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Steubenville finds itself in a tough position as this year's election cycle gets under way.
Last week's filing deadline for the May 7 primary came and went, and few candidates emerged for several positions.
In one race, in fact -- the city's 5th Ward -- no candidates, including incumbent Willie Paul, filed. Paul said he chose not to seek re-election because he wanted to give someone else in his ward the chance to run with no opposition in the primary.
That didn't pan out, and now Paul said he is considering making a run as an independent and having his name placed on the Nov. 5 ballot, which he can do as long as he files the proper petitions by the May 6 deadline.
While as of now there is no candidate for the city's 5th Ward seat, there also was not a great deal of interest in the race for Municipal Court judge, where incumbent Democrat John J. Mascio was the only one to file; the 1st Ward, where Democrat Asentewa Anyabwile was the only candidate to file for the seat being vacated by longtime Councilman Gerald DiLoreto; or the 3rd Ward, where incumbent Republican Eric Timmons was the only person to file.
Sadly, the lack of candidates willing to run for office has become a concern in other area communities. Weirton's April 2 primary election will see see incumbents Fred Marsh (Ward 3), George Ash Sr. (Ward 4) and Enzo Fracasso (Ward 6) all unopposed. Incumbent Mayor Harold "Bubba" Miller is being challenged by George Village, and since the top two finishers advance to the June general election, both will move on.
Same with Ward 7, where Terry Weigel and Shanon Schuetzner will face off.
Only Ward 1 and Ward 5 feature a true race. There are three candidates in Ward 1, and five facing off in Ward 5.
In Toronto, meanwhile, no one filed for law director and incumbent Mayor John Parker, a Democrat, will be unopposed in the primary. No Republican filed for the post.
The situation isn't much better in Mingo Junction, where incumbent Mayor Ed Fithen, a Democrat, is unopposed; only two candidates filed for the four open council seats; and no one, including incumbent James Huggins, filed for clerk.
And, Wellsburg canceled its primary election because no more than two candidates filed for any race.
We're left to wonder why there so few area residents willing to run for public office. There certainly is not a shortage of those who are willing to complain about actions that are taken or question why more is not being done to address any of the myriad of problems facing our communities, those who are willing to share their opinions on social media but who never want to let the voters weigh in on their thoughts.
Public service requires very hard work for very little pay.
There's much work needed to be done to improve the quality of life in our region. We're positive those who are willing and able to lead are out there -- it's time that they step forward, seek public office and help to lay the groundwork for the future.