Covert No More

My campaign for town select person is heating up.

The undercover write-in campaign for the position on the select board is no longer covert. I learned yesterday that they mailed post cards for their unofficial candidate to all republicans in town. And there was a letter to the editor in the local paper publicizing the existence of the write-in campaign.

I had hoped this could stay a nonpartisan campaign. The issue should be who will do the best job for the people of the town, not what party the candidate belongs to.

My friends and I don't have money to put into my campaign. We do have the ability to send emails and make phone calls. On Sunday and Monday a small group of us will make hundreds of phone calls to encourage people to vote for me, the only candidate on the ballot. We will also remind people of the yearly town meeting, where many of the issues important to the town will be discussed and decided. The meeting has been moved to the gym at the elementary school because a crowd is expected, which is a good thing. The more voices the better.

As much as I like to stay in the background, this turn of events has forced me out to meet people and to talk to people beyond a polite greeting. It feels good when people thank me for running for office, for being willing to take a position of leadership.

This experience has helped me realize I am covert no more, in this campaign or in my life. This push onto the public stage, albeit on a local scale, has peeled away my protective cover of anonymity in real life and caused me to consider my online persona as well.

I have thought long and hard about what I have written here in the last year. As I reread posts I was surprised at how honest I was about what was going on in my life. Then I surprised myself when I had the thought that someone could use my words for purposes not in my best interest. That had not occurred to me before. It has certainly been food for thought as I move forward.