Not the right place

One Fairmont City Council member announced her re-election campaign at the group’s meeting this week. Called out on this inappropriate self-promotion, she subsequently apologized. Which is good.

Another council member, Tom Hawkins, seemed to think the situation was funny, hinting at his own re-election effort. He said he would apologize later if the mayor could show it is not normal to campaign at council meetings. That’s an easy chore in the realm of ethics, so city residents will be awaiting Hawkins’ apology at the next council meeting.

An opportunity to serve

Speaking of elections, we encourage area residents to consider running. There are three open seats on the Fairmont City Council, three on the Fairmont School Board and one seat on the Martin County Commission, to replace Tom Mahoney Jr., who passed away recently.

Serving in elected office is a great responsibility and a great honor. Filings for office remain open through Aug. 11 at these respective locations: Fairmont City Hall, the Fairmont superintendent’s office and the Auditor/Treasurer’s Office at the Courthouse.

Taking right approach

We were encouraged by the recent words of Fairmont’s police chief in regard to the statewide mask mandate imposed by Gov. Tim Walz.

Chief Michael Hunter said police officers would not chase mask scofflaws all over town, and that people should have respect for the law and each other. He said people at odds at a given business location should resolve their dispute in a civil manner, and people also should understand that there are mask exemptions for some of their fellow citizens. We believe police have the right approach. A mask mandate is an unwieldy law too onerous to firmly enforce.

Building community

Fairmont Women of Today believed that finding a project to build community and lift its spirits would be a good idea. They were right. So they came up with “The Turquoise Table,” which is located at Bird Park. They then hosted a “Popsicles in the Park” event to introduce the table and get people together.

Not satisfied, the group also will give away another Turquoise Table that the winner of a contest must put in their front yard. Again, the idea is to boost the sense of community in town.

We congratulate the Women of Today on this project, and wish them luck on future endeavors.