To the editor:
Tonight I attended the Benton Township Democratic Caucus with my two children, ages 9 and 10, in tow. I expected it to be a good learning experience in polititcs for them. To my dismay, the only learning experience they gained was how disgusting Franklin County politics are. When are the politics going to start giving the residents who care a voice? When are Franklin County political appointments going to stop being a popularity contest?
I usually vote for who I think can do the best job, not who can do me the most favors, or whom I like the best. My 9-year-old son heard a comment made that "they are just sore losers." How can we be "sore losers" when we were playing by the moderator's rules, not the law. It doesn't matter who wins and who loses as long as the game is played fairly. There were people (in my opinion) on both tickets that were best suited, but "we the people" were denied the right to vote individually.
The Benton Township Office offers services to many a people in our community, from the food pantry to the GA program. I have seen one official, presently serving, donate money to the food pantry out of his own pocket to help the people of this township. Are the newly elected officials going to care enough to do this? This election should have been about the people who reside in this township and what they want, not a testosterone-induced battle.
I may lose my job at the Benton Township Office over this article if it gets published, but at least I am standing up for what I think is right, and what happened this evening was anything but that.
Sarah Kelly
Benton
