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Post by bad guy™ on Jul 4, 2019 17:00:18 GMT -5
IMO more people should be into local politics as that is what effects your day to day lives more then what national politics do. Bingo. Before I started my PhD program and put way too much on my plate to even take one day away to work elections, that was a gripe I always had, and made it a point to thank anyone for coming out to vote. As a former county elections judge, Presidential years I literally would start shedding my hair from stress. Local elections I could sit on my thumbs the whole day and not receive a single call for help unless a machine broke/power went out at a polling location/one time I had to go to a fire chief's house and bang on his door for almost an hour in the freezing cold because he'd gotten piss drunk the night before and forgot he had to open the doors to the hall up the night before so I had workers handing out emergency ballots and voting machines covered in ice. No one other than him had a key. Apparently the municipal building was supposed to have a spare but no one is gonna be there before 9am to ask for it. That's a day I'll never forget. But back to your point, local is the most important. Trump/Obama/Bush/Clinton forever back amen don't decide the minor details that affect your everyday life, like if your main road is getting paved, or if your local taxes are getting increased because your school district wants to build a new football stadium etc. That's your council and mayor. It's nice that everyone and their mother want to vote for President, but to see such a disparity in vote counts from Presidential to local is mind boggling. Sure, the President is important, but having a street that won't swallow your car whole from a bad winter is also a huge plus.
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Post by TheLastDude on Jul 4, 2019 17:10:14 GMT -5
I lost the mayoral race last year for my boro. Pretty close though, 1034-990. Not bad for a staunch, well documented, VERY vocal left wing nut like me in the middle of Trump Country. Also, insanely high turnout for a local election considering the population is only about 5k, but everyone figured this would be a weird one because our school board is a giant cluster and everyone, even people who don't have kids like me, had an opinion on how ed it was on a scale of 1 to USSR. Our council has been the same forever. Only reason I ran for mayor was because I didn't want the council president to get to keep the mayoral seat without a fight considering our old mayor died at the age of 93 two years ago. So when I say the same forever, I mean the same forever. That's very cool that you ran. Sorry you lost, but good for you for trying. Change doesn't happen overnight, but you have to start somewhere. The fact that you only lost by as much as you did shows people are willing to try.
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Post by bad guy™ on Jul 4, 2019 17:24:49 GMT -5
I lost the mayoral race last year for my boro. Pretty close though, 1034-990. Not bad for a staunch, well documented, VERY vocal left wing nut like me in the middle of Trump Country. Also, insanely high turnout for a local election considering the population is only about 5k, but everyone figured this would be a weird one because our school board is a giant cluster and everyone, even people who don't have kids like me, had an opinion on how ed it was on a scale of 1 to USSR. Our council has been the same forever. Only reason I ran for mayor was because I didn't want the council president to get to keep the mayoral seat without a fight considering our old mayor died at the age of 93 two years ago. So when I say the same forever, I mean the same forever. That's very cool that you ran. Sorry you lost, but good for you for trying. Change doesn't happen overnight, but you have to start somewhere. The fact that you only lost by as much as you did shows people are willing to try. I'd like to run again in a couple of years for a state senate seat. The district my rep...reps is actually only three towns and one city that's in a major recession it can't seem to get out of. Pennsylvania is a Democratic state nationally (most of the time) because of Pittsburgh, Philly, State College, Erie, and Scranton combined making up almost twice the population of the rest of the state. But at the state level, it's a very red state so a lot of economic issues tend to go untouched in favor of keeping social changes to a minimum. But I'd go a different route and work with state level branches of Justice Democrats, the group that funded congresswomen AOC, Talib, and Omar. Flip the district and focus on bringing the city out of its depression. I don't have lofty goals. I'm a professor and I occasionally pick up shifts at my old college job on the weekend when I need extra cash or am bored during the summer when I'm not teaching. And I want to keep teaching. But if I can help my community while I'm at it, all the better. One of my undergraduate professors is a state congressman and lived here and taught but made the trek twice a week to the state capital for voting, so it certainly can be done. Just a matter of getting that first win.
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Post by kennyw86v2 on Jul 4, 2019 18:00:44 GMT -5
Some stoner moron I went to high school with ran for a seat in the house in 14. Got just under 40% of the vote. He lost, but from how I knew him, 40% is a huge amount.
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Post by vampiroporvida on Jul 8, 2019 10:07:37 GMT -5
I don't trust politicians, mostly, and a dealing with local politicians on animal safety has shown me prorities are not exactly what they seem. Locally, the tourist is favored over the local, and for my cases, they lie when they don't like something and say that x local can't do x because it is a federal thing, even though I know that is untrue.
Now, if I could find someone that would end all of this construction that makes it unbearable to drive downtown now, or at least have someone care that it affects locals, that would be nice, but I doubt it.
