Academy of Local Politics

So many people think that running for local office is much more complicated that what it is. They also think it is much more expensive than what it is. Now while a candidate can make their campaign both complicated and expensive, it need not be.

       Mayor Lisa Wong of Fitchburg, MA tells her story in the Worcester Telegram.

Ms. Wong ran a grass-roots campaign that targeted thousands of voters who had cast ballots for at least the last six elections. She said knocking on doors was her greatest focus, with traditional campaign signs and literature a small part of her effort.

“Your face is better than any logo you could come up with,” she said.

I couldn't agree more. The following is a little tip that expands on the door knocking campaign.  

Knowing not everyone who answered their door would be keen to hear details of her vision for the mayor’s office, she had worked out a 9-second version of her plan. She also had 30-second and 90-second versions for those who appeared interested in hearing more detail.

Well over 75% of the doors that actually are answered will be satisfied with the 9 second version. But, it certainly helps to have those expanded versions of your story ready to use when appropriate.

The hardest door to knock on...is the first one. I admit that one is damn hard to do. But, each door gets easier and easier to knock.

I still remember my first election in 1984. I stood at the end of Cornell Avenue and gazed down the street at what seemed like hundreds of yard signs for one of my opponents in the 5 way Primary. But, I was going to knock on those doors anyway.

It was that year I learned that yard signs don't win elections. The opponent who had all those yard signs came in last. So, don't be discouraged or intimidated by a yard sign for an opponent. Yard signs don't vote. The people behind the front door vote. Just because the person behind the door may like one of your opponents personally and places a sign in their yard, doesn't mean they will vote for them.

So, happy knocking candidates. You are welcome at my door anytime.

I can be extremely politically incorrect at times. OK, lots of times. But, I never got caught in public and put in the newspaper over it.

A column by Stephen Lautens from the Edmonton Sun tells us a story of political incorrectness running amok in Toronto.

Whether you are a media participant or observer, you can't help but realize there are a lot of things that are more or less off limits.

There are just some things you cannot say, or if you do say them you say them at your peril. And by peril I mean letters to the editor, pickets, death threats or worse - a referral to a human rights commission.

There is no comment you can make about a person's weight, height, clothes, god, religion, family status, sexual preference, mental agility, addictions, dependencies, politics, headgear or carbon footprint that will not get you in trouble.

You cannot acknowledge - let alone make a joke about - any of our differences, unless you want to be burned in effigy.

Here it comes folks ... the zinger...this is really good...

For example, it was in the paper that a Toronto city councillor stopped last month in the middle of a debate about halting a tree pest infestation to object to the name "gypsy moth," which is the creature that happily chews up the city's trees. 

Not only that...

"Gypsy," she solemnly scolded the people from Parks and Rec, is a derogatory term that should never be used by public officials and an apology was called for...

presumably to the millions of destructive gypsy moths so heartbroken that they could barely continue destroying forests.

At the risk of being considered insensitive, I will comment no further.

We are being expected to believe that the ever elusive Young Adult vote is going to be very active this year in the Presidential election.

The Traveler, the newspaper of the University of Arkansas wrote an excellent editorial urging their students to look past the Presidential election and also focus on the State and Local level.

All the presidential candidates this year are talking about the need for change, and most Americans seem to agree. But, you can't expect one elected official to change your life. 

How true. In my talks to groups, I explain what I call the Tower of Strength. The fact is, of the 511,000 elected officials in our country, over 96% of them are Local Elected Officials. The basic foundation of our government.

Moving up the Tower of Strength is the State elected officials and at the top is the National elected officials.

Anyone who thinks that fixing the roof because you have a leaky basement will work, is sure to be disappointed.

Not only do the actions of our smaller governing bodies often have a more direct effect on our daily lives, our votes also have a more direct effect when it comes to electing those governing officials. There is no electoral college or confusing delegate count, only your vote and the vote of the people around you. And, because fewer people vote in state and local elections, each vote has much more of an impact...

If you really want to see change, you have to get involved.

I hope this editorial touches at least one student. When I speak on this subject of starting at the bottom of the Tower of Strength and moving up from there, that is my goal... I want to get one more person involved. 

General Bill Creech said, "Think big about what you can achieve, think small about how to achieve it."

