It’s time to start talking about all the openings in junior taxing districts that are coming open this year – and then consider a run for those important public positions.

There are dozens of openings this year, including seats on the Port of Port Townsend Commission; Quilcene, Brinnon, Chimacum and Port Townsend school boards; Chimacum, Quilcene and Port Ludlow fire district boards as well as East Jefferson Fire Rescue; and three of seven seats on the Port Townsend City Council.

The vast majority of the positions are volunteer positions, and there is no cost to file for office. Filing week is set for May 15-19.

It costs $30.48 to file for the seat on the Port of Port Townsend commission, and $60 to run for Port Townsend City Council. The fee amounts to 1 percent of the annual salary of the position, and those who don’t want to pay that fee can always collect signatures from registered voters in lieu of paying the fee. (See story on A2.)

Running for a position on a local board is a good opportunity to learn about the issues those districts face. Robust conversation about issues – such as the financial future of the port facilities, how and who should fund fire and EMS services in Port Townsend, what to do about school facilities and bond issues in Chimacum – is important.

In any event, the community is stronger when concerns of constituents can be laid out on the table and hashed out.

And that’s exactly what happens during debates about policy issues of these junior taxing districts.

Those who have strong opinions should consider running for office and be party to problem solving not just problem pontificating. By listening, you often find that things are more complicated than they first appeared.

What has been missing in some of these debates are constituents – taxpayers and others who pay for and use the services the port, city council, school, fire and junior taxing districts provide. While some debates sponsored by the League of Women Voters are well attended, it seems that many of those in the audience are the same civic-minded people who come to all events.

Perhaps it is time for those who seek these offices to get out in the community and meet constituents, just as those who run for county commission and legislative seats do.

Last year’s presidential race invigorated political discussion and rallied people to action.

Now, it’s time to consider running, not just talking about, but running for local seats that matter to the well-being of the community.