The Merit Shop Advocacy Update
by Jim Willshier, ABC Keystone, Director of Government Affairs
jim@abckeystone.org
Elections: Are Right Around the Corner.
As August arrives, more people scramble to cram in last-minute vacations before the kids return to school or prepare for another football season. While it may seem far off, look at this month as being that much closer to our next important election.
Our municipal elections will be on November 7, and includes local offices that are key to our personal and work lives: school board, county commissioner, judges, and others that are too long to list depending on where you live. There are also some critical dates between now and then, like the last day to register for voting (October 23). But here’s the crucial question about those dates: do you know who you’re voting for? If you don’t know the answer to that question or where those candidates stand on key issues, you need to start doing homework between now and then.
This election is knocking on your front door, whether it’s concern about culture wars in your school system, construction projects you’re directly involved in or will see in your community, or where your local tax dollars are being spent. Judicial races will determine legal precedents, and for our state supreme court, that will bring us several vital decisions for their ten year-term.
I would like your attention to start looking into who is running for your local races and find opportunities to meet with them as they attend as many public events as possible on the way to Election Day. There will be more endorsements for local candidates coming forward that might help inform you, too (ABC Keystone has a political action committee but is not making formal endorsements in any races this fall). The most crucial part is that you plan to vote and know who you will vote for in November.
For anyone still skeptical or not concerned, please read through past issues of this publication, and read about local Responsible Contractor Ordinances (RCOs) adopted by these same local officials and potentially will be before a judge in the near future. Think about how invested your public officials are in the community and how much they know about your company. This is your last opportunity to reach out to educate them on what you’re doing in the community as much as you need to educate yourself on those running for office.
The consequences of not doing so will have a ripple effect for years to come.