The Elly Report: Candidates Corner

2004 Candidate Survey: A Candidate's Response 2

I think it is also worth pointing out that "the Party" only exists when there are people. We are "the Party", so when you criticize the organization, in essence you are criticizing yourself. We each have a lot to do with how the Party comes together.

As one of the candidates last year that generally had a good experience, I've been wondering how to contribute to this discussion.

I was rather pleased and encouraged by the support that I'd received from the GOP last year and feel that I continue to receive ... even this year as I try to rev up the Republican presence in my town and as I run for local office (here's some shameless promotion ... check out my website at http://www.vote4greer.com)

Of course there is room for improvement, there always is ... and I am sure there were a lot of misunderstandings. I think my situation was slightly different in that I entered into the race without any expectations of what the Party could do for me or what I should have been expecting from the party, so every time a referral, or resources, or contacts came from them ... it was definitely a pleasant and welcome surprise and added bonus. The party didn't drag me into this race ... so they never made any promises to me. I understand that many promises were made to some that probably shouldn't have been made, because they were difficult to keep.

I met so many wonderful people during the campaign last year. I really must say that working with all of you and with the various campaign supporters along the way, I was given a new injection of faith in our political and governmental system as it is meant to run ... and I've gained a huge dose of respect for our founding fathers.

Perhaps I was expecting a lot immaturity, a lot of petty fiefdoms and a lot of facetious posturing ... that when I found them, they did not surprise nor disappoint me ... but every intelligent, thoughtful and generous person I met was a breath of fresh air and a boost to my morale ... and every one I met made it all worth the effort!

I was grateful for all the guidance from Michael Goetz who was assigned my regional advisor and even took my family out for a much appreciated day on his sailboat in the midst of a strenuous campaign year. He was my sounding board, my kick in the pants ... my guide into becoming a more participating citizen.

Jody Dow never lost faith in me and Pat Barrett came up from the South Shore on many occasions to show her support! I was grateful to Matt St Hillaire and Tim O'Brien who shared so much wisdom and PR advice! I was truly blessed for the dedication and time given to me by Kathie Summers whose slave driving example put all my efforts to shame. Joe Wong and the folks at the Asian Republicans of Massachusetts really threw all their support behind me ... many whom I'd only met that year. I was especially grateful for every elected official who took valuable time out of their busy schedules (and their own campaigns) to offer me advice, support and encouragement.

Okay ... so I can't go and name everyone cuz I'm sure I'll forget someone ... or I'll just run out into space capacity issues. I'm sure you all get the picture. There was so much too do that it was perhaps too much to expect that everything could be done. However, many little things were definitely accomplished.

I don't remember where I heard this ... and perhaps I don't have it totally correct ... but I once heard a story about a man who was walking along a rocky beach covered with starfish as the tide was rolling out and the sun was rising high into the sky. All the starfish were surely going to die. Off at the other end of the beach, he saw a young man plucking starfish one by one and throwing them back into the ocean. The first man said to the young man "You're never going to save them all, it's a futile effort!" ... the young man bent over, picked up a starfish and threw it into the waves and said "It wasn't futile for that one."