We have some advice for the two incumbent county commissioners who were soundly defeated in the May 6 Republican primary: Don't stop working to improve the quality of life in this county.

Yes, we can certainly understand the disappointment. Commissioners Kim Phillips and Joel Cornelius both took strong stands on very controversial issues. Despite being told that they should do the politically expedient thing by allowing sectarian prayer and backing down on the Hoots Road location for a new jail, they stood their ground, realizing it could lead to their political demise.

They believed, rightly, that Yadkin County needs to move forward. That in order to promote orderly growth, encourage encourage economic development, and improve our schools, it requires the expenditure of tax dollars. It would also requires a trait that has all too often been missing from the local political circles — leadership.

It would appear, at least at first glance, that a majority of voters ousted Phillips and Cornelius for failing to listen to their constituents. And it's certainly true that political newcomer Kevin Austin and incumbent commissioner Brady Wooten were warmly embraced by voters, finishing first and second in the primary. It doesn't take a political scientist to recognize that Austin and Wooten, who both supported sectarian prayer and opposed the Hoots Road location for the new jail, were rewarded by voters for their positions on those two critical issues.

However — and this is a critical point to recognize in the larger political context — only 40 percent of the county's registered voters bothered to go to the polls. That means that the other 60 percent either weren't moved by local issues or opted not to vote because there was no Republican presidential primary in a county dominated by GOP voters. Of course this isn't the first time that a minority of voters have decided the makeup of our local elected officials. It's yet another symptom of what Commissioner Chad Wagoner often refers to as the political apathy that continues to plague our electorate.

It's also important to note that voters picked a political newcomer, school teacher David Moxley, in the third slot of Republican nominees for the three open seats on the board. Moxley did not strongly identify his views on the prayer or jail issue. He's believed by many to be a political moderate. So it remains to be seen how Moxley will work with the new board that takes office in December.

Those of us who identify ourselves as progressives — who believe that this county must make major infusions of tax dollars for badly needed capital improvement projects — believe the May 6 primary results should be viewed in a much larger context. We believe that the 2004 and 2006 elections, which produced political moderates such as Phillips, Cornelius, Wagoner and Democrat Tommy Garner, were the pretext for a paradigm shift. In other words, there has already been a fundamental change in the political landscape.

Yes, a case can certainly be made for a temporary backlash over the issues of sectarian prayer, the controversial location of a new jail and even opposition to two new middle schools. But we believe that many voters still want to go forward. They recognize that we have a tremendous backlog of infrastructure projects and understand that the county has ignored these needs for several decades. By taking the courageous and necessary steps of investing in middle schools and moving forward with the South Deep Creek Reservoir and Jonesville water-treatment plant projects, future generations will reap the benefits of a county better prepared to compete with its neighbors and provide services to a growing number of residents.

One more thing. Since this will soon be a lame-duck board, why not go one step further in the name of progress? Let's have a county-wide referendum alcohol referendum. It's something that many of the commissioners have talked about. And yet no one has been willing to put forward the motion. We believe the county is entitled to vote on this issue. We are surrounded by neighboring counties (and let's not forget Yadkinville, our county seat), who receive revenue from alcohol sales. And let's not forget the huge role that our budding viticulture already plays in the sale of wine for our area and the entire Yadkin Valley region.

If in fact they want to be remembered for standing for principles and not simply posturing to get re-elected, then this board should endorse an alcohol referendum. It would be yet another step to illustrate how the political pendulum continues to shift in Yadkin County.