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This November when voters go to the polls for the mid-term elections, all of the focus on the nightly news stations will be on nationwide and statewide races.

The gubernatorial race between Stacey Abrams and Brian Kemp figures to get a lot of that attention, not only statewide but also locally. Other statewide seats, such the senate race, will also garner a lot of attention. That’s not a bad thing. It’s just that many other important races won’t get as much focus, which is a shame.

Locally, the LaGrange City Council has voted to hold a special election to fill the seat formerly represented by LeGree McCamey, who died earlier this year. The election will be held in November, along with the other statewide and federal elections.

The person who fills this seat will make important decisions regarding the future of our city. Look at the last few weeks as examples. The city council is currently figuring out how to manage its budget, including drastic tactics such as cutting funding to nonprofits and eliminating curbside recycling.

With no offense to our state or federal leaders, who obviously make important decisions that funnel down to all of us, it’s our local officials that have the biggest impact on our everyday lives. The person who takes on the District 2 seat will have a big responsibility and will have big shoes to fill.

Anyone interested in qualifying can do so July 25-29. And we hope to see several candidates, as it’s a shame when an election is not contested, which prevents candidates from speaking on issues, answering questions and actually making the effort to campaign.