Julie Greenawalt, PhD, Chairwoman, Conservative Women of Action
Julie Greenawalt
I recently had the opportunity to run for a political seat. While it was not successful, it was a wonderful learning experience. I want to share some of that with you in case you are feeling so inspired. They say that once you run, you will be a changed person. Yes, it changes you, but what they don’t say is that it changes you for the better. I learned so much from running.
The first thing you have to have is a response to “Why.” Why are you running? Why do you think you are the best? Why is this best for the community? Why are you better than your opponent? Then you need to be able to articulate it succinctly. One is taught to have a 2-minute, a 5-minute, and a 15-minute speech that is to be persuasive and informative. One should also be aware of who the audience is for these speech deliverables.
I was fortunate to have “connections” for my race. While the connections were not enough to win the battle, those connections allowed me to accomplish numerous things. I now know who my “people” are. I know who my people are not. I met all sorts of people who share my values, who believe as I do, and who yearn for the good things I want in a community. They come from all walks of life. They are citizens who work every day, who are retired, and who are concerned about tomorrow. It truly reinforced my faith in humanity and in our community. Such wonderful people live here.
Additionally, I learned how to operationalize a campaign. They say it takes money. It does. They say it takes hard work. It does. They say passion is often not enough. They are correct. One must be strategic. One should know the tools you have to work with and know people who can make things happen. This was one of the most fascinating aspects of the campaign to me. I learned to use some really neat technology. For example, the texting platform I used coalesced a graphic designer, a strategist, my campaign manager, and the CEO of the texting platform. I learned the technology, its gifts, and its limitations. I also used other digital forms to advance my cause. I used CCTV, and while it worked and brought in impressions, it was a little complicated. It, however, was very useful and critical to my run.
While the run for school board was not successful, it was successful in so many other ways. It allowed me the opportunity to connect with this community. Most importantly, though, I learned we should not take our government for granted. Over time, this is what has happened to us. We should, each and every one of us, be engaged in community on a daily basis. It is not enough to leave it up to the legislators. We all have a part to play. So, I ask you, where is your engagement and what is your why?