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By Brandi Makuski

Election day is here again, leading to a full day of coffee for news reporters- and a constant stream of photography and playing phone tag with candidates. And of course, lots of ‘hurry up and wait’.

Also with each election season comes emails and phone calls from readers asking which candidates are best- suited for a position, or whom we are endorsing. The answer is very simple: none.

It doesn’t matter that other publications chose to endorse one candidate or another. We aren’t doing it during this or any election because of the simple fact we aren’t in the business of public relations. That’s what a campaign manager is for.

To do our job responsibly, we must remain neutral in our quest to compile and distribute fact- based information; to do our job correctly we must remain politically ambiguous as an organization while simultaneously framing conversation within the community. This is one reason why our editorials are often blunt and controversial, but always contain a byline: readers need to be aware the opinion being stated is that of one individual, not the entire editorial board or staff.

While it’s not the job of a journalist to endorse a candidate, party or political dogma, City-Times staff have noticed recurring themes during recent candidate forums and would therefore like to advise voters to stop accepting the word of any candidate who is unmoved by facts, unable to stay on topic, incapable of accepting responsibility and unwilling to live in the present.

You have to be the one to decide which candidates hold these traits, which arguably stall movement of any government body, and which have traits that are truly representative of the community.

We do ask, however, that you discard any preconceived notions you may have about one candidate or another before you have all the information. This is important because we live in a democracy, where information forms opinion, and where public opinion can and does change the course of a government body.

Remember the public outcry over the Cooper Motor site redevelopment; the proposed CAP Services apartments on Doolittle Drive; appointing, rather than electing, the city clerk and comptroller- treasurer? These are all proposals which could have immeasurably changed the discourse of our community and our future- and all proposals which failed because the electorate came out in force to say no.

Our only endorsement for this election is knowledge. Keep yourself informed and learn to think for yourself.

Above all else, go vote.