Candidates need to share their opinions with the public

Voters will go to the polls next week with only two contested races on the ballot — mayor and two borough assembly seats.

Choosing elected officials is an important decision for the community, and voters deserve to know where candidates stand on key issues. In Wrangell, do the candidates support or oppose the bond issues for repairs to the Public Safety Building and school buildings? And why?

What are their priorities for the borough budget? What past spending did they like or not like?

Declining newspaper and radio interviews is not fair of candidates to voters, who then have to make a decision with limited information. Not answering specific questions may be a politely cautious way of not offending anyone, but it allows candidates to hide their opinions from the public — and that is not helpful to voters who have to check one of the ovals.

The Sentinel is not going to endorse candidates in this year’s municipal election. But it does recommend that voters consider what they know about the candidates and what they don’t know because the candidate did not want to share their opinions.

— Wrangell Sentinel