As the chair of the Candidate Recruitment and Support Committee for the Democratic Party of Douglas County, the first thing I tell anyone who asks about running for a nonpartisan seat in our county is that there is no such thing. It should not be the case, but it is.
The sad reality of politics today is that some have become so polarized that they insist on purity tests about whether one is conservative or liberal enough. The recent guest article from the PR Committee of the local Republican Party illustrates this. Although political ideology plays a part in the role of elected representatives who make the laws we live by, most of the people who are elected to office in our county are not lawmakers; they are administrators. Little about whether one is Democrat, Republican, Pacific Green or Constitutional Party member has to do with the job at hand.
When it comes to the jobs that elected representatives fill in our special districts, most have nothing to do with public policy-making of the political kind. These elected representatives are the administrators of the services provided because somebody has to make sure things get done. Their job is to make sure their special districts follow the laws and policies that others dictate while providing a needed service to the people in the district.
Most of the 76 special districts we have in Douglas County have very small budgets and do primarily one specific service in their communities. They are not there to address grand social issues, but to make sure raw sewage does not go into our watershed, water is clean enough to drink and people show up when your house catches on fire and they have the equipment to put it out. They are also there to make sure that everything they do follows the laws that govern them.
Even the most controversial special districts, our school districts, are only there to follow and implement the laws that others create. They are not independent public entities that can do anything they want or do things beyond their charter. So one should use means other than party affiliation to decide whether someone is qualified to represent our interests.
Here are some ideas: a strong advocate for the district. Willingness to follow the law even when you may not agree with it. Focus on providing the best services for everyone in the district within a sound budget. Ability to work with others to get the job done and treat everyone fairly.
Of the two major parties in Douglas County, Democrats (as the big tent folks) might fare better in this regard given our collective view of things. That is not to say that there are no differences between Democrats and Republicans, but they should be irrelevant here. If the local GOP wants to demonstrate that they are interested in building a movement of the people, a good way to prove that is to quit the partisanship in our local non-partisan races. Their current “voter guide” makes it pretty clear they are not there yet. Maybe their new leadership will move in that direction, but it seems that they are doing just the opposite. Our local Democratic Party is willing to work on that with them because parties are irrelevant to providing services that these, often very small, government bodies provide. We owe it to ourselves to make sure the folks elected to represent us understand their job and don’t play politics with the basic services we all need.
Our Special Districts are actually the one place where cooperation between elected officials belonging to different parties is more likely because political parties are irrelevant to providing services. They are the systems closest to the people and have a direct and immediate impact on our community. People chosen should be elected based on the voter’s understanding of the candidate’s individual capabilities to carry out the job without the tribalism of party politics.
How about it, Douglas County? Republicans? Are we ready to pick the most qualified people for the job of Special District Directors without concern for their party affiliation?
This article was published in the News-Review on May 7 2023.
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