Dearest Kossacks:
In an attempt to postpone my dissertation even more, help get a down-ticket Democrat elected in Republican Hamilton County, Ohio, and possibly sow seeds for my own electoral future, it looks like I'll be taking over as campaign manager (or at least consultant) for Steve Brinker, who is running for Hamilton County Recorder.
Steve, a former Green Township trustee (1981 - 85) and former member of the Oak Hills School Board (1991 - 95), agreed to run this past Saturday after Eve Bolton left the Recorder's race to run for the County Commission seat currently held by John Dowlin, who was defeated in the GOP Primary by Pat DeWine, son of US Senator Mike DeWine.
This is what I have to ask of you (down in extended copy)...
HELP.
I've not done this before, at least not on this scale. I "managed" my own campaign for Cincinnati City Council in 2001, but I had no money, no name recognition, and a ton of naïvete, and consequently finished dead last, well off the radar.
Of course, experience is the best teacher, and I feel a heckuva lot more confident about now, especially since Brinker is a title attorney, has had electoral success (albeit in the past), and is well known in the more conservative western part of the county (he is a conservative Democrat, but this is the Recorder's office we're talking about here; I doubt issues of abortion or Iraq are going to be on the table).
I'll be meeting with him, maybe as soon as tomorrow, and want to hit the ground running. If you would be so kind, I'd appreciate lists of things to do, things to be acquired, people to have handy, etc. I have a friend who can design bumper stickers/yard signs/buttons, and the literature can be created mostly at home computers and printed in a slick fashion, but I want to make sure I don't overlook anything else I can put to use.
ANY AND ALL IDEAS ARE GREATLY APPRECIATED.
Thank you for your time.
WF