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Local elections not without party time
Overtly partisan races dotted the South Metro area landscape during last week’s election. Actually, they dominated in some communities.
Good thing these were nonpartisan elections, right?
In Centennial’s mayoral and city council contests, and the Douglas County School Board battle, many candidates boasted the support of either the Republican Party or some of Colorado’s heaviest hitters in the GOP.
In many cases, it wasn’t Democrat vs. Republican, either. It was conservative Republican vs. moderate Republican.
At the state and national levels, it’s clear we should all be bracing for some of the fiercest partisan and intra-party politicking ever in the next couple of years.
Personally, the local head start was not appreciated.
I truly believe journalists should not divulge their party affiliation, so I won’t. In fact, little bothers me more than when someone in the newsroom goes off on a political diatribe.
What I will say is that my political thinking does not fit neatly into a box, red, blue or green.
So when I tell you I think something stinks about the nature of the campaigning in the Nov. 3 election, it’s not because I care either way which party is gaining ground.
I’m just disappointed that “nonpartisan” meant so little to some of the candidates.
In explaining her candidacy, one hopeful for Centennial City Council said her district’s race needed a Republican in the mix. Other than that comment, I honestly don’t know much about her.
And that’s the problem. Competition from the other party never hurt anything, and maybe that contest did indeed need a Republican. But should that be your battle cry at the local level?
I’m not sure I care if a Democrat or a Republican is behind that pothole being taken care of. Just do it.
I know, I know. There’s that whole fiscal responsibility thing that many will tell you is a gulf between the parties. To me, fiscal responsibility is almost a given at the local level these days. I haven’t heard many tales of free spending lately.
It wasn’t only the candidates who were promoting party affiliation, though. Many of the letters to the editor we received during election season at Colorado Community Newspapers espoused the conservative values of the candidates they hoped to vote into office. This was not exactly thinly veiled code for their candidate being a “good Republican.”
In the end, the partisan packaging seemed to work better in some cases than in others.
The Douglas County School Board race saw the four GOP-backed candidates easily roll to victory. I doubt the party’s support was the sole reason for the slate’s success, don’t get me wrong. I equally doubt it meant nothing in a county as Republican heavy as Douglas.
In Centennial, Republicans won several seats, including that of mayor. However, I’m willing to bet that many Centennial residents did not even know their new leader, Cathy Noon, was a Republican. They just liked her and her ideas.
Now that’s a novel concept.
Chris Rotar is a news editor for Colorado Community Newspapers. He can be reached at crotar@ccnewspapers.com.
Good thing these were nonpartisan elections, right?
In Centennial’s mayoral and city council contests, and the Douglas County School Board battle, many candidates boasted the support of either the Republican Party or some of Colorado’s heaviest hitters in the GOP.
In many cases, it wasn’t Democrat vs. Republican, either. It was conservative Republican vs. moderate Republican.
At the state and national levels, it’s clear we should all be bracing for some of the fiercest partisan and intra-party politicking ever in the next couple of years.
Personally, the local head start was not appreciated.
I truly believe journalists should not divulge their party affiliation, so I won’t. In fact, little bothers me more than when someone in the newsroom goes off on a political diatribe.
What I will say is that my political thinking does not fit neatly into a box, red, blue or green.
So when I tell you I think something stinks about the nature of the campaigning in the Nov. 3 election, it’s not because I care either way which party is gaining ground.
I’m just disappointed that “nonpartisan” meant so little to some of the candidates.
In explaining her candidacy, one hopeful for Centennial City Council said her district’s race needed a Republican in the mix. Other than that comment, I honestly don’t know much about her.
And that’s the problem. Competition from the other party never hurt anything, and maybe that contest did indeed need a Republican. But should that be your battle cry at the local level?
I’m not sure I care if a Democrat or a Republican is behind that pothole being taken care of. Just do it.
I know, I know. There’s that whole fiscal responsibility thing that many will tell you is a gulf between the parties. To me, fiscal responsibility is almost a given at the local level these days. I haven’t heard many tales of free spending lately.
It wasn’t only the candidates who were promoting party affiliation, though. Many of the letters to the editor we received during election season at Colorado Community Newspapers espoused the conservative values of the candidates they hoped to vote into office. This was not exactly thinly veiled code for their candidate being a “good Republican.”
In the end, the partisan packaging seemed to work better in some cases than in others.
The Douglas County School Board race saw the four GOP-backed candidates easily roll to victory. I doubt the party’s support was the sole reason for the slate’s success, don’t get me wrong. I equally doubt it meant nothing in a county as Republican heavy as Douglas.
In Centennial, Republicans won several seats, including that of mayor. However, I’m willing to bet that many Centennial residents did not even know their new leader, Cathy Noon, was a Republican. They just liked her and her ideas.
Now that’s a novel concept.
Chris Rotar is a news editor for Colorado Community Newspapers. He can be reached at crotar@ccnewspapers.com.
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