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)
How did they get elected? That one guy is there to promote his own business. That lady thinks she’s 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 can’t shut up. Certainly, you can do better!
The desire to enter public service has many motivators. Perhaps you want to do what’s right, to direct your energies toward making your community a better place. Maybe you’re a reformer, tired of the entrenched status quo, who seem out of touch with the citizens. For whatever reason, you’ve decided to run for public office. It’s 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, what’s important, what to avoid, and how to plan and execute a nearly flawless campaign. Nothing is guaranteed, of course, yet this book covers what’s 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:
All topics are fully explained. Nothing is assumed. New terms are clarified as they’re 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 isn’t 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 candidate’s packet, which contains further details. Study the information! Its details are far more specific than what I can offer in this book.
This book doesn’t get into partisan politics, nor do I prattle on about the current political divide in this country. My final assumption is that you’re a good person who wants to do well for your community. Hopefully, whatever national team you align with doesn’t sully your local reputation.
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Bonus information for this title can be found online. You can visit the publisher’s website to find an online Cheat Sheet. Go to www.dummies.com and type the book’s title, Running For Local Office For Dummies, into the Search text box. If the stars are in your favor, you can click the Search button and — behold! — the Cheat Sheet page in the search results list.
Thank you for reading the introduction. Few people bother, so when you make the effort, it makes me feel better. It should make you feel better too, because it shows that you’re willing to wade through what many people would consider to be extraneous and boring material — which is exactly what you’ll be studying should you get elected.
Your task now is to start reading the rest of the book. You don’t need to read the whole thing. My advice is to observe the table of contents and dive into whichever part you feel is important. Or you can read it all in order. Or stop reading after Chapter 3. But read the whole thing; you paid for it.
My email address is dgookin@wambooli.com. That’s my real address. I reply to all my email — faster if you keep the message short and to the point. I enjoy saying hi, though I cannot serve as your unpaid campaign advisor, nor do I offer endorsements or make donations. Thank you for understanding.
My website is wambooli.com, where I offer support for all my books, most of which cover technology topics. This book has its own page on my site, where I offer additional information and all sorts of fun stuff. You can find it at
wambooli.com/help/localoffice
Please enjoy the book. I wish you success in your run for local office.
Part 1
IN THIS PART …
Decide whether you’re worthy to tackle politics
Select a position that’s appropriate
Find another way to get involved
Chapter 1
IN THIS CHAPTER
Deciding to be a politician
Understanding election winners
Growing thick skin
Becoming a great candidate
Determining your political type
Dealing with election results
An image appears in your head. It’s the politician: nice teeth, fabulous hair, smells great, impeccably dressed, infectiously charismatic, popular, smart. Is this you?
No! It’s Hollywood. The perfect politician doesn’t exist. It’s a myth you mustn’t let dissuade you from taking a stab at joining the local school board or town council. As you can see from watching these government boards in action, any fool can get elected. Why not take a shot yourself and raise the bar?
Have you ever addressed an issue by saying, “If I were king of the universe …”? Everyone has an opinion about how things should get done. The position of King of the Universe would be ideal to solve people problems. This position, thankfully, isn’t available in our republic.
If your desire is to see things run better, the arena in which you fight is politics.
The word politics comes from the Greek 
(politika), which means “affairs of the city.” Politics is often described as “the art of the possible.” This phrase means that you can do just about anything, given a rush of money from a spigot that can only open wider.
Before you dive into doing what’s right or making things better, ask yourself whether you truly want to become a politician. Is it the best way to reach your goal?
Politics is about solving public problems. When no public problems exist, politics is about creating public problems for which no solution exists.
It’s entirely possible to change the world — or even the policies of the local water district — without being elected. Public pressure is often missing at the local level: Hearings are held and no one shows up, the local press fails to cover the meetings, and officials put little effort into soliciting public input. By your presence alone at a meeting, you effect change. This activism requires no long-term commitment and low public exposure, for the most part.
On the other side of the table, being a politician may seem alluring, but it’s also stressful. The job itself is easy enough that any nincompoop who wins an election can hold a guaranteed job for several years. Lack of performance is rarely grounds for dismissal.
