In a Democracy such as ours, citizens can make a difference by being on either side of the voting polls.

With a little more than a month remaining before the filing deadline to seek an elected office in Lawrence County, a variety of positions remain uncontested or even not highly sought after at all.

The positions that are up for grabs may not be as glamourous or high-paying as some county-wide positions but these roles can certainly have as much or more of an impact in the lives of your friends and neighbors.

Elected offices that will be decided this fall include school board, city and village council positions and township trustee posts. The deadline to file for any of these is Aug. 20.

Our government only works when people are involved. And while that certainly includes voting it also includes stepping up and leading the way during difficult times.

Far too many people are content to play “armchair quarterback” and criticize those who do get involved. This is an opportunity for anyone who has ideas and a positive attitude to do something for the community in which they live.

These positions are important ones — all of which will help shape the course of the future for the community and our youth — that shouldn’t be overlooked or discounted.

When looking over the job descriptions, we hope citizens don’t allow the low pay, long hours and public criticism to scare them away. The unwritten part of each of these job descriptions should say something like: The opportunity to make the area we call home a better place to live for generations to come.