Ellington

Transparency in government is a big and often slippery subject that most media outlets only look at from the 10,000-foot national level. When a presidential or congressional candidate has shady dealings on his campaign-finance reports, you can be sure to hear it trumpeted from the hills.

The closer to the ground campaigns get--such as municipal council seats, mayors, clerks and so forth--the fewer media are interested. You can hardly blame CNN for not digging into the Jackson Ward 4 council race. If it's the city's "paper of record," however, citizens would be right to look askance when those races aren't covered in depth.

Every state has rules for campaigning. Mississippi's campaign-finance reporting rules are pretty simple, and they apply to every candidate, whether running for governor or county dogcatcher. If you run, you have to file reports. State law levies fines on candidates who don't follow those rules.

Let's be honest: It's neither rocket science nor brain surgery.

It seems, however, that every time there's a race in Jackson, the candidates need a reminder. Here it is: If you want to play, you need to learn the rules.

Concerned citizens will take the fact that you filed a campaign report--or didn't--as a sign of your integrity and reliability. Count on it. They may not insist on seeing your tax return or birth certificate, but they are interested in who is paying your bills. Politically savvy folks understand that those who butter your bread may well ask for a favor one day; the people candidates run with tend to be consistent with how office-holders govern.

On the other side of the equation, citizens must hold candidates' collective feet to the fire. You can demonstrate concern about how your city works--or doesn't--by getting to know its problems and challenges, and then finding out what the candidates' plans are for addressing them.

Don't be satisfied with platitudes and feel-good rhetoric, and don't allow a candidate to just repeat back what you already know. If you believe Jackson has a crime problem, for example, just saying, "We have to do something about crime!" in ringing tones won't solve it.

Democracy is a two-way street. Citizens should expect to benefit from it in direct proportion to how much they put into it. Elected officials should expect to take heat on every vexation in direct proportion to how much the citizens feel pain.

Jackson has a really large field of candidates between the mayor's race and all seven city wards. Gleaning the best men and women from this field may be daunting.

But, if the candidates are open and honest, and if citizens take the time and energy to ask the probing questions, a well-run and well-monitored campaign season will make Jackson a better, stronger city.