I don't wanna Republican mayor.

The lawn signs are proliferating. With names of candidates for mayor. And city council. And county attorney. Many of the names are familiar. It's pretty much the same people that keep running for local offices. And I'm wondering what motivates them. I'm sure it's far less than 1 percent of the population that even thinks about running for elected office. And maybe it's that less than 1 percent that's least qualified. In my opinion, the people who don't want to hold public office are the ones that would be the best. Because they probably wouldn't play politics. They'd play it straight. And serve the common good. I have written about local politics almost all of my life. I know local politicians. Intimately. And many of 'em are ego-driven. Many look at local office as a stepping stone to something higher. To the realm of state or even national politics. It really salves their egos to get elected. Time and again. And it deflates their egos when they are rejected. Oh, I've known so many politicians with inflated egos. They know how to say and do the right things. To get elected. They learn how to play the political game. And that's what it is. A game to be mastered. To have political clout. Power. Influence. To be a wheeler-dealer. The current mayor lives down the street from me. And now I see that my neighbor up the road is running against him for mayor. I won't vote for her. Because she's a Republican. Oh, it's supposed to be a non-partisan election. But a Republican is a Republican. And she wouldn't hesitate knifing me in the back. Because I'm not a Republican. I'm viewed as a wild-eyed radical. Because I support Barack Obama. And I've been called a socialist and a communist. And worse. --Jim Broede