Anyone who has paid any attention to the fact that Election Day is less than two months away likely has tried to avoid thinking about for whom they will vote for governor.

Why? Because the choices we frequently are left with are wholly unsavory to the average voter. For the majority of Minnesotans who do not count themselves as either Republican or Democrat, Tim Pawlenty and Mike Hatch hold more promise for disappointment than for accomplishment.

Yet we do not have only two choices when considering who Minnesota’s next governor will be.

Peter Hutchinson, the Independence Party’s endorsed candidate for governor, envisions a better Minnesota. What drives him is the promise of moving Minnesota forward, on the four basic – but curiously unaccomplished – areas that will further harm our state if they continue to be ignored: education, health care, transportation and the environment.

Abortion? Gay marriage? These are important to many of us, yet they are fundamentally divisive and only promise to divide us more, while in the meantime our roads are neglected, kids in school do not receive the proper attention to what helps them learn, college students are saddled with heaping tuition and debt, health care costs skyrocket and threaten the livelihood of countless people and Minnesota’s treasured natural landscape wastes away because of uncontrolled pollution.

We are being distracted from these problems by those who would further their own personal and political ambitions rather than listen to our collective concerns.

Why cast a vote for someone who does not want to hear your voice? Now that is what I would call a wasted vote.

Peter Hutchinson wants to hear what is on our minds. He wants to hear all points of view from people all over Minnesota. And he is doing just that – not just shaking hands, but really listening.

Now it’s our turn. Peter wants to hear us, the students of Minnesota’s largest university, which is in the midst of serious change.

Peter wants to listen to our concerns and tell us what he will do to address them as governor. I guarantee that you will not see Pawlenty or Hatch paying you special attention.

Please come talk with Peter from 7 to 9 p.m. today at the Whole in Coffman Union’s basement. He wants to move Minnesota in the right direction – not left, not right, but forward. Surely we all can agree on that.

Jessica Hillyard is the secretary of the University Independents. Please send comments to [email protected].