by Donald J. Borut

President Franklin Roosevelt seared the bombing of Pearl Harbor into the collective memory of the ?greatest generation? as a ?day of infamy.? For all of us too young to remember that moment, the 9/11 terrorist attacks ring out in our souls as the ?day of infamy? that defines our personal and collective view of the world.

We saw the planes crash into the World Trade Center, the Pentagon and the field in Pennsylvania in real-time, experiencing a collective horror that, to this day, continues as a living reality profoundly affecting all of our lives.

?Almost 3,000 people had been killed and twice as many injured, in the bloodiest day on American soil since the battle of Antietam in 1862,? noted the Economist magazine. 

The horror of 9/11 shattered the existing emotional walls of economic, political, social, racial and geographic separation and created the profound bond of national unity. We were truly one ? respectful, caring, open to each other and shorn of the divisive blinders that separate.

At that moment local government employees ? police, fire, emergency medical service, public works staff ? performed as they must and were seen and regarded by the public with profound respect and appreciation. At that moment even the most hardened cynicism toward public employees evaporated. These were America?s public servants serving their communities and being appreciated for what they were doing.

But the moment hasn?t lasted. From my perspective, a secondary tragedy that emerged from the terrorist bombings has been the subsequent implosion of our collective view of the world and national emotional bond.

The publishers of the Economist have observed, ?The bipartisan feelings that followed September 11 could hardly have lasted forever. But it is still surprising how far the warm courage of national unity has turned into fiery partisanship.?

At the national level, we have not been able to hold it together and have permitted the worst in our nature to rip apart the threads that held us together for some precious moments.

A reporter has suggested that in Washington, D.C., we now have polarization on steroids. We are unable to have a respectful discussion or debate on immigration, the war in Iraq, Homeland Security, health care or fundamental fiscal health. Our political leaders in Washington, D.C., are divided and polarized in the extreme, unlike any time that I can remember.

As an optimist, I am always looking for the cream in the half-filled glass of milk, and even now there may be some rumblings of public discontent with our political leaders. Marc Ambinder?s writing in the Washington Post has suggested that, ?signs abound that voters are moving beyond the two major parties and testing the free-agent market. And politicians are responding: the put-yourself-above-partisanship orientation is spreading, even during this midterm election season, when candidates seek to rouse the passions of their partisans.?

It is at moments like this that I want to urge our national leaders to look around when they are back home in America?s cities and towns and reflect on how local elected officials, responsible for the day-to-day delivery of fundamental public services, engage with each other.

Virtually all local elected officials are partisan, but that does not define how they work with each other or how they make decisions. They are compelled to be practical. They have to balance budgets and they have to address the in-your-face issues that define communities, for the most part marginalizing ideology and partisanship.

Local governance is the ultimate model of democracy, which sustains much of the collective will so magnificently displayed in the face of the terrorist attacks on 9/11. That is why cities matter. 

Our perceptions of the world were forever changed by the terrorist attacks on 9/11. That is the reality. How we face the challenge we are presented with now will define who we are as a nation. The challenge is being played out daily in how we set priorities both personally and collectively, how we engage with each other, and how we frame and engage politically at all levels of government.

Positive steps are being taken. A new website, www.hotsoup.com, created by individuals across the political spectrum, is using today?s technology to promote constructive engagement.  The website says, ?People want smart debate over the real issues, not the irrelevant and partisan discourse they?re getting now.? 

And, at the local level our public employees and elected officials are demonstrating leadership in defining and responding to the new physical, fiscal and emotional challenges that were spawned dramatically on 9/11. It is local government that is the glue holding communities together and countering our worst tendencies when we feel exposed.

At NLC, under the leadership of President Jim Hunt, councilmember of Clarksburg, W. Va., we are actively and aggressively encouraging local elected officials to join in our national initiative to work toward building inclusive communities.

It is not proscriptive, but rather an opportunity for local communities and local elected officials to affirm and demonstrate a sustained commitment to our fundamental values as we address the real threats precipitated by the terrorists on Sept. 11, 2001.