LETTER: What voters don’t know can hurt them

Are we planting the right political seeds? Too many voters can’t name their city councilmembers, school board trustees, or district attorney yet these officials shape our streets, schools, budgets, and safety every day.

When ballots arrive, it’s tempting to follow the loudest ad or a familiar name, but we owe our communities better. Start local: read meeting minutes, check voting records and attendance, ask candidates specific questions, and follow the money. Are donations coming from neighbors and small donors, or from big interests with agendas?

Local offices are the farm team for higher office; today’s councilmember can be tomorrow’s state legislator or U.S. senator. If we want better leadership later, we must choose wisely now. Plant smart today, and we’ll harvest a government worthy of our future.