http://seantevis.com/weblog/ The campaign weblog of Sean Tevis for Kansas State Representative en seantevis@gmail.com Copyright 2009 2009-02-12T00:16:00+00:00 http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/SeanTevisCampaignWeblog/~3/DrFPkk4ahBY/my-response-to-house-bill-no-2244-aka-the-sean-tevis-bill http://seantevis.com/weblog/story/my-response-to-house-bill-no-2244-aka-the-sean-tevis-bill#When:00:16:00Z Campaign Finance Bill is FlawedIt’s how much you give, not how much a candidate raises that is important. Bill would create unequal rights for citizens. On Wednesday, February 4, 2009, Representative Scott Schwab (R-Olathe) introduced House Bill No. 2244. It is being referred to as the “Sean Tevis Bill”. This bill would require candidates to file a public report with your full name and your home address on it if you donate less than $50 to a political campaign. Currently, if you donate $49.99 or less, your personal information is not required to be reported. For example, you can donate $1 right now and not have to worry about your personal information appearing on a list of people who give money. After this bill passes, you may, or you may not, have your personal information reported and you will have no idea if it will be reported or not. It would appear at first glance that the purpose of this bill is to increase government transparency. What makes this bill unusual, however, is that it would only apply if the candidate you support raises more than $1,000 in other small donations. That’s an odd provision. Why are some small donations not worth reporting and others are? Maybe it’s because in 2008, there was only been one candidate to raise more than $1,000 in small donations. Me. Representative Schwab has written a bill not to increase government transparency, but to target me or any other future candidate who tries to avoid taking lobbyist money by asking for small donations. Why We Have Campaign Finance Reporting Laws Our campaign finance laws are meant primarily so that the public can know what persons or organizations might be attempting to purchase access or influence with our politicians. For instance, Monsanto Corporation, a maker of fertilizers and chemicals, gave Representative Schwab $250 five days before the election in November. We deserve to know about this because he may feel indebted to Monsanto and introduce legislation to unfairly favor their profit interests over public health. If he introduces a House Bill to loosen regulations about what chemicals may be used on Kansas farms we now know that he may be self-serving and paying back his benefactors. Reporting the names and addresses of these large amount donors is a way for us to measure a politician’s credibility on an issue. Why Haven’t Candidates Been Required to Report Small Donations Before? There are three reasons: 1) No Indebtedness You give $1 to a candidate. It’s a pretty safe bet that they won’t feel indebted to you. If you give them $100, they might. You give a candidate $1,000 they will probably drop everything to take your call. Money helps win elections and candidates are always looking for more, sadly. Reporting the name and address of someone donating $1 does not address the reasons why we established campaign finance reporting laws. Reporting the name and address of someone donating $1,000 does. 2) Privacy Right now, you can donate $1 to a campaign and be confident that your name and address won’t appear on a donor list somewhere. Some people are very private. These people want to support candidates that they believe in, but they don’t want to have their names out there for marketers, scam artists, or for several personal reasons. One woman donated $49.99 to my campaign, noting that she didn’t want an ex-boyfriend to be able to find her. I thanked her and told her that her privacy would be protected. The $50 threshold allowed her to participate more actively in the direction of our state without fear of upsetting her personal life. 3) It Would Be More Work All politicians have been candidates who have run for office. Generally, they don’t like to more work for themselves, especially if there is no benefit to them or the public. It’s this third reason that I believe that Representative Schwab put in the $1,000 provision into his bill. He doesn’t want to fill out more paperwork himself. The Problem The $1,000 threshold creates an unequal protection of privacy. If you donate $1 to a candidate, you can expect that your personal information will remain private. If that candidate, however, crosses the arbitrary $1,000 threshold, which is beyond your control, then suddenly your reasonable expectation of privacy that other small donors enjoy is stripped from you. For example: • John gives $1 to Candidate A • Mary gives $1 to Candidate B • Candidate A *does not* raise more than $1,000 in small donations. • Candidate B becomes very popular and she raises more than $1,000 in small donations. The effect of this is that: John’s personal information is safe. Mary’s personal information is not safe. Why should Mary be stripped of the same opportunity for personal privacy that John enjoys? My Challenge I strongly encourage any movement to make our government more transparent, our politicians more accountable, and our laws less susceptible to the influence of wealthy interest groups. This bill does none of that. I challenge the Kansas Legislature to remove the arbitrary $1,000 threshold in House Bill No. 2244 that selectively and unequally punishes citizens. All candidates must report the same information for the same levels of donations. Press Releases, 2009-02-12T00:16:00+00:00 http://seantevis.com/weblog/story/my-response-to-house-bill-no-2244-aka-the-sean-tevis-bill#When:00:16:00Z http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/SeanTevisCampaignWeblog/~3/hpsLDGtQrvM/why-politicians-are-bland http://seantevis.com/weblog/story/why-politicians-are-bland#When:16:19:00Z I’ve been blogging for 10 years. One of the things I struggled with was the idea of taking down my personal website a few months before the election. I was told that this was a “must do” thing because my opponent would use photos of me wearing a Halloween costume or something in an attack ad. The photo of me wearing a coconut bra and a grass skirt from eight years ago I could almost be guaranteed to see in an ad, they said. I didn’t want to believe it, but I acquiesced and took my weblog offline and even deleted the Google cache of it. I felt like I was removing a part of myself. Then in the last weeks of the election, sure enough, silly and absurd photos of me appeared in attack pieces sent to my neighbors. I thought I’d see attacks based on my policy ideas perhaps, but no. The ads used silly photos of me on friends’ Flickr and Facebook accounts. The first one I saw was me holding a glass of wine in a restaurant and calling me a far left liberal because, you know, if you drink wine you’re a liberal. I laughed it off as absurd. “No one will believe this.” I said. And then came another attack ad with more silly pictures. And another. I believe in political discourse, but I’ve seen that a good part of how we elect people is based on image. Does this mean our system is broken? I’m not sure. At least I know why politicians always seem so bland — they’ve done a good job sanitizing their life. Or, at least, they don’t live in the online world. Campaign Notes, 2008-11-12T16:19:00+00:00 http://seantevis.com/weblog/story/why-politicians-are-bland#When:16:19:00Z http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/SeanTevisCampaignWeblog/~3/9qLlKRv_vFc/interview-435-south-magazine http://seantevis.com/weblog/story/interview-435-south-magazine#When:23:53:01Z I was interviewed by 435 South magazine as one of Kansas City's "Innovators of the Year" last month. The edition was just published this week — too late to help me at the polls, but a welcome opportunity to talk about new ideas nonetheless. One of my favorite parts was this: While networking sites like Facebook have revolutionized socializing, Tevis is even more hopeful about technology’s implications for the political process. “Take features like reddit.com’s “crowd-sourcing” ability — that term is tech-speak for the process of capturing and applying collective wisdom,” he explains. “Now