Another round of questionable decision making by the holders of elected office or public positions has recently come to light both nationally and locally.

Individuals who hold these positions should continue to be, by the very nature of the positions that they hold and the power that they weld, held to a higher level of scrutiny and accountability by their peers, their constituents, their subordinates and by taxpayers.

The area between personal and professional decisions, for these elected or appointed office holders, is a wavy line that is constantly in motion and needs to be tread very, very carefully at all times.

As a citizen and a taxpayer, I refuse to accept the excuse that because the frequency of poor decision making and questionable judgment by those in power is on the increase that it should somehow be accepted as the new norm.

No way.

Right now we have a new group of individuals seeking to hold local offices.

If you are running for an elected position or applying for an appointed one, make sure you are fully prepared to serve in that position both personally and professionally in a manner that is ethical and above board at all times.

Understand that you are there to raise the performance bar and not to lower it.

Let the position you hold better you as a steward for others.

Keep the exact same values you have going in the entire time you hold that elected or appointed position.

Be fully prepared to do what is right, not what is best, easy, less controversial, comfortable or popular.

Compromising yourself or your values puts into question even the good things you have accomplished. It shakes the faith of the community and how your office or department is perceived even going forward without you.

Everyone makes mistakes, this is true.

By accepting an elected or appointed position your mistakes are going to cost you a heck of a lot more than it would the average person.

Are you taking that into account in your personal and professional dealings as you apply or decide? You should be.

In the United States of America, our system of elected government is a reflection of ourselves.

What are we currently saying about ourselves?

Can’t we all do better?