By Allison Peck
Sophia Klein has withdrawn her name from the race for North Platte City Council Ward 1, saying the increasingly hostile political environment surrounding local government led her to reconsider her decision to seek office.
Klein announced the decision Sunday in a lengthy social media post, saying she initially decided to run because she loves the community and believes North Platte needs change.
“I still believe that,” Klein wrote. “I think I could have been a great council member because I would have put in the hours, asked the hard questions, done the research, brought a woman’s perspective to the table and tried my absolute best to make decisions based on what I believed was right for the people of our community.”
However, Klein said the past several months have given her a closer look at local politics, including what she described as growing anger, accusations, hostility and distrust toward people in leadership positions.
She said she ultimately had to consider whether public office was something she wanted to bring into her family's and business's lives.
“And my answer is no,” Klein wrote. “I think I have too soft of a heart for politics. I care what people think. Words do hurt me.”
Klein said she believes criticism and accountability are an important part of public service, but said there is a distinction between holding elected officials accountable and personally attacking them.
“We absolutely should hold our elected officials accountable. We should question decisions. We should demand transparency,” she wrote. “But accountability and cruelty are not the same thing.”
She pointed to what she described as attacks on elected officials' character and motives, along with situations in which families, businesses and livelihoods have become involved in political disputes.
Klein said that environment could discourage qualified people from seeking public office.
“We are losing good candidates because who wants to walk in front of a firing squad when all they are trying to do is help the very same community that seems to hate them,” she wrote.
She also discussed the amount of time and effort required to serve on a city council, saying council members are regular people balancing families, jobs and businesses while spending significant amounts of time reading, researching issues, attending meetings and asking questions.
Klein said her family and business ultimately have to come first, and she has realized there are other areas of her life that need her time and attention.
She emphasized that withdrawing from the race does not mean she has stopped caring about North Platte.
“This doesn’t mean I’ve stopped caring. It doesn’t mean I’ve stopped believing that North Platte can be better,” Klein wrote. “And it definitely doesn’t mean I’m going to stop paying attention, asking questions or being involved.”
Instead, Klein said she intends to find another way to serve the community without sacrificing the people and responsibilities that are most important to her.
Klein originally planned to make the announcement at Tuesday's candidate forum. She said she chose to announce it ahead of the forum because she did not want her withdrawal to change the atmosphere or create a negative space for the other candidates.
She wished the remaining candidates well and stressed that her decision to run had never been about believing her opponent was doing a poor job.
“Because he hasn’t and I know he will continue to serve our community well,” Klein wrote.
Klein closed her announcement by thanking those who had encouraged and supported her campaign, saying their belief in her meant more than they likely realized.
“I still believe change is needed and if given the chance good people can make a difference,” she wrote. “I’m just realizing that my way of making that difference may look different than I originally thought.”
Klein's withdrawal removes her from the Ward 1 city council race ahead of Tuesday's candidate forum.