OK, I'll play. MY election.

[Jonathan Chance]

I thought this would be an interesting and unusual thread. Certainly one that hasn't been around the bend a few times.

So.

I am running for City Council-at-Large in my small town in Ohio. Should enough people be interested I will answer questions and share my experiences on the campaign trail and events and suchlike.

I ran for County Commissioner here as a Democrat last year but, um, it wasn't exactly a good year for it, if you know what I mean.

Anyway, if you fine people are interested this could be interesting.

[Cunctator]

Is there a specific issue motivating you to stand for election?

What does 'Council-at-Large' mean? Is it that you'd be representing the whole city, rather than a specific ward/borough/geographical area of voters?

What type of voting method is it? First post the post, preferential, STV etc?

Are there limits on the amount of money that you can spend on your campaign? What is going to be your main means of canvassing votes: advertising, public meetings, doorknocking etc?

What does a County Commissioner do? (I know that's not the job you're after this time, but I'm still interested).

[Chronos]

When's the election?

[Elendil's Heir]

As a fellow Ohio Democrat, I wish you good luck, many votes and faithful service!

[Little Nemo]

What procedure do you use to put yourself forth as a candidate?

[Fear Itself]

How much do you expect to spend on your campaign? Is it out of pocket, or do you have donors?

[Jonathan Chance]

Is there a specific issue motivating you to stand for election?

I've always been a business development guy. I want to see the city reach out more to help new small businesses form.

What does 'Council-at-Large' mean? Is it that you'd be representing the whole city, rather than a specific ward/borough/geographical area of voters?

Yes, that's it exactly. I would be one of three who represent the city in its entirety rather than a specific region.

What type of voting method is it? First post the post, preferential, STV etc?

It's in the US so there's nothing fancy about it. But there are three slots for At-Large so the top three vote getters hold office.

Are there limits on the amount of money that you can spend on your campaign? What is going to be your main means of canvassing votes: advertising, public meetings, doorknocking etc?

There are no spending limits for any elected position in the US of which I am aware. Last year I spent about $15,000 in my losing campaign. The average amount spent for an at-large seat is between $1500 and $2000 so I'd estimate somewhere in there. Though a lot of my name recognition work was performed last year so that initial $15000 will still have benefit.

I've been doing some meetings and I'll do door-knocks and I'll have volunteers do the same. There will certainly be some television and radio ads for the final six weeks of the race or so. For now it's quiet.

What does a County Commissioner do? (I know that's not the job you're after this time, but I'm still interested).

In Ohio a County Commissioner is an indepedant official (there are three) that represents the state government to the citizenry. They oversee road and water and such outside of municipalities. They also oversee the Sheriff and other functions.

[Jonathan Chance]

What procedure do you use to put yourself forth as a candidate?

I was required to get 50 signatures from citizens of the city who met these requirements:

1. Of voting age
2. Lived inside the city
3. Of my party

The procedure is designed to determine who gets to compete in the May 3rd primary for each party. I had several people help me with that and got on with little trouble.

[fubbleskag]

How many hookers have you killed?

[Jonathan Chance]

How much do you expect to spend on your campaign? Is it out of pocket, or do you have donors?

Donors. I expect I'll be out only a bit out of pocket for this one. Last year I raised over $13k from local donors, almost a record.

[Elendil's Heir]

...What does a County Commissioner do? (I know that's not the job you're after this time, but I'm still interested).

In Ohio a County Commissioner is an indepedant official (there are three) that represents the state government to the citizenry. They oversee road and water and such outside of municipalities. They also oversee the Sheriff and other functions.

True for 86 of Ohio's 88 counties. In Cuyahoga (greater Cleveland) and Summit (greater Akron) counties, there is an elected county executive, sort of like a president or mayor of the county, and a county council, which is the legislature of the county.

[Cunctator]

What type of voting method is it? First post the post, preferential, STV etc?

It's in the US so there's nothing fancy about it. But there are three slots for At-Large so the top three vote getters hold office.So that means first past the post?

