My #1 supporter and me
More and Better Democrats, right? Where are the More and Better Democrats we seek?
My story below the squiggle....
I am a 60 year old woman who spent my career in manufacturing management as an engineer and operations manager. It was there that I learned the value of labor, the value of working together, and the vast diversity of people who can come together to make stuff, make it better, and keep looking for the next improvement in the process.
I grew up in a political family. My dad was a long serving county official, a moderate Republican. I was taught to believe in good government that served the people, to respect the environment, respect for women's rights (my mom supported the ERA), to lift up those in need, and to try to make my part of the world a better place, every day. Of course, those values are held by only one party today, and it’s surely not the Republicans.
Today I celebrate as a newly elected member of the City Council of Novi, Michigan, a Republican leaning suburb of Detroit. Last year, my local Democratic club encouraged me to run for County Commissioner, against a popular Republican. No Democrat has ever won a partisan race in this district. It was redistricted in 2012 to make it even more red, but with the help of about a dozen really hard working friends we knocked on over 11,000 doors , and I won 43% of the vote, outperforming any prior Dem. If I heard “there are no Democrats in this area, you are crazy to try” once, I heard it 1000 times. But you know what? 12,000 people voted for me in that race. That’s not losing, that’s building a base.
Fast forward to March of this year, when I decided to run for City Council. In Novi, there are 6 non-partisan 4-year council seats, 3 seats are open every two years. Non-partisan, ha! The mayor is an establishment Republican, one council member is the county Republican party treasurer, one is a 31 year old Christian conservative. Only one other member is a Democrat, and he was running for a 3rd term. He and I joined forces early, campaigned together, shared resources, and worked it the old fashioned way – at the doors and on the phones. We helped each other, and Tuesday the vote went like this: 31 year old Christian conservative – 25%, 3rd term Dem – 24%, and Newcomer Dem (Me) – 23% of the vote. Only 338 votes separated me from the top vote-getter. I raised the most money of all 6 candidates, and from the most donors, too.
We Democrats worry about the big seats – President, Congress, even the State level offices. Finding candidates who will be contenders for these positions is a problem if we don’t have seasoned campaigners ready to go. Which brings me to my point:
WE MUST BE THE FARM TEAM FOR THE FUTURE
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We need to be thinking about 2014, 2015, and 2016, and more people need to get in the game now! I have watched a young Republican rise from City Council, to State Rep, to Speaker of the State House within 8 years. He became an ALEC toady, and did a lot of damage before term limits (and two DUIs) ended his career. The guy who replaced him is even worse.
We MUST be in it for the long haul. 2016 could be a huge year for Democrats if we are ready with qualified candidates. It took me 18 months and two elections to win a seat. It’s time for YOU to think about running. It doesn’t matter how old you are, your gender, your ethnicity or anything else. It only matters that you realize that NOW is the time, and YOU are the change we are seeking.
Here are the lessons I can share:
1.Get to your local Democratic club if you think you might want to run for something. There are people who are looking for someone to support, and they know how to do the real groundwork. They will teach you, help you, and raise money for you. I selected a 23 year old accountant for my campaign treasurer, and a 23 year old campaign manager. They both learned valuable skills for the future, and will probably each run for office one day.
2.Get to know your community. Serve on local boards or commissions, or volunteer with local organizations. While I was canvassing in a very red neighborhood I ran across someone I knew from Boy Scouts 10 years ago. He donated, put a sign in his yard, and hosted a meet and greet for me. Don't make assumptions about people. Have your message ready, and let the chips fall where they may.
3. Door knocking works, and it's more fun than you might imagine. I can honestly say that every time we knocked doors, I had at least one positive or gratifying encounter (see above).
My favorite story from last summer:
Woman at the door: You're running against my good friend Mrs. X, I love her!
Me: I like her too, but I don't like her politics.
Woman at the door: I don't like her politics either, I'll vote for you!
4.There is free (or inexpensive) training out there to get you started, and you should take advantage of it. www.progressivemajority.org, Wellstone Action, and New Organizing Institute are excellent sources for all things campaign related (raising money, creating a message, canvassing, targeting voters etc). There are free webinars anyone can participate in. I’m sure there are more groups out there, but these are the ones that helped me.
We are turning Novi Blue. IF I CAN DO IT, SO CAN YOU. Please join me in the fight.
Gwen Markham
Council Member-Elect
Novi, Michigan