No, the stress of being a politician comes from elsewhere. For example, you may feel pressure at work, beyond the routine drama of your regular job. Being away from family, missing out on hobbies, and having an obligation to public service for what’s essentially a thankless job can be deflating.
A politician is open to criticism and ridicule, not always justified but always encouraged. You will be teased beyond anything you ever experienced in elementary school, often by people who claim to be adults. On the other hand, if you’re a one-issue activist who implores the city council not to demolish that last historic building in town, you may be dismissed by the power players, but that’s it. The activist rarely suffers from incessant mockery.
The U.S. election system is built on competition. It’s like sports for uncoordinated people: The political spectrum is defined by everyone inside as a struggle between the good guys and the bad guys or, sadly, good-versus-evil. Yes, even at the local level, political life can be nasty.
For all the talk of who’s best-suited for office, an election is really a popularity contest: Popular people win elections. As the current slate of local and national politicians demonstrates, the public doesn’t always pick the best or most qualified person for the job.
The typical ballot lacks details about the candidates. On the other hand, a proposition, bond, or levy features detailed language and specifics. For an officeholder, someone who may oversee a multimillion-dollar budget and make decisions that affect tens of thousands of people, the detail is often only a name. Some ballots may show party affiliation, which is rare for local office elections that lack a primary.
Being on the ballot goes beyond a popularity contest. It’s personal. If you’re going to take the plunge, you must have thick skin. Do you?
Don’t discount this question! It’s important, especially if your enthusiasm is high and you receive a lot of positive feedback from people encouraging you to run.
Suppose you submit your prized peach pie at the county fair. One of the judges offers that the crust isn’t flaky enough. Dashed by receiving only a white ribbon, you withdraw from all social events over the entire summer. If this scenario describes you, you’re most likely too sensitive to withstand the slings and arrows of local politics.
Criticism isn’t the only needle to pierce thin skin. Your decisions as an elected official are all yes-or-no. You can’t cast a maybe vote at the local level. No matter how you vote on a controversial issue, someone is angry, and deservedly so.
Based on your decisions, which you feel are best for the organization or for the public, people you don’t know will suddenly hate you. No, they’ll despise you. They will project all their hatred upon you, their anger fueled by the mass media and national polarizing politics. This type of disapproval goes beyond that offered by a judge at the county fair (who is getting paid in pie): It’s fair criticism. As an elected official, you deserve it.
Is your skin thick enough? You’ll find out when you run. Elections are brutal. Brace yourself.
Public officials have a lower bar for slander. In an election, your opponent may accuse you of minor or unspeakable acts that will offend you. In American politics, these accusations are considered fair game.
I would recommend against running for office if your desire in social settings is to blend in with the group. The weight of social pressure is huge for a politician because most crave acceptance. Human beings are social creatures who value conformity and shun those with different opinions.
As a public official, you must be artful enough to enact change in a manner accepted by people who adore the motto, “We’ve always done it this way.” Groupthink is infectious among elected officials. The river must flow, and no one swims upstream.
If you’re the nail that stands up, you must be pounded down. It’s extremely uncomfortable to be that nail, especially in an established origination that rewards consensus. Often, freshly elected officials give in to conformity like puppy dogs wanting to belong. That’s when they lose focus, abandon their goals, and become part of the problem.
If you’re true to your goals when you set out to campaign, resist the urge to change if you win the election and are seated in office.
On an elected board, a legislative body, you need more than your own vote to accomplish something. Your persistence pays off when others join you.
Your mental image of the ideal candidate isn’t spot-on when it comes to winning elections. After all, compare that image with photos of your crop of local elected officials. Those pictures should be hanging in the post office, yet the lot of them won elections and serve in office. Indeed, whether you’re a good fit for public office has little to do with what you look like.
Political parties and activist groups spend a great deal of time searching for the perfect person to run for public office. When they grow desperate, they look for anyone with a pulse. And they fall prey to the curious notion that you must be good-looking to win an election. Being easy-on-the-eyes helps, but it’s not everything.
