Our View:Why are offices partisan?

One of the strangest things about county elections is the fact that all of the county’s elected positions are partisan.

For someone campaigning to be a county commissioner, this isn’t a problem. All you need to be a commissioner is a set of ideals you think will help the county and enough support from like-minded individuals to get elected. Experience isn’t necessary and sometimes, even frowned upon. Claiming a party affiliation makes sense here because belonging to a party says a lot about the candidate’s views on how the county should operate.

This view doesn’t apply to the oth...