Wyoming must choose civility and competency

The end of the legislative session marks the beginning of election season, and we are already beginning to see the signs of the coming campaigns. The first political advertisements are beginning to emerge online. Aspiring candidates and incumbents are starting to make noise as they evaluate whether to run or run again. As we enter into this season, we all should take a moment to reflect on what we need and require of our public officials.  
Our public officials matter more than just how they vote. They also reflect the values of the community. How they interact with others, the issues they make priorities, what they do in their personal lives and their ethics: all of these are important in showing what we as a community consider acceptable and important.  In casting our votes for particular candidates, we are making a statement about how we want to order our society and write our laws. However, we are also making a statement about the type of person we value and the conduct that we want to see in others. These next months are the time for us to think seriously about what statements we are making.
There are two main criteria that Wyoming voters should focus on this election cycle. The first of those criteria is competency. Many of our officials run for office because they believe they can do something meaningful through government service. They want to offer themselves up to wrestle with the tough decisions and make Wyoming a better place for the future. Unfortunately, some officials run for other reasons.  These other officials want to use their position to make a statement about a pet issue or use their influence to drag down those that disagree with them.  In almost all cases, those who run for the wrong reasons also lack the competency to
seriously address the issues facing the state. We need leaders who can understand complex issues, weigh competing interests and ideas, and make hard decisions. Those skills rarely accompany people who are excessively focused on a pet issue.  
We as voters need to understand that we elect people for their judgment, not solely as a mouthpiece. Our elected officials need to be able to take in information, weigh it, and make an informed decision. They must be willing to change their mind based on new information.  Perhaps most importantly, they must be capable of actually performing the job they were elected to do.  We may agree with their political stances, but if they cannot perform their duties, they should not be in office. It is up to us to hold them accountable on doing the whole job they were elected to do.
The second main criteria that Wyoming voters should focus on is civility. The most recent legislative session provided a sobering picture of the current state of civility in Wyoming politics. We saw elected officials being expelled from meetings for refusing to follow rules, another losing his committee seats as a result of a long pattern of poor behavior, allegations of physical threats and assaults (some substantiated, others proven false), online squabbling and personal attacks, and, even beyond what was seen in public, an all-around environment that we in Wyoming should be ashamed of. It used to go without saying, but we apparently must say it explicitly now: we as voters have to seriously consider whether those we put in office are worth our trust and votes. If they engage in bullying behavior, physically assault or threaten to assault others, or otherwise show us that their actions do not fit our values, they are not worthy of our trust. They are not worthy of public office. Character matters. It is up to us – the voters – to vote them out of office.  There is no excuse for treating others with a lack of civility and respect. We can disagree, even on big issues, and still treat each other with a basic level of courtesy.
The most difficult part of our job as voters is matching our ideas with our actions. We can tell ourselves that we value civility and competency, but we must also be willing to cast our votes based on those ideas. When we see that our public officials are unable to do their jobs well – even if we personally like them– we must vote them out. When we see that our public officials lack the quality of character to treat others well or to behave ethically – even when we agree with their political stances – we must vote them out. Failing to match our votes with our values sends a clear message that our values do not really matter. We must hold our public officials accountable, and that starts with holding ourselves accountable.