[Jonathan Chance]

Well, first three past the post, but essentially yes. The top three vote-getters win the position.

[Giles]

Does the primary system mean that it is impossible for an independent to get elected, i.e., a candidate must belong to a political party?

[Jonathan Chance]

I'd say it's harder without a party, yes. However, those without a party who are running independent, can get on the November ballot by turning in 250 signatures by the primary. So for them there's the ability to skip the primaries completely and to find oneself on the final ballot regardless of party. But without the organization behind you it does become more difficult to get elected.

[Zakalwe]

Donors. I expect I'll be out only a bit out of pocket for this one. Last year I raised over $13k from local donors, almost a record.This is really not meant to be rude although it may sound that way...

So you raised a near record amount and lost? My question would be what have learned from that experience that leads you to believe you'll be more succesful this time around? In my experience many (maybe even most) campaigns don't learn from prior mistakes.

Also, I'm not sure I quite understand your numbers, 15K for County, but only 1.5K for City? Or is there a zero dropped somewhere? And you're going to run tv ads? On 1.5K? Things are sure cheaper in Ohio...

[Little Nemo]

Who determines which parties hold primaries? What prevents somebody from just gathering fifty signatures, declaring his followers a political party, and having himself chosen as that party's nominee, in order to avoid the 250 signature requirement for an independant?

With three open slots being filled by a common election, do parties run multiple nominees? Do they limit it to three?

[Chronos]

Who determines which parties hold primaries? What prevents somebody from just gathering fifty signatures, declaring his followers a political party, and having himself chosen as that party's nominee, in order to avoid the 250 signature requirement for an independant?I'm not sure what the value of that would be, since anyone who can't find 250 family and friends to sign a petition has no chance whatsoever in the election.

[Alan Smithee]

Who determines which parties hold primaries? What prevents somebody from just gathering fifty signatures, declaring his followers a political party, and having himself chosen as that party's nominee, in order to avoid the 250 signature requirement for an independant?

With three open slots being filled by a common election, do parties run multiple nominees? Do they limit it to three?I can't speak to Ohio specifically, but I think in most states it's tied to performance in a previous election. Typically something like any registered party that received more than some percentage of the vote for a statewide office in the last general election.

Here in Colorado, a conservative former Republican, Tom Tancredo, ran for governor last year under the Constitution Party after losing the Republican primary to a tea party activist. There was some hope among Democrats that the Republican candidate, who ran an abysmal campaign, would get less than the required percentage (ten percent, I think) and relegate the Republicans to "minor party" status for the next election cycle: meaning no state-funded primary and no favored position on the ballot. ("Major" parties, i.e., Democrats and Republicans usually, get listed first.) In the end, he managed to get just enough to keep the Republicans a major party while splitting the conservative vote, and so helped the Democrat, John Hickenlooper, get a well-deserved (IMO) victory in a tea-party-dominated year.

[Jonathan Chance]

OK, several questions here to catch up on...

This is really not meant to be rude although it may sound that way...

So you raised a near record amount and lost? My question would be what have learned from that experience that leads you to believe you'll be more succesful this time around? In my experience many (maybe even most) campaigns don't learn from prior mistakes.

Also, I'm not sure I quite understand your numbers, 15K for County, but only 1.5K for City? Or is there a zero dropped somewhere? And you're going to run tv ads? On 1.5K? Things are sure cheaper in Ohio...

Last year's race was complicated by two things;

1. An abysmal year for democrats statewide.
2. A former local Mayor (age 76) formerly of my party, getting into the race as an independent. He and I split the D vote and lost. It was frustrating.

Also, I said I raised a near record amount not that I spent a near record amount. My Republican opponent had been a successful businessman for many years and spent twice what I did from his pocket. He raised less than $1000 from donors.

There are a few things that make me believe I'll have better luck this time.

