So, how's the campaign going?

"So," say folks I meet on the street, "How's the campaign going?"
"By the way," add friends and colleagues who email me about something totally
unrelated, "How's the election campaign going?"
My immediate reaction is to be self-deprecating, to say that I really don't know
how it is going, to point out that it's really early in the process that will
stretch nearly a year from first stirrings and private conversations to the
voting on October 25.
Self-deprecation, however, is apparently not an attribute in a candidate for
political office. So I could say, "Fabulous. I've got this thing in the bag."
However, over-confidence is also not an attribute in a candidate for political
office. Neither is stupidity, and the preceding response would fall well within
that category.
So my answer, for the time being, is that it seems to be going well. How do I
know this? All the evidence is anecdotal, of course, and based on interaction
with a a few hundred of the 19,000 residents of Wilmot, the township I hope to
lead as mayor in the next term.
But those interactions are really very positive. I'm getting a lot of supportive
comments, and not only from friends. Acquaintances and strangers are also
telling me that a) they're glad I am running; b) they hear other people saying
positive things about my campaign; and c) they have some issues they'd like to
see discussed. Often, they also ask how they can help.
This is all good news.
What they are not saying, because I don't ask, is that they will vote for me. I
don't ask because I really do believe our system is properly based on a secret
ballot, and what happens in the privacy of a polling booth is between a voter
and her or his personal convictions.
I hope that their positive comments translate into votes, of course. My campaign
will need a lot of them to win this thing.
The other answer to "how is the campaign going?" is, quite honestly, "it's going
in unexpected directions."
By this, I refer to events I had never dreamed of -- for instance, the
Interfaith Silent Auction, 2 p.m., April 24, where a pie I'm going to bake will
be auctioned off for charity, along with pies baked by my opponents and other
local politicians. I have been invited to participate, I said yes, I can bake a
pie. Type to be determined.
Also unexpected -- but very welcome -- are the phone calls and emails I am receiving about fascinating and very specific concerns ranging from turkey hunting to transportation for children. It is clear that a pre-packaged campaign will not do the job in the election... I have to be open and flexible, and willing to listen.
What other unexpected events or questions will arise mid-campaign? I can only wait and see.
I'm hoping for no dunks tanks.
In the meantime, I am talking to people and, more importantly, I am trying to
listen. I am frankly surprised that, at this relatively early date, residents
of Wilmot township are talking about the election. But they are, and a fair amount
from what I can determine. More and more of the comments I am hearing include
the statement, "I was talking to a group of friends about the election, the
other day, and they think..."
What they think varies, of course, but there is a lot about the need for
leadership, for an articulate voice to stand up for the interests of the
township, and for someone to care about the needs of our individual
communities, from flood control in New Hamburg, to good sports fields in
Petersburg and New Dundee, to maintaining the threatened sense of local spirit
in Baden.
These are all important things.
People also talk about the impact of bigger governments on our relatively small
township, especially the Region and the province. That's a major concern of mine,
too.
So when I'm asked, "How's the campaign going?" another good answer would be, "I
believe it's on the right track. People are concerned about things that I think
are important. I think we're on the road to some solutions."
If that sounds like political speechmaking, I don't apologize. Because politics,
at its best, is a means to find solutions for the problems facing the people.
And that's also where this campaign is going.