Subscribe free to our daily email newsletterContributor Opinion: Mark Pierzchala — Running For Mayor
Nov 12, 2007 8:53 - 1 Comment
Posted by: Brad Rourke
Department: Contributor Opinion,Opinion,Politics
Tags: by Mark Pierzchala, election 2007, elections, mayor
Department: Contributor Opinion,Opinion,Politics
Tags: by Mark Pierzchala, election 2007, elections, mayor
>I spent the first weeks putting together my website and other campaign materials. I found it was a lot of work to turn my positions into usable web pages and a good palm card.
I had a wonderful treasurer and webmaster. Other people helped out well with database, literature, mailings, and other tasks, but I never found a campaign manager or volunteer coordinator. As a result, my time was often taken with these duties cutting into campaigning time.
There were eight forums, three of which were replayed on Channel 11. I felt that these forums worked better for me than for my opponents. It gave the voters a chance to see us side-by-side and to make direct comparisons of our positions on issues, our knowledge of the City, and our demeanor. I focused on the issues, and while I had to defend myself on occasion, I never attacked my opponents. It was quite a challenge to prepare for the many questions that were asked, but the forums prepared me for contacts with the media.
Rockville Central provided a website for all candidates and the City provided space in the Rockville Reports and time on Channel 11. The Gazette, the Sentinel, the Washington Post, Channel 16, Channel 7 and other media covered the mayoral race and all of this helped level the playing field. In October, there was an editorial interview with the Gazette. The paper endorsed Hoffman based on her experience but said some good things about me. This nice non-endorsement and other positive press helped considerably. In the last two weeks of the campaign, as I knocked on doors, voters recognized me and quite a few expressed their support.
In the end Hoffmann won convincingly with 47% of the votes. I finished second with 27% compared to 25% for Powell. I think I ended up in second place because of my positive campaign that stuck to issues. As a political newcomer, I had a lot to learn and I learned it. So next time, watch out!
-Mark Pierzchala
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Mark,>
I was glad to see you out at Elwood Smith so early in the morning. I must admit to feeling a twinge of regret when I wasn’t voting for you, but I had arrived at the same conclusion as the Gazette that Hoffman had more relevant experience especially in development marketing. I certainly wasn’t voting against you.
Don’t forget that the only district Hoffman lost was your home district (#9) and you won by a large margin.
Interestingly, if one looks at the citywide correlation for you (Pierzchala) or Powell with Council candidates a clear pattern emerges. If the calculated coefficient is positive for you (Anderson, Britton, Gajewski, Henn, Pakulniewicz-Chidiac), it is negative for Powell, and vice versa (Dorsey, Gottfried, Marcuccio, Robbins and Wang votes correlated positively with Powell votes). The only exception are Mullican votes which correlate positively with both Pierzchala and Powell (and negatively with Hoffman). Make of it what you will.
You should run for City Office again.
ER!K RE@D
Waddington Place