As I read a recent editorial in The Daily Astorian, (“Richard Lee for County Commission, May 1), endorsing incumbent Clatsop County Commissioner Richard Lee over candidate Cindy Price, I was struck by what I see as a disturbingly narrow, yet widely held, conception of the role of the elected official in local government.

Emphasis tends to fall almost exclusively on maintaining the status quo. Missing is an awareness of the critical need for vision, energy, creativity, new ideas, and commitment to the common good. Having worked with the indefatigable Price in her capacity as a Tillicum Foundation Board member and volunteer during my tenure as manager of KMUN Community Radio, I can attest that she has what it takes and more to provide outstanding leadership for Clatsop County.

I believe the editors of The Daily Astorian erred by underestimating the considerable strengths and promise of candidate Price while overestimating the contributions to date of incumbent Lee. If local government is to exercise its responsibility to the future of Clatsop County, indeed to the future of the entire Lower Columbia-Pacific region, voters must ensure that hard-working, forward-thinking, civic visionaries such as Price are elected to office.

LISA C. SMITH

Seaview, Wash.