Board decisions ratified by silence

Are you unhappy with any of the recent decisions of the Columbia County Board of Education?

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The changes, or lack thereof, in the school system's calendar, maybe? The abandonment of elementary foreign language? The recent rezonings of middle and high schools?

Are you itching to express that displeasure at the ballot box?

Well, tough.

Whether it's because most citizens are, in fact, OK with those decisions, or because of rampant apathy, not a single school board member will have to face a re-election challenge. No one signed up to run against any of them.

That's not necessarily a bad thing. The current board members and chairman work well together. Four of the seats are up for re-election this year, and swapping a majority could have been a serious disruption.

But elections aren't just about getting incumbents out of office or putting new people in them. Sometimes they're about the public being able to sound off directly on how their government is doing.

This year, the lack of challengers means the incumbents can assume they've met their constituents' expectations. They deserve congratulations for winning new terms, and will be able to focus on school business without the distractions of campaigning.

But a word of advice to them: Don't let it go to your head.