Monday, December 11, 2006

Going to London

We're leaving for London next week and Jim and I are very excited. James, who is 7, seems less enthralled, because the change of location means that there will not be a tree or lots of presents, which seems to him to be the whole point of Christmas. But I'm very happy to be going, because I want to walk around in the cold, and look at the museums, and shop in the stores, and eat a lot of Stilton cheese, and visit my cousin's family and have a really good time.

Wednesday, September 06, 2006

Lost

I got 28.1% of the vote, Ron Flury got 38.9, and John Newton got 32.8. Due to a technical problem, complete results weren't in before I went to bed, but I went to bed knowing that I had less than 28%, and about half the people had voted. I had said to a guy I work with that I would feel like I'd made a respectable showing with 28%, and that's what I got. About 54,000 people voted.

I have to spend a lot of the next couple of days getting signs down, and then I'll go back to work. It's a trifle anti-climactic, but I will say the idea of having to raise money to be competitive in a full election was less than attractive. It was good, too, to have Jim and James to go home with at the end of the evening. I would have been hard to go home alone.

Tuesday, September 05, 2006

Voted for Myself

Actually, it was a bit weird, standing there in the voting booth looking at my name. It felt almost unladylike to vote for myself, but I did. When I walked into the polling station, which is the same one I've been going to since we moved to this house nine years ago, I happened to be aquainted with the poll worker standing at the door, who felt compelled to announce loudly that I was a candidate for county court judge, and everybody in the room looked up and I was really embarrassed, even though I know as a candidate I'm supposed to be really happy.

While I was standing in line to get a sandwich at lunch, a woman I never saw before told me she'd voted for me. That was cool.

Election Day

We've done what we can do, organized as well as we could, and Jim and I have no regrets. How do I feel? Okay. I feel okay, a little bit at loose ends, but okay. I'm happy I did it. Last night we entertained ourselves looking up how much my opponents had spent on the primary, each raised over $90k and spent about the same. Remarkable, I think, for a County Court Judge race. You would think for that kind of money people would have a real sense of what County Judges do, and what you look for in a judge, but the analysis has been truly superficial, and I suspect that even today a majority of voters will appear at the polls knowing little about the candidates.

The Supervisor of Elections here in Leon County is predicting higher than average turnout for today. We'll see. Several people have told me that low voter turnout would help me, but I don't know. I just don't know.

This morning I got a tiny bit of free publicity from NPR when they did a short piece on sign waving, and they had a quote from Terry Madigan, who gave tips for successful sign waving, and closed with a nice quote from me about name recognition in down the ballot races. And they said my name and what I was running for and everything.

Another person came and stood by the side of the road supporting another candidate and said she'd seen my flyer in the newspaper this morning and that she was going to vote for me.

Monday, September 04, 2006

Staging Day

Today we'll go around and gather up everything we need for tomorrow and get it where it needs to go, from signs and water for the sign wavers to food for the party after the polls close. We'll call everyone who is participating and confirm with them by phone tonight, and generally hope for the best.

I'd like to say I'm calm and cautiously optimistic, but I'm slightly sick at my stomach and wishing the day of reckoning was not upon us. My webmaster, Ted, is always talking about the book I'll write after this is over. What will we call it, "The Working Mother's Guide to Running for Office"? Considering that out of 27 local candidates, only 4 are women and of those only I have a child at home, it's going to be a narrow audience.

Sunday, September 03, 2006

So, do you like princesses?

Yesterday while we were standing at the Courthouse waving signs, somebody else brought along a little kid, a five year old girl. She was sort of standing around with us. James, who had retired from campaigning, started showing her his game boy, and I heard him say to her, "So, do you like princesses?"

I just thought that was the nicest thing. I don't believe I have ever previously heard the word princess uttered by my son. He asked that little girl if she liked princesses because he knew that was something she might be interested in and something she might like to talk about, it was not anything he was interested in. He asked it to be nice to her.

They played together for over an hour, and my son was consistently kind and gentle to her, and when he thought she was doing something dangerous, he came and told me (she was trying to climb a tree using a very small branch).

Nobody deserves a considerate child, sometimes you just get one.

