Lexington, SC — I was surprised to see that arrogance was omitted as a contributor to the downfall of soon-to-be-former state Sen. Jake Knotts (“Knotts now faces life after lawmaking,” Sunday). It seems to me that the citizens of Lexington County can forgive just about any of the other flaws mentioned in the article, but what we’re really growing tired of is the arrogance of our elected officials.

The idea that they just can’t be beaten and don’t even need to bother to try to get our votes is insulting. I didn’t see any effort on Mr. Knotts’ part to campaign until the very end, and I constantly heard “she doesn’t stand a chance” uttered about his opponent by well-known local citizens.

This is not the first time I’ve seen this type of attitude displayed in Lexington. One of these days, these good ol’ boys will wake up and realize it’s about what they do and not who they are. We’re tired of hearing “I’m going to win because I’m so-and-so and I’m from here.”

This may be how it worked 50 years ago — just be from the right family, and you’re a shoo-in. But in this day and age, we need to see real work, real results. Lexington politics is plagued with this type of arrogant, know-it-all attitude, and it is the opinion of at least this voter that this attitude, if not fixed soon, will be the downfall of many more to come.

Susan Yeatts

Lexington