After successfully changing state law to allow partisan primaries in local school board elections, Tennessee legislators are seizing the momentum.
A bill filed this year by Sen. Joey Hensley (R-Hohenwald) and Rep. Bryan Richey (R-Maryville) would go a step further, requiring elections for state and local public offices to be partisan.
As with the school board primaries bill, this bill has the backing of Republican Party leaders, who oversee the dominant party in state politics, and is opposed by most Democratic leaders.
Proponents say partisan elections allow party vetting for offices to weed out illegitimate candidates and help voters better know the candidates for which they’re voting.
Those against local partisan politics believe the move will shoehorn national political issues into discussions about local issues.
In a meeting Friday with state legislators, Johnson City City Manager Cathy Ball said making city commission races partisan would “erode the professionalism around running a city.” Delivering drinking water and paving roads aren’t Republican or Democratic issues, she said.
Now that the bill has been proposed and will be considered by our representatives in Nashville, we wanted to ask:
Should local elections be partisan? If yes, how do you think officials’ party affiliations will help them perform local business? If no, why do you believe partisan politics will hurt the process?
Send your answers to mailbag@johnsoncitypress.com. Please include your name, telephone number and address for verification. Letters must be no longer than 300 words and will be edited for grammar, style and length.