Winning the war against local political apathy can only be won by thinking small about how to achieve it. In the trenches...one at a time.

Garbage... Garbage... Garbage... It never stops...Garbage.

Where do we put our garbage?

I know from personal experience, as a Mayor who had to deal with two abandoned/ contaminated landfills, the biggest problem with garbage doesn't appear for decades.

Newstalk Radio 1310 explains how Dane County (WI) is facing that issue now.

With the Dane County Landfill nearing its capacity faster than expected, officials are poised to install a controversial system to speed garbage decomposition and extend the facility's operation by as much as 15 years.

Speed garbage decomposition? Sounds like trying to fool Mother Nature to me.

Dane County engineers are preparing to build a $2 million "bioreactor" at the local landfill, which would fill up within six years at its current rate of use.

The term 'bioreactor' refers to a system of pumps and pipes to circulate water and air through the landfilled garbage, speeding its decomposition and freeing space for more waste, said Gerald Mandli, the county's public-works director.

It is trying to fool Mother Nature. That isn't good. Something bad always happens when we try to do that. I wonder what it could be this time?

One possible problem could be the increased production of methane, a greenhouse gas produced by decomposing garbage, according to Peter Anderson, owner of Recycleworlds Consulting in Madison.

Bingo...there it is. Methane. Not good.

Another significant problem with the bioreactor approach is that it delays discussions of more forward-looking ways to get rid of garbage, Anderson said.

Two-thirds of what goes into a landfill is recyclable organic material such as soiled paper and food wastes, Anderson said. That's the type of long-term planning the county should be considering, he added.

"I think we could get very close to zero waste," Anderson said. "But maybe the next thing is for us to get the organics out."

I've written about this before. San Francisco is leading the way and Austin, TX is attempting to do the same. Zero Waste Plans.

I still can't believe I am actually endorsing an action of San Francisco and Austin and now maybe Madison... but if they can actually achieve or even come close to Zero Waste Landfills more power to them.

Then teach the rest of us how to do it, because our present methods of disposing of garbage really stink.

In my never ending pursuit of learning about the political process, I did a two year tour of duty as a poll worker. It was hell. It was like watching hot dogs being made. You just don't want to know how it is done.

An Associated Press article by Deborah Hastings brings back my bad memories.

It begins...

When things go awry at the voting booth, as they have several times in this hectic primary season, much of the blame often falls on ill-trained poll workers who are paid a pittance...

"We're running the most important part of our democracy on the backs of untrained, poorly paid volunteers," said Lloyd Leonard, who has helped research poll worker issues for the League of Women Voters.

Amen. Since the Florida debacle of 2000 things have not gotten better. It is worse. The reason it is worse is new technology is being mandated to use in many areas and those "in charge" have no idea how to operate the new technology.

Senator Herb Kohl wants to make a bad situation even worse. Senator Kohl is still pushing his idea to open polls at 10:00 am on Saturday and keep them open until 6:00 pm on Sunday.

His Press Release says in part...

"Holding elections on the first Tuesday of November makes it difficult, even impossible, for many Americans with jobs and family to exercise their fundamental right to vote. We should do what is in our power to make this process easier, to encourage more people to make their voice heard in Washington. Holding elections over the weekend rather than a work day will make it significantly easier for millions of Americans to vote.

“By enacting my legislation, we ensure fairer, more open and more credible elections that allow more Americans to participate in their inherent right to choose their representatives and leaders.”

What a bunch of feel good crap.

I have never talked with anyone who did not vote because of their job or family. They don't vote because they don't want to. You could keep the polls open for a month and they still wouldn't vote.

Senator Kohl wants to solve the problem of long lines in many polling places keeping voters waiting longer than one or two hours. So do I.

But, I don't want to solve the problem by making them going to the polls at midnight on Saturday to avoid the long lines.

I want to solve the problem by trying to hire competent poll workers who don't have to ask "Huh?" after you give them your name.

I want to hire poll workers who know how to operate the "new technology" forms of voting.

I want to hire poll workers who don't do the job because of the "pot luck" dinner at break time.

I want to hire enough poll workers so those who do work don't have to pull a 16-18 hour shift or more.

If we hire more and better poll workers, watch the speed of the lines increase.

We can change the day of voting... we can add more hours to vote... but if we don't improve the quality of those people who work at the polls it will not solve anything.