2008 Woodie Awards
From Right Field: Don't wait until 2008, vote now!
Natasha Sell
Issue date: 10/30/07 Section: Opinions
Did you know that on Nov. 6 there is going to be a very important election? No, this one is not for president of the United States but it is just as or even more important for those of us living in Greensboro. I am talking about the municipal elections. These elections help determine who will be our city council representatives, the mayor, and various other elected jobs around the city.
With all of the focus on the 2008 elections, it is easy for us to forget about smaller elections. Every day we are bombarded with information about what state the GOP and democratic candidates are touring and what controversial statements they are saying, or even how much money is in their campaign funds. With all this coverage I can guarantee that all of us can name the majority of candidates running on each side, despite it being an exhausting list. But how many of us can name a single person who is running for city council? Sure, we have all heard of McCain, Huckabee, Romney, Giuliani, Obama, Clinton, and Edwards. Have you heard of Mary Rakestraw, Zac Matheny, Bill Knight, Trudy Wade, Yvonne Johnson, Marikay Abuzuaiter? I bet right now you are thinking, "Who?" These are some of the notable names running for city council or mayor.
If you have no idea who these people are, I encourage you to take this week and find out about these and all candidates running for election on Nov. 6. If you have no idea where to find this information, you can pick up Yes! Weekly or the Rhinoceros Times for election coverage. Some candidates even have websites you can find by doing a Google search. Better yet, the Guilford County Board of Elections is another place to find election information (their website is www.co.guilford.nc.us/elections). If you have some free time contact the political organizations on campus who also have election information.
Going back to what I said before, these elections are just as important to Greensboro, if not more so, than the 2008 presidential elections. Whomever is elected to city council gets to represent us in city council meetings. We college students must make sure we represent ourselves since we make up a large percentage of the population of our district. With UNCG growing at a rapid pace, we have to be represented. This point is especially important for all you freshmen and sophomores who will still be around for a while and will feel the impact of the city council's decisions.
With all of the focus on the 2008 elections, it is easy for us to forget about smaller elections. Every day we are bombarded with information about what state the GOP and democratic candidates are touring and what controversial statements they are saying, or even how much money is in their campaign funds. With all this coverage I can guarantee that all of us can name the majority of candidates running on each side, despite it being an exhausting list. But how many of us can name a single person who is running for city council? Sure, we have all heard of McCain, Huckabee, Romney, Giuliani, Obama, Clinton, and Edwards. Have you heard of Mary Rakestraw, Zac Matheny, Bill Knight, Trudy Wade, Yvonne Johnson, Marikay Abuzuaiter? I bet right now you are thinking, "Who?" These are some of the notable names running for city council or mayor.
If you have no idea who these people are, I encourage you to take this week and find out about these and all candidates running for election on Nov. 6. If you have no idea where to find this information, you can pick up Yes! Weekly or the Rhinoceros Times for election coverage. Some candidates even have websites you can find by doing a Google search. Better yet, the Guilford County Board of Elections is another place to find election information (their website is www.co.guilford.nc.us/elections). If you have some free time contact the political organizations on campus who also have election information.
Going back to what I said before, these elections are just as important to Greensboro, if not more so, than the 2008 presidential elections. Whomever is elected to city council gets to represent us in city council meetings. We college students must make sure we represent ourselves since we make up a large percentage of the population of our district. With UNCG growing at a rapid pace, we have to be represented. This point is especially important for all you freshmen and sophomores who will still be around for a while and will feel the impact of the city council's decisions.
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