Should local elections be non-partisan... no party lines?

(Hank Bostwick of the Star City Harbinger blog asked local media types - should local elections be conducted without party designations? Read his question and my answer. At least one other respondant disagreed with my stand)

On Mar 23, 2009, at 4:24 PM, Hank Bostwick wrote:

> I can't put the question any plainer than that.
>
> Occasionally, the local buzz and banter is about the R's and D's after the names of City Council candidates in the Star City. Are they necessary? What purpose do those labels serve on a local level?
>
> Our sister City on the Parkway, Asheville, North Carolina, does not designate by party affiliation. For example, they hold an open nonpartisan primary which whittles down the number of Council candidates to 6 (from whatever number they begin with, depending on the number of interested candidates). Candidates are free to self-identify their partisan stripes. Parties do not endorse or select the candidates . . . the people do.
>
> I would LOVE an on-the-record statement about this issue. Should local politics be so partisan? Is one-party rule good for Roanoke? Or is that the wrong question entirely?

(my response)

Hank, what party labels do on a local level is supply a base of support for candidates. What's unfortunate is that many people will blindly follow the D or R label without looking closely at the candidate's record or platform....

Ideally, there should be no need for party labels at the local level, if people are really interested in electing the best person. I don't think electing a Republican supervisor or council member makes much difference once you start building support for state or national candidates.

But, again, its hard for some independent candidates to build that support base..... unless they are all independents and the playing field is fairer. Then perhaps you'd see business groups support certain candidates, civic groups others, environmentalists still others.

We all see what heavy partisanship has done at the national level as Congress tries to wade through the economic crisis. Politics has gotten in the way. Other localities - like the People's Republic of Salem - go the independent route.... why do we need labels for Supervisor (County) or City Council (Roanoke City).

We don't. But who will have the gumption to rock the boat? And would it bring more people into the process?

Gene Marrano