Get involved, ask questions, make an informed decision

Imoved to Marlboro eight years ago. I have never really been involved with politics, never really paid much attention to local politics at all.

I have a friend who is very involved. He grew up in Marlboro, as did my wife. My inlaws moved to Marlboro from Brooklyn looking for a better life. So did a lot of people back in the 1970s. Back then there was a lot of open space, builders were building all over, the town grew rapidly. I think at this point we all know the rest of the development story. So back to my point …

My involved friend says to me, “You have to vote for Kleinberg again.” OK, I say without much thought and move on. Another friend of mine says, “You have to vote for Hornik.” Both of my friends are Republicans, so now I’m confused. At this point I say to myself, I have to develop some type of informed decision.

This is where my story begins. I start to ask questions of my friends, each of them respond with equal fervor as to why I should vote for their candidate. They cite reason after reason, each justifying their arguments to me. As it has turned out, each of my friends is close with the candidate they support. That being said, I had the opportunity to meet Mayor Robert Kleinberg and Jon Hornik.

What amazes me is that I’m one guy. One guy that decided to ask questions and find the truth behind all of the political rhetoric that is flying around. One guy in a small town, where two guys want to be mayor. They both want to meet with me on a one-on-one basis. For what I ask myself? Who am I? I don’t have an answer for that.

Here is what scares me and I think it says a lot about us as a country. Only a small percentage of the people get involved in the democratic process. Of that percentage, many of those people are misinformed or trying to push their own agenda. So few of us are involved in this process (myself included) that we are allowing the process to fail.

How can you complain about your government if you don’t vote? How can you make an informed decision if you don’t meet the candidates? How do you know what the truths are if you are not at the meetings? How can you effect change if you’re not involved?

Marlboro is one small community in a great country. How can we decide who should be president if we can’t communicate to one another in one small town? The mayoral race is being tainted by people with their own agendas spreading falsehoods and dissent, even among their own political parties.

I am ashamed of the lack of involvement I have had in my local government. I vow to change that. I can only hope that if you’re reading this article you’ll join me. You’ll be more involved, you’ll ask questions, you’ll talk to your neighbors. Now, more than any other time in our nation’s history, must we use the right to vote. But we must also vote with our minds, not our hearts. Change is good, but not if it’s just for change sake.

Get educated, don’t vote on party lines, vote on the issues. Be an American, support this great country.

Ira L. Levin

Marlboro