Most Maine communities have an enviable tradition of keeping partisan politics out of local elections. This is why I was discouraged that a political party in my town of Yarmouth “endorsed” certain School Committee candidates simply because they were members of their political party.
In these troubled times we tend to view every opinion expressed through a partisan lens. Perhaps this endorsement is a response to that. Perhaps it’s a response to other candidates who teamed up on lawn signs. Nevertheless, when a political party formally endorses School Committee candidates it certainly feels as though a hazardous line has been crossed.
As a current member of our School Committee, I can say without hesitation that party affiliation does not enter into our commitment to find the best policies and solutions for our students. Our mission is maintaining the excellence of our schools while also respecting the town taxpayer. Party affiliation does not – and should not – influence that mission.
One of the endorsed candidates is a personal friend and based upon The Forecaster interview of the other, I’m confident that either one would be a great addition to our school committee. But do we really need political parties endorsing these candidates?
Party endorsements give voters a general sense of a candidate’s political philosophy. That might make sense for statewide races because most voters don’t have personal access to the candidate. But our town has less than 9,000 people. If we want to know a candidate’s position on issues like expanding world language, adding a school resource officer or the size of the budget, we can call them up and ask.
Let’s hope this unnecessary intrusion of partisan politics into our school committee will not be continued.
Newell Augur
Yarmouth
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