I can’t imagine being any busier than in the middle of a campaign. Do you really have that much extra free time that you can start a thread like this one?
How does one go about finding a campaign manager/treasurer, or figuring out how to do all the campaign “stuff” themselves. I guess I am talking about things like websites, public meetings, yard signs, mailers, etc. I suppose I am interested in the behind the scenes “business” side of a campaign and how it all works and comes together.
Do you find yourself trimming your opinions so as to avoid angering some constituency?
Are you running against an incumbent, or are they stepping down and you’re running against a new contender? Are you the same party as the current incumbent and lining yourself up as his/her successor? Basically, what has been your relationship with the current incumbent.
Also, why are you doing this? Do you feel called to do it, or are you just looking for something new and think this fits in with your skillset?
Enjoy,
Steven
Sorry for the delay. I just got back from a speech a long way off in the county.
Free time is always a challenge. Especially with trying to also be a parent.
I’m fortunate in that I’ve spent years covering campaigns so I know a bit about it and what I’m short on the party is helping to educate me about.
Finding staff was a real headache, especially a treasurer. But I eventually got one of my friends to take on the job for this campaign only. We’ll see where we go from there. I’m acting as my own campaign manager. I have an events/scheduling guy and a communications guy, though. Hopefully tomorrow I’ll have a fundraiser. I need about $20K for what I want to do.
I’m certainly a lot more politic about it! Whereas in the news game there’s a certain element of ‘taste THIS, suckers!’ that can’t be the case here. So I’m working on listening and finding spots that I hear that I can agree with.
I’m not sure wether this was a response to my question or not… if it is, I think I need to clarify.
By ‘local self-reliance’ I’m thinking of things on a much more basic and personal level than business-oriented economic policy. What do you propose to help households store resources and reduce their monthly outlays?
I’m thinking of things like encouraging home production of food, electricity, and fuel: in other words, permitting photovoltaics, wind turbines, solar hot water, and even bio-diesel and alcohol–subject to safety and emissions regs, of course; and encouraging gardens, pantries, root cellars, gardens, small stock, and so on. Reducing overheads also means encouraging insulation and weatherstripping and all that basic stuff to seal a house, thus reducing fuel needs. I’m also thinking of programs that encourage seed saving and preservation of heritage varieties of crops.
All these things go towards making households more self-reliant, and ensuring that they have their own resources to fall back on during events like the Ice Storm of '98 and the Great Blackout of '03.
Do you favour repealing bylaws that forbid raising small stock like chickens and rabbits in town? Do you favour programs like Ontario’s Micro Feed-In Tariff that pays higher rates for small-scale distributed power production from wind and solar? Would you support bylaw changes to permit home biofuel production and storage?
The incumbent is 86 and elected (hah!) not to stand for reelection. He’s in the other party from the one I am running on but we’ve always gotten along.
Currently there are three candidates vying in the other parties primary. On May 4th I’ll know who I’m facing in the general election in November.
I’ve spent years here making advice and pitching plans for encouraging growth and turning around the economic trends. Many have said they’re good and not done anything with them. Myt hinking is that if I’m the one in power I’ll be able to force the issue.
You have no idea.
Float word out there to the political parties. If you’ve got yourself out there effectively enough, and if you’re a hard worker, some folks will check it out.
Good luck and best wishes on the campaign!
I don’t have any free advice other than make sure you go to every spaghetti dinner, pancake breakfast, steak fry and parade etc. you can get to! Don’t eat (unless you want to gain 40 lbs.), but go out and get facetime with voters!
Not quite a zombie but I thought I’d update…
Been going out…a lot. More than 300 events so far since I started and planning out more today with Google Calendar.
Been doing door-to-door with my team as well. Last weekend up north and in the largest city in the county. This weekend two events, a fundraiser, and a sixth birthday party for my youngest.
Whew!
Be like the Queen: I’ve read that she only eats about a third of what’s on her plate, and plays with the rest, to keep that girlish figure.
Oh, and ditto on the best wishes and all! I remain convinced that public service is one of the highest callings, regardless of the small number of idjits who make the rest look bad.
How do you plan to capitalize the microloan and assistance program for small start-ups. Will you be using the USDA program, or does your community not qualify as rural? Do you have buy-in from the local lending community on the idea?
I like these microloan and assistance programs, but they can be a Big B to get rolling. Usually the USDA is good to work with, but getting the local mechanisms set up usually harder than one would reasonably assume it should be.
OH! and not to be a wise-ass, but are you gonna be one of those elected officials who won’t do squat without getting “input” from some half-assed citizens advisory committee? 