imagine a website showing every bill that’s introduced in the Legislature — then allows users to discuss and rate the bill’s effectiveness. How great would that be?” I'm still going to build it. I'll probably have to set up a foundation to do it, but I think it could be the prototype for something that any state could use. In The News, 2008-11-06T23:53:01+00:00 http://seantevis.com/weblog/story/interview-435-south-magazine#When:23:53:01Z http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/SeanTevisCampaignWeblog/~3/oIsycmpNUfw/election-results http://seantevis.com/weblog/story/election-results#When:04:08:00Z As of the 8:16 p.m. update it's tied in a statistical dead heat. Siegfreid50% Tevis50% As of the 10:28 pm, the (unofficial final) results in my district: McCain57% Obama41% Siegfreid52% Tevis48% Unless the election office mysteriously finds a bunch of misplaced ballots, I lost by 4%. I'm a Democrat in a ruby red area. Here are how the Democrats in the districts sharing a boundary with mine did: North: -23% South: -19% East: -18% I'm exhausted, both physically and emotionally. There are lots of thanks to go around, especially to you who are reading this. We beat the spread. I'll post soon about what the last days were like - driving elderly people to the polls, dirty tricks that were played on us, and what the direct mail flyers with photos of me from friends' Facebook and Flickr accounts looked like. Thank you again. — Sean 2008-11-05T04:08:00+00:00 http://seantevis.com/weblog/story/election-results#When:04:08:00Z http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/SeanTevisCampaignWeblog/~3/VR7jwUsnWPc/siegfreid-fundraiser-invites-special-interest-money-to-pour-in http://seantevis.com/weblog/story/siegfreid-fundraiser-invites-special-interest-money-to-pour-in#When:05:24:01Z FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Siegfreid Fundraiser Invites Special Interest Money to Pour In $150 Per Plate Lunch Held Outside District With Only Special Interests Invited OLATHE, KANSAS -- October 12, 2008 -- State Representative Arlen Siegfreid's campaign has invited lobbyists to a luncheon with him and U.S. Senator Sam Brownback at a privately owned golf club outside District 15 in Olathe, the district Siegfried represents. The luncheon's location and venue leave Siegfreid's constituents to wonder when and where they will be allowed to voice concerns about his leadership in the Kansas House of Representatives. The event is Oct. 16 at Shadow Glen Golf Club, in northwest Olathe south of Kansas Highway 10. Sean Tevis spokesperson Andrew Blobaum questions any event held outside the district that is restricted from public access. "Mr. Siegfreid has once again made a decision that Topeka lobbyists' interests come before his constituents' interests," Blobaum said. "His lobbyist-first agenda has only hurt the people of the 15th District, and his first major public event of the campaign is a fundraiser that excludes his constituents from attendance without a large contribution." Blobaum noted the Tevis campaign's commitment to the voters of the 15th District. "As we move forward toward election day, Sean Tevis holds a public town hall meeting every Thursday at the Pizza Shoppe in his district where any citizen is welcome to come ask Sean the tough questions. We are not afraid to talk with voters and hear their concerns because we have taken no special interest money." Blobaum also noted a discrepancy in the flier sent out to lobbyists. "Representative Siegfreid's claim that he has accepted no 'out of state special interest money' is absolutely false. Unless our state has changed its borders since January 1, 2007, Mr. Siegfreid has accepted $5,675 from out-of-state special interest groups according to his campaign finance report filings." The public is invited to voice concerns with Siegfreid's fundraising at Tevis' free public forum at 7 p.m. every Thursday at Pizza Shoppe, 736 W. Park St., Olathe. About Sean Tevis Sean Tevis received national media attention by asking 3,000 people to donate $8.34 each to his campaign so that he would not have to accept lobbyist's money. He set the Kansas State record for the must number of individual donors to a State Representative campaign with more than 6,200 donors. He has been named one of five of Kansas City's "Top Innovators of the Year" by 435 South Magazine (November 2008 issue) and has been featured in The Wall Street Journal, The Los Angeles Times, and NPR's Morning Edition. Sean Tevis was raised in Johnson County, Kansas, and is running for State Representative in District 15. He loves Olathe. # # # PRESS Contact: Andrew Blobaum Telephone: 913-752-7573 E-mail: andrew@seantevis.com Press Releases, 2008-10-13T05:24:01+00:00 http://seantevis.com/weblog/story/siegfreid-fundraiser-invites-special-interest-money-to-pour-in#When:05:24:01Z http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/SeanTevisCampaignWeblog/~3/Yh8IKLTLLHg/the-story-behind-the-cheese-balls http://seantevis.com/weblog/story/the-story-behind-the-cheese-balls#When:22:07:00Z I sent out my first piece of direct mail this week. I decided that a good portion of it should be the postal mail equivalent of an introduction, much like I was meeting someone for the first time. It has a brief bio of me and has photos of my family on a hayride, some of me with my siblings, and a couple of photos of my wife, Michelle, and myself. Except one of the photos had an issue. The printer called me as they were just beginning the press run and said that the nice portrait of me and my pregnant wife taken on a beautiful Fall day in front of our house had been “digitally mangled” somehow. The printer asked, “Did I have another I could quickly send them?” “Yes,” I said. I searched my hard drive and found an alternative. It’s of both of us sitting inside a car dealership holding a bag of cheese balls. “It’ll have to do,” I thought, and sent it to the printer. Now, when one gets a piece of mail from a political candidate, one wouldn’t normally expect to see him holding any kind of snack food. So here’s the story behind this unusual photo: My wife and I were buying a car. I’ve taken courses in negotiation and I decided to exercise my skills to see what kind of deal I could arrange. I first argued on price and saw some results until the price became the lowest it could go. Then I tried to get “extras” thrown in — a nicer radio, maybe tires, or an extended warranty. I think the salesman caved on one or two things, but not much. It looked like we’d reached the end of the negotiation, but I wanted one more thing and that’s when I spied a bag of cheese balls sitting behind his desk. “Sir, you have a deal if you throw in that bag you have over there,” I said. He looked shocked, then smiled hugely. “Really? Well… done!” he said. That’s the story of how I got a free bag of cheese balls with a several thousand dollar purchase. They were great. And I hope to use those same tenacious negotiation skills to get the best possible deals for the people in my district of Olathe, Kansas. 2008-10-07T22:07:00+00:00 http://seantevis.com/weblog/story/the-story-behind-the-cheese-balls#When:22:07:00Z http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/SeanTevisCampaignWeblog/~3/j-HCEWLRkiU/personal-endorsement-lisa-d http://seantevis.com/weblog/story/personal-endorsement-lisa-d#When:15:24:00Z I was one of your donors for your creative campaign, and I just checked your website to see how you’re doing, and went to the blog… I enjoyed the HDNet video and blog entry. I just wish they hadn’t used the word “maverick.”  I can’t hear that word without Sarah Palin’s accent. You are the first person to ever make me want to visit Kansas. I’m really a coastal/beach girl. I just never thought of spending my hard-earned vacation days and money visiting Kansas, or most of middle America for that matter.  