Partisan creep is moving in on non-partisan territory and threatens to wreak havoc on our good government. I am angry and very sad for Coeur d’Alene. In the just-concluded, by-law-nonpartisan city elections in Kootenai County, the Reagan Republicans won all the races they invested time and dollars in. Shamelessly, they pulled out all the stops on their party machine and played all the negative cards in their hands. Is there anything wrong with their game plan to insert partisan politics into local nonpartisan elections, practically, politically and/or ethically? I say a loud “yes” to all of the above. It’s not just a question of changing the rules in the middle of the game (although that rankles, too). There are longstanding reasons why some elected positions are historically and appropriately nonpartisan/Mary Lou Reed, Inlander. More here.

Dan Gookin Facebook statement: "Sour grapes from one of the Democrat kingpins of Kootenai County. A woman who has mercilessly injected her own partisan politics into non-partisan elections for over a decade know. The left knows no shame."

Question: Critics would say that Mary Lou and Kootenai County Democrats have unofficially injected partisan politics into nonpartisan local elections for years. Would you agree/disagree?