Thread by @AdventureTenney

(1) When I first ran for political office I was 18 years old. The city charter said I had to be 25 years old. When I turned in my petitions, not only to run for office but to change the charter so that all people of voting age could run for office I was told, "no"

(2) My petitions were tossed by the City Clerk as "invalid"
I stayed politically active, became a business owner and waited to turn 25.
Time passed. I turned 29 and once again I made the decision to run for office.

(3) I collected my signatures, filled out my paperwork & was placed on the ballot. Most politicians at the time waited to pull petitions until a month before the election, I chose to get all my paperwork done early. For almost 2 months I was the only candidate on the ballot.

(4) My campaign staff was small. Me and a few friends. We knocked on doors, printed stickers, flyers and tried to get out my message which was "Your voice makes a difference" Instead of raising tons of money I opted to raise very little.

(5) My parents were born in the city, I was born in the city and people knew me & my family. I was a lifelong resident and used my familiar face in lieu of spending exorbitant amounts of cash. The office I was running for is considered a part-time job and only pays $2000 a year.

(6) I thought it quite ridiculous to spend anymore than a $1000 to get a job that paid $2000.

(7) When I was interviewed by local newspapers I was asked, "Do you really think you have a chance at winning?" For almost 2 months my answer was, "Yes, I'm the only one on the ballot."

(8) I was the first candidate, I think in all of Michigan, to have a website. I held late-night rallies in coffeehouses with guest DJs. I went to service club meetings. I did what most candidates do, except I was doing it my way.

(9) Since I was the only candidate actually on the ballot the main local newspaper ran a front page story about me. It focused on my lack of political experience and called me a "darkhorse" candidate...although I was, as stated, the only one on the ballot.

(10) One night I got a call from a person who said they were from the Democratic Party. He said they'd noticed I wasn't a registered Democrat but if I was willing to become one they'd donated $10,000 to my campaign. I laughed, said I was independent & thanked them for the offer.

(11) Within three hours I received a call from someone saying they were from the Republican Party. They said they had heard that I turned down the Democrats and if I was willing to become a registered Republican they would donated $10,000 to my campaign.

(12) Again. I laughed, said I was independent and thanked them for the offer.

(13) The biggest issue in my city at the time was something which was being called "The Human Rights Ordinance" This was an anti-discrimination bill being proposed which would make it illegal to fire someone solely on the grounds of their sexual orientation.

(14) I supported the bill. Out of the 13 people running for offices, 3 for Mayor & 10 for City Commissioner, I was the only Mayoral candidate that supported the bill. The only other person who supported it was a woman running for City Commissioner.

(15) The more "conservative" voices in my city immediately attacked me as a puppet for the "Gay Agenda"
Anti-LGBT groups from outside of the city and state began campaigning against me.

(16) The newspapers began printing letters from people concerned about my support of equal rights for the "homosexual" community. Pamphlets were mailed out by anonymous groups and individuals attacking my sexuality.

(17) I and the woman I was dating, and living with at the time, who was also my campaign manager, found the whole thing mostly ridiculous but equally disturbing.

(18) Near the end of September the Mayoral debates started. Two other candidates had made it onto the ballot. One was a long-serving city commissioner, the other was the lawyer for the former Mayor.

(19) At the first debates while the other 2 candidates were asked questions about taxes, property values, etc. I was asked about my style of dress, (why didn't I always wear a tie?), I was asked about the condition of my car, (it was a 1990 Dodge Omni with no front bumper),

(20) I was asked why I wasn't married? Why I didn't have children? Why I lectured about ghosts? Why I cared so much about the local animal shelter? Why I thought people shouldn't be able to fire whoever they want to fire?

(21) I answered every question openly and honestly and always tried to steer the questions back to policy issues. The next day in the newspapers I either wouldn't be quoted or I'd be misquoted or I simply wouldn't be mentioned.

(22) A large Michigan based LGBT newspaper interviewed me about my support of the Human Rights Ordinance. I knew that the article would draw more fire from the "conservative" crowd but I was proud to support equality and was happy to have my voice heard.

(23) The election was coming and it didn't look good for me. Each of the other candidates had spent in access of $30,000 on their campaigns. Good to my promise I had raised just under $1000.