But the way you talked about your town was so warm and welcoming, that it made me think “now that’s sounds like a nice town.” Maybe someday I’ll trade hurricanes for tornadoes. Best of luck with your campaign. I’m still watching with interest, and sincerely pulling for you. Take care, Lisa D. Endorsements, 2008-10-06T15:24:00+00:00 http://seantevis.com/weblog/story/personal-endorsement-lisa-d#When:15:24:00Z http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/SeanTevisCampaignWeblog/~3/LXrcFVGC7js/personal-endorsement-jeff-h http://seantevis.com/weblog/story/personal-endorsement-jeff-h#When:15:20:00Z Mr. Tevis I have never had much of an interest in political campaigning and have never donated to a political cause before but, after meeting you,viewing your website and reading articles about you, I have given your campaign $25. I believe you have started a change in the “Good Ole Boy” way of politics. I for one am sick of. It’s time for change and you are our vision of hope for that change. It’s time someone stood up for the “Average Joe”. I believe you are that person! Tell [people that] you have a supporter that was born and raised in this very district 47 years ago and remains in this district. Feel free to use my name. I am proud to support you and your campaign in any way I can. Keep up the good work! Sincerely, Jeff H. Endorsements, 2008-10-05T15:20:00+00:00 http://seantevis.com/weblog/story/personal-endorsement-jeff-h#When:15:20:00Z http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/SeanTevisCampaignWeblog/~3/Exw09GclxUo/television-interview-hdnet-world-report http://seantevis.com/weblog/story/television-interview-hdnet-world-report#When:17:21:00Z HDNet World Report is a weekly news magazine that is very similar to 60 Minutes. Dan Rather was hired a few years ago to make their news division the best television news on cable, sort of like the HBO of news. It’s filmed in high definition and it airs in many countries worldwide. They called me, they said, because I was doing something that no one had ever really done before and that I would be a perfect fit for their “Mavericks” series of profiles. The week before my segment aired, they had interviewed Bob Barr, the Libertarian Party nominee for President. I’ve done some local TV interviews before, but this was a different experience and I was surprised at how much work it was. Four people flew to Kansas to make this happen - a camera man, a sound technician, a producer, and the interviewer/journalist, Paul Beban. They stayed for a day and a half. My mom was invited to come over and talk, too. She told them a lot more than what made it into the final sequence - stories from my childhood, how hard I’ve been working, and how I lost my election for Student Body President in high school to movie actor Paul Rudd. This got the crew excited and they talked about using clips from “40 Year Old Virgin” or “Anchorman” during the segment, but thankfully they didn’t. I emailed Paul to give him a head’s up warning just in case they tried to call him. The only thing that was edited out that I feel was really important was this: I created this unusual fundraising so I wouldn’t need to accept any lobbyist money. I could have raised all of the money I needed, if I’d been willing to let lobbyists have influence over my voting decisions. I feel that is wrong, and it is one of the main reasons our political system is broken. It’s one of the reason why I’m running against Arlen Siegfreid. I think they made Olathe, Kansas look good. They talked about how we’re the place where the cowboy boot was invented and made it look like the charming community that it is. I figure the more that I can do to get the rest of the world to know how great Olathe is, the better. In The News, 2008-09-19T17:21:00+00:00 http://seantevis.com/weblog/story/television-interview-hdnet-world-report#When:17:21:00Z http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/SeanTevisCampaignWeblog/~3/BP7gSJFxoK4/personal-endorsement-nelson-b http://seantevis.com/weblog/story/personal-endorsement-nelson-b#When:16:18:01Z Dear Sean Congratulations on what you have done by using the internet for your campaign. I very much like what you are doing by collecting small donations, collecting less than $10 dollars per person, again, hewing to the Gandhi’s saying: ‘You must be the change you wish to see in the world.” I will be sending you a donation by mail and I pray that you win because we need people who care, are intelligent, sincere, and have a conscience. I believe you are that kind of person. By the way, I saw the article about you in The Wall Street Journal. Olathe is lucky to have you. Blessings, Nelson B. Endorsements, 2008-09-09T16:18:01+00:00 http://seantevis.com/weblog/story/personal-endorsement-nelson-b#When:16:18:01Z http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/SeanTevisCampaignWeblog/~3/_Id45pcnIEE/at-the-olathe-old-settlers-parade http://seantevis.com/weblog/story/at-the-olathe-old-settlers-parade#When:05:45:00Z I was walking around the Old Settler’s Festival Saturday afternoon, taking in the sights, when a young woman stopped, pointed at me, and just started laughing. This made me uneasy for a moment as this was eerily similar to how every girl treated me when I was 13. I snapped back from horrible teenage memories when she walked up and shook my hand. She told me how much she loved my campaign’s entry in the parade that morning. “All those other old guy politicians ride in cars,” she said. “But you… you did it how it should be done.” I asked her for her name, thanked her, and invited her to be in my next parade. She beamed. From Olathe Old Settler's Parade I’d say that 95 percent of the time, working at getting elected is serious and often tedious work. The parade was different. It was special. Little kids running up to you and giving you high-fives I think would never get old. From Olathe Old Settler's Parade There were three “favorite” things that worked well, I think. 1) The big walking banana carrying the “No Sales Tax on Food” sign. 2) The people carrying brooms next to a sign that read, “Clean Up Topeka!” 3) That there was someone next to me carrying a big sign that read, “THIS is Sean Tevis!”. The best part was improvised, however. I didn’t plan on what I should do in the parade because I was so busy worrying about getting signs made, cleaning the house, and having breakfast for volunteers. When we turned the first corner and I saw a group of people, I walked right up to them and said, “My name is Sean Tevis. (and sort of yelled) Hellooo!” and they yelled back “Hellooo!” to me. It was great! I kept doing it all through the parade. From Olathe Old Settler's Parade Thank you to the 22 wonderful people who got up early and marched with me. I’d list their names here, but most of them are Republicans. I want to check with them first because I’m pretty sure they’d be put on the “Do Not Fly” list if the wrong people found out. I want to give a huge thank you to all of the great people I saw at the parade who yelled “Hellooo!” back to me. You all made this an event that I’ll be able to tell my kids about years from now. Except when I tell it then, it will be 120 people marching with me and the crowds lifted me up on their shoulders and gave me doughnuts. But you know, I still wouldn’t enjoy that more than what I did on Saturday. Thank you! Campaign Notes, 2008-09-08T05:45:00+00:00 http://seantevis.com/weblog/story/at-the-olathe-old-settlers-parade#When:05:45:00Z http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/SeanTevisCampaignWeblog/~3/wUdOjHj2mI0/personal-endorsement-marla-p http://seantevis.com/weblog/story/personal-endorsement-marla-p#When:15:53:01Z Hi Sean, As someone who has advocated on the behalf of women for the last several years and dealt with Siegfreid firsthand, I am so excited to see someone running against him!  I’m thinking positive that you’re gonna win this one! *smile*, but after my last dealing Siegfreid, I vowed to help the next person who ran against him.  I tried signing up through your volunteer link, but I got an error message….I will do whatever I can to help your campaign, and I will be making a donation after I am done with this email. Many of my friends across the state have been made aware you are challenging Siegfreid, and they have vowed to donate and/or volunteer.  Let me know what needs to be done, and I am ready and willing!  