Partisan Politics in Local Elections

Politics has the ability to bring out either the good or the bad in mankind. The human desire for power, if unchecked, is evil. South Orange County is experiencing more than a little dose of this malady.

Mission Viejo’s elections were marked by an evil partisanship that destroys the fabric of a local community. There are many very good reasons city councils, supervisors, school boards, judges, city attorneys and planning commissions should not be elected on a national political party basis.

The chief rationale is that the issues they decide involve quasi-judicial functions and executive-legislative interpretations. Ninety-nine percent of the time their decisions have nothing to do with promoting a political party platform or philosophy. There’s also supposed to be fairness in their decision.

In the supervisor’s race, the undue influence of the governor, state political leaders and the Republican Party is detrimental to the south county. But not because they are called Republicans.

It’s also appalling when the Democratic Party endorses anyone for political office in a nonpartisan race. Neither party serves the local constituency well in this matter by attempting to influence the voter to vote along party lines.

The motivation is purely selfish and defeats the essence of local control. The issues are essentially nonpartisan.

It’s appalling that war chests need to be amassed to win a race. Those who have such treasures are beholden to the suppliers.

It is not an idealist’s lament that in future local nonpartisan elections, there will victoriously emerge individuals whose intelligence, integrity, intestinal fortitude, character and non-alliance with special interests are beyond question. These are the hallmarks that we should decide elections upon in Camelot.

THOMAS M. WHALING

El Toro