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Where were you?

About a 100 people attended the candidate forum Sunday afternoon at Marion Senior Center. Those who came heard the eight Marion city council candidates answer questions and talk about their visions for the future of Marion.

The candidates answered questions about infrastructure, economic development, taxes, and the school bond issue. They weren't given the questions beforehand, causing each of them to be on the "hot seat" to come up with quick, concise, intelligent answers.

Some of the questions stumped the candidates. Some answers were non-answers. Sometimes the candidates just didn't have an answer. The forum proceeded in a civil, orderly manner and everyone went away knowing a little bit more about the men wanting to fill the city council seats.

The forum was a positive event for Marion. It provided a service and gave every citizen an equal opportunity to attend and participate.

But, like the information meetings for the school bond issue, there was a segment of the citizenship missing. The under-50 group of Marionites didn't attend the forum.

The rest of this editorial is addressed to them.

Why didn't you attend the forum?

Granted, it was a nice, sunny day . . . the golf course beckoned . . . KU was playing basketball . . . there are hundreds of reasons why you didn't attend.

Maybe you don't care about city government; don't care about better streets, job opportunities, housing, or high taxes.

You should. You are the ones most affected by these topics. Think about it. If the city decides to make street improvements through the issuance of a bond, who pays? We all do. But, you younger Marion residents will be paying far longer than the senior citizens.

Young folks are the future of Marion. You should be concerned about city government, taxes, water quality, and street improvements.

If you think your opinions don't matter, you're wrong. Before long, you will be the decision-makers for this town. Get involved now. Get informed now. It's the only way to change things. It's the only way to make Marion a better place for yourselves, your children, your grandchildren.

It's not too late to see what happened at the candidate forum. It will be shown on MCTV-22 beginning at 8 a.m. today (Wednesday) through Thursday morning and beginning again at 6 p.m. Sunday.

It's not too late to get informed about the school bond issue, either. Information is available at Marion-Florence USD 408 central office, 101 N. Thorp, Marion.

It's not too late to start taking an interest in your community. Your future depends on it.

— DONNA BERNHARDT

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