Let’s be honest: this election has been ugly. Not spirited, not competitive — ugly. And it’s not even over yet. We haven’t started counting ballots and we’re watching while candidates who may soon have to sit next to each other on the dais are out here acting like they’re in a feud that never ends.

And I’m not mad. I’m disappointed.

Because this isn’t Washington or some Senate race where everyone goes back to their corners and never crosses paths again. This is Maricopa. We live together. We shop at the same stores. We stand in the same lines. We see each other whether we want to or not.

So when a local reporter asks a fair question about a $30,000 city contract — awarded without bids, according to his reporting — and the response is to get defensive and say, “If you’re looking at me, look at the rest of the council candidates” … that’s not leadership. That’s not transparency. That’s throwing your future coworkers under the bus before you’ve even found your seat.

And as a resident, I’ll say it plainly: I expected better from you.

Campaigning is one thing. Governing is another. Campaigns reward noise. Governing requires maturity; we may end up with two or three people who spent months attacking each other now expected to make decisions together for all of us.

That’s not just awkward. That’s a test of character.

And here’s the part that hits hardest: when local leaders fall short, it hurts more. Because their choices ripple through our actual streets, our actual neighborhoods, our actual lives. This isn’t abstract. It’s home.

But disappointment means something important — it means we still care. It means we haven’t given up on this city or each other. It means we still believe Maricopa can be better than what we’ve just watched.

The election will end. The signs will come down. The noise will fade. But we’ll still be here, building the next chapter together — whether our leaders are ready for that responsibility or not.

So yes, I expected better. But I also believe better is still possible.

And that belief is what will carry this community forward.

Jeanette Oehlerking
Santa Rosa Springs resident