Alicia’s View: Elections present another problematic ‘n’ word

Published 1:30 am Saturday, October 14, 2023

By Alicia Crank / Herald Columnist

It’s a given that a word can have more than one meaning, depending on how you use it. Words like “live” and “park.” You catch my drift. We know we must be thoughtful in how we use them for their true meaning to be known. Not a super hard thing to do.

Over the past several weeks, I’ve found myself questioning the use of the “n” word. There are some who feel its an OK word to use or reference but can also be problematic in practical application. It isn’t an inherently bad word to use, but its execution can leave little to be desired, and I’ve found myself not liking this word as much as I used to.

That “n” word is nonpartisan.

Nonpartisan can simply be defined as having a lack of affiliation and a lack of bias toward a political party. Pretty straight forward. Yet, in its practical application, it can come off to be more divisive than uniting. There are many who say that want nonpartisanship yet will take issue if a person from a different political group agrees on a topic, legislation or candidate.

I can remember a time in the not too distant past that leaders and elected officials who could reach across the aisle to find middle ground were seen as aspirational. A necessity, even. In today’s climate, we see more of a my-way-or-the-highway sentiment, fueled by anger and frustration. While anger and frustration at times can be warranted, what does it mean when it comes to nonpartisanship?

Several offices up for election this year are labeled as nonpartisan, from city council to judicial posts. The roles are designed to serve all the people within their jurisdictions, but candidates can choose to indicate a party they align with. Having been a candidate myself, this alone is a Catch-22: Constituents can be critical of you for declaring where your overall beliefs may fall, but if you don’t declare, constituents can still be critical of you for not sharing what party you align with in general.

We all have a belief system, based on our life experiences , and/or who we’ve allowed ourselves to be mentored by. I submit that a role can be nonpartisan, but not a person themselves. That being said, one can do the job they’ve been chosen for in representing their decision making in a nonpartisan way. The ability to separate church and state in elected office is eroding at a fast pace … unless we individually decide to do something about it.

I like to think that I’ve matured over the years around nonpartisanship, and frankly the career that I’ve had mandates it, to encouage civil discourse. I can look at things differently than someone else, but still be respectful in listening to their side of things, and vice versa. I have friendships and working relationships with those that I don’t 100 percent align with, but we have something foundationally that connects us. I’ve also learned that you can have an appeal to more than one constituency without it meaning you’ve somehow sold your soul. The last part of that sentence reads a bit extreme, but sadly it isn’t.

In theory, going back to its definition, a person running for a nonpartisan position should be seen as a viable candidate and hold some level of appeal, regardless of what a voter’s political leaning is.

These past few weeks, I’ve been more troubled than usual by this “n” word. There is a candidate running for a nonpartisan position locally that has given me significant pause. This person decided to lean in the latter part of the definition of nonpartisan by not showing a lack of bias regarding a political party. Said candidate has been endorsed by groups representing two of the major parties, something I haven’t seen in a long time. Yet, this person is being criticized heavily for connecting with both parties, to the point that one of these groups wants to rescind their endorsement.

Their membership can choose to do that, but I must ask: “What message are you conveying?”

It’s a good time to ponder what nonpartisanship means to each one of us. Is it the Catch-22 as described above?

Alicia Crank lives in Edmonds. Email her at alicia@aliciainedmonds.com.