipment through the Council.
“Our electric system is antiquated, our water and sewer pipes need to be replaced, our roads are a mess.” Again, I agree.
These complaints are well founded. We deserve change. But you hesitate to do the one thing that will bring that change. You hesitate to run for city office. Your reasons may be valid, but sometimes we need to rise to the occasion.
“The old boys’ network is running the city and I can’t beat them.” Sure you can. Run for office. Throw the old boys out.
“I don’t have time.” It does take time to properly run a city, but how much more time will it take to rebuild the City if it fails?
“I don’t know anything about running a city.” Are you kidding? Most of the aldermen currently serving had no experience in running a city before they were elected to the Cuba Board. As with all things worth doing, you will learn with time and experience.
If you want to turn Cuba around, run for office. File at Cuba City Hall during regular business hours. The deadline for filing is December 30.
Jackie Hunt
Cuba
