Can You Vote for the Best Office Filler Not The Candidate?

You think this vote stuff is easy? For any elected official, there are two parts to the process:

- The candidacy (shaking hands, eating chicken dinners, walking in public parades, raising funds, kissing babies), and

- The office (where the issues require a different set of people skills, an understanding of what’s truly at stake for the constituency served, and a determination to see through the issue to resolution).

My partner, Mike, recounts his own elections to public office. He’s run for school board, state representative, and village board member.

To put oneself in front of others for their comments, criticism, and vote takes so much more than I could ever muster. (I’m in awe!)

Twice he ran for state representative and lost both elections (by a tiny number of votes).

The second election, people shook his hand, excited to see him in person and have the opportunity to say, “I voted for you!” He’d smile, honored. Many would explain with determination and honesty why he got their vote: “I voted for you because you drive a red truck, and I do too!” or “You’ve got a mustache. I like mustaches.” (Crazy, huh? It’s true!)

Running for that office was a huge effort. He relied on family, friends, and endorsing groups to volunteer for his campaign. He overheard one conversation between a call-room volunteer and a potential voter. She relayed Mike’s platform and then, according to phone script, asked, “Can we count on your vote for Mike Goodman?”

Mike could hear silence as she listened to the potential voter’s response and then her unscripted, “Well **** you too!” (Sadly, that was true, too.)

Mike’s biggest challenge during his campaigns was to ask family and friends for financial support. Requesting a vote was one thing but to ask for money, quite another as it changes relationships. He’s not alone in thinking “the ask” difficult. It’s often the reason an individual doesn’t run for public office. (Can you blame ‘em?)

For the two elections he lost, Mike knew exactly by how many votes and re-thought the campaign details over and over. Could he have shaken more hands? Did he not contact the right local leader for an endorsement? Were his yard signs with his name clear enough? (Maybe he needed a blue truck too.)

For the two elections he won, the work of the office was time consuming and arduous. (No one really ever thanked him). The school board on which he sat ensured no decision would be made without agreement by all members. The 11 members held meetings until after midnight, discussing and negotiting until they came to consensus. (That’s killer.)

The village board he served on almost always voted 6 to 1 with Mike the dissenter. He believed he could only serve his supporters with a vote from his conscience, even if that challenged his board colleagues. (That was killer too).

Mike has not run again although he says he has one more election in him. (I’ve noticed he has fewer red, white, and blue ties in his closet.)

Not everyone has the “fire in the belly” to run for public office. Not everyone has the strength mecessary to be an elected official and serve the public. Those who do deserve our honest consideration on election day.

(Vote!)

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Your thoughts and opinion are always welcome by scrolling down or emailing johaselhoef@gmail.com.

Judy O Haselhoef, a social artist, story-teller, and author of “GIVE & TAKE: Doing Our Damnedest NOT to be Another Charity in Haiti,” blogs regularly at her website, www.JOHaselhoef.com.

Copyright @2016: If you’d like to use any part of it (up to 200 words), please give full attribution and this website, www.JOHaselhoef.