WESTBROOK – Election season in Westbrook is in full swing, and once again, partisan politics has emerged to become a player – at least until Election Day, that is.

In the two-year period that stretches between city elections, one can usually count the number of times on one hand the words “Democrat” or “Republican” come up in public discussions. When differences of opinion do emerge during meetings, they center on issues, not partisan ideologies.

Which begs the question: Is Westbrook’s partisan system, complete with party caucuses to nominate candidates, necessary?

The answer: It depends on who you ask.

Democrats have dominated city politics in recent years, and this week leaders of that party downplayed the role of partisanship outside of elections, while Republican leaders argued that strong party ideals make more of a difference than the majority admits.

Mayor Colleen Hilton, a Democrat, is running for re-election this year against former three-term mayor Bruce Chuluda, a Republican. Hilton said this week that she follows some Democractic principles in her campaign.

“I believe in community action and grassroots efforts,” she said.

But Hilton also described herself as a “fiscally conservative Democrat,” and added that despite her party affiliation, she didn’t want to be “pigeonholed” into a specific ideology based solely on her party.

Hilton said she felt that openness is reflective of what the public really wants.

“I think more and more people are moving to the center,” she said.

Chuluda said he thinks of himself as an advocate for less government intrusion and a more conservative hand, especially when it comes to spending. These are all ideals, he said, that are at the core of the GOP.

“I do believe they figure in quite heavily,” Chuluda said of Republican ideals.

As to the assertion that partisanship doesn’t matter, Chuluda argued that disagreements on the City Council in the past have, in fact, reflected party ideals. He added that the Democrats are marginalizing the role of partisan politics in part because they hold the majority, and much of the power, in city politics.

“I definitely believe that’s the case,” he said.

Other local leaders say partisanship does matter, if only to galvanize interest in voter participation in general, and participation in public debate on important issues, regardless of affiliation.

“Nothing will change unless people step up to the plate,” said Rose Marie Russell, the newly elected chairwoman of the Westbrook Republican Committee.

Democratic Committee Chairman Drew Gattine said the caucus process, and partisanship in general, helps to draw attention to the races and gets people out to vote in November.

“If it motivates people and gets them to the polls, that’s a positive thing,” he said.

Rules in Westbrook mandate that registered Democrats or Republicans running for any office must secure their respective committee’s nomination, either by popular vote at the caucus or by party leaders afterward.

While the caucuses did choose candidates for open seats this year, attendance was low. The Democrats had fewer than 100 people in attendance, and the Republicans had fewer than 20 members.

“We’re definitely outnumbered, and we certainly know that,” Russell said.

Ron Schmidt, a professor of political science at the University of Southern Maine, said partisan politics becomes a more crucial player in larger cities nationwide.

“Those institutions become vital for getting stuff done,” he said.

But in smaller communities such as Westbrook, Schmidt said, strong party politics is a less common sight.

“Entrenched partisanship is a little surprising in a community that small,” Schmidt said.

Regardless of a community’s size, party hard-liners are facing more and more competition these days, Schmidt said, in the form of unenrolled, middle-of-the-road voters who hedge their political bets rather than latching onto one side or the other. The trend is particularly noticeable, he said, among younger voters.

“More and more college students that I’m seeing are registering independent,” he said.

Schmidt said that rather than nudging party members toward the center, the trend is driving many party members to hold more firmly to their beliefs.

Russell said she intends to toe the party line, and hopes other party members will, too. She said she thinks members of the conservative grassroots Tea Party movement will help guide the nation out of its current troubles, and sees compromise as an ugly word.

“I don’t want to compromise with liberals, because I don’t like what they stand for,” she said.

When asked if she thinks strong partisanship can lead to inaction, both in Washington and locally, Russell said, “I think the less the government does, the better, so gridlock is not necessarily a bad thing.”

Gattine said regardless of the emphasis on party politics now, he anticipates partisanship would fade after Nov. 8, as it usually does in Westbrook following election season.

“Once the elections are over, and the process of governing occurs, I think we do a really good job of putting that aside,” he said.

Chuluda disagreed that partisanship will disappear after the election, and said that’s a good thing, since it promotes public debate and helps keep important issues in the public eye.

“Westbrook has been a partisan city for eons,” he said, “and quite frankly, I hope it continues that way.”