2015 Aldermanic candidates should run NOW (for another office)

Many people are looking forward to running for Alderman (and even Mayor) in the city of Chicago in early 2015.

But in order to be successful, we suggest that you run for office starting now -- and do so for different office.

You can't legally collect signatures for the office until September of 2014. But you can collect signatures for office such as Illinois state representative and state senator.

So why run? There are several reasons why this is a good idea.

The first is that it gives you practice for running for office.  You can see what are the different things you need to do (such as filing, setting up debates, meeting constituents), and how much time it takes.

Also, you can analyze results, especially in the city, and see where you have support, where you don't, and where you might have a chance to win over voters.

As you campaign, you can see who you can count on to help you run, and see what types of weaknesses you have (such as a communication team, someone living in the north side of your district).

Because this isn't your "real" office, you can decide how much time and money you wish to invest in this election. You should put in effort, so you get a taste of reality. But you may then step back and family, job, church and other commitments come up.

It is vital, however, after you have run, to follow up with people and ask them why they didn't vote for you, and what it would take to earn their vote.

Many of the materials you use (such as campaign signs, which should be generic such as "Vote for Do-Gooder Consulting") and your website (which states your general values and issues) can remain in place even after this first election.  You can build awareness over time, especially in-between election periods.

It sounds like a lot of effort, and off your goal. But trust us -- running for one office can help build your credentials and set you up for victory in your desired office.

For more information on how Do-Gooder Consulting can help you, call/text us at 872-222-8008 or e-mail us at politics@do-gooder.us

Candidates need challengers

2014 primaries in Illinois are now under way with signatures being collected. In many cases, the incumbent is not getting a challenger.

And even then, it is a Chicago sport to get challengers off the ballot in order to ensure a win. Even President Obama did it to win his state Senator office.

To us at Do-Gooder Consulting, that's a sad situation, and in the long run, isn't helpful to incumbents who sincerely want to serve the public (and not simply their own careers).

The elections are essentially a free opinion poll  that gives you a true view of what your active voters think (and not those who like to answer the phone and talk to a pollster). You hear what are issues that parts of your community are passionate about, and to be honest about where you might be failing.

In Chicago, in particular, having multiple opponents are extremely helpful. With Chicago results, you can see precinct by precinct who is with you and who is not. You can then address issues of importance in the right area (for example, if the south part votes for one candidate, then you know those issues, and solutions need to be focused on in that part, even if different than other locations.)

As we mentioned, the removal of an opponent could be done. But if you are a candidate of integrity (especially an incumbent, who proved yourself once to voters), you need to ask if this is necessary. And you may find out that it is truly time for you to step down, again, in a way with integrity (as opposed to simply resigning for no significant reason other than selfish ones).

To sum up our advice: don't be afraid of challengers, and consider them legitimate critiques of your political situation.


Let us know how we can help. Contact us at 872-222-8008 or politics@do-gooder.us

It might now be too late to run for Alderman!

Today is election day in Chicago for national, state and county offices. Next February (in 2011), alderman and a new mayor of Chicago will be elected.

The deadline for submitting petitions to run for office still isn't for another 3 weeks. The subsequent elections are Feb. 1.  However, you might be too late in running for office. What do I mean?

There are several things you need in order tohave a successful campaign

• Integrity. If you don't have this, then forget about this entire blog. If you do not have the character to run, then you shouldn't try. Even you have gifts, such as charm or a god speaking voice, it means nothing without the character to use them. Some signs that you aren't ready : you are willing to lie about your opponents, you have alliances with questionable people and are willing to deceive others about it, easily angry at people who criticize you, can't account for your personal financial accounts, happy to gossip about people you don't like.
• Neighborhood accomplishments.  It's easy to criticize about what other people are not doing.  But ultimately, if you wish to be a community leader, you need to be a servant leader first. How will people know you can lead a whole ward, if you haven't helped even your local neighborhood?
• A team.  Having willing bodies is good, but you need to have a team of people who have skills in different areasto help you accomplish
• A coalition.  Not everyone voting for you has the desire or ability to be a part of your team.  But many people in the community can not just vote for you, but also sign your petition so that a person could even vote for you. Building coalitions with community leaders can help spread the word about you and get you the support you need to win.
• Methods of communication. Even a basic web page can help people to know a little bt about you, what you stand for, and then how you  can help
• Campaign cash. While it might be wise to not have much until after the Nov. 2 election (where you may need to report large sums of donations, which are then made public), if you don't have much lined up you can't get the word out.

The 2011 Aldermanic Election in Chicago will be an exiciting one, with many opportunties for citizens as they city will also get a new mayor. But if you haven't already laid the groundwork, you may be far too behind by now to possibly win, or even place high enough for a runoff election.

Contact Do-Gooder Consulting to see how we can help you in your campaign. We can research prospective donors, targeted areas of support, sending text messages by e-mail, work with EarlyAnd Often.org , and provide other tools to help you reach your constituency.