While we understand that only have three races in two cities have in runoff elections Tuesday, all three of the positions are important. Thus, it makes this runoff election very important for the municipalities of Clanton and Thorsby.

The mayor’s position is up for grabs Tuesday in Thorsby as incumbent Mayor Tom Bentley and Dearl Hilyer are locked in a runoff. In Clanton, incumbent Ronnie Porter and Jeffrey Price were the top two vote getters in Ward 1 back in August. Clanton’s Ward 4 features a battle between Greg DeJarnett and Bill Trimble.

This is obviously one of the most important elections that our municipalities will have. There is no one who will more directly affect your life than your mayor and city council if you live in city limits. They make decisions on anything from police, fire, roads, parks and any other local government business.

If you live in any of these three districts, we encourage you to get out and vote. As we saw in the general election in August, a few votes one way or the other can decide an election. Two races were decided by just two votes, and the Maplesville mayor’s race came down to just seven votes.

Unfortunately, if you don’t live in these areas, you will not get a chance to vote this week. Next month, however, you will have the opportunity to elect the county commission and the tax assessor – both of which will affect the business of the whole county. These local elections along with state and presidential races make 2008 an important year.

While these elections aren’t Tuesday, now is the time to start learning about our candidates so you can make an informed decision on Election Day.

If you don’t vote this time, you won’t be able to vote the person out before another four years to six are completed, depending on the office.