Last night’s political forum at Jemison High School featuring the mayoral and City Council candidates was an informative and enlightening event.

This forum, as well as a similar forum conducted in the Town of Thorsby, was a good opportunity for citizens to learn just a little bit about each candidate’s vision for the future of his or her city. This information is vital to making an informed decision when casting one’s ballot on Election Day.

While many citizens have likely already made up their minds as to whom they will vote for, it is always a good idea to listen to what the candidates have to say. Those candidates who were willing to participate in public forums were doing both themselves and their potential constituents a favor prior to this important election.

However, one thing we noticed while covering these forums was that there were plenty of empty seats to be found. It would have been nice to see each seat filled with a citizen eager to further his/her knowledge about those who wish to lead each town into the next four years.

People are always quick to complain about their leaders when they are dissatisfied with something, but it seems they are always slow to participate when it’s their turn to take action. Public participation is an important part in politics, and we would definitely like to see more of that in our cities and towns, as well as in our county.

More forums are in the works for political races here in the county. Next month, candidates for the Chilton County Commission will be invited to participate in a forum at the Chilton County Courthouse.

We urge you to stay informed of all such events, which will be announced in upcoming editions of our newspaper, and plan to attend them. We believe that you will learn some things you didn’t know about each candidate. You might even think up a few questions of your own to ask them.

It’s good to get involved in local politics. The offices belong to the people, so the people should be as informed as possible when deciding who belongs there.