City/School Election draws a lot of candidate interest

   The City/School Election will take place on Tuesday, Nov. 7. Polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. All Monticello voters will vote at the Berndes Center.

   Due to the interest in running for both the Monticello school board and city offices (mayor and city council), the Monticello Express will be publishing our candidate questionnaires in two different issues of the paper.

   Inside this week’s Express, Oct. 18, you will hear from the four candidates running for Monticello school board.

   There are two seats open and four candidates have expressed interest, including both incumbents.

   In our Oct. 25 issue, you will hear from those candidates running for Monticello City Council and mayor. There are 11 of them.

   For city elections, the mayoral seat is open and unopposed. The six city council seats are also up, and all seats are now at-large. There are no longer wards in Monticello.

   With several choices to consider for both the school and city elections, be sure to read about each candidate and his/her take on the issues at hand. City/School Elections are no less important than General Elections, which tend to garner more voter participation than off-years such as this. But, with so many candidates running, there are some high stakes here.

   There are important issues concerning our school district and city that are of great interest in the community: A new PreK-4 elementary school, retaining and attracting teachers and staff, the new sewer plant, Sixth Street Ditch, quality of life issues to attract more residents, etc. Where do these city and school candidates fall on these issues and more?

   As always, be an informed voter before you cast your ballot on Nov. 7. (K.N.B.)