Justice Louis Brandeis once said, “The most important political office is that of private citizen.” In our federal republic, that is an office held by all. The duties of that office require us to be informed about the people’s business at all levels of government, throughout the year. The rights of that office allow us to express our opinions on any day and to cast our ballots on those crucial days when every vote can count.

Next month will bring us one of those days.

On November 4, the people of America will elect a President who will serve them for the next four years. The people of New Jersey will elect a United States Senator who will represent their interests for six years. They will elect, from their Congressional Districts, 13 individuals to serve two year terms in the House of Representatives. They will voice their will on a proposed amendment to the State Constitution. And they will elect municipal and county officials all around the state.

The Presidential and Senatorial elections will affect all local officials in our Garden State. In this issue, we wanted to highlight those two races.

We asked Senator Lautenberg and former Congressman Zimmer to answer some questions on issues that might be important to municipal officials over the next six years.  Elsewhere in this issue, you’ll find the article that features their responses.

We also asked our colleagues at the National League of Cities to share some of their insights into this year’s crucial presidential election. That also led to another article you’ll find in these pages.

Editorial from New Jersey Municipalities, Volume 85, Number 7, October 2008