This Tuesday provides another opportunity for all of us to exercise our right to vote and to shape our destiny as a community.

Sept. 12 is the date of school board elections throughout the state of Iowa. Here in Marshalltown we have four people that will be elected/re-elected to fill the important role of school board member. In my humble opinion, there is nothing more important than education to a community’s prospects of a strong economic development record. Businesses and parents of all stripes and all walks of life study a community’s educational prowess when considering whether they will locate in that town or not.

We are fortunate here in Marshalltown to have a community that truly cares about education; a community that understands the importance of education. Marshalltown is a community that provides its’ parents and children various educational options, from public to parochial.

A strong education system not only builds businesses but also provides jobs. A strong education system builds houses that provides for a strong and diverse housing market. A strong housing market is what retailers are looking for when they are looking to grow their businesses (retailers look for rooftops). And ultimately a strong education system is what Moms and Dads are looking for when they are deciding where they will plant roots, for they and their children.

Because of all these things, a strong education system provides for strong economic development and thus a strong tax base.

So let’s make this Tuesday another opportunity to help our community grow and develop by selecting the best candidates to be our school board members. School board members for all of us — no matter our stripes, no matter where we are in life, no matter whether we have children in school or not … education drives our community’s growth and development.

And as Nelson Mandela once said: “There is no destiny that shapes our end; we shape it ourselves.” Go to the polls on Tuesday and help shape Marshalltown’s destiny!

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David Barajas Jr. is CEO of the Marshalltown Regional Partnership.