First, of course, is that I chose to run for a position for which there are multiple winners. I don't have to come in first (though I would like to) but rather in the top three. There are currently five major party candidates so I think I have a shot. In addition, the average needed to attain election is 1750 votes for this position (over the last ten years) and even with the former Mayor I took 1200 in these precincts last year (he took about the same so if I can hold 50% of his take I should make it. In addition two of the three incumbents elected not to run again.

As for expenses? The difficulty in the county is the sheer size of it. One of the largest by square miles in the state of Ohio it's also very thinly populated making door-to-door and direct mail expensive. In addition, with the hotly contested WV Senate race and the Ohio governor's race last year television time became expensive. I didn't buy any but the only broadcast TV station in the area charge $3500 per 30 second spot over the last two weeks. I bought six weeks on cable (eight channels) and one week of 'The Today Show' on broadcast as well as a bunch of radio ($18 per spot).

Yes, it's cheaper here. That figure I mentioned (1.5 - 2k) represents the outlier for campaign expenses for similar races over the last ten years. I feel confident in my numbers.

[Jonathan Chance]

On the subject of running with a party affiliation yet, some are recognized as major and minor depending on their recent vote percentages. This controls access to ballot placement and other things.

In Ohio these are the parties:

Major
Democratic
Republican

Minor
Constitution
Green
Libertarian
Socialist

Also, on campaign news, I will be attending a regional Chamber of Commerce dinner Monday night with a man who is the presumptive D nominee for State Representative in 2012. It's nice to be asked. I hope my suit is clean.

[Little Nemo]

I'm not sure what the value of that would be, since anyone who can't find 250 family and friends to sign a petition has no chance whatsoever in the election.I don't know about Ohio, but New York makes it really difficult for anyone outside of the major parties to compete. If you're in a major party (and like Alan Smithee posted, major party status is based on the last election) getting on the ballot is a fairly routine procedure. But if you're not there are hurdles - some of which are so ridiculous they can only be justified as being intended to keep people off the ballots. For examples, signatures can be invalidated if they're in the wrong color ink or on the wrong sized page. They can be invalidated if you're registered as John Q. Public and you sign the petition as J.Q. Public or John Public or John Quincy Public. They can be invalidated if you sign outside of the town you're registered in, even if you're signing a petition for somebody running for state-wide office. If any signature on a page is invalidated, the entire page of signatures is automatically invalidated.

With a system like this, getting fifty valid signatures is incredibly difficult and getting 250 is even more so.

[Boyo Jim]

I presume the incident with you, the dead girl hooker and the live boy hooker in the cheap motel room has been forgotten? Oh, and exactly when did you stop beating your wife?

Have you ever been a practicing thespian?

[Jonathan Chance]

I don't know about Ohio, but New York makes it really difficult for anyone outside of the major parties to compete. If you're in a major party (and like Alan Smithee posted, major party status is based on the last election) getting on the ballot is a fairly routine procedure. But if you're not there are hurdles - some of which are so ridiculous they can only be justified as being intended to keep people off the ballots. For examples, signatures can be invalidated if they're in the wrong color ink or on the wrong sized page. They can be invalidated if you're registered as John Q. Public and you sign the petition as J.Q. Public or John Public or John Quincy Public. They can be invalidated if you sign outside of the town you're registered in, even if you're signing a petition for somebody running for state-wide office. If any signature on a page is invalidated, the entire page of signatures is automatically invalidated.

With a system like this, getting fifty valid signatures is incredibly difficult and getting 250 is even more so.

Here it's pretty friendly. I got dinged and one of my sheets DQed because one of my signers signed for his wife, too. That's a no-no and the entire sheet of 22 names got invalidated.

But generally in this county if an independent wants to get on the ballot they can. They rarely WIN, mind you, but they get on the ballot.

[Jonathan Chance]

I presume the incident with you, the dead girl hooker and the live boy hooker in the cheap motel room has been forgotten? Oh, and exactly when did you stop beating your wife?

Have you ever been a practicing thespian?

Sadly, I have, but it was in high school and was a youthful indiscretion!

[Little Nemo]

It's clear from what you've posted that you feel you have a reasonable chance of being elected.

