Yes, I’m Soul Searching
I’ve been inundated with emails and calls over the past couple of days asking if I was considering running for the Mayor of the City of Spartanburg. In case you missed the Spartanburg Herald Journal yesterday…Yes, I am CONSIDERING.
A few folks asked if I was going to blog about it. I’ve been unsure what to do as far as my blog. Obviously, I can’t make it go away. So I figured…why not just be honest and up front about it?
I’ve never known of someone interested in running for public office to have a blog full of their candid opinions. I’ve been asked, “do you think your blog will hurt you?” To that, all I can say is “probably” but to what extent…I don’t know. My blog is a part of me and when I started it I definitely didn’t think I’d be considering running for public office. Rarely, do folks wear their heart on their sleeves, talk honestly about how they feel about a variety of issues in a public forum and then say “oh, I might run for public office.” That’s pretty much political suicide in this day and age, but then there’s me.
One thing is for sure—anyone that reads my blog knows where I stand on things especially when it comes to Spartanburg. This blogging experience has been an interesting part of the journey for me because I’ve learned a lot from putting myself out there, defending my views and at times, rethinking things because of something a commenter with a differing view said to me. I’ve found that is what it’s all about all—talking to each other and trying to figure out our problems. The position I am considering is local government. We work on the issues that affect people’s everyday lives and to move our community forward. The partisan politics we argue over in the national and state arenas are another jurisdiction. This community has to work for all of us. There is room at the table for everyone. We are all different but we can figure this out.
Anyway, my blog has been the elephant in the room and I wanted to address it. I could easily take this site down and hope for the best but I think people would rather me just be upfront.
So here I am…as part of my soul searching…doing just that.
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SeedingSpartanburg.com
on 14 Aug 2009 at 11:03 am # Shanks Evans
As former political hack, I can assure you this blog will hurt you. Don’t think the declared candidate and others won’t refer back to this site for quotes and negative nuggets to use not publicly, but on the rumor circuit.
on 15 Aug 2009 at 2:48 pm # Steve Shanafelt
Of course, since a good deal of credibility in the community comes from being such a high-profile blogger and activist, you have a rare opportunity to take your message directly to the voters. If they want to know your position on something, they can get it directly from the source.
Opponents WILL try to use that against you, of course. But I don’t think it’s strictly a liability. You also have platform here which your opponents don’t have, as well as a track record of community activism which clearly goes back years.
From my point of view, I wouldn’t take down your blog. It makes it look like you’re trying to hide something. Meanwhile, all of your forum posts on GoUpstate will still be there, and most of your blog’s content can still be found via cache searches. Instead, I’d make the blog a selling point, and mentally prepare for others to use your words against you.
on 15 Aug 2009 at 2:56 pm # Steve Shanafelt
Incidentally, you wouldn’t be the first blogger to try this. Up in Asheville, there’s a very left-leaning blogger named Gordon Smith who recently decided to run for Asheville City Council, and he’s facing a lot of the same issues you would.
His primary blog is Scrutiny Hooligans: http://scrutinyhooligans.us/
Here’s his campaign site: http://gordonforasheville.com/
Granted, Asheville’s political climate is VERY different from Spartanburg’s, but the kind of campaign he’s running — using his blog as a selling point — might be worth learning from.
(Smith’s BlogAsheville site was the direct inspiration for the Spark’s side project, SparkleCityBlogs.com.)
on 16 Aug 2009 at 7:48 am # sylvie
It may or may not hurt you. Everyone in public office has some form of public record of things they have said or not said, views they hold or don’t hold. The fact that you are up front and honest about your views may just serve in your favor.
Of course I live outside the city limits so I can’t vote in case you do run.
on 16 Aug 2009 at 3:13 pm # Connie Mack Jr
Run girl! Blogs are the newest weapons against the establishment right wing media and retarded Republicans. They are going to smear you anyway, but you can blow them away with your Blog comments or campaign site in a Obama heartbeat…….Remember! They hate to be expose!
on 18 Aug 2009 at 11:04 am # Earl Capps
You can expect your opposition will use anything they find that suits their purposes. I’ve also learned that nothing is too good to be taken out of context, so it’s not just what you have said, it’s how it can be interpreted or spun or twisted.
But that goes with anything in life, so blog or not, if someone wants to go after you, they will.
While I may not agree with every position you’ve stated here, from reading your blog, I get the overall impression that you’re a concerned and thoughtful citizen, which is what I think the average voter who visits this website will see.
I wouldn’t worry too much about the blog, but are you sure you want to run for office? That’s a big pain in the neck for anyone.