Thanks again for running against Siegfreid…I hope you absolutely STOMP HIM. Marla P. Endorsements, 2008-09-04T15:53:01+00:00 http://seantevis.com/weblog/story/personal-endorsement-marla-p#When:15:53:01Z http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/SeanTevisCampaignWeblog/~3/YacZwMWEQsw/join-sean-tevis-in-a-parade http://seantevis.com/weblog/story/join-sean-tevis-in-a-parade#When:22:33:00Z I would like you to to march in a parade with me this Saturday, September 6th. The Olathe Old Settler’s Parade is my best chance at reaching nearly everyone in my community who can vote for me. People respond positively when they see a show of force - that there are lots of others who are supporting this candidate that they may have never heard about. The more people who march with me, the better my chances at winning become. We’re doing this up old school like a 1930s style political campaign - there will be lots of “picket signs”, banners, a megaphone, stickers, and about a dozen brooms. Really. We need a bunch of people to make this work, but we especially need you. Here are the details: WHEN: Saturday morning, 8:30 am WHERE: Sean’s house - 500 E. Cedar St., Olathe, Kansas, 66061 SCHEDULE: 8:30 - Assemble at Sean’s, eat donuts, drink coffee, be merry 9:00 - Walk to parade staging area at Elm and Kansas Ave. 9:15 - Assemble at Staging Area, the West side of Elm St. on Kansas Ave. 9:30 - Walk in Parade, have a fantastic, memorable time. Food: There will be donuts, coffee, juice, and assorted breakfast-y items available for anyone who eats or drinks in the morning. What to wear: Jeans, T-Shirt, and comfortable shoes. There are free T-Shirts for volunteers to wear! Please come. It means a lot to me. Thank you! P.S. Please forward this to anyone you may know. Thank you so much (again)! Campaign Notes, 2008-09-03T22:33:00+00:00 http://seantevis.com/weblog/story/join-sean-tevis-in-a-parade#When:22:33:00Z http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/SeanTevisCampaignWeblog/~3/kzxuFcIyuMs/personal-endorsement-gilbert-m http://seantevis.com/weblog/story/personal-endorsement-gilbert-m#When:16:04:01Z Hi there, I hate politics and most of the politicians I know (as politicians, not as human beings!). The last thing people that know me would expect from me is to donate to any single political campaign; I believe in social responsibility and “fix your community by yourself, politicians wont help you”. But man, if you designed and wrote the code for your own site, you got my $8.88 for sure!  What we need is politicians that are hands on and not a bureaucrat sitting on a pedestal with an army of assistants doing the work for them. I am tired of lawyers, economists and “business men” taking over the power without a clue on how to serve others. I am sure you will have your own non-orthodox and pragmatic way to help your community. Greetings and good luck! Gilbert M. Endorsements, 2008-09-03T16:04:01+00:00 http://seantevis.com/weblog/story/personal-endorsement-gilbert-m#When:16:04:01Z http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/SeanTevisCampaignWeblog/~3/oGSjZTOBqX0/personal-endorsement-neil-w http://seantevis.com/weblog/story/personal-endorsement-neil-w#When:16:11:01Z Wow! And he’s from Olathe! If my daughter donated, she has analyzed your message and found it worthy. She has been my little girl since she was born 41+ years ago and will not admit to ever having been wrong. To my knowledge she actually HAS been wrong twice in 38+ years. However….she is screamingly brilliant (phi Beta Kappa, etc. etc. etc.) and she analyzes things better than I ever could and at one time, before I retired, I was pretty damned good at analyzing things like this. If she sent you money for a campaign donation then by God, I will too. For what it is worth, the W—family has been in Johnson County Kansas since eighteen-fifty-seven (1857 looks like a typo…it ain’t…). My daughters paternal grandparents, great-grandparents, great-great-grandparents, and great-great-great-grandparents are buried in that cemetary seven blocks north of the courthouse, at the end of Water Street. She has still more (3-great)-grandparents buried over in the cemetery at Stilwell (183rd and Old Metcalf). The point I am getting at is that we are not some fly-by-night Johnson County residents. Others claim they are. On that statement I heap large piles of Bovine Organic Fertilizer.  We ARE real real long-time Johnson Countians. She has an instinctive distrust of politicians. She has analyzed your message and sent you money for your campaign.  I can do no less.  Neil W— Endorsements, 2008-08-28T16:11:01+00:00 http://seantevis.com/weblog/story/personal-endorsement-neil-w#When:16:11:01Z http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/SeanTevisCampaignWeblog/~3/yqF5LnKhIsM/personal-endorsement-jennifer-w http://seantevis.com/weblog/story/personal-endorsement-jennifer-w#When:15:41:00Z Hi Sean, My name is Jennifer W—.  I so admire your campaign!  We need more candidates supported by the people and not just big business and lobbyists.  I’ve been fighting for an insurance bill this past year and it is so hard to battle the insurance lobby.  I’m just a mom with two kids who have autism and I would like coverage for the treatment they need. It costs over $40,000 per child and we only make $102,000 a year.  We’ve mortgaged our home to the limit, maxed out credit cards, cashed in college funds for all four of our kids and we are getting ready to cash in our 401K. Our situation is not unusual.  I donated $5.00 to your effort because I know someone like you hears small voices like mine. You have my support.  God Bless you, Sean Tevis, and good luck with your campaign.  I hope you knock their socks off!!! Sincerely, Jennifer W. Endorsements, 2008-08-23T15:41:00+00:00 http://seantevis.com/weblog/story/personal-endorsement-jennifer-w#When:15:41:00Z http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/SeanTevisCampaignWeblog/~3/Wh64nkN4wO0/personal-endorsement-fred-f http://seantevis.com/weblog/story/personal-endorsement-fred-f#When:15:38:01Z Sean, Heard about you on the radio this a.m. Congrats on your campaign, hope you win. Although I live in Texas now, I still think about growing up in Johnson County and then at KU. My family still lives in your district and they need someone like you. I love your web site, clean and easy to read, to navigate. All I know Sean is that if I still lived there I would vote for you. Best of luck! Fred F. Endorsements, 2008-08-19T15:38:01+00:00 http://seantevis.com/weblog/story/personal-endorsement-fred-f#When:15:38:01Z http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/SeanTevisCampaignWeblog/~3/jI9KTz8fh8Y/personal-endorsement-nikki-l http://seantevis.com/weblog/story/personal-endorsement-nikki-l#When:15:09:00Z Hi Sean Thank you for giving us hope and inspiration in these times when it is hard to find either. You are using your gifts and ingenuity in the time-honored American way. We are all cheering you on! Blessings to you and victory on Election Day. Nikki L. Endorsements, 2008-08-16T15:09:00+00:00 http://seantevis.com/weblog/story/personal-endorsement-nikki-l#When:15:09:00Z http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/SeanTevisCampaignWeblog/~3/SMd5wg0_iG4/personal-endorsement-moira-b http://seantevis.com/weblog/story/personal-endorsement-moira-b#When:15:03:00Z Morning Sean Just wanted to say I heard about you this morning on the radio and I want to applaud your creativity.  We need more people willing to serve in public office and I love the choice of the song for your campaign. I applaud anyone who steps out onto that limb to put their money where their mouth is. I love the creativity of your web site – simple – straight forward and fun. These days in politics people seem to think they need to write a thesis of their solutions to life’s problems. Your web site is using crowdsourcing to gather opinions from others to help back up your ideals. GOOD for you!!! There are many reactionary people who get elected to political office, but your ideas seem more thoughtful. I want to contribute a little to your campaign – but times are tough right now.  