old ward-heeling

[xiongranw2]

The average citizen imagines that the folks collecting ballot signatures in the mall parking lot are civic-minded volunteers. In most cases, they're not. They're $11-an-hour temps, often flown in from out of state. Much of the old ward-heeling has gone corporate. --from<Gaming the Vote:Why Elections Aren’t Fair> By William Poundstone
What does the 'ward-heeling' in this sentence means? many thanks.

 

[Copyright]

A ward-heeler is a political lackey: somebody who does minor tasks for a local or city politician (informal).

Here, the noun has been turned into a verb.

 

[xiongranw2]

thanks, copyright.^_^