Friday, June 13, 2008

Campaign school draws crowd of candidates


The Equality State Policy Center conducted its eighth Grassroots Campaign School last weekend at the IBEW Hall in Casper. Twenty candidates for the legislature, county commissions, and city and town councils attended the nonpartisan school.

They heard political consultants Tom Novick and Liz Kaufman, right, stress direct outreach to the voters that the candidates hope to represent. Each candidate was urged to put together a plan that relies on door-to-door campaigning to guide his or her campaign over the coming weeks.

Novick and Kaufman use role-playing and other interactive techniques to help the candidates overcome any reticence about door-knocking and raising funds to finance their campaigns.

The ESPC believes that candidates who engage in direct campaigning will learn the needs of the people they eventually represent at city hall or in the state Capitol. That understanding will lead to better public policy that serves the needs of the people who elect them.

We appreciate the support of Western States Center in co-sponsoring the school.