So I thought I would lend my moral support in an email. Congrats on the great campaign and I wish your wife well in the challenge of balancing family and living with a politician. Keep on smiling. Moira B. Endorsements, 2008-08-15T15:03:00+00:00 http://seantevis.com/weblog/story/personal-endorsement-moira-b#When:15:03:00Z http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/SeanTevisCampaignWeblog/~3/ujvhmV0EkdI/well-that-was-interesting http://seantevis.com/weblog/story/well-that-was-interesting#When:00:01:01Z To my neighbors, family, friends, and friends-of-friends I say thank you for your generous donations and support over the last month. It’s been an exciting and very busy time. On July 16th, I applied some of the techniques that I want to use to improve the way government works to the problem of fundraising for my campaign. I made an appeal that was both personal and that leveraged the power of social networks to quickly communicate with others. The effects were astounding. By using the ability to collaborate online, connect with an audience, and communicate in a way that, say, mailing a brochure simply can’t, we were able to break the record for the most number of donors to a State Representative campaign in Kansas. Almost all of these donations were less than $10. Almost 50 donations were $1 each from people who know that we need real change, but they’ve been hit too hard by the economy to afford more. We raised more money from more local donors than my three-term incumbent opponent. It means, too, that I have no strings attached to my funding because it’s not money from lobbyists or special interest groups. Hundreds of friends emailed me when they sent in a small donation. Mike said, “I have not had a job in sixteen months. Eight bucks and change will still move my old Ford Explorer about 40 miles if I drive real carefully. And I’ll be glad to avoid some driving so that your voice is heard in Topeka - LOUDLY, please!” I’ve made a lot of friends online over the years, but I never realized how wonderful they truly were until now. Imagine knowing that as a Representative you should vote one way, but doing so would alienate the lobbyists who fund your campaign. I could never vote against the interests of my neighbors in Olathe. Fortunately, I have the luxury of voting to do what’s right instead of voting in a manner that secures more lobbyist money like some politicians. As of today, I’m back to campaigning: walking door to door, meeting people and listening to them, and trying to figure out how to solve problems in new ways. And blogging it, of course. Campaign Notes, 2008-08-14T00:01:01+00:00 http://seantevis.com/weblog/story/well-that-was-interesting#When:00:01:01Z http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/SeanTevisCampaignWeblog/~3/GJomVoAI9eg/personal-endorsement-nita-m http://seantevis.com/weblog/story/personal-endorsement-nita-m#When:14:57:00Z Dear Future Representative Tevis, I just made the token donation because I’m a stay-at-home mom in a floundering economy, we’re *almost* upside down on our house but holding on, I won’t feed my kid chemicals and so, we’re kind of broke. So. Yeah. Otherwise I would totally spring for the video from your mom because that just plain rocks. I would vote for you because: 1) Your beliefs are right on target. 2) You’re very handsome. Good looks + name recognition = future president and maybe you’ll employ me to work from home and give me benefits. Also, maybe you’ll give me an education post in your cabinet because I’ve worked with lots of kids and I have really great ideas. 3) Lastly, and most importantly, because we need people who are entering politics because they actually give a fat rat’s a—. Someone has to change a system of “you scratch my back, I’ll scratch your a—” and that someone has to come from inside. You’ve inspired me to send money and I like that about you. Seems like a lot of people believe in you. Go do some good. Totally frustrating, you might not make much headway and it might take you a ridiculous amount of time to not make that headway, but stay true to your bad cynical self. It’s the only thing that I can think of that may make a difference. Rah, rah, rah! Nita M. P.S. Watch yourself or you’re gonna end up a campaign consultant. Endorsements, 2008-08-13T14:57:00+00:00 http://seantevis.com/weblog/story/personal-endorsement-nita-m#When:14:57:00Z http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/SeanTevisCampaignWeblog/~3/7mFd3yzJZEc/personal-endorsement-kim-c http://seantevis.com/weblog/story/personal-endorsement-kim-c#When:14:51:00Z I recently graduated from college with a degree in political science only to find no one cares about the political system. I read about your campaign and your story has made a deep impression on me. Your approach to state government is innovative and mirrors my own optimistic belief that an individual can make a positive difference. I wish you all the best. Kim C. Endorsements, 2008-08-12T14:51:00+00:00 http://seantevis.com/weblog/story/personal-endorsement-kim-c#When:14:51:00Z http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/SeanTevisCampaignWeblog/~3/BbYW5TWKfzw/first-big-interview-the-los-angeles-times http://seantevis.com/weblog/story/first-big-interview-the-los-angeles-times#When:01:00:01Z Note: the L.A. Times story is online here. On Wednesday, July 23rd my phone was still ringing about once every 15 minutes. The online comic strip had been up and available to the world for exactly one week and while the phone calls and emails were slacking off a little, they were still too much to respond to immediately. I checked my messages in the early afternoon. Most were well-wishers saying things like “go get ‘em” and “I wish you were running for office in my area.”  It was fantastic and overwhelming at the same time. One message was from a Los Angeles Times reporter who said that a friend of hers had emailed her one of the most interesting campaign fundraising Web pages she’d seen and wondered how it was doing. I’d been expecting The Kansas City Star to call, but the L.A. Times? That’s one of the best newspapers in the country. Absolutely I was going to call her! I called the reporter back and told her how long the page had been up and about the amazing response I had received. She offered to fly out to Kansas the next day to meet me, which was stunning to hear. In my experience, all newspapers today are facing economic challenges as fewer and fewer people subscribe to the print edition of the paper. The idea that any newspaper would fly a reporter to Kansas seemed extravagant. “Are you sure you don’t just want to do a phone interview?” I asked. “No, I want to see Olathe,” she said. We met on Thursday at a restaurant across from Oak Park Mall. I walked in and looked around. A woman matching the reporter’s description waved me over to her table. She was on her cell phone so I sat down across from her and took the opportunity to check my own messages. A friend who had worked as a journalist in L.A. had left me a message giving me the “scoop” on this reporter, so I listened as he described her as smart, energetic, and that she likes to write stories that have lots of human color to them. She was off her phone and I just smiled at how surreal it was to hear my friend describe the person sitting three feet away from me. “Everything okay?” she asked. “Sure,” I said. She interviewed me for about two hours. First were all the background questions: where are you from, where did you go to school, etc… I knew it was meant to get an interviewee to open up and make it easy for them to talk, but despite being wise to it, it still worked. We talked about how I got the idea and the email feedback I’d received. When the interview seemed over, I began thanking her for coming all the way out to meet me and that’s when she told me that she wanted to call my mother. “She’s making the DVD videos, right? I want to ask her some questions.” I left the restaurant and drove directly to my mother’s house to give her a fair warning. She started fretting immediately. “What am I going to tell her?” she asked. “Anything you want,” I offered. Mom told me that she’s tell her all of my most embarrassing stories—a sort of subtle revenge for putting her on the spot. “That’s fine, mom. You’ll be great,” I said. I didn’t hear from the reporter again until Sunday evening. I had been spending nearly every waking hour working on the campaign for 10 days and I needed a break, so I went to go see “The Dark Knight” at the AMC Olathe 30. I was really, really enjoying it. My mind was at ease, finally, when I felt my cell phone start vibrating. I pulled it out, saw that it was the L.A. Times and sat there for a moment or two. I thought, “Do I answer this and miss seeing