Greetings, people of Monroe, Wisconsin, and anyone from anywhere else that happens to read this note! You may have heard that we recently had a Spring election for Monroe and Green County. We even elected a new Mayor! Congratulations to Mayor Tom Miller who was sworn in last week on April 21st. I am confident that he will do a splendid job. Thank you also, to Kevin Lollock, who did the work to run a good race to vie for mayor. I also want to give mention to the other members of our community who put themselves out there to ask you to vote for them for various other elected positions. I very much appreciate everyone who has served, has run for office, and who is currently serving. We also elected a new alder and few new folks on the Green County Board of Supervisors! Hurrah! Hat’s off! Kudos! And Best wishes to every single one! Did you vote, by the way? I know, life is crazy busy, right? In talking with people during this most recent election cycle, I was surprised to learn of the number of people that don’t vote. It puzzles me. Is it because you don’t know where? Is it because you don’t know how? Is it because you have never voted before? Just plain don’t want to? Maybe no one ever took you to the polling place and taught you about what to do. It can seem intimidating, even for a long-time voter like myself. In order to vote in our elections one thing you have to do is to register. It is very easy and can be done on the day of voting. You just need to bring a couple of things with you to the polling place: a photo ID, and a piece of postmarked mail with your name and current address on it. The address needs to match your ID. For example, a utility bill or a water bill can be presented. Perhaps you don’t vote because you think your vote doesn’t matter or won’t make a difference. I can tell you that one vote does matter. One vote can make a difference. Whether it’s at the ballot box or in a council meeting or a sub council meeting of the people who have been voted into office and are making decisions that affect life in your community. One vote does matter. Part of your responsibility is to vote at the ballot box for the people that YOU want to be making those decisions. That is what’s called a representative government. When I was sworn in to the Monroe City Council, I took an oath to support the Constitution of the United States and of the State of Wisconsin. Those are documents that describe our rights and responsibilities as citizens. When one of our Founding Fathers was asked, “What kind of new government do we have?” Benjamin Franklin, famously replied, “A Republic, if you can keep it.” I dare say, our right and responsibility to vote is how we keep it.

As a final note, I would like to send a big shout out to my friend and former Mayor, Donna Douglas. I always appreciated her ability to lead with kindness and strength. Mayor Donna always wanted the council to get along and have good working relationships with one another and the staff. In this and many other things, she led by example. A people-person by nature, Mayor Donna always cultivated respect and courtesy. Thank you for your leadership and years of public service. Best wishes on your retirement!

— Corinne Wartenweiler is a City of Monroe Alderperson at Large. She can be reached atcwartenweiler@cityofmonroe.org.