The biggest knock on politicians is that, after getting elected, they no longer listen, no longer care.

But, we should ask ourselves if we are really trying to have our voices heard?

For the Greater Lawrence Area Chamber of Commerce, that answer has been “yes” for the past two and a half decades.

The chamber completed its 25th anniversary Legislative Day trip to Columbus last week, marking a milestone of which our county should be proud and the rest of the state should try to emulate.

This event gives our county a voice at the statehouse and allows direct interaction with state leaders and our elected officials. It puts a human element to the challenges facing Lawrence County.

While elected officials may be able to gloss over statistics on a report, they cannot discount the impact of a local economic development project when they look into the eyes of those most affected.

That concept is at the heart of the continued success of this event.

We applaud the chamber for its efforts to keep Legislative Day going strong.

Former director Pat Clonch deserves credit for pushing the idea early on. Her successor, Dr. Bill Dingus, and all the staff at the chamber deserve praise for keeping it going.

It is somewhat disappointing that more people don’t take advantage of this two-and-a-half-hour bus ride to the statehouse and are not more cognizant of the impact lawmakers have on our lives.

But, at least we know that Lawrence County is talking — in a way that our elected leaders have to hear.