Council Seat

04/22/2008 | Suzanne Weeks

[SuzanneWeeks]

Good Morning!

I would like to ask for some direction, if there is anyone here who could help with a "write-in" campaign. There is a council seat available in my town, Franklin, NJ and I would like to run as a write-in.

Has anyone ever done this before? Any direction would be welcome!

Thank you in advance!

Suzanne Weeks

Weeks for Council

[maine-iac7]

First step: Look in the mirror and question your sanity for wanting to get into local politics.

Next: Look up the word "masochist" and then have another talk with yourself.

If all that fails to dissuade you: get off to a face-to-face with the local editors, for the first step...and write letters to the editors as a second step.

Then get your knuckles in shape and start knocking on doors.

[Nextrush]

Are your write-ins done with a keyboard on a screen like here in Pennsylvania.

Overall it makes write-ins easier.

I was doing that a few minutes ago at my electronic voting machine here in PA. I touched Write-In on the screen and a keyboard with blank spaces above it appears. I typed in the letters and space between them. It was easy with no need to shift. The name came up all caps. Then I touched an OK symbol and it was done and the name registered on the screen under write-in.

Check your state or local elections office for accurate instructions on a write-in.

[SuzanneWeeks]

I know. I know. I had that conversation with myself last night. But if not me, who? And if not now, when?

And thank you for the advice :)

[Gatún(CraigIsaMangoTreeLawyer)]

Go at ot Suzanne.

Robert Frost (1874–1963). Mountain Interval. 1920.

1. The Road Not Taken

TWO roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth; 5

Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same, 10

And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back. 15

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference. 20

[Gatún(CraigIsaMangoTreeLawyer)]

ot = it

Sorry.

Good luck.

[CarolAnn]

Hi Suzanne,

I’m on the council of our small town (3,800 pop.) where a write-in campaign can be effective. I was on the ballot, but if you have a strong position, you can pull it off.

Print up some good fliers and start going door to door. They should be clear and to the point. State your goals as opposed to what you may be against. You have to put humility aside and tell voters why they should vote for you. Include a few personal details.

Important - somewhere in large letters, say something like “TAKE THIS TO THE POLLS WITH YOU” so they know how to spell your name correctly. You would be amazed at how many people can butcher a name as easy as Mary Smith!

Good luck! Hit those streets!

[JerseyHighlander]

Of all the horrid ideas put forth on FR, this is one of the worst. Truly question yourself, cause it’s a heck of a problem.

Read up:
1. Highlands Commission Master Plan http://www.state.nj.us/njhighlands/master/ And the Highlands Act
2. County and Municipal Master Plans (in addition to the Land Use Element)
3. Municipal Fair Share Plans/Housing Elements
4. Municipal and County Consolidated Plan - This might be very important, I’m pretty sure Franklin is deliquent in filing a revised Master Plan (as is most towns in the Highlands Area)
5. NJ DCA Division of local government services: http://www.nj.gov/dca/lgs/
6. Sussex County Economic Development Partnership, Inc. http://www.sussexcountychamber.org/scedp.asp
7. The whole grouping of sustainable agriculture, farmland preservation, open space preservation, etc organizations
8. and much more....

[Darren McCarty]

Write-ins are a long shot. It's possible. If an 18 year old can win as mayor on a write-in candidate, you can win. However:

1. You have to work three times as hard as the other candidates. Knock on lots of doors.

2. Know the rules for write-in candidates. I don't know Jersey's technicalities.

[JerseyHighlander]

NJ OPRA i.e. the “Sunshine Law”
http://www.rcfp.org/ogg/item.php?t=short&state=NJ&level=F1

NJ State League of Municipalities: The greatest resource (and greatest perk (taxpayer funded trip to Atlantic City)) you will find. Every Feb. they have a League Seminar “Newly and Reelected Officials”, which is well worth the time/money.
http://www.njslom.org/

National Civic Review

The National Civic Review, the quarterly journal of the National Civic League, is one of the nation’s oldest civic affairs journals. Now in its 94th year of publication, the Review features thoughtful essays on democratic governance and civic engagement.
http://ncl.org/publications/ncr/

NJBIZ
http://njbiz.com/industry.asp?cID=4

THE blog for NJ politics:
http//www.politickernj.com

You’ve picked an incredibly difficult period to join a town council for a town with under 10,000 population. The urban Democrats in the state are hellbent on forcing small towns to consolidate and to force high density low income housing on towns such as Franklin. Franklin can expect it’s state aid, state school aid, and it’s county aid all to be slashed in the coming years, and forcing increased property taxes or worse municipal bonding at the local level to make up the shortfalls, as the stick, with promises of carrots if the voters elect to surrender local control by consolidating.

You can come out early as an opponent to the state park closures, can be a good way to get yourself some exposure to the local newspaper editors/municipal beat journalists.

You also have the option to hit the online forums, and get as many people as possible knowing your name. Of course in a small town like Franklin, you might do better sitting in front of Shop Rite, doing meet and greet.

[Coleus]

first you have to know your voting machine and how it works, and how one can “write in” or actually “type in” your name in the right place with you name spaced. The space bar should also be highlighted. Then you need to make a flyer about your candidacy with the write-in campaign with a picture or diagram of the voting booth showing how to do a write-in vote. Good Luck.