Not Politics as Usual

Written by Councilman Gil Smith

I suspect that I’m not alone in my thinking when I say that the discussion of politics has become a 24/7 national event. You can’t turn on the TV or radio without hearing about the upcoming Presidential election. Social media provides a steady flow of political information…who is for or against which candidate. Who is up or down in the polls from one day to the next, and now I’m pretty sure that there isn’t a person anywhere who doesn’t know that there is a “magic number of 1,237” electoral votes needed to become a Republican nominee. The frenzy that accompanies all of this can become overwhelming! And, it can make one wonder if the political process in this country will survive the craziness of the 2016 election year!

Well, I am here to tell you that not all politics are crazy, with political parties so completely polarized that there is nowhere to go and nothing that can be accomplished. Your local government, right here is Califon, is a testimonial to government working as it should!

I have served on the Town Council for the past sixteen years. During those sixteen years I have worked with many good citizens, Democrat and Republican alike, but, in Califon, it has never mattered which party you are a member of. There are no party politics. We work together, as friends and neighbors, who are interested in doing what we can for our community. Our meetings are productive and congenial. Our focus is on doing what we can, together, to solve the problems facing our community and to make things as good as we can for our citizens. I know that my fellow council members, both old and new, would agree with me when I say there are no partisan politics in Califon!

I am concerned about the current state of national politics in this country but, I can honestly say that I am proud of the state of politics here in Califon. Perhaps we need to invite some of our elected officials in Washington, DC, back into small-town America for a refresher course in how a successful government should operate!

Last modified: May 23, 2016