The year 2011 was an election year for Raleigh and I was right in the thick of things again.
For a while now I’ve been wondering what it might take to play a bigger role in Raleigh government. In February of last year I quietly took a day off from work and drove to DC to attend a Veterans Campaign workshop aimed at getting more military veterans to run for office. It provided an eye-opening education to what it takes to win an election, some of which isn’t particularly pleasant.
I was pleasantly surprised to meet my friend Randy Stagner there. Randy obviously put his training to better use than I did as he was elected to the City Council.
As for me, I put my energy into helping Randy and others get elected. Becoming newly-unemployed in August gave me the the time to spend putting out political signs, canvassing neighborhoods, stuffing envelopes, and doing whatever else I could do. The result was a huge victory for my candidates, including Mayor, City Council, and the Wake County School Board.
It was hard work but worth it. Winning sure is a lot more fun than losing, too!