On the City of Vicksburg’s website, through a few clicks, there lies the following information:

Municipal (City government) elections are generally held every four years in the City of Vicksburg. Primary elections are held on the first Tuesday in May of the election year. In the primaries, each political party votes on the candidate it will have on its ballot for the general election. 

General elections are held on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in June of an election year.

Next June, in less than one year, we will be in the midst of a municipal election.

But, the fuse has already been lit.

For the next 12 months, there will be maneuvering and decisions, there will be rumors and innuendos, there will be actions and accusations, and all of this will take place long before those seeking office will even be required to register.

So, let this be our first of what we expect to be many editorials over the next year asking those running for office to be clear, be direct and give all of us the reasons why you deserve our vote, our support.

It is important for those thinking of running for office to fully understand what is happening in Vicksburg and what is needed. It is important for those seeking office to be educated on the issues, understanding of the problems.

What we, as residents and voters in Vicksburg, deserve is a quality debate and an informational campaign.

We want our leaders to be knowledgeable and sincere.

In a world where civil debate has been replaced with quick one-liners, demeaning comments and Twitter tirades, we should expect more and hold our local leaders to a higher standard.

In the next few months we will have to survive a presidential campaign that is going to be tough to watch and even harder to stomach. Let us hope that our local elections, from those we know so very well, will not follow suit.

June 2017 might seem far off, but it’ll be here soon enough.