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Post by bad guy™ on Jul 8, 2019 10:35:44 GMT -5
I don't trust politicians, mostly, and a dealing with local politicians on animal safety has shown me prorities are not exactly what they seem. Locally, the tourist is favored over the local, and for my cases, they lie when they don't like something and say that x local can't do x because it is a federal thing, even though I know that is untrue. Now, if I could find someone that would end all of this construction that makes it unbearable to drive downtown now, or at least have someone care that it affects locals, that would be nice, but I doubt it. Why not you? I mentioned above, I've run in a mayoral race. Lost. But it got my name out there, which will allow me to make a bigger impact in my area at a slightly higher level and make sure things get done and people are held accountable...should I win my future race. I dunno where you live, but if you're adamant about the changes you want to see, I assure you you're not the only one. It takes a lot of time, especially if you're not in a small town, and can be frustrating pounding on doors. But if you feel a certain way, others have to also. You find them, and that's your base and you move from there.
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Post by vampiroporvida on Jul 8, 2019 11:04:41 GMT -5
I don't trust politicians, mostly, and a dealing with local politicians on animal safety has shown me prorities are not exactly what they seem. Locally, the tourist is favored over the local, and for my cases, they lie when they don't like something and say that x local can't do x because it is a federal thing, even though I know that is untrue. Now, if I could find someone that would end all of this construction that makes it unbearable to drive downtown now, or at least have someone care that it affects locals, that would be nice, but I doubt it. Why not you? I mentioned above, I've run in a mayoral race. Lost. But it got my name out there, which will allow me to make a bigger impact in my area at a slightly higher level and make sure things get done and people are held accountable...should I win my future race. I dunno where you live, but if you're adamant about the changes you want to see, I assure you you're not the only one. It takes a lot of time, especially if you're not in a small town, and can be frustrating pounding on doors. But if you feel a certain way, others have to also. You find them, and that's your base and you move from there. I appreciate the sentiment. It is cool to know you did it, and maybe something I should think about for a county seat, but like you say, time. I don't have a lot of that, but respect anyone willing to try to change this rock for the better.
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Post by CM Poor on Jul 8, 2019 11:45:30 GMT -5
I'm a local election official. It's a non-partisan, non-legislative, elected position. I'm nearing the end of my first term, and this November, I'll be running for election to replace my locale's chief election official, who is retiring from public service. It's a relatively non-committal role that allows me to remain civically engaged without having to sacrifice a tremendous amount of time annually. I've been asked by at least one person to one day seek a seat on our school board. I'm leaving that one up to the sands of time, as I currently do not have the affordable time needed to commit to such an endeavor (their duties a second in time requirements, likely, to only the mayor). I'm happy in my position for the time being. Should I be elected to serve as the head official for my district this fall, the first scheduled election I will oversee will be the 2020 Presidential Primaries. That may call for an extra day off work.
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Post by bad guy™ on Jul 8, 2019 18:35:22 GMT -5
Why not you? I mentioned above, I've run in a mayoral race. Lost. But it got my name out there, which will allow me to make a bigger impact in my area at a slightly higher level and make sure things get done and people are held accountable...should I win my future race. I dunno where you live, but if you're adamant about the changes you want to see, I assure you you're not the only one. It takes a lot of time, especially if you're not in a small town, and can be frustrating pounding on doors. But if you feel a certain way, others have to also. You find them, and that's your base and you move from there. I appreciate the sentiment. It is cool to know you did it, and maybe something I should think about for a county seat, but like you say, time. I don't have a lot of that, but respect anyone willing to try to change this rock for the better. Yeah. I mean, I mentioned above. I'm a professor. Time isn't something that comes easy. And I ran for mayor in a small town, so door to door is easier in a smaller community than a bigger one. But the biggest thing, above all, is make your name known. Find out when council meetings are (whether your issue is with your town, district, or county) and make your voice heard in the free range forum. Use that as a litmus test to see if people in the room with you agree or disagree, and see what politicians behind the bench agree, diragree, or are disingenuously shoving you the "we'll do our best" BS. If you get your name out there multiple times, you'll get a following. Make a dedicated social media account for political related information about your complaints. You'd be surprised how many people will jump on board.
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Post by bad guy™ on Jul 8, 2019 18:38:21 GMT -5
I'm a local election official. It's a non-partisan, non-legislative, elected position. I'm nearing the end of my first term, and this November, I'll be running for election to replace my locale's chief election official, who is retiring from public service. It's a relatively non-committal role that allows me to remain civically engaged without having to sacrifice a tremendous amount of time annually. I've been asked by at least one person to one day seek a seat on our school board. I'm leaving that one up to the sands of time, as I currently do not have the affordable time needed to commit to such an endeavor (their duties a second in time requirements, likely, to only the mayor). I'm happy in my position for the time being. Should I be elected to serve as the head official for my district this fall, the first scheduled election I will oversee will be the 2020 Presidential Primaries. That may call for an extra day off work. My first time as an official was in 2013. It was easy street, even midterms the next year. Then 2016 came around and hit me with a semi. I know you're aware of what's coming, but trust me this once...take that extra day off if you can, and pack as many headache pills as you can. Stress and migraine, if possible. I'd say a flask for your coffee, but well...that one's on you man.
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