Bernie, Trump and…Billy Malone?

What do Bernie Sanders, Donald Trump and Billy Malone have in common?

They are all running for office, for one. Bernie and Trump are on the national stage and Billy Malone is running for County Supervisor of the 5th District of Los Angeles County.

But, what else?

These candidates, though very different, all represent a shift away from politics as usual. Most voters are tired of the same old rhetoric and the lack of real differentiation between candidates. So let’s look at how Billy Malone is actually trying to change the game.

Billy Malone set himself an interesting challenge: to walk 300 miles, covering every city and township in the incredibly large and spread out district that he wishes to represent. It is a simple and clear mission. And one that left me confused. How does this raise big money, I wondered? What special interest groups will he win over by completing this task? How will this help him win the seat? I was asking all the wrong questions because Billy Malone is breaking the politics of habit.

So what did Billy Malone gain in his 300 mile walk? Knowledge, empathy, understanding, relationships. He got specific experience that will help him understand his district and represent his constituents. He is doing the ground work that will enable him to be good at the job he wants to have. Take a minute to think about that because this is a very different approach!

Rather than take part in our habitual system of chasing the money, he is focusing on how to govern. In an age where everyone is desperate to elect anyone who is not for “politics as usual”, whether it be Bernie Sanders or Donald Trump, someone like Billy Malone could really be on to something.

He COULD be on to something, IF he were allowed to participate in the full process, which unfortunately has not always been the case in this election cycle. With eight candidates in his race this year, many groups are holding forums to get to know all of the contenders for County Supervisor in the 5th District. Wait, did I say all of the contenders? I stand corrected, because Billy Malone, and some of his fellow candidates, have been having trouble getting invites to these forums.

Some groups have chosen to weed out some of the candidates and only invite five or six to their forums, but that doesn’t stop them from claiming that all the candidates will be present. Nor does it stop them from inviting news outlets to come to their forums, excluding a handful of candidates from getting equal public exposure to the voters.

Billy Malone’s outlook was simple, “I am someone’s candidate and it is important I get their views heard in the election process. ” As a member of a Town Council in an unincorporated area, Billy Malone understands governing at this level and he knows the special challenges that are faced by the unincorporated communities of Los Angeles. That’s significant in this race because the 5th district serves so many unincorporated towns under its large umbrella.

My hope is that we can still find room in politics for someone who isn’t the “usual candidate”. You know the usual candidate. The candidate that has scrambled for money and endorsements and made a lot of promises to a lot of special interest groups along the way. Let’s find room for someone who actually wants the job and wants to represent the people of his district. Let’s do all we can to encourage a candidate like Billy Malone!