My first winning campaign

... and I spent most of it in a consulting role.

Local Green Party candidate, Chris Carnell, was elected last night to our village's Council. If any of you readers are familiar with rural politics, this is a major accomplishment. For those that aren't familiar, here's the background.... Small town politics are about connection. If you have lived in the town for over twenty years, run in certain social circles (churches, hockey parents, etc.) and preferably own a business, you get elected.

So how does a 28 year old overcome small town politics to win a seat on Council? Basic political campaigning!

Chris was out just about every night knocking on doors with campaign literature in hand that outlined what he wanted to accomplish as Councilor. We designed a lawn sign for him and he got them posted in strategic places (across from school, across from churches, across from post office) on supporter's lawns. For all of that effort, he earned 50% of the votes and the opportunity to represent them at the Council table.

The recipe is quite simple.... go meet as many of the voters face-to-face as possible. Tell them why you want to be their elected representative and, more importantly, listen to their concerns. As a tip to all the Green campaigns out there, get your candidate in front of as many doors as possible. All the fancy ads, road signs, literature drops and phone calls won't have the same impact as a candidate who's willing to actually "press the flesh" with the voters. If your candidate won't doorknock, time to find a new candidate.

The added bonuses for this election are:
1) that Chris now gets to put "elected Councilor" on his political resume and,
2) Chris now knows what real campaigning (and winning) is.

Having the title of elected Councilor makes Chris a more legitimate candidate in future campaigns. It is a demonstration that he is willing to do the work to get elected and that a portion of the electorate has trusted him with governance. You can guarantee that every piece of literature will include this valuable piece of information. Further, having gone out and door knocked, talked with voters and pounded signs, Chris gets the valuable experience of serious campaigning. Any Green Party candidate who's run in multiple elections will tell you that experience does make a difference.

If you are a candidate for the Green Party or even thinking about being a candidate for the Green Party, the first thing you should do is find out when the next municipal election is in your area and GET ON THE BALLOT! If the election isn't for another year or three, then start identifying what activities will make you a better local candidate. Sure, the environmental work is important but are you serving your local community? Are you a member of a service club? A church group? Coaching minor sports? Volunteering at the school?

It's not just about doing what's best for the environment and getting the local Green Party vote. It's about also serving your community and getting the other 95% of the vote. If you really want to be your area's MP, MLA, MPP or MNA, then you need to demonstrate your commitment to the community and the region.

As Thomas O'Neill Sr said to his son... All politics is local.

Crossposted at http://ReportonGreens.blogspot.com