In the Wednesday edition of the LaGrange Daily News, we wrote about the candidates currently running for city council in LaGrange and mayor in Hogansville. In today’s edition, we continued the conversation with information on Hogansville’s city council candidates. Next week, we plan to write more about the candidates from LaGrange when the LaGrange-Troup County Chamber of Commerce hosts a forum at Del’avant on Tuesday at 6 p.m. A forum for the West Point candidates is scheduled for Oct. 16 at 6 p.m. at New Horizon Community Theatre.

The candidates for these vital local positions take different stances on important issues and hold in their hands the potential to impact the future of their cities and — because of the interconnected state of West Point, LaGrange and Hogansville — the county as a whole.

Because of this potential, it is every citizen’s duty to be informed on what each candidate supports and does not support. In a small town, the impact of decisions by the city council can be life changing for better or worse.

A good policy may help businesses, citizens or — ideally — both. Policies made by someone uninformed or unclear on the impact of the policy could hurt those very citizens that they were elected to serve.

It is up to you to make sure that candidates who will promote your city’s best interest, your business’s best interest and the best interest of you and your neighbors are elected. The best way to do that is by remaining informed and by voting Nov. 7 to make your voice heard.

If you voted in the election last year, you should still be registered to vote for this election, but it doesn’t hurt to check, and it is never too late to become politically involved.

To check to see if you are registered, to check your polling location or to register to vote visit Mvp.sos.ga.gov/MVP/mvp.do. Absentee ballot request information can also be found on the My Voter Page wesbsite.