Candidates wanted: must work nights (and days), read a lot of briefing papers, balance a budget without enough money, make hard decisions that affect people’s lives, and learn how to cooperate and compromise with peers; may be confronted by angry constituents; and will never be able to make everyone happy. There is no pay.

Described like that, who would want such a job? Fortunately, in Patagonia, there are many capable and committed folks who have run for mayor and town council.

So why do people run? Typically, they like being community leaders . . . or have specific issues to promote or oppose . . . or feel it’s their turn for public service . . . or believe they can do a better job than the incumbents . . . or are heavily lobbied by their friends and neighbors. While all these are legitimate reasons to run for office, do they actually qualify someone to represent the community? What should we expect from our elected officials?

Here is the PRT’s list of expectations for our council members and mayor:

•Love the town of Patagonia and work toward preserving what is good and fixing what isn’t.

•Be mindful of our history, realistic about our present, and focused on a sustainable future.

•Demonstrate an understanding of the responsibilities and limitations of the job.

•Commit to becoming well informed about issues coming before the council; do your homework.

•Represent the whole town; talk to a broad cross-section of community members regularly to take their pulse on important issues.

•Listen to all sides before making decisions.

•Communicate your views clearly and openly so everyone knows where you stand.

•Recuse yourself from any decisions where you have or could be perceived to have a financial stake in the outcome. When in doubt, sit it out.

•Treat your colleagues and constituents with respect, always, and especially when you disagree with them. Embrace the arts of collaboration and compromise; we know from our federal government that nothing gets accomplished when elected officials don’t.

•And for the mayor’s position, run good meetings, model respectful behavior, and hold everyone attending council meetings to the same standard

•Again specific to the mayor’s role, consider the priorities of the council, community, and town manager in setting the council agenda. Assure that personal interests don’t unfairly influence the business taken up by the council.

There is a primary election coming up this summer; two of five council seats, including the mayor’s, are open. It is our responsibility as a community to field strong candidates, encourage public discussion, and vote! There are big issues that will come before the council in the next two years.

Please consider running for office. The more competitive the races, the better the outcome will be for the whole community.

POSITIONS OPEN:

Mayor, Council Member

WHO CAN VOTE:

Residents of Patagonia who are also residents of Arizona and are registered voters.

APPLICATIONS:

are available now at the town offices

DEADLINE FOR APPLICATIONS:

May 28, 2014

DATE OF PRIMARY ELECTION:

August 28, 2014