Elections, that’s all one hears on the radio now-a-days. I must sadly admit that there are times I just want to turn the whole thing off. In my younger years I once voted for an Independent, knowing that person wasn’t going to win; that vote was my small defiant act against what I thought of as “The Machine.” Now, whenever those thoughts head my way, I fend them off by remembering the day I found out that elections can truly be won by supporters and candidates who genuinely care about our people.
The story goes like this.
For several years I was a librarian at a local high school. I loved the school, mostly because of the one big family atmosphere. I knew the staff and students well. One staff member was a coach who required attendance to all the team practices with the rule that if a student missed three practices, that person was off the team. One of the team players missed that number of practices and the coach took him off the roster. The student’s family raised a ruckus about the decision, stating that the dismissal was based on prejudice. The local school board member agreed. The staff was incensed and sent a petition to the board member, expressing support for the coach. The school board member was not at all happy with us, and the war was on.
The principal of our school was a dignified, well-known member of the community, with a deep love for the school. School board elections were coming up, and he put his name in the hat. (The decision meant he had to retire from his job.) One enters the education field knowing there is little money there and it goes without saying that this was a grassroots effort up against someone who had the money and the backing to run.
I volunteered to help with the election, assuming we didn’t have a chance, but felt it was the principle of the thing. We volunteers set up meetings, talked to people, and at least had the money to put out a few signs. We gave it our best.
Election night eventually arrived, and we all met at a local restaurant to watch the results. It was exciting to be there, watching the TV screen as the numbers came in. I was surprised and delighted to see our candidate with a healthy number of votes. As the night progressed, the gap became smaller. We began cheering with each new number and I felt a flicker of hope. When the last return came in and it was announced that our candidate had won, we laughed, hugged and toasted each other with our water or coke glasses.
That moment I learned that one does have a choice, one can make a difference, and that, to slightly alter a typing exercise phrase used in 1918 by typing instructor Charles E. Weller “Now is the time for all good ‘people’ to come to the aid of their party.”
Cindy Arp, teacher/librarian, retired from Knox County Schools. She and husband Dan live in Heiskell.