A Real Candidate

I felt like a real candidate yesterday. Jim and James and I went over to the Courthouse for the last day of early voting. It was very festive. The people who had been diligently sitting there for the previous two weeks were happy because it was their last day and because they were having higher traffic than on any previous day. I was happy because I was the only candidate there and I feel confident that I picked up a few votes. After all, most people come to vote for someone higher up the ballot, and since they are voting, they might as well vote for me. We came loaded up with lawn chairs and signs and a cooler of water, and stayed a couple of hours in the morning and a couple of hours in the afternoon. It was fun, and we went swimming and had lunch in between shifts so it wasn't a burden.

Jim and I were talking last night. We both feel like we did everything we could do to make a credible run. I think we're both proud of that. It's one thing to say you are going to run on principle, and another thing to do it well.

Saturday, September 02, 2006

Last Days

The election is in three days. I spent an inordinate amount of time organizing people for election day, and now discover that I spent no time planning what to do over the long weekend. Surely there must be some voters left in the city.

I got my monthly cell phone bill, between Jim and I we made over 1500 minutes of calls. That doesn't count the time I spent on our home phone. Amazing.

The Democrat ran an article this week that addressed the voting record of candidates, to wit, whether they voted regularly in elections or not. What I couldn't get through the head of the reporter was that it gave the home field advantage to candidates over 50, because it reported only elections after 1988 for every candidate. This permitted showing candidates over 50 with a high turn out rate for the polls, because their voting record for their teens and twenties was omitted. For candidates in their 30s, their voting records looked terrible, because it included the early years of their voting, which for 80% of the voting public, is usually pretty terrible (this is why polling stations near the University usually have 18% turnout in primaries). For example, I haven't missed an election since my early thirties, but the paper showed a 66 percent turnout rate. One of my opponents, who also hasn't missed an election since his early thirties, had a 98% turnout rate, because they didn't start counting until his mid-thirties. The Democrat's reporter told me sanctimoniously that they stood by their methodology. In 30 years, this won't matter, but for the time being, older candidates are favored because their early voting years are ignored.

Thursday, August 31, 2006

Good News

I got the nod from the newspaper the Capital Outlook, which was very gratifying. I attended the Tiger Bay Club meeting, where I feel certain that no one in the room had heard my name six months ago, but I was warmly received or studiously ignored, depending on whether or not the person was pleased with my candidacy, but they'd all heard of me. With five days to go, whether going door to door or events frequented by voters, I hear more and more that people have already voted. So we are preparing for the last day of voting, Election Day.

I'm tired, to be sure, but glad that I ran, glad that I stood for office.

Monday, August 28, 2006

Why don't Women Run?

In the paper over the weekend, there was a column that wondered why there were only three women running out of 24 local candidates (the author did not include the judicial race).

http://www.tallahassee.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060827/OPINION05/608270305/1006/NEWS17

Here is an article that tries to answer the question of why women don't run. The short answer seems to be that they're not encouraged to run.

http://www.brown.edu/Departments/Taubman_Center/womeninoffice.pdf#search=%22Why%20don't%20women%20run%20for%20office%22

Sunday, August 27, 2006

Absentee Voters

The number of absentee ballots sent out broke 8000 this week, and the number of early voters was about 2000. We noticed as we went door to door yesterday (for hours, in blistering heat) that a number of people on the list had already voted. Statewide, low voter turnout is predicted for September 5. I had thought with two open County Commission seats and an open Superintendent of Schools seat that Leon County's turnout would be higher than normal, but normal is still pretty high for here. Even yesterday, probably half of the people I talked to were not aware of the judicial race, I don't know if this race can be called until it's over.

Friday, August 25, 2006

The local paper endorsed an opponent.

The Democrat’s error is in failing to see that their selection promotes an anachronism. Men make up 80% of the county court. My selection would bring my combined experience as a wife and mother, as a breast cancer survivor, and as a Navy veteran to the bench. Justice is not only the province of men over 50.

I, too, have many years of broad legal practice, from tax law to RICO to consumer law, and public and private practice experience. I have jury trial experience in both state and federal court, and am a Special Counsel in the Attorney General’s Office. I’m an honors graduate from Florida State’s law school, where I served as an associate editor on the law review.

I, too, have lived in Tallahassee for years, but I’ve also served in the U.S. Navy, and studied international law on a Rotary Scholarship. I, too, have served this community through church work, charitable board work, school volunteer work and pro bono work.

