Contributor Opinion by Jonathan Smith: Judging Candidates on their Campaigns

>We’ve heard a lot of debate around candidates’ views on city issues, and maybe even more about politeness. But I’ve been thinking about another characteristic: campaign quality. The ability to put together an effective, cohesive campaign says a lot about each candidate’s ability to govern.

Let’s start with organization. Candidates who persuaded others to actively work on their behalf will be much more effective in persuading citizens, businesses, and colleagues in the Rockville, County and State governments. They also strike me as the type who would be able conduct more effective outreach to the community – readers of Rockville Central must agree that outreach is a critical issue for most of the hotbed issues of the last year (e.g., The Fence, The Senior Residence, The Low-Income Housing). Which candidates have campaign managers? Which candidates have district or neighborhood managers helping to get out the vote in various parts of the City?

A natural outgrowth of a good organization is a diverse funding stream. City elections are fairly inexpensive and many of the candidates are running self-funded campaigns and report little spending. While I’m glad that those candidates are involved, I am most impressed with candidates who have persuaded their neighbors to chip in a couple of dollars. This *suggests* to me that the candidate is more connected to the community, and that the community believes in that individual or their views.

Running a campaign can be complicated, but its nothing like running the City. Where candidates lack prior elected experience, I’d love to see them demonstrate expertise in organizing a campaign.

Best regards,
Jonathan Smith
New Mark Commons

This is a contributor opinion. Rockville Central encourages readers to submit such opinions for consideration — the more voices the better. We especially welcome people who disagree with us. We ask that all such contributions be civil and we reserve the right to edit (in consultation with the author) or reject. Contributor opinions should not be seen as reflecting opinions held by Rockville Central editors, as they are just as frequently at odds with our own views. That’s the whole point!

Rockville Central does not endorse candidates. We are encouraging towards all people who choose to run for office the city and try our best to make ourselves open to all. We actively encourage candidates to submit opinion pieces and other news. We don’t include every last bit, but we try to be fair to all and give useful information about what is happening.

Share and enjoy:

Hide Sites