April election features important local contests

When it comes to small, local elections, we're always reminded of the famous quote by Theodore Roosevelt:

"It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat."

Nowadays, of course, Roosevelt would likely write that it is the "man or woman" who is in the arena.

On April 4, several municipal and school board races will be decided, as well as a few bond issues and questions.

These particular races -- city council and school boards in particular -- are, to be frank, self-sacrificing positions. Those who serve will be subject to criticism and paid very little, and in most cases nothing at all. So those who enter this arena, do so for selfless reasons, to help the communities they have come to love.

Candidates for local contested races have been submitting their questionnaires to semissourian.com. You can find them at semissourian.com/election. We'll also be publishing the profiles on Sunday, April 2 in the print edition. Be sure that you're informed before you go to the polls. The Southeast Missourian is the only place you can go to compare candidates.

Good luck to the candidates. And thank you for supporting your community.