It's easy for voters to ignore an election in a year when there is no presidential race. The state and local elections simply are not as captivating as the run for the White House.
So when voters are called upon to elect city and town council members in such a year, the elections clearly don't attract the kind of attention when linked to a gubernatorial run as they do every four years when the election process is taking over the national stage.
Trouble is, those are the elections that are the most important of all, because it's our local officials who make the decisions that most directly impact our daily lives. And it's those local races that we, as voters, should pay close attention to.
In that spirit, we say thank goodness for the League of Women Voters.
It's the league that makes sure we have the opportunity to be informed by inviting candidates to participate in forums that are open to the public.
The Southwest Santa Clara Valley League of Women Voters is hosting two such forums next week that should be of great interest to the voters of Los Gatos.
The first is slated for Oct. 8, 7:30 p.m., in the Baltic Room at West Valley College in Saratoga. The forum will serve the dual purpose of presenting the candidates for the 21st Assembly district - incumbent Joe Simitian and challengers James Russell and Raymond Bell - and the candidates for West Valley/Mission Community College Districts 1 and 2 - incumbents Jeffrey Schwartz and Don Wolfe and challengers Bret L. England and Jack Lucas in District 1, and Singh Gagandeep and Kevin Moore in District 2.
Candidates in both races will be available for questions, including questions about the controversial stadium issue facing the college board hopefuls.
Two nights later, on Oct. 10, the Southwest League will visit Los Gatos to host a candidates forum for those in the race for the Los Gatos Town Council. The 7:30 p.m. forum, co-sponsored by the Los Gatos Weekly-Times, will feature council candidates Diane McNutt, Mike Wasserman, Paul Dubois, Barry Bakken and incumbent Joe Pirzynski facing questions from the audience posed by a league member acting as moderator. The event will be held in Los Gatos Town Council Chambers on 110 E. Main St.
The public owes a debt of gratitude to the League of Women Voters for its dedication to the political process and for its efforts in promoting democracy in action. This group of dedicated volunteers makes our job as voters much easier by bringing the candidates and issues to us.
The league is doing its part - now it's our turn to do our part. Be an informed voter on Nov. 5. Stop by the league-sponsored forums and learn more about the candidates running for office.
Don't forget - that new council person or community college board member just could be making decisions soon that hit pretty close to home.
