Elected officials - I have questions for you!

[MsTryska]

I'm often told i should run, and as an activist and a good american citizen, it's prolly my duty as well.


so here's my questions -

how did y'all start? what background is required for the lesser positions? are they full-time jobs, or can you do them part-time - do you get paid for all of them?

where did you find out the info you needed to know before making your first run for office?


(i'm thinking of lower level positions like school boards and whatnot)

[Nicholas D Wolfwood]

1. No real requirements for lower level positions.

If what you're interested in is a school board or town assemblyman position, then all you really need to do is raise your profile in the voting district and come up with some good ideas on which to base your candidacy.

Technically speaking, even the highest of elected positions, including President of the United States, have no background requirements, except possibly age and citizenship.

Does it help to have a relevant background for the position? Absolutely. If you're running for school board, educators and school administrators are going to have a leg up on you if you don't have that background. Money related issues will be best competed for by people with financial backgrounds. Simply put, voters are more likely to take your word for it if you've got the gravitas behind your ideas.

What local elections come down to, however, are two things: name recognition and party affiliation (and in that priority order). Quite simply, if a lot of people know who you are (and like you), you'll have a definite advantage at the polls. Furthermore, sadly enough, most people have no clue about local politics and will vote straight party-line. Thus, if you're running as a Democrat in a heavily Republican district, best of luck to you, because you're going to lose even if your opponent is illiterate unless you have some primo name recognition.

Money and time are also two requisites. You have to be able to spread the word about yourself, after all.

Best of luck to you!

[IndianaDemocrat]

2. Lower Level Elected Positions

Well said....

Believe me, your first campaign for a local office is an EYE-OPENING, and often degrading experience, (especially as a DEM in a Republican stronghold!!)....

In the end, ALL politics are truly local.

[MsTryska]

3. thanks fro the info.....

i can work on the name recognition, but my main thing is that so many of the low-level positions in my town go to unopposed republicans - it doesn't seem right that they are running against no one.


But I have a great job where i do actually get to do things for my community - would i need to sacrifice that to run?

(actually i may - we're a non-profit - so i'm nto entirely sure what my org's rules are)

[Nicholas D Wolfwood]

5. It'd be a conflict of interest if your elected office had business

with your current organization. You might have to resign.

Unfortunately, local level jobs tend not to be full time positions, and they don't pay very well either, even if they are full time. It really depends on the position you're running for whether or not you'd be able to keep your current job.

If Republicans are going unopposed, they're either long-time incumbents and/or you're in a heavily Republican district. Either way, it'll be an uphill climb for you. I don't say that to discourage you from running, as you always have a chance of success. Circumstances might make that chance a little lower than you'd like though.

[MsTryska]

7. yeah..possibly.....

actually my county elected official is also the chairman of the board for my organiztion.....so again i'm not really sure.


Maybe i'll sit tight and form relationships with my local dem party (i've still yet to get in successful contact with them and i've been trying since 2004) and keep doing what i'm doing at my job.


but yeah - i think they are both long-time incumbents and i'm in a heavily republican area - altho the state senator for my district is a dem.

[crispini]

4. You need to get on the horn to your local Democratic Party.

They should be able to help you out with all kinds of info, filing deadlines and so on. They should also be able to help hook you up with local activists. You should start attending local Democratic club meetings and join various committees at your local Dem Party and this will give you a foot into the door in your local political scene.

One really good place to start is with city and county boards. Many of these are appointed positions. Your city council member or your county commissioner appoints people to these boards. Having a board or two on your resume is a great way to get your feet wet with city or county government.

[MsTryska]

8. I do attend various club meetings....

unfortunately they're in my city - but not necessarily my county.

I'm having a tough time getting in touch with the county party - despite emails and phonecalls.

The City Council/County Commissioner idea is a good one tho. thanks!

[Pacifist Patriot]

11. We have volunteer committees in our city and they are

always looking for people. If appointed positions are hard to get find out about citizen volunteer committees. They are great for the resume too!

[skids]

6. Local politics =

Door to door face time. I know you don't want to hear it, but that's the facts.

It really helps a lot if you are a long-time resident of a town,
or failing that, a region. Multi-generational family residency is respected as well. Not much you can do if you don't have it, but if you do, wear it on your sleeve.

Oh, and don't try to buy the campaign with too much money. That is looked at dimly. You want people to get the impression that you are successful, but not that you are "buying in."

[Pacifist Patriot]

10. Absolutely. Grassroots campaign can beat the pants off

of a slick money-laden campaign. I've seen that happen over and over again.

Be prepared to walk, walk, walk and do some more walking.

[Pacifist Patriot]

9. Your Supervisor of Elections office should

have a staffer or team that specifically helps candidates. Find out who that person is/persons are and be nice to them! They can be invaluable resources.

Check with your local DEC to see if they have candidate training classes. Some do. Some don't. Some are better than others.

Don't pay a lot of money to go to a professional political candidate training seminar unless you are very familiar with the organization, i.e. Camp Wellstone.

Pick the brains of successful (and unsuccessful!) candidates at your local level. Much of local politics is the same all over but some aspects will be specific to your district.

Attend meetings. Go to the city council meetings, county commission hearings, etc. Ask questions when appropriate and introduce yourself to people. Meet and greet and get to know the issues!

Qualify by petition instead of filing fee. You'll meet more people, save money and start your campaign early.

Work on someone else's campaign first. If you're interested in a position that isn't up until 2006 but your area has some races in 2005 find out who is running and get inside the campaign. Be useful and keep your eyes and ears open.

Mind set can be everything. When I made the decision to eventually run for office some day I subconsciously changed my demeanor. People noticed and I got asked to run!

Hope that helps. Good luck!

[MsTryska]

12. thanks for some excellent tips!

i didn't even think of the candidate training classes - one of the organizations who's meetings i attend actually does do those types of training - next tiem they have a workshop i'm there.