Reality of Local Elections
Municipal elections are over, and after another painful season of watching candidates do stupid things, I just have to say something. These quick “no duh” thoughts are based upon my time as a campaign consultant, and former city staffer. Really, any one who could fog a mirror should be able to figure this stuff out, but we see the same silliness every election cycle. Here’s the two things I’d tell future candidates for Mayor and City Council.
Learn your stuff
I was impressed in the Boise City Council race that Ben Quintana actually spent time going to budget hearings, and council meetings, and generally trying to understand just what it is that a city council member does. I contrast that with one of the other candidates who ran on a platform of helping improve the Boise Schools, and working with ACHD to improve transit. First, neither the Mayor or the Council have any control over anything that happens with Boise Schools. Nothing. Second, ACHD doesn’t have anything to do with transit - that would be Valley Regional Transit. This particular candidate might have well been running on a platform to alter gravity. The point: if you are going to run for a job, get the job description, and learn just what it is that you actually do.
Leave your ideology at home
Candidates all over the Valley ran on various platforms of “streamlining government,” “eliminating waste,” “smaller government,” or lower taxes. Some just came right out and said “I’m the conservative, vote for me.” We need to be clear on this: none of that stuff means anything in local government. The reality of local government is that it is just a basic service provider: cops, fire, water (sometimes), sewer, garbage disposal, public works. You spend a lot of time on questions of planning and zoning. There’s an annual budget cycle. If you are considering running for office, I suggest you spend some time at your local city hall looking for “waste.” It aint there. There are no gigantic slush funds sitting around that could eliminate the need for property taxes if only the greedy mayor and council would just be honest. Cuts at the municipal level happen to basic services, not boards and commissions and pet programs of entrenched federal bureaucrats. So get a clue.
One last bonus tip -
Leave the parlor tricks at home
Norm Semanko offers a great reminder that silly stunts in municipal elections don’t work. His ridiculous over-the-top statement that Reynolds’ spending made him “physically ill” was the capstone of a campaign that did little right. Norm combined ideology and parlor tricks to get his result. We’ve seen the same happen in Boise mayoral races in the past (Winder’s robo calls). I don’t think there’s anything that justifies these kind of tactics - but in a municipal race, it’s just non-sensical. At the end of the day, you have to go live next door to these people, see them at Fred Meyer, the coffee shop, etc. You don’t get to just disappear like congressmen, or presidential candidates.
So those are a few of my election tips for all you elected hopefuls.
Uncategorized | admin November 9, 2011