the movie or do I skip out in the middle of the movie and make sure the L.A. Times story runs?” I chose the story, of course. They read through it and fact-checked everything. I paced around the theater lobby for 25 minutes with my cell phone glued to my ear to hear the reporter over the crowds of teenagers. She had spent Friday in Olathe and interviewed my opponent at length. She had called my mom whom she said was charming, despite her stories about my first teddy bear. The story was available on their website the next morning. Now if only I could find a printed copy! In The News, 2008-07-29T01:00:01+00:00 http://seantevis.com/weblog/story/first-big-interview-the-los-angeles-times#When:01:00:01Z http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/SeanTevisCampaignWeblog/~3/ymLdTyuboaM/personal-endorsement-mike-b http://seantevis.com/weblog/story/personal-endorsement-mike-b#When:14:40:00Z Hi, Sean, Kick Some Education Butt! You GO, Guy! Finally, another person sees that you can make a change by doing the right thing in new ways. I am motivated to support you (and have sent you $8.34) as you appear to believe in much of what I do. As a botanist, I have loathed the lengthy and expensive (in $$$ and in spirit and in confused education) issues with teaching children - and Kansas has had more than its share. Eight bucks and change will still move my old Ford Explorer about 40 miles if I drive real carefully. And I’ll be glad to avoid some driving to propel you so that your voice is heard in Topeka - LOUDLY, please! Best of luck, Mike B. Endorsements, 2008-07-28T14:40:00+00:00 http://seantevis.com/weblog/story/personal-endorsement-mike-b#When:14:40:00Z http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/SeanTevisCampaignWeblog/~3/kKigrnoojMw/personal-endorsement-kathy-t http://seantevis.com/weblog/story/personal-endorsement-kathy-t#When:14:36:00Z Dear Sean, Congratulations and good luck in the election. I have read your entire web site. I donated (from my home business) only $25 to your campaign. I did it because I believe you, and in you. And someday I hope to be able to vote for you - in the Presidential campaign. Please don’t get too jaded and keep up the good fight. Thank you, Kathy T. Endorsements, 2008-07-23T14:36:00+00:00 http://seantevis.com/weblog/story/personal-endorsement-kathy-t#When:14:36:00Z http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/SeanTevisCampaignWeblog/~3/LX0w9pT450c/personal-endorsement-mark-d http://seantevis.com/weblog/story/personal-endorsement-mark-d#When:14:33:00Z Mr Tevis, I was pointed towards your webpage by online friends. I have been unemployed for nearly 6 months, am crushed by debt and this state is making things harder. Despite this, I sent my first ever political donation to your campaign. Thank you for inspiring hope and clear thinking. My wife and I are attempting to find jobs. I can only offer you my vote. Mark D. Endorsements, 2008-07-22T14:33:00+00:00 http://seantevis.com/weblog/story/personal-endorsement-mark-d#When:14:33:00Z http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/SeanTevisCampaignWeblog/~3/QulaGO0B_w0/personal-endorsement-justin-z http://seantevis.com/weblog/story/personal-endorsement-justin-z#When:14:25:00Z Sean, My name is Justin. I just wanted to drop you a line and tell you how refreshing it is to see someone like you in politics.  Your passion for the constituents and their needs show through your blog postings.  You obviously have some desire to make change as you are willing to give up a good corporate position to take on politics. I plan on doing whatever I can to support you. As soon as the new paycheck comes in, I’ll drop you a PayPal donation.  While I can’t promise to max out @ $500, I’ll do my best to help. Hell, if you want I’ll stuff envelopes for you. I’ll even cover the shipping and materials. I just believe in what you say and what you plan. While I have no political experience, I encourage you not to let nonsense stop you from your goals.  Don’t get discouraged and push forward, no matter what. Throughout my life, I’ve taken pride in keeping an open mind to both sides of the political world. I’m just glad there are still passionate people for the people still out there. Good luck and God bless. Sincerely, Justin Z. Endorsements, 2008-07-19T14:25:00+00:00 http://seantevis.com/weblog/story/personal-endorsement-justin-z#When:14:25:00Z http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/SeanTevisCampaignWeblog/~3/wnd1dMWwU6U/personal-endorsement-justin-t http://seantevis.com/weblog/story/personal-endorsement-justin-t#When:14:07:00Z Dear Mr. Tevis, I have just donated some money to your campaign.  I did not give you money because of your positions on illegal immigration, sales taxes on food, Kansas schools, or government transparency. My donation, therefore, has nothing to do with your positions (whether they are right or wrong), and everything to do with your attempt to leverage the internet as a tool to gain political power. You seem like a smart guy and your sense of humor is obviously impeccable, but most of all your characterization of running for office as a “flamewar with a forum troll” is, in my opinion, dead on. Democrats, Republicans, Conservatives, Liberals, it does not matter to me. People who compare George Bush to Adolf Hitler are just as close-minded as the people who think Barack Obama is a secret Muslim terrorist. Where are our country’s critical thinkers?  I often feel like our political debates are nothing BUT forum trolls. So, in a way, my donation to you is support for the notion that we can fight against these mindless, reactionary politics. I hope you emerge victorious.  I also hope that it is not too stressful for you; remember that forum trolls throw nothing but dirty punches. Finally, my donation is also support for notion that grass-roots internet campaigns should be a staple of political campaigns.  I believe this form of fund-raising is far superior to the old-school methods, such as fancy dinners or political action committees. Your fund-raising is, in many ways, more democratic, and I support that.  Sincerely, Justin T. P.S.  I note that for a donation over $60, you have offered to send a card signed by your volunteers.  Please save the effort, cost, and time.  I don’t need or want anything from you, but I would like to see you win.  Good luck! Endorsements, 2008-07-17T14:07:00+00:00 http://seantevis.com/weblog/story/personal-endorsement-justin-t#When:14:07:00Z http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/SeanTevisCampaignWeblog/~3/XBJ49ibRIzI/educating-all-children-in-kansas-e-pac-endorsement http://seantevis.com/weblog/story/educating-all-children-in-kansas-e-pac-endorsement#When:02:41:00Z E-PAC is an organization of volunteer leaders and staff from both the Kansas Association of School Boards and the United School Administrators of Kansas. As you may have guessed, they believe as strongly as I do that education is the key to success in the 21st century. I greatly appreciate their endorsement. Endorsements, 2008-07-12T02:41:00+00:00 http://seantevis.com/weblog/story/educating-all-children-in-kansas-e-pac-endorsement#When:02:41:00Z http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/SeanTevisCampaignWeblog/~3/H-h147A0Tc8/kansas-elected-officials-business-cards http://seantevis.com/weblog/story/kansas-elected-officials-business-cards#When:23:56:01Z I’ve met a few elected officials in the past few weeks who have been teaching me how to run for office. It’s mostly little tips. For example, wear your name button on your right side rather than the usual left because it stays in the line of sight when you shake hands with someone. Like I said, it’s little things. One of the cool things I’ve discovered are their business cards. They’re all cut into the shape of Kansas. It’s a bit on the cheesy side, but it’s yet another thing that we can do that Maryland can’t. Campaign Notes, 2008-07-07T23:56:01+00:00 http://seantevis.com/weblog/story/kansas-elected-officials-business-cards#When:23:56:01Z http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/SeanTevisCampaignWeblog/~3/wOccNBoeXnw/kansas-families-for-education-endorsement http://seantevis.com/weblog/story/kansas-families-for-education-endorsement#When:01:47:00Z I think I’m solidifying my position