Author’s Note: I’m writing this on the morning of Sunday, May 19th, two days before Election Day in Stockbridge. Win or lose, what I want to say about my first foray into politics remains the same: Strange as it may seem to some, but for a writer, every experience is food for thought.
Stand for election
I’ve been writing about politics for 22 years. This year, in 2024, I agreed to run for office. As a columnist, I’m an outside observer of politics. Being on the inside is different. It’s harder. But I made a promise, and so I ran.
I do the work
I did what I believed was essential in a democracy: I introduced myself to voters and asked them to vote for me, I created a space in the Stockbridge Update for my opponent to introduce himself, I mailed hundreds of handwritten postcards to Stockbridge voters, I put up signs, I made videos, and I created a webpage.
Then I did what I think anyone who wants to serve in a democratic society should do: I asked my constituents, “What should my next step be?” In response, I received letters and questions.
philosophy
A friend wrote to the newspapers (one published, one didn’t) expressing his fears and philosophy:
It seems our nation’s penchant for misinformation and ad hominem attacks has reached the politics of our small town of Stockbridge.
Follow your conscience and vote for the candidate you want.
Keep in mind what is best for Stockbridge. Disagreements are healthy and often constructive. Remain civil and honest.
Gary Pitney
I feel the same way, so I reposted it. In keeping with that, I never wrote anything bad about my opponent or his supporters. I think that if you want to build a community in a village this size, you need to be polite. It also seemed to me that the day after the election would come and life in the village would continue, whether you won or lost.
friend
I had the great pleasure of sitting down with Lee Election Committee Chairman Bob Jones to discuss his first campaign. He is a wealth of knowledge and experience, and he has also won 70 percent of the vote every time he has run.
It was fun and educational to sit down with experienced moderators Gene Dellea, Michael Wise, Michael Wilcox and Chris Brittian, all of whom have over 100 years of experience with gravel.
I supported Patrick White’s campaign for state legislature by handing out chocolates before town meetings in 10 or 12 towns, so Patrick would be one person representing 18 towns. Afterwards, Patrick stood with me at the post office in Stockbridge, telling me to vote for Carol, and supporting me with his own digital magic.
Friends and neighbors came to the Kitchen Cabinet meetings, held up signs, wrote letters, donated campaign funds, and offered words of encouragement, both public and private. Wow, what an experience! Writers work alone, but politics was an eye-opening experience.
It certainly takes a village to run a small campaign, so every kind word and helping hand is much appreciated. Thank you!
Of course, politics requires opposing teams, and on the other side of the backyard fence there was another one.
The big billboard controversy
I am running for office and have been asked questions. With Ed’s permission, I am posting the following questions:
Carol, you have a lot of signs in your yard. A friend of mine told me that you have a lot of signs that you put up without asking the homeowners for permission. Is that true?
Thank you, Ed Lane
My response:
Ed, I have a ton of signs. All of them were put up with permission. Plus, many were requested by me and the homeowners picked them up from my house and put them up. Anyway, thank you for thinking I have the time and energy to put up all those signs. Please tell whoever your friend is that this is a stupid idea. If I put up a sign without permission, can you imagine how long it would take the owner to take it down? Probably 3-5 minutes? I would never think of doing that and it’s never a good idea at all.
Furthermore, could you imagine if someone had gone to the police and had the police come round and ask them to take down my sign? Shocking, but true. The police do not infringe on free speech or political expression in the form of yard signs. The police did not lay hands on the sign.
One person was asked to take theirs down.
Some have described my signs as print pollution. A friend said, “That kind of talk pollutes our political process and our American ideals.” Maybe that’s true. And what if next year the same people who said signs are pollution want to put up a sign of themselves or the candidate of their choice in their yard?
What I do know is this. We are a community. That is more important than who wins the election. If we forget that, we lose more than the election. We need to vote for our preferences, and at the same time protect our democracy and our community. Friends can get along even when they disagree, even when they disagree about who should be the chairman of Stockbridge. We are a small town, and we know each other in many ways. That is Stockbridge. As long as it’s just chitchat, and it doesn’t take hold and change us.
Ed, please feel free to call and discuss and share with others. It’s best to nip nonsense in the bud.
Everything is political
I posted a cute picture of a puppy wagging its tail, eager for a bone, and I wrote:
It’s a beautiful day. One of those Berkshire “we’re lucky” days. Went to the dump, the post office, the bank. Out and about like any other day, and I was thinking, if I could choose every job, I’d be the guy who gives bones to dogs. What fun. What job satisfaction. And the response? Unconditional love, licks and wagging tails. The best job in the world.
Dozens of responses followed, all political. Why not just enjoy the moment, the dearth of sunshine in April, the joy of giving a dog a bone, smile and move on? No, everything becomes political when the season comes around.
Unfortunately, one of my opponent’s biggest supporters wrote the name of her choice incorrectly. Oh well.
Bullhorn and whispers
Honestly, doesn’t everyone know there are no secrets in the village? Whoever you tell, it spreads. Saying “don’t tell” just adds to the fun of sharing. Every negative comment came back with a source within an hour. One or two people wrote three or four letters with different signatures. Who delivered signs to the police, asking for arrests. Who told the town officials that they would “destroy the town” if they won. There were bullhorns and whispering campaigns, like the Music Man’s “Pick a Little Talk a Little.” What were they thinking? That no one knows? Everyone in the village knows everything.
The question is, why do that? Is winning really everything to anyone?
Consider next steps
My dad used to say, “The smaller the prize, the greater (and more intense) the competition.”
Presiding over one meeting a year in a village of 1,725 voters is a small prize. I hope Dad was wrong.
Win or lose, my next steps will be to encourage people to be kind, to give dogs a bone, and to nourish my neighbors. As political guru Mary Flynn said, “Give a good dog a bone, and a bad dog two bones.” Maybe I’ll live long enough to understand the latter part. Until I do, I’ll stay out of politics.
For now, I’m content to be a political columnist rather than a politician, a historian rather than a piece of history. And if I win? I’ll be, to the best of my ability, a non-political New England host.
