The primary election is over and the general election is more than five months away, so the conventional wisdom among successful candidates and the general public might be that it's time for a well-deserved rest. Wrong.

Winners of this week's primary elections, particularly candidates for county commissioner and municipal boards of supervisors and even school boards, should start doing their homework now.

During the run-up to Tuesday's primary election, most candidates talked about general issues, like keeping taxes low, encouraging economic development and fighting drug use. Now, it's time to get specific and learn the lay of the land they will inhabit next year if they are winners in the Nov. 6 balloting.

That education process, which at least one person (unsuccessful county commissioner candidate Jack Beiler) conducted in the months prior to the primary should begin for all remaining candidates immediately.

Of the four people who will appear on the November ballot for county commissioner, only one, Jim Kennedy, is an incumbent. For the other three, Dale Pinkerton, Jim Lokhaiser and Linda Volaric, the education process cannot start too soon.

The primary election results might have been based on name recognition, popularity or party politics. While still likely to be a factor in November, the top issue for voters should be competence.

Two, and possibly all three, of the county commissioners will be new to the job when the new terms of office begin next year. And, even when done right, the job of commissioner is complicated and demanding. So, the time to get to work is now.

Running the county means overseeing a multimillion-dollar operation, making decisions on complex financial matters, evaluating major construction projects and also dealing with staffing and cost-control issues.

Obviously, candidates for commissioner should begin attending all public meetings of the commissioners. They not only should attend voting meetings, but also the agenda-setting meetings.

Each candidate also should get a copy of the county budget and begin a thorough review process of the county's financial affairs, utilizing the treasurer's office, county controller or other financial experts for technical assistance, if needed.

Commissioner candidates also should begin to attend selected meetings of various boroughs, townships and the city of Butler. They should become familiar with the needs of these other governmental bodies and the challenges facing other officials in the county.

Between now and November, candidates for county commissioner also should tour Sunnyview Home, the 911 communications center and Butler County Community College. They should meet with the county parks and recreation director and tour county recreation facilities.

Commissioner candidates also should attend planning commission meetings and visit with officials from the Community Development Corporation, the county housing authority and the county redevelopment authority to understand the issues and projects at those important operations.

Though it might be too late to have much positive impact now, commissioner candidates also should attend prison board meetings and become acquainted with issues surrounding the construction of the new county prison, and the options being considered for the soon-to-be-former prison building.

Voters should expect each of the non-incumbent candidates to undertake the serious challenge of educating himself or herself for the job that two, if not three, of them will assume early next year.

It's a demanding job, balancing many different constituencies — and the public expects competency and serious efforts at cost control.

To most observers, candidate Beiler set the standard for serious preparation and education for the county commissioner job. The remaining candidates would do well to follow his lead.

And the education process to prepare for that job should begin now.