Since Judy Ducayne stepped down as our weekly “conservative” columnist at the end of last year, we've talked to a few people about taking over that role for our Tuesday opinion page, but we've yet to sign someone up for the position.

Unfortunately, finding local columnists who can commit to a weekly deadline and who are willing to put their opinions out there for public scrutiny (especially on local issues) is getting increasingly difficult. We had similar struggles finding a “liberal” columnist for our Monday opinion pages.

A big part of it, I'm afraid, stems from the growth of online commentary.

There are plenty of Internet forums these days for people to express their opinions without using their names. Our Web site, with the Citizens' Say story commenting feature, is one example.

Online anonymity has also made it tougher for the few people who are willing to attach their names to their viewpoints in the form of published commentaries. Many people just don't want to be attacked for expressing their opinion.

We've tried to learn some lessons from our management of online commentary, and do our best to allow spirited debate that does not cross the line into ugly, personal attacks. But defining that line is extremely challenging.

I'm also getting a broader sense, not just locally but nationally as well, that people are losing the ability to calmly digest opinions that differ radically from their own. It's hard to say if the Web is partly to blame for that.

My hope is that this form of opinion exchange is simply going through some growing pains and that ultimately, we'll see more decorum. That in turn will lead to more people willing to stand up and put their names behind their views.

In the meantime, we'll keep searching for a new Tuesday columnist. Let me know if you know of someone we should approach.

Speaking of opinion ...

With another big voting day around the corner (school board and budgets on May 20), it's a good time to remind readers about our letters policy.

All letters related to a public vote must be received by the Tuesday prior to the election. In the case of school elections, that means the deadline for this year is this coming Tuesday, May 13. That policy applies to letters pertaining to both the proposed budgets and school board candidates.

And don't forget the 300-word length limit on all letters.

We'll be sure to run them all by Sunday, May 18, an issue where you can also expect a thorough overview of all the budgets and board candidates in the local area.

Executive editor Jeremy Boyer's columns run Saturdays in The Citizen and he can be reached at 253-5311 ext. 231 or jeremy.boyer@lee.net