As my brother, Andrew Lindquist, has been running for county commissioner, I have often thought of my grandparents. As children, my brother and I learned from their example. They had served on township boards, school boards, church councils, Sunday school, and just generally helped out their neighbors any way they could.
Maybe it's because two of our grandparents were the children of immigrants, but we were taught that living in the United States is a blessing and a privilege. We were taught that the government we have is special, and it is our duty to protect this democracy through citizen participation.
I know today it is fashionable to get your message across by saying the cleverest and sometimes most vicious things about your opponent, but I won't be doing that, and neither will my brother. Maybe it works some of the time, but I have to believe it discourages some of my neighbors from speaking up and participating. A democracy silenced is a democracy at risk.
I give Mr. Madsen great credit for the time he has served our county. But I believe, as do many others, that it is time for some new ideas and a new perspective. My brother is ready to listen and will serve this county well if given the chance.
There are not enough words available to fully describe my brother's character, but I can tell you he is definitely my grandparents' namesake. I saw it in the way he worked his way through college, and in the way he cared for my grandfather as he became crippled by Parkinson's. I see it today in the gratitude he expresses for everything he has, and even in the way he cares for his children. As I said, there are too few words for something so deep. On Nov. 7, I hope you vote for my brother, but as my grandparents would say, it is most important that you vote.
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Jessica Rohloff
Willmar
