They say that as you get older, time spins faster. That really became true this year when I saw signs for the fall school board elections start to appear in early July.
Our town, usually known as the picture-perfect postcard that it is, nestled in the foothills of mighty Pikes Peak, with its breathtaking scenery, great outdoor activities, friendly neighbors, and a feeling so often lost today of a tight-knit community, has been anything but. In the crisp changing air this fall, something peculiar is happening that has turned Woodland Park upside down: the fall elections.
Before the aspen leaves turned to a perfect gold and then yellow, and then slowly began spinning to the ground, another kind of spectacle took over the town. Political signs sprouted like mid-summer wildflowers, painting the landscape in shades of blue and red and white. They popped up on lawns, street corners, and everywhere else they could.
While one side had an early advantage in the race to cover the town, the other side was quick to catch up, and we are now surrounded by so many signs, both large and small, that their existence almost fades into the background, a reality that likely neither helps nor hurts either side.
As you may know, there are four “Candidate Forums” this fall, but no single debate where these sides will actually be arguing their divergent and important points of view. Two even take place the same night, but in different locations. This probably has something to do with the fact the two sides remain in such disagreement that they can’t even agree on the most elementary details about what such a forum would look like. Or perhaps there is more to it and someone more knowledgeable can fill us all in.
And it is not my intention that these points of view be minimized, because these are clearly important issues with outcomes that will matter.
What will be remembered in history though, is hopefully our capacity to listen, understand and respect the outcome of a free and spirited election.
It is my hope, that as the whirlwind of election fervor subsides, that something beautiful can emerge. Our community can be united again by all that we have in common, of which there is much, rather than only being defined by our differences and disagreements.
Within us is the ability to recognize the importance of the bonds we all share, and in so doing, to realize an even brighter future.
Ruth Wiseman is a Woodland Park native and a dual-enrolled high school student attending Pikes Peak State College.
