Done!

The election is over, and we gratefully bid goodbye to the incessant bombardment of negative television ads, vitriolic Internet postings and political proclamations of the silly season.

To the voters, we say thank you for making your voices heard and fulfilling the essential promise of our democracy.

To the candidates of all political persuasions, thank you for your courage to stand for your beliefs, and for sharing your  energy, ideas and enthusiasm in the pursuit of public service. Respect is due to those few who are brave enough to enter the public sphere in the hopes of an opportunity to do something for the greater good.

Elections have consequences, to be sure. But to all of us, let us remember that no one person, no single political party, can alone solve the continuing challenges facing our region, state and country, from the stresses of a continued economic and employment downturn to our underfunded education system.

It’s time for us to move beyond the stark divisions that seemed so clear during the past few months, to rise above our easy inclinations to stay settled within a rigid framework of right or left, blue or red, and find common ground on ways to strengthen our community, county and country.