Small Town Politics

Tonight there is a candidates forum at the local high school auditorium. We have a hotly contested race for two county commissioner slots, and feelings in the valley are running pretty high. A lot is at stake for the future of our beautiful valley, and it turns largely on how the term 'smart growth' is interpreted by those elected. Virtually everyone accepts that there will be growth, but how to manage that growth in order to preserve our open spaces, provide jobs and at the same time hold on to those things that make the valley special and brought us here in the first place? Too many of us have seen beautiful places destroyed by shortsightedness, uncontrolled development and greed.