Dan Gookin - Running For Local Office For Dummies

Running For Local Office For Dummies

Published by: John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030-5774, www.wiley.com

Copyright 2019 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey

Published simultaneously in Canada

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Library of Congress Control Number: 2019944099

ISBN: 978-1-119-58817-7; 978-1-119-58822-1 (ebk); 978-1-119-58824-5 (ebk)

1. Chapter 2
2. Chapter 6
3. Chapter 7
4. Chapter 10
5. Chapter 12

How did they get elected? That one guy is there to promote his own business. That lady thinks shes better than everyone else. That other lady sleeps half the time. The old guy represents the insiders and back-slappers. That young kid is in way over his head. And the fat guy just cant shut up. Certainly, you can do better!

The desire to enter public service has many motivators. Perhaps you want to do whats right, to direct your energies toward making your community a better place. Maybe youre a reformer, tired of the entrenched status quo, who seem out of touch with the citizens. For whatever reason, youve decided to run for public office. Its an honored American tradition, like opening your own restaurant but with a tremendously higher chance at failure.

This book is written to help you make a successful run for public office. It outlines the things that need to be done, whats important, what to avoid, and how to plan and execute a nearly flawless campaign. Nothing is guaranteed, of course, yet this book covers whats necessary to accomplish a successful run and what to do should things go awry. This text helps get you on your way, outlining the process, from kitchen table conversation to election night victory.

Each chapter covers a topic related to seeking public office. If you want to be successful, you must do more than plant yard signs. Chapters are divided into sections packed with step-by-step details. All the information is cross-referenced, and you can read the book in any order: from front to back or by starting with a topic that intrigues you.

Sample chapter sections include:

• Understanding who wins elections
• Building your reputation
• Cutting short a boring conversation
• Categorizing your opposition
• Gathering election data
• Staging an announcement event
• Generating name recognition
• Going door-to-door
• Dealing with campaign finance problems
• Avoiding surprises

All topics are fully explained. Nothing is assumed. New terms are clarified as theyre introduced. Technical and legal terms are avoided wherever possible. No dreary political history is listed. Finger wagging is at a minimum. Grandstanding, nonexistent.

This book is specific to running for local office in the United States. Local office is defined as an elected position at a political division that isnt statewide. For the most part, these offices include city councils, school districts, and other local boards.

This book does not address running for state legislature, a statewide office such as governor, or any national office. Many of the same techniques written about here apply, but more importantly such positions tend to be partisan. For the most part, local offices are run as nonpartisan elections.

Election laws differ from the state to state. Rules about elections and who can hold office may vary all the way down to the political subdivision where you seek office. Therefore, this book refers to the election authority, or the entity that runs the election for the office you seek. It could be a state agency, a county agency, or the agency where you seek office. Regardless, some public entity oversees the election.

Most of the rules regarding a specific public office and the election process are found online, provided by the agency that oversees elections. The agency where you seek office may also publish a candidates packet, which contains further details. Study the information! Its details are far more specific than what I can offer in this book.

This book doesnt get into partisan politics, nor do I prattle on about the current political divide in this country. My final assumption is that youre a good person who wants to do well for your community. Hopefully, whatever national team you align with doesnt sully your local reputation.