To the Editor:

I once received some wise advice from former Kingfisher County Court Clerk Bea Jech, who told me the most important elections are local elections, because that’s where decisions are made that will most directly impact your life.

And yet, our recent voting trends are exactly the opposite of that.

About 1,950 of our city residents participated in last November’s presidential election, which is probably a pretty good chunk of our registered voters.

No doubt that was an important election where every vote was crucial, but so was our City Commissioner election last month, when three of our local citizens threw their hats in the ring to commit four years of their time and talent to public service.

The turnout for that race? 512 voters.

Let that sink in for a minute.

According to the latest census estimate, about 3,432 Kingfisher residents are voting age (18 or older) and yet less than 15% of us decided who would represent our interests in city government.

It’s kind of hard to complain about what’s going on when you don’t take advantage of every opportunity to put in your two-cents-worth at the one place where it really has an impact – at the ballot box.

You’ve got another one of those chances coming up this week when voting begins for the proposed half-cent dedicated sales tax to fund the construction of a new fire station, street repairs and other public improvements.

My fellow city commissioners and I voted unanimously to bring that proposal to a vote of the people after months of deliberation as to the best way to finance those needed projects – but every registered voter living in the city has a say in whether the tax goes into effect.

The city also has given you the opportunity to cast an informed vote by running a series of ads over the last several weeks in this paper and creating an informational Facebook page. I encourage you to check all of those sources out and then contact me, any commissioner or City Hall if you still have questions.

Kingfisher really does have more to offer than so many other small cities our size because our citizens have always been willing to invest in our future.

And Bea Jech was right – your vote really is your one voice in how our city operates – and whether it continues to grow and thrive going forward.

Please don’t waste it. Join me in casting a ballot – either in early voting Thursday and Friday at the county election board or at your regular polling place next Tuesday, May 11.

Sincerely,

Roxie Alexander

Kingfisher Mayor