I’d like to take the opportunity to formally congratulate the winners of our local elections last week.

Those people are Mitzi Gates 436, Dennis Breckenridge, Mike Carlisle and Richard Lankster of Linden. From Demopolis I offer an attaboy, Mike Grayson, Thomas O. Moore, Melvin Yelverton and Bill Meador.

Election returns were certified Tuesday, meaning these people are destined to take office, or take office again, Nov. 3.

From a completely professional aspect, I look forward to working with you as we keep readers from your respective cities and districts informed about the workings of their local government.

From a personal standpoint, I look forward to getting to know each of you and hope that through that relationship, you come to see me and this newspaper as an advocate of the people, not the looming “Big Brother” looking to expose some non-existent corruption.

It’s the job of every good newspaper to be the community’s biggest cheerleader and its harshest critic; to point out where we’ve gone wrong in the hopes that history will not repeat itself.

Should I ever be able to help any of you in any way, please do not hesitiate to call on me. I can assure you I will not hesitate to call on you for the sake of our readers and your fellow citizens.