Civility and Democracy were the biggest winners in Tuesday’s elections in Lake Orion.

After a well fought battle over the bond issue, it was so gratifying for me to hear from other precincts that civility and a sense of friendliness existed at the polling locations.

Sure, we disagreed on issues but the most important thing is that we all viewed ourselves as trying to help our community be stronger and no one forced their point of view on other campaigners.

At Blanche Sims, I actually developed a new friend in the person of Doug Hobbs, who was a strong “no” voter on the bond issue.

Despite our obvious differences in political agenda, we had a fascinating day as I learned so much about the village council and what his job actually entails.

We laughed, joked and introduced each other to our friends, and even shared our teams’ refreshments with each other. Hot chocolate and donuts from the opposition were just as good and welcomed!

We even had parents with children in tow praise us on the friendliness of “rivals”.

Isn’t that what makes this country great – the ability to disagree but still like and respect each other?

Because of Douglas Hobbs and people like him, democracy was truly evident in Lake Orion’s elections on Tuesday.

Thank you to all of you, regardless of political leanings, for making the election a great democratic experience.

Leann Lowe

Oakland Twp.