Aim of service shows depth

Election Day will see dreams dashed or fulfilled.
For some candidates, hard work will be rewarded with victory. Among those who lose, some may go down bitterly, some may rest content knowing they gave it their best effort, and some may even find enough encouragement from the results and value from the experience to try again for office.
Whatever results, these candidates have been a vital part of the greatest political process on Earth: an election in a participatory democracy. They have committed themselves to giving the voters a choice and, if elected, to two to four years of public service.
Voters in Charlottesville-Albemarle have a fine group of candidates before them. We have been impressed with almost every candidate we have met and talked to.
Several incumbents are running for re-election. These people are already veterans of the kinds of challenges and criticisms that come with public office, and are still willing to continue the work. They give up untold hours of time that otherwise could be spent with family or business, in order to take care of the public’s business. We commend their dedication.
Others candidates are newcomers, and they represent a vast range in age and experience, as well as in politics and outlook. But they, too, share a desire to contribute to their community or commonwealth by taking on the difficulties of public office.
From the young candidate campaigning as a write-in, to the other independent voices, to the men and women who have won party nomination, these people believe in the democratic process.
“I believe one person can make a difference,” House of Delegates candidate Cynthia Neff told us, echoing the views of many with whom we spoke.
In facing a popular incumbent, she said there’s one thing she doesn’t believe: that the process is stacked against a challenger, and that the incumbent has built-in advantages impossible to overcome.
Indeed, we have recent proof of that. In the U.S. House race last year, local resident Tom Perriello defeated long-time incumbent Virgil Goode, by a slim margin.
Other “long shot” candidates told us their dreams and showed how they are refusing to allow long odds to dampen their hopes.
Andrew Williams, 23-year-old Council candidate, spoke movingly about the need for young people to get involved in politics and civic life now. They have just as much stake in the system as do older voters, just as much right to participate at all levels.
Then there’s R. Brandon Smith, running as an independent against another popular incumbent. “I just want people to have a choice,” he said.
Several other candidates also mentioned the need for choice, or the impulse to step into the arena when no one else would, as part of their motivation for offering for office.
Meanwhile, many of the candidates are already engaged in a form of public service through their extensive community and charitable work.
They are some of the most intelligent and compassionate people anywhere around.
These admirable qualities of service and commitment extend from top to bottom of the ballot.
We commend these candidates for their dedication to democracy and their willingness to serve the public.