By: Douglas Vandergraph
On election day, people often talk as though the most important thing about a neighbor is which candidate that neighbor supports. Tomorrow, however, the same people will still share streets, schools, stores and responsibilities. Their need to live together will not disappear when the votes are counted.
Collegedale’s local commission race has brought questions about public safety, growth, budgets and government communication into focus. These are practical issues. Voters can disagree sincerely about how to address them.
The challenge is keeping those disagreements from becoming reasons to stop listening. An election chooses representatives. It does not finish the work of community. Residents still deserve clear explanations of decisions, honest opportunities to raise concerns and respectful treatment when they disagree with officials.
Those who win office should remember the people who did not vote for them. Those whose preferred candidates lose should remember that civic responsibility does not end with disappointment.
A good neighbor may hold very different political views. That person may still be the one who checks on an older resident after a storm or helps someone whose car will not start. These everyday acts reveal a kind of commitment no campaign sign can measure.
My Christian faith gives me a demanding definition of neighborliness. Jesus refused to limit love to people who were easy to agree with. He challenged his listeners to extend concern beyond familiar circles. That principle does not settle a zoning dispute or a budget debate. It reminds us how to conduct those conversations while preserving one another’s dignity.
Collegedale will face hard choices in the years ahead. Residents and their elected leaders can meet those choices with firmness and patience together. Ask clear questions. Expect accountable answers. Leave room for correction when facts change. The most valuable promise after any election may be the simplest: we will continue being neighbors, even when we do not see things the same way.
