It’s good that six candidates sought to fill the vacant seat on the Albert Lea school board Monday.

But we can’t help but wonder: Where were they last autumn?

In 2010, the board had two — count ’em: one two — unopposed seats up for grabs by means of a districtwide vote at the November general election. There was one candidate in each race. Jeshua Erickson ran against no one, and Mark Ciota ran against no one. Needless to say, they won with landslide victories.

If so many people are interested in being on the school board this year, why do they only seek the easy route — appointment. The tried and true American route is through election. Sure, it’s not as easy as an appointment, but it comes with a lot more credibility.

And it is good for the vibrancy of the school district to hear the issues debated during campaigns.

Let’s hope the people who sought appointment Monday decide to run for school board in 2012.