A nation’s desire for change paved Barack Obama’s way to the White House, but if municipal elections on Tuesday are any indication, the status quo is simply fine with voters here.

On Tuesday, 37 of 39 incumbents — an incredible 95 percent — who had filed for re-election retained their seats. The only incumbents who were ousted were in Red Springs, where longtime Mayor George Paris and longtime Commissioner John Staton were defeated, and their losses can be linked to community angst regarding a single issue — a former town manager — and not necessarily a chronic unhappiness with how the town government has operated. (An incumbent in Maxton who ran as a write-in also lost, but we are not including him in the count since he did not file for re-election.)

This doesn’t mean all the town boards except Red Springs will look the same in January as they do now. There were more than a handful of elected officials who did not seek re-election, but by and large those who have been making municipal decisions that so heavily affect our lives will continue to do so.

So what is the lesson here?

Does this mean that municipal residents in Robeson County are largely satisfied with their town boards, the taxes they pay, how the money is spent, the way their town’s growth is being managed, etc?

Does this demonstrate yet again the difficulty of defeating an incumbent, who can use the office to curry favor among residents, typically has a campaign team already in place, and is simply better positioned to finance a campaign?

Does this indicate a lack of quality candidates?

Or is this simply apathy?

We are sure all are in play somewhat, but with due respect to those who do seek office, the pickings are generally slim. In Rowland, for instance, all three incumbents were unopposed. Although all four Lumberton councilmen had opposition, two challengers were recycled from previous service on the council. In several towns, including St. Pauls, there were more offices than candidates, meaning some seats have to be filled with write-in candidates.

What appears clear is that winning a municipal seat in this county is the hard part, and retaining it is the easy part. Unfortunately, that allows governance with near impunity, which certainly isn’t in the best interest of the citizens.