If I could vote in Lacey, Carolyn Cox would be my choice

Being a long-time Olympia resident, I can’t vote in Lacey. But to my friends and neighbors there, I hope you cast your vote for Carolyn Cox. I have a deep and long-standing respect for her opponent Ken Balsley, but is it time to look to the future, and give up our provincialism.

At the recent PFLAG candidate forum, I heard Mr. Balsley go on a several minute riff about the evils of Olympia, and how bad the city is. I was always taught to speak of my neighbors respectfully at all times, not just because it’s the right thing to do, but also because I may need their help with things in the future.

More important, this is the PFLAG forum. Olympia has been on the leading edge of equality and civil rights issues for decades, and has become a welcoming place for the GLBTQ community to settle and feel accepted. To bash Olympia in this setting, well, doesn’t at all feel neighborly or respectful.

Regional issues abound, and most of my neighbors couldn’t easily draw the exact line between cities. We all have to work together, and that begins with mutual respect and courtesy, especially in public forums.

I’ve known Carolyn for more than a decade. Her commitment to regional thinking is strong. Her sense of civility and decorum, as demonstrated on the planning commission, is impeccable.

I wish I could vote for Carolyn Cox. I hope my friends and neighbors in Lacey elect her.

This story was originally published October 27, 2017 at 3:09 PM with the headline "If I could vote in Lacey, Carolyn Cox would be my choice."