You can follow the direction of the editorial board and repeat the narrowness of the past, or you can vote for the future. I hope you will vote Lisa Raleigh for County Court Judge.

Thursday, August 24, 2006

What I do all day

6:15 am- get up
7 am - 8:15 Wave signs
8:45 - 11:00 E-mail (work & home), phone calls, thank you notes
11:15 - 11:30 - Non campaign related visit to friend. In driveway while leaving the friend's house, try to get friend's niece to vote for me
11:45 - 1:10 - Waving sign at courthouse where early voting conducted
1: 15 - 1:30 - Put up sign, visit with supporter
1:45 - 2:15 - Work
2:15 - 2:45 - Pick up flyers from mail house
3:00 - 4:00 - Work - Telecom conference call
4:00 - read opponent's direct mail, watch cartoons with son
5:00 - 6:45 - Hand out flyers at University Club before large banquet
7:00 - Phone calls to confirm sign wavers for morning
7:15 - Eat supper prepared by husband
8:00 - supervise son's shower, supervise teeth brushing, read story
8:45 - Call supporter, push e-mail
8:50 - Check e-mail

Am I doing enough?

No. But it's probably not possible.

Back in the spring I had breakfast with a guy who used to run Florida political races for a living and he told me that because my name recognition was so poor that I just needed to work steadily for months, that a single burst at the end wouldn't do it for me. We have worked steadily, but it seems that the general population has only been interested in the race for the past four weeks. Additionally, traditional campaigning doesn't address the fact that a greater and greater share of the electorate votes early or absentee. So there are complexities that really aren't being addressed in the literature yet.

I am becoming a sign waving addict. Although I suspect that I could stand out there with a sign that says, "Free the elves" and people would still honk and wave, I just love standing out there and waving and smiling and holding up my sign. So far I've been out with different friends every day, and most of them are sort of taken with how much you learn, just by looking at people who are driving by and smiling and waving at them.

Wednesday, August 23, 2006

How to Wave a Sign

1. Get some friends
2. Position self and friends to be close to maximum amount of on-coming traffic
3. Wave hand while holding up sign and smile at people in on-coming cars, switching positions as the lights change so that you are always facing on-coming traffic
4. Repeat until arm is sore, or too hot and tired to continue or until election is over
5. Recognize that various other candidates also want to stand on street corners, possibly the same street corner you are on

Tuesday, August 22, 2006

Bandwagon - Long Play Version

I'd told everyone to meet us there at 6:45 pm, and although we arrived promptly, there were probably over 100 vehicles already at the television station, and the place was a madhouse. Fortunately, several people with better sense than me had arrived early and staked out seats. Melissa, desiring to wear fur without distressing people at PETA, arrived wearing a live cat. She claimed it was an abandoned kitten that was ill and needed constant body heat, but I know a fashion statement when I see it. Her husband, David, had made all of our signs for waving out of wire and sawed off pieces of broom handles. That sounds silly, but they are egonomic and lightweight.

Nisha, who is an accountant in real life, came directly from work wearing a dress and heels, and was seen during the event standing in her heels on a chair waving a sign and yelling. Anthony Miller and Olivia Ahyoung were sitting together and carrying on fiercely. I love my supporters.

My husband, in a flash of genius, invited one of his colleagues who is 6'8" to wave a sign. My husband says it was just common sense.

James, 7, in complete disregard for life and limb was jumping up and down with his sign on top of a folding chair, which he did until I sent the producer over to him to speak sternly to him. I was trapped at the front and couldn't reach him or be heard over the din.

My friend Gordon was serene through all this chaos. He is my true friend. He even hung around afterwards to hear the other speeches. His helper, Stewart, was an extremely enthusiastic sign waver, and he had the "veterans support" sign, since he's a veteran.

My sainted treasurer was there, as was my long time friend, Claire Kelly. Both of them seemed to know half of the people there.

Over the weeks, the three of us who are running for this seat have had our individual ebbs and flows of difficulties with the race, but toegether have maintained not just civility, but a kind of comaradary. Last night I was cheery and the fellows seemed down, but in the past, when I've been down and they seemed up, they have always assured me that they, too, are miserable. It's almost like it's in bad taste to enjoy a judicial race.