(24) Even so I still had buttons, signs, etc. Growing up in the "punk" community had fortified my with a DIY spirit. Why send out flyers to be printed when you can copy and print them yourself? Why send out mailers when you can go door-to-door & speak face-to-face?

(25) I watched as the two other candidates ran traditional campaigns. Huge fundraisers at golf courses, high-end restaurant "meetups" all the while they were saying I was too young, I was 30, and too inexperienced to be Mayor.

(26) I went to some of the people who were running for seats on the city commission and tried to shore up endorsements. None of them would endorse me.

(27) The businesses I frequented throughout my life were all too happy to help promote me. With some kick-ass posters and flyers my face was all over town in the windows of bakeries, clothing stores and restaurants.

(28) Instead of spending money on mailing postcards and pamphlets my friends and I went in person to 800 - 1000 houses throughout the city every weekend.

(29) We were fighting the good fight, and we knew it, but with no endorsements we were feeling a little lost. Police, firefighters, unions, former politicians were all lining up behind their candidates. I just wanted one endorsement. I went to the LGBT newspaper.

(30) The LGBT newspaper and another large LGBT group told me they were choosing to back another Mayoral candidate, who didn't support the human rights bill, because he had a better chance at winning. I was crushed.

(31) Also at this time someone had begun stealing my campaign signs off of people's lawns.

(32) Election Night came. Of the first precincts to come in the vote was...
97 for one candidate,
64 for another and
49 for me. Not terrible but not great.

(33) The next precinct was worse.
74 for one candidate,
84 for the other and
13 for me. I wasn't doing very well.

(34) I started paying less attention to the vote counts until I heard someone say, "Well that's better" I looked up and the vote count for one of the precincts was
90 for one candidate,
70 for another and
70 for me. What?

(35) I looked at the map of the city and saw that the precinct was the neighborhood my parents had lived in, the place I grew up. My childhood neighbors, the people who knew me best.

(36) My happiness didn't last long. The absentee ballots came in and by 9:20pm, less than 2 hours after the polls had closed, I was buried and there was no way back.

(37) In a city of 51,000 registered voters, 11,000 had voted and decided their winner, it wasn't me. The winner was the lawyer for the former Mayor. He'd spent $35,000 to get a $2,000 a year job.
I probably got a little drunk that night.

(38) The next morning I called my friends and told them how proud I was of them. That we had run a great campaign, we never lied, we never made a false promise and had nothing to ever be ashamed of.

(39) I turned in my final paperwork with the County Clerk. I drove to City Hall and asked them for an unused ballot. I had it framed and gave it to my parents as a Christmas gift. I still have about 400 bumper stickers.

(40) The County Clerk called me a few days later. They informed me that one of my donations, for $15, didn't have a proper address associated with it. I said I would get them one. They said it was too late I had already turned the paperwork in. I was in violation of State law.

(41) I asked what I could do, they said,
"Nothing, you're going to be fined"
I couldn't believe it. "How much?" I asked.
There was a brief pause and then she said, "$1500"

(42) "Wait a minute, I only raised $900!" I shouted into the phone. I heard a snicker on the other end of the line and then she said, "Yes, we saw that"

(43) I was speechless. She continued, "You know if you would have had an actual committee or a lawyer they would have told you that you don't even need to file your paperwork if you raised less than $1000"

(44) I hung up the phone without saying anything else.

(45) A few days later I woke up to the sound of an early morning phone call. "Get up turn the TV on now!" My Father's voice was almost giddy. I walked into the living room and turned on the local news. I couldn't believe my ears or eyes.

(46) "What's happening?" I said to my Father.
He was shouting through the phone, "The guy who beat you in the election, the guy who won, the new mayor...he got arrested last night for drunk driving, he had a prostitute in the car with him!"

(47) I shook my head listening to my Father laughing on the other end of the line.

(48) That Mayor served his entire 2 year term. While in office he was caught drunk driving a couple more times and had some domestic assaults called in on him. I hope he's better now.

(49) I paid my fine.
Stayed active and informed.
I helped create a committee to watch over the Animal Shelter.
It took 12 more years before the anti-discrimination Human Rights ordinance was passed.

(50) I'll start campaigning again later next year.
(end)