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Will Minot engage this year?

Tonight’s candidates forum at The Grand will be a revealing occasion. It will be an early sign of whether or not Minot residents are going to energetically engage with the city election process this year.

Signs have been a challenge to read so far. Will the Minot that came out pretty enthusiastically for the #MakeMinot reform issue and for the presidential election manifest this year? Or will engagement recede? The forum might not offer a scientific reading on the electorate, since voters might already have developed opinions on candidates. However, it will offer some insight.

Minot Daily News regularly argues that apathy is the fertilizer for bad government, and that remains as true as ever in regard to this election. A successful representative government requires an informed and engaged electorate. Many of our region’s problems are a result of apathy’s impact.

Perhaps ironically, less engagement this year might be a result of the nature and structure of this year’s ballot: six of nine qualified candidates will be seated on the council.

Preferably, solid engagement will demonstrate that public interest in creating the best possible government remains strong.

This is an important time for Minot, rich in opportunity and peril. The city has made some excellent professional hires recently, including a city manager radiating potential and optimism. Political leadership of similar quality will yield the best results for taxpayers. That requires engagement.

Candidates Forum

Tonight, Wednesday, May 24

6:30 p.m.

The Grand Hotel

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