By Tom Ehrhardt, Guest Column

The Albert Lea Tribune has done an excellent job covering past levy and bond referendums by making sure the public understands the important issues. Though the Tribune has endorsed past school levies, its coverage has been nonpartisan.

I have been involved in local referendums as a member of TEAM for the past two levies. Before that I worked on the bond levy for the new high school. My wife, Sally, is a school board member, and I have a seventh-grader at Southwest Middle School. For these and other reasons I have a vested interest in the outcome of this levy. In my opinion, everyone does.

The referendum levies both failed and passed are snapshots of the democratic process. A referendum is a powerful reminder of constitutional rights we have been granted, can exercise and as citizens are responsible for. A levy referendum is a beautiful thing:

A. I can help organize other people to advocate for passage of a cause I believe in.

B. TEAM can promote our views in newspapers, on the radio, with yard signs and billboards. We can go door to door with our vote Yes Yes message.

C. It&8217;s an educational and spirited eight-week opportunity to meet and engage in discussions with people from different walks of life and with different viewpoints.

D. It&8217;s an opportunity to work toward a common goal.

E. We can see the education of our children is a common good and that we have a tax responsibility and a social responsibility to local education.

F. Win or lose, we are exercising our freedoms.

This regular exercise illustrates the absolute wonder of our democracy. Hopefully referendums are happening in many other cities and towns around this great country. When citizens become engaged in a campaign or cause it means they are making practical use of our liberties and freedoms. We can collectively look at ourselves and our school system (or candidates or cause) and freely make a choice. Try that in Myanmar, Vietnam, Sudan, Russia, Iran, Niger, North Korea, Tunisia, Yemen, China, Pakistan, Cuba, Nepal, etc., etc., etc.

You can choose to view TEAM&8217;s efforts as propaganda. You can elect to view the efforts of our volunteer school board members as misguided. You can maintain your low opinion of school administrators. You can even imagine teachers and staff feathering their own nests with this levy. However, when you express opinions like this on the opinion page of the Albert Lea Tribune, please remember they are opinions, not facts. OK?

The facts are both large and small business owners in Albert Lea support the referendum levy, even if it means more taxes. The Albert Lea-Freeborn County Chamber of Commerce is again endorsing passage of the levy. Pastors of our churches support it, working people, farmers, retired people, housewives, professionals, local politicians, students and many elderly citizens are in favor of this referendum. Currently they are joined together to campaign for a yes yes vote.

Someday District 241 may be able to levy taxes the way our townships, city, county, state and federal governments do. Until then I realize the school referendum levy is more valuable to our community because it requires passage by popular vote. The school referendum ensures citizens stay involved in the democratic process.

And this is a good thing for our children, our community, our future.

I encourage you to vote yes yes on Nov. 6!

Tom Ehrhardt is on the Coordinating Committee for Together Education Achieves More.