The race for council and the mayor’s chair is officially underway.
During the last municipal election campaign 23 candidates ran for six council seats. We may be hard-pressed to reach half that number by October 10 at 4 p.m. when nominations close. In any event, whether 12 candidates or double that number toss their hats into the ring, it still comes down to branding and marketing yourself.
A good showing at all-candidates meetings is vital, but so is getting your name out there through whatever means are available, and the sooner the better.
In other words, don’t skimp on resources. Avoid being a day late and a dollar short.
Getting brochures printed and good old cardboard signs sporting a mug shot and a catchy slogan can still pay big dividends. So can speaking at a Chamber of Commerce luncheon, a Rotary Club meeting, or other service clubs
and organizations.
If possible, cobble together a team of volunteers to help get your name out there from door to door. Unless you’ve been hunkered down in a remote log cabin for the past decade with your pooch and a couple of stray cats, tending your herb garden and foraging for magic mushrooms somewhere up in the Squamish Valley, well beyond the 20 mile marker, it will come as no surprise that social media has emerged as a powerful communication tool. If you haven’t done so already, hook up with Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn. Don’t hesitate to post a five minute personal video on YouTube and upload it to your social media accounts. It’s free and highly effective. Firing up a website containing a resume, your platform, and a blog component is another priority.
Answering some key personal questions will be helpful. What has been your most important contribution to this community, so far? What skills, knowledge, and experience can you offer to help take Squamish to the next level? If you ran unsuccessfully the last time, voters will also be interested in finding out how you’ve made yourself more electable in 2014.
Study the key issues and outline what district administrators should stop doing because it doesn’t work, what they should start doing, and what they need to keep doing. Ultimately, it’s all about increasing visibility and establishing credibility by informing the public about who you are and what you stand for. The more comfortable voters are with you, the more likely they will put an X beside your name on a ballot come November.