as the Education candidate with today’s endorsement from Kansas Families for Education. This is an interesting myth-busting fact from their website: Kansas changed its school funding formula in 1992, shifting the bulk of the responsibility for education from local taxes to state taxes. This created an increase in state spending offset by a corresponding reduction in local spending. Unfortunately, many of the people who oppose support for public schools will often attempt to mislead the public by comparing recent state education spending to figures from 1990 or earlier. Endorsements, 2008-07-04T01:47:00+00:00 http://seantevis.com/weblog/story/kansas-families-for-education-endorsement#When:01:47:00Z http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/SeanTevisCampaignWeblog/~3/MpNaPhIGJf8/mainstream-coalition-endorsement http://seantevis.com/weblog/story/mainstream-coalition-endorsement#When:20:44:00Z “The MainStream Coalition is a non-partisan organization that promotes the separation of religion and government, and supports human rights, civil and religious liberties and public education.” That sounds exactly like the kind of organization I approve of, which is why it’s an honor to receive their endorsement today. Thank you, MainStream! Endorsements, 2008-07-02T20:44:00+00:00 http://seantevis.com/weblog/story/mainstream-coalition-endorsement#When:20:44:00Z http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/SeanTevisCampaignWeblog/~3/TUND_Qo8gHU/knea-endorsement http://seantevis.com/weblog/story/knea-endorsement#When:22:45:00Z Endorsements are a pretty big part of any political campaign for two reasons. They recommend to all of their members who to vote for and they sometimes give you money to help you along. With the KNEA (Kansas National Education Association) it plays an even bigger role because education is a central part of my vision for Kansas’ future. I wanted them on my side as partners. Thankfully, it appears that they are. Here’s how it works. They send out a monstrous survey to all the candidates asking them what their opinions are on a wide variety of issues that affect schools and education. You fill it out and then bring it with you to an interview. I showed up without mine, though. I went to the KNEA headquarters and sat at a big table with eight representatives from their group, all of whom are teachers. Since I didn’t have my questions with me, I just talked about where I want Kansas to be in 12 years and asked them questions on what they need to make to make it happen. My 15 minute interview became an hour-long brainstorming and strategy session. Afterward, I emailed them my answers to their questions. A week later I got an answer: I’m endorsed! Endorsements, 2008-06-30T22:45:00+00:00 http://seantevis.com/weblog/story/knea-endorsement#When:22:45:00Z http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/SeanTevisCampaignWeblog/~3/6FKTJAqMfew/kansas-city-star-june-21-2008 http://seantevis.com/weblog/story/kansas-city-star-june-21-2008#When:01:00:01Z I was mentioned on the front page of The Kansas City Star today as part of a trend of people who had been inspired during the Presidential primaries to seek office themselves. I’ve written a few newspaper stories in my time so it was strange to be interviewed instead of being the interviewer. It’s a bit stressful. You want to help, but you also have to let reporters do their jobs. Thankfully, Jim Sullinger is a really good reporter and made it seem easy. In The News, 2008-06-22T01:00:01+00:00 http://seantevis.com/weblog/story/kansas-city-star-june-21-2008#When:01:00:01Z http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/SeanTevisCampaignWeblog/~3/qUiApViTy2s/pac-surveys http://seantevis.com/weblog/story/pac-surveys#When:23:16:00Z Since June 10th, I have received approximately 26 surveys or questionnaires from a variety of organizations wanting to know my stance on things they care about. These are the Political Action Committees, or PACs, that work on the behalf of an industry, a group of companies, or a particular cause. People who work for PACs are lobbyists. I quickly realized that there is no way I can fill all of these out. Most wanted their surveys returned within a week! The one from “The Kansas Chamber”, for example, was six pages filled with long-form essay questions. To fill out all of these would be a full-time job that would take weeks, so you quickly learn to pick and choose. Groups that you disagree with? Groups that are unlikely to impact your voters? Throw them away. In the end I filled out five. We’ll see how that works out. Campaign Notes, 2008-06-17T23:16:00+00:00 http://seantevis.com/weblog/story/pac-surveys#When:23:16:00Z http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/SeanTevisCampaignWeblog/~3/B5tC2j6aFlk/kansas-city-star-june-11-2008 http://seantevis.com/weblog/story/kansas-city-star-june-11-2008#When:00:17:00Z My first mention in The Kansas City Star went well with a brief about me running against my opponent. They cut down my press release quite a bit to save room, but appended a disclaimer paragraph about my wife. Per our arrangement, I’m not allowed to mention her and she’s not allowed to help me with my campaign and all stories about me get directed to other editors whom I don’t know. In The News, 2008-06-12T00:17:00+00:00 http://seantevis.com/weblog/story/kansas-city-star-june-11-2008#When:00:17:00Z http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/SeanTevisCampaignWeblog/~3/GI0GO_G-Acg/democrat-files-to-run-for-state-representative-in-olathe http://seantevis.com/weblog/story/democrat-files-to-run-for-state-representative-in-olathe#When:00:08:01Z FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE OLATHE, KANSAS -- June 10, 2008 -- Sean Tevis filed on Monday for the Kansas House District 15 seat in Olathe. He gathered 193 signatures to file for office by petition and talked to more than 350 residents to help profile the needs of the community. "There's a sense that we haven't been represented well," Tevis said. "I kept hearing things from my neighbors that also frustrated me: illegal immigration, high gas and food prices, and that our schools were not the priority they should be." Tevis is an Information Architect for SPX Cooling Technologies, which is better known in Olathe by its former name, Marley Cooling Tower. He studies issues in power generation and water conservation and works to promote sustainable and efficient energy solutions. "Kansans have been facing an unfolding crisis economically and demographically," he said. "We can keep going as we have, be overwhelmed, and lose our quality of life, or we can fight. I will lead that fight." Tevis is a Johnson County native. He attended Shawnee Mission West and the University of Kansas, where he majored in Journalism. He's worked for several newspapers including The Palm Beach Post and The Miami Herald. He helped start an Internet business in 1999 that grew to over 120 employees. He has three years of experience in municipal government working for the city of Coconut Creek, Fla., a suburb of Fort Lauderdale. He moved back to Kansas in 2005 to be closer to his family. His mother is a retired school teacher and his father is a retired union worker. Sean has been married for 14 years. # # # Press Releases, 2008-06-11T00:08:01+00:00 http://seantevis.com/weblog/story/democrat-files-to-run-for-state-representative-in-olathe#When:00:08:01Z http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/SeanTevisCampaignWeblog/~3/92kAgc85UMQ/filing-for-office-in-topeka http://seantevis.com/weblog/story/filing-for-office-in-topeka#When:22:58:00Z The filing deadline is June 10th. I filed on June 9th to avoid all the people in a last minute rush. You can file for office two ways: by petition or by fee. Paying the fee is easiest, of course. For a State Representative in Kansas it’s $50 to file and $55 in “administrative fees”, whatever those are. The fees are higher for higher political offices. To run for U.S. Senator, for example, it’s $1,652. Filing by petition means you don’t have to pay the filing fee, but you still have to pay the administrative costs and of course spend weeks gathering those signatures. All of this filing is done at Kansas Secretary of State’s Office. A notary makes you sign a sworn statement that