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The influence of political ideology seems pervasive these days in Washington, D.C., and at the Statehouse in Columbus. Of course, the ideologues rarely see it that way. In their minds, they are standing up for principles their constituents expect them to uphold, or else.Fortunately, ideological warfare plays an insignificant role in local politics, which tends to be pragmatic, centrist and results-oriented.For one thing, as the adage goes, there is no Republican or Democratic way to fix a pothole (or, for that matter,pilewu.com/truereligionjeans, a sewer system). Voters expect their local leaders to pay attention to local problems.More, Akron and Summit County have benefited from a close and productive working relationship between Akron Mayor Don Plusquellic and Summit County Executive Russ Pry, two moderate, business-oriented Democrats,Louis Vuitton bags.Plusquellic and Pry are able to function without significant opposition from the local Republican Party, which has just a toehold on the Summit County Council.What s more important in Democratic-dominated Summit County is that both leaders also face little opposition from the left-wing of their own parties.Plusquellic has had the rougher time of the two, surviving a recall election in 2009 and, two years later, a Democratic primary that pitted him against at-large City Councilman Mike Williams, his most serious challenger in years.After beating back a recall and winning re-election, Plusquellic then pushed successfully for a charter amendment on last year s ballot that increased terms for ward council members. The amendment means the mayor s office and all council positions, including at-large members, will be up at the same time in 2015,Toms Shoes, when Plusquellic could run again.Dissident Democrats tried to fight the amendment, but Plusquellic, aided by then-City Council President Marco Sommerville, ran a clever campaign, arguing that having one election for all municipal officials would save money.The elections this past November also saw the passage of a 7.9-mill levy for the Akron Public Schools, a victory that reflected a high degree of consensus among local political leaders and members of the Republican-oriented business community.At this point, the biggest political battles in local politics involve questions of regionalism. Getting local governments to cooperate, even merge, has nothing to do with ideology,air jordon pas cher, only the preservation of power by the leaders of smaller units of local government.Washington, D.C,pilewu.com/tomsshoes.html., and the Statehouse in Columbus are different worlds.In Washington, a newly inaugurated President Obama outlined a bold,Gucci Bags, progressive agenda, only to be greeted skeptically by the Republican majority in the U.S. House.The question now is whether a temporary deal on the federal debt ceiling the Republicans agreeing to an extension will be a prelude for more pragmatic compromises or a lull before the GOP majority under Speaker John Boehner digs in for a stalemate lasting through Obama s second term.Each side sees itself as having an electoral mandate that reflects certain principles, making compromise difficult.At the Statehouse, Republicans are in control of all three branches of government, setting up a different kind of dynamic.No question,http://www.nasaqi.com/, Gov. John Kasich, who is heading toward a re-election campaign in 2014 and a possible try for the presidency in 2016, is seeking to round off some of the rough edges evident earlier in his first term.He would like to be seen as a business-friendly kind of guy whose budget, tax and economic policies are just what Ohio needs to create jobs,Chanel 2.55.But with Democrats isolated and out of power, right-wingers might be tempted to push their ideas, such as a right-to-work amendment to the Ohio Constitution.This week, there was another sign of trouble, Rep. Lynn Wachtmann, a Republican from Napoleon, affirming that he will continue to push pro-life measures.On the Wachtmann agenda: banning abortions once a fetal heartbeat is detected, defunding Planned Parenthood and ending abortions based on a child s sex. All could lure Kasich into ideological battles that distract from his main goal.Last week s column mischaracterized the Kasich administration s policies on tax incentives for business development. The administration is de-emphasizing tax incentives, but will not completely abandon them. Hoffman is a Beacon Journal editorial writer. He can be reached at 330-996-3740 or emailed at .
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