Runoff for Mayor

[deesonic]

In Huntsville mayoral elections there are no party distinctions. At least not on paper. Party politics have no place in local politics. Mayors and local politicians have no impact on national hot button issues that divide state and national level politicians along party lines (war, taxes, gay rights, abortion, etc). Battle may vote Republican most of the time, but he may not. I don't know and it doesn't really matter to me at the local level. Locals want jobs, roads, good schools, and safe neighborhoods. I think those are bipartisan issues. The disagreement between sides would simply be in methods to achieve common goals and quite simply, leadership styles.

[Reactionary]

deesonic - I don't agree that "Party politics have no place in local politics." Note that County elective offices are partisan.

And even at the National level, politicians promise "jobs, roads, good schools and safe neighborhoods".

Municipal offices are a training ground for politicians, sometimes the first rung up the career ladder. The politicians are (almost always) partisans themselves, and there is a good bit of partisanship going on even in our non-partisan system. For example, four out of five current City Council members are GOP - the election of Culver shifts that to 3 GOP / 2 Dem. A politican can't get elected without a base of support and the party helps provide that base.

IMO sunshine and transparency are good for the political process.