Election season is upon us. The yardsigns have been up for two months cluttering up our city, and candidates are deluged with mail about ‘great deals’ on buying those yardsigns.
We are into primary season. 15 years ago the State Legislature, ahem, decreed that a ‘Top Two Primary’ would make things so much easier. The side effect is that instead of having one election season lasting a couple months, now it is two elections and campaigning that lasts half the year. And yardsigns are the symptom. Yardsigns are a way to say ‘who needs research into a candidate, just consume this!’
So, if you are of the few that fancy the meat grinder of campaigning, here’s a ‘how-to’;
- Announce your candidacy
- Get a P.O. box (unless you want unknowns scouting you for ‘oppo research’).
- File with the Pierce Co. Auditor in mid-May. Have your bio/statement/photo ready with $144. Pierce Co. doesn’t require you to file with Public Disclosure Commission but the State does, even if you do not intend to take donations. And the PDC wants your email address. Then they want it again. Then they want it again. Throughout its process, it automatically assumes you have filed before. It is actually heavily weighted toward career candidates and does not lend itself well to general lay interaction. Golly, this’d be swell if you were a lawyer and bad if you’re not!
Now comes the machine.
You will get approx 100 appeals via email to tap into your campaign treasury. Some early email requests are from the League of Women Voters, a Planned Parenthood endorsement offer, a Tacoma/Pierce Co. Realtors endorsement offer, a robocall offer, a Teamsters endorsement offer, Realtors again, a GOP oath of fealty (oh, don’t worry, the Dems will get ya too, eventually), a Carpenters endorsement offer, a political campaign consultant appeal, a couple more lawnsign offers, postcards… That is about a quarter of what you can expect. I wouldn’t open your spam folder about this time. And the Post Office box will be more of the same of indulging your quest for eyesores.
This is all great if you’re seeking the perpetuation of the status quo and pursuing politics as usual.
I think you deserve better.
I’m running on a platform of “One Term, Your Turn”. I’ll serve for 4 years. If done right, I’ll be exhausted and ready for the next Councilmember, who, hopefully will also pledge to work tirelessly for 4 years. Besides, why would we think that a career politician would be a non-stop idea generator? 4 years…
And then it’s your turn.
(Facebook; ‘choose Chas’)
