How to get elected to the Muscogee County School Board

Now that last week’s qualifying period is over, the field is set for the 2016 Muscogee County School Board races in the May 24 nonpartisan elections, so the candidates have two months left to state their cases.

All of which prompted the Ledger-Enquirer to wonder: How do you get elected to the school board?

What are the keys to such a race? What are the proper steps? What are the common pitfalls to avoid? How do you find time to campaign, especially if you have a full-time job? How do you get your name known, especially if you haven’t been prominent in the community? And how much does it cost to have a viable chance to win?

The L-E asked those questions in emails to some former board members and the current ones who aren’t running this year. Some declined to respond. But from those who did, understanding what conventional wisdom says about the worth of free advice, here is a summary of their answers:

Keys to the race

Former board chairwoman and retired educator Mary Sue Polleys said, “The most important factor for a successful campaign is friends who believe in you and are eager to work as volunteers. Some of those friends need to be people who have run successful campaigns in the past in order to give good advice.”

“The community must believe that the candidate would do the right thing in office and his/her motive for seeking office is civic minded,” said District 4 representative Naomi Buckner, a special-education teacher in Chattahoochee County.

Other keys:

▪ Talk to a wide variety of folks to determine possible support.

▪ Establish your purpose. Identify a need on the board that you have the skills to fill.

▪ Nail down the Three Ms, said former board member Fife Whiteside, an attorney – 1. Management, having an effective campaign organization; 2. Money, having some (see below for how much) to spend, whether through fundraising or your own resources; 3. Message, “a simple and clear set of bullet points, no more than three, and then ready answers to the 10 or 12 questions that are likely to keep coming up. Stay on message.”

Proper steps

▪ Ensure your family agrees with your decision to run or will at least tolerate it.

▪ Identify a core group of supporters. Find out how much time and money they are willing to devote to your campaign and what skills they can offer.

▪ Form a campaign committee and establish a campaign schedule.

▪ Announce your candidacy as early as possible, especially if this is your first campaign or you haven’t been in a community leadership position, so you can get a jumpstart on fundraising and name recognition.

▪ Develop a strategy and a plan, wrapped around you main message. Determine steps for fundraising, budgeting, recruiting volunteers, advertising and social media. Consider getting professional advice, if your campaign can afford it.

▪ Implement the plan. Campaign committee should meet at least weekly to adjust the plan. Your calendar should include dates for forums, rallies, visits to organizations and neighborhood canvassing.

▪ If your race is for a district seat, try to visit every residence. If your race is for a county-wide seat, visit as many organizations as you can.

Pitfalls to avoid

▪ Don’t make promises you can’t keep. Former board member Owen Ditchfield, a retired educator, said he made three promises: “I promise I will listen to you. I promise I will not always agree with you. I promise I will always do what I feel is best for the children.”

▪ Don’t disrespect opponents and opposing opinions. Seek first to understand then to be understood. And disagree agreeably.

▪ Don’t speak defensively. Calmly state your opinion and the facts as you see them.

▪ Don’t plan to spend money you don’t have, meaning only count the checks you receive in your fundraising total for campaign budgeting, not the promises you receive.

Time to campaign

Ditchfield said he spent evenings door-to-door campaigning or attending political forums.

“A candidate who is employed full time needs to have bosses or partners who want their colleague to serve,” Polleys said, “who perhaps see school board service as an extension of the job or company's mission.”

If not, then you might need to use vacation time to campaign, Whiteside said.

Don’t underestimate the time it takes to campaign. Whiteside recalled a candidate who “ended up almost abandoning the campaign the last few weeks out of exhaustion.”

Simply put, Buckner insisted, “When a person is passionate about something, he/she can find time.”

Name recognition

This starts before you announce your campaign. If you think you want to be a candidate, you might want to be involved in at least one community organization where you show the ability to be a servant leader.

You should develop “a reputation for doing what you say you will do, not doing for personal gains, and having integrity,” Ditchfield said.

Cost

Answers ranged from $5,000 to $15,000 for a district race and more than $15,000 for a county-wide race.

Don’t think you can spend your way to victory. Whiteside recalled a candidate who lost a district race despite hiring a professional campaign manager for more than $10,000.

Oh, and don’t forget

A few more tips:

▪ Attend as many board meetings as you can.

▪ Keep up with the news. Read material to be informed about the issues.

▪ Stay fit. “Campaigning is called a race for a reason,” Ditchfield said.

▪ “Win lose or draw,” Whiteside said, “be sure your family knows how much you appreciate them.”

This story was originally published March 16, 2016 at 10:28 AM with the headline "How to get elected to the Muscogee County School Board."