Local elected officials need to be close to the people in order to provide a vision for the future.

During any campaign, they should be asked to describe the state or the county several years into the future. In a very real way, they have an impact on how we and future generations will live, educate ourselves, move around the area, work and improve our quality of life, and they should have a clear vision of how they intend to assist us in overcoming these challenges.

Mayor Beth Krom of Irvine, Calif., pointed out recently, "Today more than ever, it is clear that policies, initiatives and infrastructure projects advanced at the local level have the most significant impact on the lives of the citizens who live in America's cities."

Northwest Indiana is at a pivotal point in time. We have some elected officials, however, who seem to lack a vision for a plausible future.

Others, thankfully, are more thoughtful about how we as a region will move forward.

We currently have several transformational projects and investments within reach. These are impactful and important, not for each and every one of us, but for the region as a whole.

People who don't have young children might not see the need for a new grade school, but we all pay for it. It is a necessary investment in the community. An airport that a particular taxpayer doesn't fly out of is still important for the jobs it creates and the opportunities it offers. None of us directly benefit from every public investment we make, but we all benefit from many of them.

Thoughtful and mature regions around the country think about their futures and what they want to be. In New Mexico, with a multibillion-dollar transit plan already in place, or in Salt Lake City, with a similar investment for the future, these areas and many others, our competitors for future jobs and investments, have acknowledged what needs to be done.

In Utah, news reports indicate that around the soon to be operational FrontRunner train line, "transit-oriented development communities are starting to blossom." Other job providers call the transit line an "absolute positive" for growth in the region.

New Mexico discovered moving workers from place to place efficiently helps both employees and employers alike. Reduced congestion on highways allows for the more efficient flow of goods, reducing costs for everyone.

At this time for Northwest Indiana, we need leaders who are prepared to lead boldly into the future and not hide behind the tired parochialism from which we have suffered in the past. Change is being embraced all over the country, and we must demand of our elected officials their vision for the future.