THE Daily Mail, in a Feb. 1 editorial, "Pritt: West Virginianeeds a secretary of state serious about clean elections," took meto task for the unpaid loans and campaign debts from thegubernatorial race of 1996.
I was perplexed and hurt by the tone and the implications of thearticle, especially since so much of my life has been dedicated topromoting and participating in the democratic process.
Plato, in The Republic, said that democracy was a hungry beastthat must constantly be fed. Democracy is not a spectator sport. Inorder for it to work, we must participate.
And one of the most valuable players is an unbiased, free media.Unless the media is fair in its representation of candidates andissues, citizens become discouraged and confused.
Eventually, they feel hopeless and give up on democracy. Theydon't participate. They don't vote.
Our most valuable resource, our young people, seem to have givenup. My candidacy is about renewed hope in the process, a plea to ouryoung people that they are needed, that they can make a difference.
As a teenager, I took to heart the challenge that PresidentKennedy posed: "Ask not what your country can do for you, but whatyou can do for your country."
Because of my family and teachers, I believed in democracy, ourprocess, and the importance of my participation, and I put my heartand work into that belief.
I was selected to represent my school in such programs as KnowYour State Government Day and Girls State. I received the Daughtersof the American Revolution Citizenship Award and was the winner ofthe Voice of Democracy Contest at my school.
My peers showed their faith in my integrity and sincerity byvoting me Miss Citizen.
Although these honors and awards may seem trivial to asophisticated editorial staff, to an idealistic teenager they gaveencouragement and hope that democracy in America was more than aslogan; that it could be a reality.
When I served in the Legislature, I still had hope, and my votingrecord reflected it in the numerous awards citizens andorganizations presented me because of my work.
A few of those: In 1992, the Council of Seniors of West Virginiaawarded me their Outstanding Legislator of the Year for a careerrecord of 100 percent voting on their behalf. In 1992, the Woman'sCommission named me The Outstanding Woman in Government.
In 1993, I was honored by the National Council of Jewish Women,and in 1994 I received the Mother Jones Award on behalf of goodgovernment and election reform.
It appears that the Daily Mail's bone of contention with me isthat I still owe money on my 1996 campaign debt.
As a candidate of moderate means, I was taught to work hard andpay my debts. I have tried to honor those teachings.
After the 1996 election, many people urged me to have thecampaign file bankruptcy. Many candidates do that, but I didn't,because I would not have been able to pay the small business peopleof West Virginia the money the campaign owed them. The bankruptcywould have erased the debt, leaving those the campaign owed withoutcompensation.
I called or wrote to those the campaign owed, explaining that Ichoose to continue paying them, even in small amounts, until thedebt was paid. I felt that was the honorable thing to do.
Ironically, the West Virginia law concerning campaigncontributions in reference to loans was completely open before 1985.Ken Hechler, then secretary of state, brought before the Legislaturea bill that would provide guidelines for those loaning money tocandidates.
I voted for that legislation.
In 1996, before I accepted a loan, I directed my staff to callthe Secretary of State's office for an opinion as to its legality.We were assured that we would be in compliance with West Virginialaw, and we were.
Since we abided by the laws on the books then, and since the lawhas been changed, and since I am continuing to pay my debts, why thecontinued attacks? What purpose do they serve?
Whether intended or not, these attacks seem to imply that if youare a person of moderate means, you should not participate in thedemocratic process.
Although the Secretary of State's office does not make electionlaw, the Legislature makes laws concerning election reform, and theSecretary of State's office can encourage and draft legislation thatcan help make elections cleaner and help make access to the balloteasier.
The Secretary of State's office is especially important to mebecause of voter registration and the potential we have to includemore of our young people in the process. As a former high school andcollege teacher, I know how much energy, intelligence and hope ouryoung people offer.
We need them in order for democracy to work, to grow, to be areality.
As a teenager, I believed that the newspapers and the media wereour greatest hope of getting the truth to the people and keeping ourcountry free. Even though it's much harder when the media is biased,I still dream of and work for the concept of democracy.
Because for a person of modest means, democracy is our onlychance.
Pritt was a candidate for governor in 1996. She is now seekingthe Democratic nomination for secretary of state.
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