Party Politics in Attleboro Local Elections

Does Attleboro want local elected officials elected on the basis of party affiliation?  How would that work? Would we have ward primary elections by party before going to the full blown court press of the regular election if there is more than one candidate per ward race? And how would the at-large race be worked?

Hmmm. Maybe there is a basis for thinking along party lines locally. Take for example, I wonder if my trash pickup would be different if we had a Democrat for a mayor instead of a Republican? Or how about this? Maybe the council would be run differently if there were less Republicans and MORE Democrats. Come to think of it, there are few Democrats on the council at the present time. So how WOULD a Democrat run the council differently? 

Maybe a council made up of more Democrats would ask different questions when the head of the Department of Public Works came up to speak. “How are your heavy trucks feeling lately?” would be asked instead of the cliché Republican “Tough luck, pull up your bootstraps we’re out of money!”  (Since when has our mostly Republican council ever said THAT?) Perhaps some taxpayers wish that were said more often!

So the current mayor is a Republican but does he ACT like one? He does seem to be fiscally conservative on the surface but he sure never met a lawsuit he didn’t want to fight. Is that a Democratic trait or a Republican one? I’m scratching my head. 

Serving locally I have been very pleased that party affiliation, for the most part, has NEVER been an issue. I have often wondered how it would work on Beacon Hill if party affiliation were not such a burning issue. Would we divide on economic theories anyway? Perhaps.

But should a local candidate be criticized for having people in both parties participate on his or her campaign team? I don’t think so. I think that is how a local election SHOULD be. In fact, a successful candidate should be able to call people from both parties friends. If they cannot then maybe there is something wrong.

Local elections mean dealing with people that you live with in close proximity.  It means dealing with everyday issues and problems like noise, trash, and your neighbor’s barking dog. It means that you ask your friends to work on your team who you like and are close to. And maybe it doesn’t matter if they have an R or a D by their names. You appreciate any help that you can get and you love them for who they are regardless of which president’s picture they have up on a wall.  As the locally famous Democrat Max Volterra once said, “Is there any difference between a Democrat or Republican way to fill a pothole?”