It's up to voters to decide

Shawnee voters face some critical decisions when they head to the polls in the July 29 election to decide the races for mayor and two city commissioners.
Their focus squarely should be on quality of life issues, and who they think will provide the best leadership and pay the closest attention to the priorities which have been identified by residents. Voters should weigh carefully whether they are satisfied with the status quo and the leadership exerted by those serving now, or whether they believe new leadership is needed.
This election is one of the most critical this community has faced in a long time. The citizens have identified what they consider are the most important issues facing Shawnee and it’s imperative that translates into action and who they believe can provide the most appropriate solutions and chart a path for progress.
It’s up to voters to decide if Linda Agee, Linda Peterson or Matt LaHue will make the best mayor. At the same time, they have to make the decision whether incumbent Marva O’Neal should serve another four years representing Ward 3 or if former commissioner and challenger James Harrod would be the best.
In Ward 2 they must choose a new commissioner between Jerry Chastain, Frank Sims or George Davis. Present commissioner Tom Schrzan opted not to seek another term.
At the top of the priorities local citizens have helped identify are water, infrastructure, education and ensuring quality of life.  Among some of the others are community appearance, crime, sustaining a progressive business climate, providing better leadership and dealing with social needs.
And dealing with local rail service problems facing some of our local industries should also be considered a real need.
In looking back four years ago, when city commissioners were searching for a city manager, some of these same issues were identified as those which needed to be addressed. They still need major attention.
When City Manager Jim Collard was terminated more than a month ago, some of the commissioners said they were going to head in a new direction. Incumbents and challengers should provide citizens with how they see this new direction.
Rather than endorse particular candidates in this year’s city election, we’ll leave the choosing up to the voters. The issues identified by citizens and their priorities should be the focus when entering the voting booth July 29. They must decide who they believe can lead Shawnee the best, keeping in mind that action and finding solutions to the city’s problems should be at the top of the list.