Public Officials need to "be held to account"

Part 2 of 3

This is my second blog about President Obama’s inaugural speech. In
the second part of his speech, President Obama stated, "Those of us
who manage the public's dollars will be held to account — to spend
wisely, reform bad habits, and do our business in the light of day —
because only then can we restore the vital trust between a people and
their government".

This is a very clear and blunt statement. All of our public officials
need to be held accountable to the highest level of ethics standards.
The President is correct; there is a scared trust between our public
officials and the public. Too many times, our public officials violate
this trust. Too many times, our public officials forget they are
humble servants to the public. Too many times, the public has not
demanded accountability and answers to these transgressions.

And, too many times, the public has been thwarted in their efforts to get accountability.

Now, the hard part: How do we break the bad habit of conducting
business in the shadows of our government, instead of conducting the
people’s business in the light of day? I believe the answer to this
important question lies in the plain fact that elected officials work for the
public, not themselves. I would suggest candidates and elected
official establish and regularly update a blog. This would
allow easy access to their ideas and allows the public to provide
input and feedback.

In this local election year, I am hoping the voting public will demand
answers, hold the victors to their campaign promises, and hold our
elected officials to the highest level of ethical standards.

 

Get Involved - Every Voice Counts!

“A Change Gonna Come” - Sam Cooke

Today, Barack Obama will take the oath of office to become the 44th President of the United States.

Many people in our community worked hard to get President Elect Barack
Obama elected. They saw a man of hope and principle, not a man of color. As one of friends stated, they saw his intelligence, his honesty, his genuine smile, and his ability to bring people together. They felt they were a part of creating something very special.

For many other people, they will celebrate the joy of a promise fulfilled. A promise that each of our parents made to us. If you work hard enough, you can do anything you want. Even, be elected President of the United States.

I will feel very proud on this inauguration day. I will feel proud that, as a nation, we have moved toward the vision of our founding fathers in order to create a better future. A future filled with hope and a promise to remake America

I pray that for all of us, this is just not another day. But a day we celebrate together, as a united people, this great and wondrous achievement. A day where hope is renewed, dreams rekindled, and the future of our children is restored.

Congratulations President Elect Obama.

Forks Township Voter Turnout- How well did we do?

The following is the Forks Township voter turnout by voting district:

 

	Total Reg	% Turnout
Total Registration & Turnout	10,430
Total Election Day Turnout	7,139	68.44%
FORKS TWP EASTERN 1
Registration & Turnout	2,673
Election Day Turnout	1,864	69.73%
FORKS TWP EASTERN 2
Registration & Turnout	2,954
Election Day Turnout	2,060	69.74%
FORKS TWP WESTERN 1
Registration & Turnout	1,885
Election Day Turnout	1,219	64.67%
FORKS TWP WESTERN 2
Registration & Turnout	2,918
Election Day Turnout	1,996	68.40%