Crash course in running for public office Central Kentuckians get advice from those who've been there By Ryan Alessi, Herald-Leader Frankfort Bureau, November 14, 2005 RICHMOND - In 1980, Judith Faulkner made her first foray into politics -- a bold though unconventional run for Pennsylvania's lieutenant governor. Faulkner, who moved to Berea five years ago, had to campaign first just to get her name and that of her running mate on the ballot as a member of the now-defunct Citizens Party, which was led nationally by presidential candidate, environmentalist and cellular biologist Barry Commoner. Though she couldn't recall details of that campaign of 25 years ago, Faulkner, 57, said the same passion and curiosity about public service has led her to consider running for Berea City Council next year. "One goal of an office-holder in a small community is to forge dialogues that provide a fertile ground for diversity" -- not only with respect to race, but also perspectives and ideas, said Faulkner, who is black. It was that brand of idealism that brought Faulkner and nearly 30 other Central Kentuckians to the Madison County Public Library in Richmond on Saturday for a seminar on running for public office. The forum, sponsored by the League of Women Voters of Berea and Madison County and Eastern Kentucky University's Center for Politics and History, drew an eclectic group of citizens who said they're eager to ramp up their public participation. The attendees ranged from college students to community activists with more than a touch of gray. They included an EKU student running for Magoffin County clerk, and his friend who is helping him; a farmer who is wading into what could be a wild race for Garrard County judge-executive; a hopeful candidate for Family Court judge in Eastern Kentucky; an aspiring campaign manager; and several Berea College students who said they want to know more about public service. For showing up, they received from elected officials and campaign experts a mix of encouragement, advice and cautionary tales about the workload and financial pressures of running. "It's just like having a baby," Richmond Mayor Connie Lawson said, noting that the election season is roughly nine months long. "And by the last two weeks you're thinking, 'I don't care if it's a boy or a girl, a yes or a no -- just get me out of this.'" Berea Mayor Steve Connelly told the group that the key lesson he learned after being trounced by Republican state Rep. Lonnie Napier of Lancaster in 1984 was to not shade responses to appease certain groups. He noted that he tried to disguise some liberal philosophies that weren't always in line with the district's rural voters -- but still lost big. After that, "I vowed to say what I think, no matter what you think people want to hear," Connelly said. That advice resonated with David Wilson, a Democrat seeking to run for judge-executive in Garrard County. As many as five Republicans, as well as the incumbent Democrat, are expected to file for that post as well. Wilson, a 47-year-old farmer and former state mine inspector, said he intends for residents to know precisely where he stands. "I told them from the beginning, I'm in favor of planning," he said. Participants also received a steady diet of one-line pearls of political advertising wisdom from Tom Skidmore, a Berea-based ad executive who has worked with nearly two dozen judicial, local and state candidates in recent years. "The victory is in the forethought. ... If you can't look your friends in the eye and ask them for money, you won't get elected. ... A public persona goes a long way in local elections -- they are popularity contests a lot of the time" ... and "You have to be ready to act, but not be reactionary," he said about crafting the campaign image. A.J. Schultz, who is an aspiring campaign manager at 21, said he was first inspired by fictional White House communications director Toby Ziegler of NBC's The West Wing. "I want to know I make a difference," said Schultz, who will graduate next month from Berea College. He said that despite the bad rap that politicians often get for being pliable, out-of-touch or even corrupt, he thinks the majority of officials want to improve life for citizens. He said he'd like to as well, whether from behind the scenes or even, perhaps, as U.S. president. Faulkner, the former Philadelphia resident, said she has realized that her new home state needs more citizens to approach government that way. "It just seems," she said, "that Kentuckians aren't as involved in the political process as they should be."