Ahead of the upcoming May elections, I thought it would be best for me to make the Amarillo Pioneer’s position crystal clear. Under no circumstances will any candidates be receiving a free pass this election.
During last year’s Republican and Democratic primary elections, we worked to make sure that voters had the details they needed on all the candidates. This included discussing backgrounds of various candidates, and, in some cases, writing unflattering articles about candidates that I personally supported. However, our goal has always been to make sure voters have the complete story when they head to the polls to make their important decisions.
As we addressed last week, this upcoming election in May is already drawing one of the largest fields we have seen in recent memory. From fresh stars like Hayden Pedigo to longtime local politicians like Howard Smith, voters will have a variety of options. With all of these options, it will be important to ensure that every candidate answers questions and is held accountable.
So, it doesn’t matter if a candidate is someone I support, or someone I don’t. It doesn’t matter if a candidate is my friend, my relative, my client, or someone who I know well. Regardless of the candidate’s background, we will make sure that every candidate is held accountable in May. To put it simply, nobody is getting a free pass.
-Thomas Warren III, Editor-in-Chief
Candidates for 2019 elections
(FROM LEFT): Ginger Nelson/KGNC, Claudette Smith/Provided, Hayden Pedigo/Provided, Eddy Sauer/Shemen Dental, Howard Smith/Provided, Steven Rosas/Provided, Tom Warren II/Provided