all signatures were acquired in your presence. They then take your petitions and check them against a list of registered voters to make sure they’re real people, not dead, etc…, which can take two or three days. My requirement was 51 signatures, but I got 193 signatures so that even if they couldn’t read or verify some of them I’d be sure to have more than enough. I chose to drive to Topeka to file so I could also meet some people at the State Party Headquarters. It turned out that no one was there, but I got a chance to see the capital dome. I thought, “Hey, I’d like to have a good campaign photo of myself in front of the capital.” I set my little camera on a wall and positioned it carefully before setting it to go off 10 seconds later. The distance around to where I should stand was too far, though, so I ended up with several photos of me barely in the frame. That’s called “running for office”, I guess. Campaign Notes, 2008-06-09T22:58:00+00:00 http://seantevis.com/weblog/story/filing-for-office-in-topeka#When:22:58:00Z http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/SeanTevisCampaignWeblog/~3/sUKWKvw2kMo/suspicious http://seantevis.com/weblog/story/suspicious#When:21:23:00Z Some people are talkers, they love to chat about everything from the weather to government to the history of Olathe. I’m happy to oblige, because I learn a lot from them. Others are task-oriented. When they figure out that I’m looking for their signature, they snatch my clipboard, hastily scrawl their name, and hand it back so they can get back to whatever it was they were doing. That’s fine with me, too. A small minority of people are suspicious. I’ve met six people like this out of the 140-ish so far. They’ll ask me why I’m doing this, and then ask me again to say what I’m running for, and then ask to read over my petition carefully. That makes sense, I suppose. It’s always a good idea to know what you’re signing. They’ll ask how I got into this and perhaps ask about what the State Legislature actually does. These conversations can go on for 10 or 15 minutes. At the end, when I ask point blank if they’ll sign my petition, they tell me that they’d rather not sign anything. “Is it because we’re different on some issue?” I ask. “No,” they tell me. “I’d just rather not sign.” I thank them anyway and move on. I used to think that it was because they didn’t like me or felt otherwise, but I now see that some people just have a very strong aversion to signing things. Knocking on Doors, 2008-05-30T21:23:00+00:00 http://seantevis.com/weblog/story/suspicious#When:21:23:00Z http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/SeanTevisCampaignWeblog/~3/0YTCk7FzQZw/no-solicitors http://seantevis.com/weblog/story/no-solicitors#When:21:50:01Z Many front doors have a prominent “No Solicitors” sign displayed, which is a nice way of pointing out to hopeful door-to-door salesmen that the door will be shut on their face. Thankfully, as a politician, that sign doesn’t pertain to me as I’m not selling anything. The trick, however, is to let people know that I’m not a solicitor. I rang one doorbell and heard someone on the other side of the front door. I think they were looking at me through their peephole when I heard a man yell “No solicitors!” without even opening the door. “I’m not a solicitor!” I sort of yelled back through the door. “I’m a politician!” There was a pause. I wondered if he had gone away, and then he yelled back, “That’s even worse!” Knocking on Doors, 2008-05-21T21:50:01+00:00 http://seantevis.com/weblog/story/no-solicitors#When:21:50:01Z http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/SeanTevisCampaignWeblog/~3/2HxjDG0T9E8/porch-design http://seantevis.com/weblog/story/porch-design#When:21:10:00Z I started in a whole new neighborhood today. These are suburbs that were built in the early- to mid-70s and the average age of the homeowners are probably 45-55 years old. Most people are surprised to see me and tell me that no politician has ever knocked on their door before. I rang the doorbell at one of these split-level houses where the porch is always a bit too small, so I can’t step too far back from the door without falling off the porch. Most people are cautious when they answer their door, but a teenage boy flung open the door, startling me. I took a step back into - thin air - and fell back into their bushes, my arms flailing and clipboard flying. The teenager laughed, but came to help me up. His mom signed my petition. Knocking on Doors, 2008-05-10T21:10:00+00:00 http://seantevis.com/weblog/story/porch-design#When:21:10:00Z http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/SeanTevisCampaignWeblog/~3/NwbIrV5vbEk/git http://seantevis.com/weblog/story/git#When:20:50:00Z At one house, their front door was open, with only the screen door shut. I knocked and waited for them to come to the door. I saw down their hallway a person sort of lean around a corner and spy me before ducking back out of the way. That was odd. I didn’t quite know what to make of that, so I knocked again. After 15 seconds or so a woman’s voice yells/shreiks out at me, “Git!” I stood there in shock for a moment. “Did she really just say ‘git’ to me?” I wondered. Who says that? So I left, confused. Knocking on Doors, 2008-05-09T20:50:00+00:00 http://seantevis.com/weblog/story/git#When:20:50:00Z http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/SeanTevisCampaignWeblog/~3/ZgEA-fdhc98/campaign-logo http://seantevis.com/weblog/story/campaign-logo#When:23:42:01Z All campaign materials begin with a logo. A candidate is a brand and I needed to brand myself quickly. As a former graphic artist, I’ve found myself in the past critiquing campaigns based on their visual design. I’m not the only person who does this. For example, I cringed when I saw John Kerry’s campaign logo and found that The New York Times found Bush’s to be better, too. I need to start knocking on doors quickly and I was pressed for time. I started looking at as many campaign logos as I could. In the end, I went with the same font choice as Barack Obama’s campaign, but switched their uses; name in ‘Gotham’ and the message in a serif font, as opposed to the other way around. I tried to make a cool “T” like he uses his “O”, but it was awkward. So I went for stars and stripes that were warmer and more flexible than the usual hard geometric patterns. My visual message: I’m dynamic and friendly. Campaign Notes, 2008-05-01T23:42:01+00:00 http://seantevis.com/weblog/story/campaign-logo#When:23:42:01Z http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/SeanTevisCampaignWeblog/~3/yik7KDyWE8A/what-happens-when-you-decide-to-run-for-office http://seantevis.com/weblog/story/what-happens-when-you-decide-to-run-for-office#When:00:54:00Z When I was at the 3rd District Democratic Convention I met the Johnson County, Kansas Chair of the Democratic Party. His name is Bill Roy, Jr. He suggested that I might make a good candidate for state office, but I took that as him just being polite. After all, I was there trying to get elected to go the National Convention in Denver and so was every other person there, including him. Everyone was talking each other up, looking for votes. He actually won, though, and deservedly, too. A County Chair’s job is to find qualified candidates for state office. Bill called me a few days later about just that. I was qualified, he said, and from what he saw I’d make a great candidate. I thought I’d have to clear my issues and positions with the party. I was wrong. “You run based on what you and the people in your district believe in,” he said. The party does ask some things, though, mostly about my background and if I can actually do the job. Then Bill explained how to file for office and strongly encouraged that I file by petition. “That gets your feet wet in going door to door meeting voters,” he said, “and more importantly, it lets you find out what issues are important in your community.” I thanked him and got my petition forms. I need 51 signatures to file, according to state law, but the party wants me to get at least three times that number: 153. I have about five weeks to do it before the deadline. Campaign Notes, 2008-04-25T00:54:00+00:00 http://seantevis.com/weblog/story/what-happens-when-you-decide-to-run-for-office#When:00:54:00Z