Filings in the 1999 school board elections open Tuesday and close Sept.

Tuesday, August 24, 1999

Filings in the 1999 school board elections open Tuesday and close Sept. 7.

To be blunt, it’s time to put up or shut up.

Four seats on the Austin Board of Education are at stake in this year’s election.

A vote for incumbents can be considered a "Stay the course" or "We’re satisfied with the status quo" endorsement.

Anything else means school district patrons want changes.

Competition for elective office is the healthiest part of a democracy.

It shows both incumbents and challengers want to represent citizens.

It makes the incumbents work harder at their jobs, when they survive the test of challengers. It sends a signal to all, when challengers unseat incumbents.

In the next two weeks, there will be soul-searching in the Austin Independent School District, where a few good men and women will decide whether or not to run for elective office.

To all, we say think long, think hard and act.

Don’t let this opportunity to make a difference slip by.