ELLY GRIMM
• Leader & Times
Those considering running for public office later this year will soon have the chance to learn more about campaigning and what to expect while in office.
The Liberal Area Coalition for Families (LACF) will be hosting a candidate 'boot camp' called 'Running 101: The Path to Public Local Office' from 10 a.m. to noon Saturday, April 26 in the Cooper Clark Room at Liberal Memorial Library. As co-coordinator Kathleen Alonso tells it, there is a lot that will be discussed.
“During that boot camp, we'll be talking about what local seats are open for this election cycle, what to expect if you decide to run for office, what resources will be available, and the importance of those local positions, since the deadline to file is June 1,” Alonso said. “We'll also be talking about what it takes to actually run a campaign and how to do that, we did put together a toolkit a few years ago that should be a really great resource. And refreshments will be served for those who come, this event is open to everyone in the public – maybe YOU don't want to run for office, but maybe you know someone who's thinking about it.”
“We're also inviting some people who have either run for office in the past or are currently serving in local office so they can give a candid view of what these potential candidates are getting themselves into,” co-coordinator Kay Burtzloff added. “Some people might remember it was a few years ago when there was someone who ran for Liberal City Commission, got elected, and then only lasted a few meetings because it turned out to be much more of a responsibility than expected. We've run these events off and on for a number of years, and we had people who didn't end up running that particular election cycle, but they ended up running the next time around, so sometimes it takes a bit of time for the idea to really percolate and for the timing to be right. Research shows one of the reasons this area has such low voter turnout is because of the many uncontested races, and that makes people think 'Why bother to vote if there's only one candidate running?' so we want to make sure all the local races are contested, because they really should be. Even though there are multiple incumbents running, and I have nothing against them, they should have to really earn their spot back and answer to their constituents for what they've done and what they plan to do if they get elected to office. One of the reasons I've been more excited in past years is because for a long time, the SCCC Board of Trustees elections were uncontested and there were more positions open than people running. But the past couple election cycles, they've been contested races, which is great. The best thing for our democracy is having contested races.”
Alonso and Burtzloff said they hope for big turnout to the boot camp event.
“The biggest thing I would want to emphasize is if you do come to this event, you will NOT be required to run for any office. This is simply an educational event, and our goal is to get this information out there to as many people as possible, whether they're ultimately interested in running for office or not,” Alonso said. “And like Kay said earlier, it could be a situation where you don't run in this election cycle, but maybe the timing and everything else is better the next time around. This is truly just an educational opportunity for everyone, and we will not put any pressure on anyone, but this type of information is very important for people in the community to hear and understand. And even as voters, everyone should be aware of their elected officials' responsibilities are and what they do, so this would be a great opportunity for those people as well.”
“And then on another note, if you ARE interested in running for office, we at the LACF have access to a lot of resources that will help guide you along the way and through your campaign. We can talk to you about planning, connect you with people who might be interested in helping you, that type of thing,” Burtzloff added. “For example, when Presephoni Fuller ran for her county commission seat, we helped her during her campaign in terms of helping find out where her voters were and how to map out the community and other such information. We've shared this information with several candidates throughout the years, and they're always grateful for the help. For a lot of people, their mindset is 'I'd like to run for office, but how do I even get started?' and we can definitely help with that, because part of the LACF's mission is to help with things like that. And it doesn't matter which party you're affiliated with, we will be here to give you some help and guidance if you need it. Something else that's happened in more recent election cycles is we've had more and more non-affiliated candidates run, and I think that's great too.”
Burtzloff and Alonso also encouraged potential candidates to decide sooner rather than later whether or not they will officially run for office.
“Overall, the sooner you decide what you want to do, the better off you'll be. I know a lot of candidates wait to file until the deadline day, which is okay, but if you're truly, seriously beginning to consider whether or not to run for office, now is the time to start doing some of that behind-the-scenes work,” Burtzloff said. “That would include getting your application, getting it filled out, figuring out what the reporting requirements are, and all of that information. If you do that, then by the time you actually officially file, you can hit the campaign trail running. We're also not sure if there's going to be a primary, and that's because there are certain requirements for what will bring about the need for a primary to take place. Again, this event is really about educating people about what to expect and how they can prepare. Something I've always encouraged people to do is, if this is something you're really interested in, go to the meetings of whatever governing board you're thinking of running for. Then again, I encourage people to attend local meetings anyway since I think it's important for people to actually hold their elected officials accountable and know what's going on. That's a great way to really assess whether or not getting into politics is really something you want to do.”
“Something else I'd love to see is more young people running. I know a lot of people have families and other work commitments, so if you're even somewhat thinking of running, it's important to have those conversations with yourself and with your family NOW so you can plan properly and make sure your circumstances will actually be good for being in office,” Alonso added. “Being an elected official is a big time commitment, and it's important to make sure you avoid some of those potential issues.”
Overall, Alonso and Burtzloff agreed, education is the main goal of events like the upcoming boot camp.
“We've done several of these types of events, and having that connection to the resources we do is amazing, and we're more than happy to share those resources with these potential candidates. This will also be a great networking opportunity for everyone who comes,” Alonso said. “I hope there ends up being a lot of interest in the community, and I hope we get a good turnout so we can share this information with as many people as possible.”
“We have had a couple of boot camps where basically no one came, but our past few 'candidate boot camp' events have actually had decent turnout. If we can get half a dozen people to come, or somewhere around there, and have at least a couple of them ultimately decide to run for office, we think that's good,” Burtzloff said. “When I started in this role, out of the 23 elected positions we had filled, we had exactly two women and one Hispanic person, but if you look at the makeup of our governing boards now, we have more women and more Hispanics and people of color serving in office, which is great. We want people to understand they can run for office and help them be more representative of the community's makeup. Democracy works the best, and our community works the best, when our governing boards and appointed boards more accurately reflect the demographic makeup of the community. And if you're interested running for office but can't make it to the event – or if you're not entirely ready to announce your candidacy publicly – we can come to you and meet with you privately, and we have done some one-on-one coaching. We completely understand everyone has their own circumstances, but we would be more than happy to meet with anyone and share this information and these resources.”