But would you consider running for office if you knew you did not have any realistic chance of winning?

eta: And you skipped one of my previous questions: With three open slots being filled by a common election, do parties run multiple nominees? Do they limit it to three? ("Candidate Chance tries to dodge the tough questions. What's he trying to hide?")

[Elendil's Heir]

Are you concerned about anything you've posted on the Dope or on any other message board may come back to haunt you?

[Jonathan Chance]

I'm used to asking tough questions, not answering them!

In all honesty I wasn't certain I'd want to run against after the work last year with no payoff. But the lack of quality candidates was definitely a motivator for me in this one.

With three positions available (At-Large, there are other for individual wards) yes parties run multiple candidates and hope to sweep. In this case both major parties have two candidates in the hunt so one of us will be left out in November.

In the event that one party has more than 3 candidates a primary would be held. So if four Democrats had filed for candidacy we'd have a vote in May and the top three would advance to the general election in November.

Edited for Elendil's Heir: Doubtful, even if they found it this is the one I post on and they might have trouble connecting it with me. Still, it's a chance you take with any public pronouncement. I know the opposition is already going through my public statements last year and the editorials I wrote while publishing the paper looking for wedges to use. Still, it's not like I didn't know going in.

[foolsguinea]

Well, first three past the post, but essentially yes. The top three vote-getters win the position.Probably bloc voting, actually. How many candidates can a voter mark on the ballot?

if...
only one - single non-transferable vote
number of seats to be filled - bloc voting
any number - approval voting.

[Least Original User Name Ever]

Thanks for running in 2010.

[Little Nemo]

With three positions available (At-Large, there are other for individual wards) yes parties run multiple candidates and hope to sweep. In this case both major parties have two candidates in the hunt so one of us will be left out in November.

In the event that one party has more than 3 candidates a primary would be held. So if four Democrats had filed for candidacy we'd have a vote in May and the top three would advance to the general election in November.So they can't try to spread out across a political spectrum? The Republicans, for example, running three conservative and three moderate candidates hoping to ensure some Republicans get elected even if they misread the voters.

[panamajack]

Something I've wondered that's more about the job so you may not know - in situations like this election where "top three" choices are picked, is there any political clout in being the top vote-getter? Is it something the other council members would notice/care about, or is it of little meaning other than a gauge of support for higher office?

[Least Original User Name Ever]

Something I've wondered that's more about the job so you may not know - in situations like this election where "top three" choices are picked, is there any political clout in being the top vote-getter? Is it something the other council members would notice/care about, or is it of little meaning other than a gauge of support for higher office?


Depending on what office it is, the highest vote-getter might become Chair of that governing body.

[Jonathan Chance]

Not the case here. Each Councilman becomes chair of one of the committees with two others as the other members. It spreads it out. The committees, on the other hand, are selected by the President of Council who presides over meetings but does not get to vote.

In the event that the Council as a whole does not approve of the President's selections they can overrule and force him to choose again but it's a real process. Checks and balances, I suppose.

But no, other than bragging rights, the top vote getter gets no special priviliges.

[Jonathan Chance]

So they can't try to spread out across a political spectrum? The Republicans, for example, running three conservative and three moderate candidates hoping to ensure some Republicans get elected even if they misread the voters.

That could conceivably work in the primary but 1) I've never seen it done and 2) only three will come out of the primary regardless.

[Jonathan Chance]

Update

First major event this evening. The local Chamber of Commerce dinner. About 900 potential voters there. Made the rounds and saw a lot of people. Got to sit with the former State Rep for the area (she's in my party) and worked the crowd. I believe I got the word out about my running. It's very early in the season but I'm a business-oriented candidate and this is an integral part of my election chances.

Food wasn't that great, though. And I left after about three hours.

[Least Original User Name Ever]

Update

First major event this evening. The local Chamber of Commerce dinner. About 900 potential voters there. Made the rounds and saw a lot of people. Got to sit with the former State Rep for the area (she's in my party) and worked the crowd. I believe I got the word out about my running. It's very early in the season but I'm a business-oriented candidate and this is an integral part of my election chances.

