Last week, the deadline to file for a spot on the ballot to run for a position on either the Tomball or Magnolia city council passed. Of the combined five council positions up for grabs, only two are being opposed.

Tomball Council Position 2, currently held by Roy Lazenby, should see quite an exciting and interesting race with opposition from Tomball Economic Development Board of Directors President Mark Stoll and Downtown Tomball Association President Barbara Tague. So should the race for Position 4, where incumbent Mary Harvey will take on Derek Townsend.

All five appear highly qualified and these next few months should be interesting.

We should applaud Stoll, Townsend and Tague giving us at least one race this political season.

In Magnolia, Sammie Scott, Todd Kana and John Bramlett all received no opposition. They will serve  two more years on council each.

In Magnolia, it appears there won't even be an election this year. With no opposition facing any of the incumbents, the council has the option to cancel the election.

So, where are all of those who have complained about the council? Why aren't they putting their names in the hat?

A recent story published on tribunenews.com incited a heated debate between two anonymous posters who, to put it nicely, made some rather disparaging comments about current and former members of the council. They called for change, even went as far as calling the political system in Magnolia corrupt. That's a strong claim.

But where are those now who are so quick to have such harsh words for the city leaders? It is everyone's right to question the direction their government is taking them and the decisions their leaders make.

But when it comes time to take action, it looks like those same people are staying on the sidelines.

This is not to say the current incumbents deserve to be unseated. In fact, they should be applauded for putting their names and reputations on the line to serve a greater cause than their own.

Agree with their policies or not, they have taken a step that thousands of others have decided not to: they got off the sidelines and into the game, knowing full well the wrath they may face.

Magnolia Mayor Jimmy Thornton is one of the most polarizing political figures in recent city history. But he's ran two elections unopposed.

The political landscape in Tomball is somewhat better. Last May saw a heated race among council and the open mayoral position.

At Tomball ISD, there hasn't been an election since Kathy Hanson and Steven Robinson were voted to the board in 2005. However, in 2007, the district cancelled the election due to changes in state laws. But in the past three years, five board members have been up for re-election and none have been opposed.

Living in the United States affords us the luxury of having an open political system, but one that's far too often not being taken advantage of by those who choose not to take part, but cast stones from afar.

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