Editorial

Candidates to be offered equal space

Saturday, October 21, 2006

For the voters of Southwest Nebraska, one of the most important decisions in the Nov. 7 election will be who to choose as the next state senator from the 44th District.

Look at the numbers. On the national level, Nebraska has five lawmakers -- two in the Senate and three in the House -- to represent the state in Washington. But on the state level, Southwest Nebraska has only one person -- the 44th District Legislator -- to represent this area in Lincoln.

It's a big responsibility, says Tom Baker of Trenton, who served as Southwest Nebraska's state senator for the past eight years. He is having to give up the legislative post because of the term limit law, which limits senators to two consecutive terms. However, in an interview Friday, Baker says he plans to stay active in politics and public service on the state and national levels.

Because of that interest, he is closely watching the men who are seeking to be the next senator from the 44th District. He has spoken personally with both candidates, Mark Christensen and Frank Shoemaker, but wants to hear more about their legislative positions between now and election day.

The same is true for the editorial staff at the McCook Daily Gazette. We have been criticized by the campaign staffs of both candidates, who contend that we are biased in favor of the other candidate.

This is not too surprising. As you might imagine, it is very difficult for the newspaper to keep both campaign staffs satisfied. That's because two different campaign staffs, with different styles, have been e-mailing news releases, telephoning the editor, and coming to the office to vent their frustrations to the editor and publisher.

The attacks and counter-attacks are doing no one any good. Therefore, the Gazette has come up with the following plan for the final two weeks of the 44th District campaign.

On two successive Wednesdays -- October 25 and November 1 -- the Gazette has extended the following invitation to the candidates: Mark Christensen and Frank Shoemaker. Each will be allowed up to 500 words each Wednesday to tell readers why they should be elected as this area's representative in the Nebraska Legislature.

The articles will be due in the Gazette office the day before publication. Neither candidate will see the other's candidate's article until it is printed.

It is our hope that voters will pay careful attention to what the candidates have to say. As we said at the beginning, the 44th District senator occupies a very important role in Southwest Nebraska. It is our hope that their written comments will provide insights into their ability to fulfill the important leadership position in the Nebraska Legislature.

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