Food wasn't that great, though. And I left after about three hours.

Make any more of the kind of friends that write checks?

[Jonathan Chance]

Oh, a few I suppose. There might be some of that there.

More important was for me to get out and be seen and discuss the campaign. Plant seeds, as you might say.

Sadly, I was the only D candidate who attended the event (that I saw). Several of the D Central Committee members and the county chair were there but no candidates. I find that dismaying as it's both a source of voters and contributions. I think they're letting the 'Chambers of Commerce are conservative so why go' attitude blind them to opportunities. There were certainly a number of well-heeled D business owners there who could have been talked to and a whole slew of people who aren't committed one way or the other.

Short-sighted, in my opinion.

[Least Original User Name Ever]

Oh, a few I suppose. There might be some of that there.

More important was for me to get out and be seen and discuss the campaign. Plant seeds, as you might say.

Sadly, I was the only D candidate who attended the event (that I saw). Several of the D Central Committee members and the county chair were there but no candidates. I find that dismaying as it's both a source of voters and contributions. I think they're letting the 'Chambers of Commerce are conservative so why go' attitude blind them to opportunities. There were certainly a number of well-heeled D business owners there who could have been talked to and a whole slew of people who aren't committed one way or the other.

Short-sighted, in my opinion.

Ah, the same stuff that goes on in every district/county in the rest of the universe. Good to know we're not the only lazy ones.

[Jonathan Chance]

I do find it frustrating. If we're to gain ground we need to sincerely attempt to represent all players in the game. That's what I see them not doing.

[Least Original User Name Ever]

I do find it frustrating. If we're to gain ground we need to sincerely attempt to represent all players in the game. That's what I see them not doing.



The subject of much frustration and venting.

[Jonathan Chance]

A three event day.

Earlier I spoke to a group of interested business leaders. The always get together at this time and invited me to discuss my candidacy and later quizzed me about my views.

Lunch was a meeting with some potential donors. We'll have to see what develops from that.

Tonight I speak to a union to get their opinion of local issues. I'm also sure I'll hear about Wisconsin and Ohio labor issues of recent fame.

It keeps me moving, even eight months out.

[Elendil's Heir]

Thank you for running - keep your chin up, do your best and know that, win or lose, you're doing something important for democracy.

[Elendil's Heir]

So... how's the campaign going, JC?

[Boyo Jim]

Do people ask you question about issues you can't possibly influence from a position on the city council -- like abortion and gay marriage? I was gonna throw in immigration as well, but I have heard of some cities passing their own "shit on immigrants" laws, so that one is conceivably relevant.

Oh, and thanks, Elendil's Heir, for the revival and reminder!

[Jonathan Chance]

Poorly. Or not at all, frankly.

For those of you not following my life closely back in May Lady Chance got this choice from her employer:

1. Move to South Carolina
2. Lose your job

Because of this I had to move to South Carolina. So I recruited a replacement candidate and resigned my candidacy. Let me tell you that smarts. The day before we got the call the senior D on Council announced her resignation and I was to be appointed to fill the remainder of her term to give me some incumbency.

Some things just aren't meant to be.

[Elendil's Heir]

Aw, damn. I'm sorry. That sucks. I hope your wife's job, and South Carolina, are both even better than you expected.

[Least Original User Name Ever]

Aw, damn. I'm sorry. That sucks. I hope your wife's job, and South Carolina, are both even better than you expected.

Ditto.

[Jonathan Chance]

Well, politically it's a damn mess. Jim DeMint has this state locked down.

We'll have to see how the job situation works out to be.

[RTFirefly]

Poorly. Or not at all, frankly.

For those of you not following my life closely back in May Lady Chance got this choice from her employer:

1. Move to South Carolina
2. Lose your job

Because of this I had to move to South Carolina. Well, at least that answers the question I asked here (http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=13988129&postcount=7).