When I contemplate who to vote for, I look for signs of how each candidate moves in the world, what choices he or she has made personally, professionally and politically in life, what each believes it means to be human, and what others say about that person. I also look at who is saying what.
I start, of course, with what I, myself, value. For me, that is finding the deep meaning of things: humans, the Earth, the balance and beauty in both and between the two. I try to serve whatever maintains and nourishes that balance and health. I think of the big picture: past, present and future. Because if government is anything good, it is the gathering of all the best impulses of humankind and society to serve that balance by using resources, laws and dialogue with each other and with the natural world to shape the society for the good of all — well into the future. That’s the kind of person I look for when I vote.
That’s why I’m voting for Donna Aderhold. She cares, she thinks, she listens, she holds the big picture in mind. She has spent her life doing all those things: her careful science, her open mind, her listening ear, her caring attention to detail and to those in need, and her walking and bike-riding work ethic. On the council she has sponsored clear-eyed, organized and practical solutions to enhance life in Homer. What I know about Donna resonates with the things I care about, and the hope I have for Homer’s future in this inimitable place. I need government on all levels to be taking the big picture into account, working with facts, intelligence and compassion. Donna Aderhold does that.
— Carol Ford, Homer
