Janesville Gazette, partisan politics and local elected offices

In a story on December 25, Janesville Gazette came out strongly questioning whether it is appropriate for those belonging to political parties, and particularly holding offices within local parties, to serve on Janesville City Council, Rock County Board of Supervisors or School Board. This story generated much discussion, primarily from those of us who feel that the premise of the story is unfair and at least on its face appears to be biased.

As if to underline this point, this story was originally posted on the Gazette's website under this headline:
Party politics emerge in local board races ... - Janesville Gazette, which was eventually pulled from the site and replaced with this:

Republican or Democrat? It’s not supposed to matter at local level -- GazetteXtra

Here is what I wrote about this story on my main blog www.YuriRashkin.blogspot.com
Christmas Day Attack by Janesville Gazette

Lou Kaye of RockNetRoots.blogspot.com wrote this piece fairly pointing out that partisan politics were not an issue until the Gazette made them so:
Newspaper Injects Partisan Politics into Local Non-Partisan Elections

Vivian Creekmore, a regular contributor to this website wrote her signature Love Letter to the Gazette, highlighting the fact that everyone has a political point of view but the Gazette is displaying a "blatant political bias".
Dear Janesville Gazette

And just today, Tim Bremel, morning talk show host on "Your Talk Show" on WCLO (owned by Bliss Communications same as the Gazette) devoted half an hour to the subject.  Lack of phone calls eventually leading him to conclude that evidently the partisanship point brought up by the Gazette is "at least somewhat moot".
Partisan politics in non-partisan elected positions

What the Gazette appears to have ultimately missed is that while candidates may be more involved in partisan politics then ever in recent history (or insofar as anyone can remember), the Gazette readers live in the same politicized world as do the candidates, where this kind of involvement from those who want to be involved in positions of leadership is not just not offensive, it is expected.  The unanswered question remains not what party people (or candidates) belong to, but what do they stand for as individuals.