Some public officials eventually forget where they came
from. And some wannabe-officials forget where they are.
from. And some wannabe-officials forget where they are.
A guy named Doug Skrzyniarz sent out emails this morning announcing his
candidacy for city council. Which city council?
candidacy for city council. Which city council?
Well, that’s the problem.
I started reading the message without bothering to download the
little logo at the top of the page. It quickly became obvious that Skrzyniarz
forgot one basic requirement in his sales pitch – What office are you running
for?
little logo at the top of the page. It quickly became obvious that Skrzyniarz
forgot one basic requirement in his sales pitch – What office are you running
for?
Here’s a portion of the peculiar announcement:
“The election is non-partisan with a total of six at-large open
seats, meaning I just have to receive the sixth most votes or better.
With a city of over 130,000 people and likely more than 20,000 voters on
Election Day, I will need extensive resources to be successful. My focus
over the next 90 days is to acquire the 1,000 petition signatures needed to
appear on the ballot and to raise money. I am confident that with a focus
on grassroots organizing combined with strong financial resources, our campaign
will be a success.”
seats, meaning I just have to receive the sixth most votes or better.
With a city of over 130,000 people and likely more than 20,000 voters on
Election Day, I will need extensive resources to be successful. My focus
over the next 90 days is to acquire the 1,000 petition signatures needed to
appear on the ballot and to raise money. I am confident that with a focus
on grassroots organizing combined with strong financial resources, our campaign
will be a success.”
Now, if only those receiving this email knew what city to converge
upon for this big grassroots organizing effort. To be fair, when I downloaded
the logo it included this message in tiny type: “A new voice for Sterling
Heights.” That’s a pretty good hint for
the voters. But you don’t want to be subtle in politics, especially when you’re
a newcomer.
upon for this big grassroots organizing effort. To be fair, when I downloaded
the logo it included this message in tiny type: “A new voice for Sterling
Heights.” That’s a pretty good hint for
the voters. But you don’t want to be subtle in politics, especially when you’re
a newcomer.
To be clear: Skrzyniarz (doesn’t exactly roll off the tongue,
does it?) is running for Sterling Heights City Council. Barring the need for a
primary, the election is Nov. 5. He must collect sufficient nominating
signatures prior to the May 14 filing deadline.
does it?) is running for Sterling Heights City Council. Barring the need for a
primary, the election is Nov. 5. He must collect sufficient nominating
signatures prior to the May 14 filing deadline.
Toward the end of his short email message, Skrzyniarz offered this:
“As you know, election campaigns are difficult and challenging.”
Yup. And, based on this initial outing, I suspect this candidate
is in for a challenging time.
is in for a challenging time.
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UPDATE: Within an hour of this item going up on my blog Skrzyniarz called to say that the “$100 Campaign Kickoff” email was not intended to announce his campaign. He said the email was sent to several hundred people who already know that he’s running and it was intended as an initial attempt at raising $100 each from supporters.
I just wanted to take this opportunity to thank Chad for the free ink, especially for a city council race. I agree that my Polish last name is not the easiest political name, However, I thought it was important not to change my last name just because of political expediency. I am proud of my Polish heritage and would assume that Chad shares the same feelings. I look forward to the voters getting to know me over the course of the campaign. If you would like to know more, please visit my website: http://www.doug4council.com or you can visit my facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/doug4council or my twitter at http://www.twitter.com/doug4council