This post has been added to the… California In Transition- Must read Threads! 
Want on our daily or major news ping lists? Freepmail DoctorZin
Visit the new web site for the OC Chapter of the Free Republic!
Posted on 10/28/2003 7:14:10 PM PST by chance33_98
Recall Candidates: Some Perspective Two Weeks After the Campaign
By LINDA RENAUD News Editor
Of the three Palisadians who started out in the recall election, one said he'd never run again, another said he'd consider it, and the third dropped out less than three weeks into the race.
While last year's gubernatorial candidate Bill Simon, 52, hit the campaign trail running, he dropped out, apparently, after polls indicated that he was not even garnering double-digit support in the campaign. Simon then endorsed governor-elect Arnold Schwarzenegger. Since it was too late to have his name removed from the ballot, Simon still received almost 8,000 votes.
Selected to be part of Schwarzenegger's transition team, Simon is expected to advise on the governor's proposed budget, due January 10, and "is also busy recommending suitable candidates to fill key government posts," Brent Lauder, Simon's assistant, told the Palisadian-Post.
Local realtor Gregg Pawlik, who said he ran in the recall race because he wanted "to be a part of history," received 296 votes, which surprised even him.
"I knew I would get at least one," he said, referring to his own vote. "I told people not to vote for me, not to waste their ballot. At least I didn't come in last."
Pawlik, 56, said that at least two-thirds of his votes inexplicably came from San Francisco.
"The voters must have mistaken me for someone else," he chuckled.
Pawlik, who was in Las Vegas on business on election night, finished 126th out of the 135 candidates. Asked if he would run again, he told the Palisadian-Post: "No, once is enough. I would never do it again unless I had the time and money to run a proper campaign, which I had no intention of doing in this election. It took an unbelievable amount of time just to sort through the requests and to turn them down. It clogged up my e-mail and my phones."
Pawlik's limited participation in the campaign included appearing as part of the audience on the Jay Leno show, having his photo and short bio in the Los Angeles Times, and making brief appearances on Channels 7 and 11, along with all the other candidates.
"I'm glad it's over," Pawlik said of the campaign.
D. Logan Darrow Clements, who spent election night at Channel 7 News, finished 131st in the recall race with 251 votes. He was surprised he received so few, considering he campaigned full-time and was a guest on several radio talk shows as well as the Jay Leno show.
"I really thought I would get a lot more votes," said Clements. "Perhaps if I had done more traditional campaigning, like shaking hands at malls and going door-to-door, but there wasn't enough time. So I focused on setting up my Web site to get my message out, which worked to some extent, I guess."
Clements' message throughout the campaign, to those who heard it, was clear: "We need less government, not more." Founder of the Silicon Valley Objectivists (followers of the philosophy of the late author Ayn Rand), former publisher of American Venture magazine (which focused on tech start-ups and capital venture) and currently executive producer of FreeNation.TV, Clements thought he would receive more support from "Libertarians and the Objectivists."
Clements, 34, said he would not run again unless "I had more financial support. I had to lend money to my campaign. But really, I'm a businessman, not a politician."
He took a short vacation following the rigorous 56-day campaign and said he is once again focusing on raising capital for his proposed television program, FreeNation.TV.
One thing the campaign did give him, Clements said, was "lots of media experience."
Exposure as well, for a first-time candidate.
Fight to win.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.