Anyway, I'm not sure what you are asking - politics vs culture?
Rule of thumb: The more local, the less partisan the political discussion, the more likely it is to be acceptable. It would seem pretty odd to not talk about higher ed policy on an NDSU board directly affected by such policy, for example.
Not having anything remotely political wouldn't work because there are people for whom EVERYTHING is political so they will be crying no matter what the discussion is about.
On the other extreme, allowing all political talk won't work either because people who see partisanship in every aspect of life are never going to be happy until they turn Bisonville into an echo chamber for their incessant screeching.