Anyone can run for public office: groomed candidates, regular people wanting to make a difference, and ugly people for pure entertainment. You also find small-minded, sad people attracted to public office because they desire respect they can’t otherwise earn in the real world. Don’t laugh; a lot of them win.
Truthfully, the ideal candidate doesn’t exist. Even your supporters will confide in you, “I don’t agree with everything you stand for …” The only way you can get someone to truly represent you in office is to run yourself.
To make a difference, strive to become the ideal candidate. This process requires that you study the job, know the voter, and run an excellent campaign. Above all, it’s necessary to know yourself. These topics are covered in Part 2.
“Oh, I’m not a politician,” the politician says. No one likes to think of themselves as being a politician, just as people who sell used cars tell their friends that they sell insurance. Still, I’ve yet to see someone who doesn’t play the political game to some degree.
Running for office makes you a politician. Winning cements it. If you dislike being a politician, stop reading this book now and read Selling Ice Cream For Dummies. More people will like you.
The key reason that good individuals seek public office is to make a difference. They want to be part of the solution. This reason is the best, boldest, most admired reason, yet few of these people ever get elected.
The actual reasons people run for office vary. Even when your goals are pure and you desire to be selfless about the most egotistical thing anyone can do, odds are good that you run for office because
Don’t let any of these items offend you. Sonny Bono ran for mayor in Palm Springs because he was frustrated with City Hall. He won and served well, addressing matters beyond the one that motivated him to get into the race. For many others, however, this list describes the underlying reason that a run for public office is an itch to scratch.
You may not admit it publicly, but if your reason is on this list, or perhaps is more targeted but still something you wouldn’t share in your campaign material, fine. Should you be elected, you may find that realizing such a goal isn’t the solution to your problems.
Part 4 of this book offers recommendations for those who win an election.
I believe that all elected officials start their terms in office with positive enthusiasm, respect for their organization, and a desire to do well. Whatever infects them afterward manifests itself in three ways. These three categories classify the different types of elected official, according to my observations:
Self-promoters: These people have a top desire to promote themselves or their businesses. They may seek inside information to expand their real estate empires or those of their friends, direct business toward themselves or their friends, or engage in other scurrilous acts. I’m not making this up! Check out the ethics-in-government laws for your state and you’ll see that these aren’t original ideas — nor do the ethics laws stanch the self-promoters and their specific interests.
The benefit can also be personal: A self-promoter uses political office to gain entry to clubs, get special treatment or favors, and find other ways to cut in line before the people they represent.
Almost everyone takes office assuming that they’re going to behave like a Boy Scout, admired and praised for always doing the right thing. That praise may never come. Still, keep on track and do what’s right. As best you can, try to avoid becoming a self-promoter. These are the political types the public loathes and distrusts.
Your campaign promises become a message to your future self, reminding an elected official what a constituent such as yourself really wants.
Not everyone who runs for office wins, which is something any of the dozens of living people who’ve run for president can vouch for. The person who comes in first with the most votes is the winner. Everyone else in the election, no matter how close, goes home without any lovely parting gifts.
What the public ends up with isn’t the best person for the office, but rather the best candidate. That’s the system. Therefore, if you desire to be a good elected official, you must be a good candidate. This is the first step.
The second step to winning an election is to run as nearly a flawless campaign as you can. Because political campaigns are newsworthy, you probably have a notion of how they work. As in any marketing campaign, the key to success is not to spend money and waste resources foolishly. Even experienced politicians have trouble with this step.
Finally, the last step is to accept the results. If you did poorly, consider another alternative to being elected. Chapter 3 offers options.
If you did well, consider running again. Keep your attitude sunshine-positive, and keep fighting for what you believe in. Stay active. Above all, avoid attacking the winner or degrading the system. Lots of politicians lose races and win again because they’re positive and persistent.
The worst thing that can happen is that you win. Being an elected official is the goal, but it comes with some interesting restrictions. Don’t forget the people who put you in office, as well as all the people you represent, and pray that you serve them well in your new role.