When ballots are counted and results announced, elections leave behind more than winners and losers. They often leave scars — hurt feelings, divided friendships, and lines drawn where bridges once stood. Indianola’s recent mayoral race was no different. It brought passion, debate, and strong opinions. But now it’s time for something greater: it’s time to heal.
We cannot move forward as a city while looking through the same old lenses that keep us divided. Too often, we see our neighbors not as partners in progress but as members of a political party, a race, or an income group. We look through lenses tinted by “us” and “them,” and those lenses distort our vision. It’s time to remove them.
Indianola’s progress will not depend on which candidate won or which side had the last word. It will depend on whether we are willing to look at our city’s challenges through a common lens—one focused on unity, partnership, and purpose. The issues we face don’t care whether we vote Democrat or Republican. Potholes, crime, unemployment, and decaying neighborhoods don’t notice color or class. They respond only to solutions born of cooperation, compassion, and courage.
Unifying doesn’t mean erasing differences. It means valuing them for the strength they bring when harnessed together. It means supporting our elected officials, even when they weren’t our first choice, because their success is our success. When leadership fails, we all feel the effects—not just today, but in the future our children will inherit.
This is a pivotal moment for Indianola. We can remain trapped in the cycle of division, or we can seize this opportunity to write a new chapter — one defined by collaboration, mutual respect, and forward progress. The choice is ours. Unity is not just a slogan; it’s a responsibility. If we want change, we must first change the way we see.
Take off the old lenses and see Indianola not through the eyes of separation, but through the heart of community. The view will look clearer — and the future brighter.