The judicial candidates went first, in ballot order, so I was last of the first. Because I've heard the stump speeches of my colleagues so often, I found I was relatively relaxed. Plus, I knew I had to make this count, because the guys have television advertisements and I can't afford them. So I tried to make it count.

One of the guys who used to work in our office went through the judicial nominating process a bunch of times before finally being appointed. He always said you should smile during the interview. I tried to smile during my precious television time, but I mostly forgot to in the middle. I also had to look over at the side of the television studio that did not contain my supporters, because if I looked at them I was going to totally lose my composure.

For me, the best part was when I finished, exactly on schedule at 2:26, and there was this pause and then my supporters went ballistic. Even people not associated with the judicial race were applauding with enthusiasm. Afterwards people I didn't know were reaching out to me to shake my hand as I went by, congratulating me. It was heady.

So now it will be on 13 times more before the primary. But I don't know that I could bear to watch myself on tv.

Monday, August 21, 2006

What a Day

This morning was the first morning for sign waving. This is a time honored tradition locally, where you stand out by the side of the road and hold a yard sign and wave at people as they drive by. It's a cheap way of raising name recognition. Three friends stood with me, and we held our signs and waved for an hour and a quarter until the smog and heat overcame us.

Also this morning the Tallahassee Democrat printed profiles of each of the judicial candidates.
http://www.tallahassee.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060821/NEWS01/608210319/1010

And, coincidentally, it was the day that I had a color insert put in the paper. One of my friends said the insert fell out of the paper while he was reading it on the treadmill at the gym and he nearly tripped over it. He said he felt that was a liability issue.

Then tonight, the local PBS station, with the League of Women Voters, had every single local candidate on television for 2.5 minutes. We were each allowed to bring 10 supporters to make noise and carry on. The judicial candidates were the first candidates on the program. It was shown live tonight and will be shown repeatedly between now and the election. It was fun.
http://www.wfsu.org/bandwagon2006/

Sunday, August 20, 2006

Comments & E-mails

In the past few days, I've received several e-mails and a comment or two about my campaign for judge. If you're reading the blog and would like a yard sign, just call - 212-3334, and we'll get one out to you. Thanks.

Saturday, August 19, 2006

Hot seat

Traditionally, judicial candidates have refrained from any type of issue discussion because the judicial canons of ethics prohibit any promise to rule a certain way, or to give the appearance of bias. However, a recent opinion, not from the Supreme Court, but the JEAC (Judicial Ethics Advisory Council) has opened the door to limited discussion.

http://www.jud6.org/LegalPractice/opinions/judicialethicsadvisoryopinions/2006/2006-18.html

Now I'm expected to comment intelligently but in sound bites, on matters ranging from abortion to homosexual marriage to gun rights. What no one seems particularly interested in is that County Court is almost completely involved in statutory issues, statutes which fall within the clear discretion of the legislature, and the judge's sole obligation is to apply the facts to the law.

On the other hand, it's nice to be asked my opinion, even though the questioners invariably have a vested interest in the answer.

We've had two forums in the past two days, one at Westminster Oaks, and another at the Miccosukee Community Center. The one at Westminster Oaks was well attended, there were probably 150 people there, but there were 12 candidates, so it was long. They were relatively generous with the amount of time they gave us to speak, 7 minutes, but I still didn't have time to cover everything I wanted to with that well educated and experienced crowd.

The one at the Miccosukee Community Center was extremely well organized, and had about 50 people from the rural community attending. Their questions were predominently for the County Commission Candidates, so I left around 8:45 pm.

This morning I had an interview with the Capital Outlook, which I must confess I enjoyed more than the Tallahassee Democrat's interview, which was much more like a forum for 7 people than an editorial board review.

Wednesday, August 16, 2006

43

Today is my birthday and my gift from the Tallahassee Democrat is a photo of one of my opponent's signs being removed from public property by a city worker for being illegally placed.
http://www.tallahassee.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060816/NEWS01/608160324/1010

Yesterday a friend and I were staked out at a state office building at 7 am, where we stood and inflicted flyers on people until 8:15, and then I went to the paper and got a little problem ironed out with the advertising department, and then I caught up with my e-mail, and then I met with a woman who had previously run successfully for office, and then I went to a luncheon, and bought another 300 stamps for the absentee voters, and met James' bus, and took on a pro bono case, and talked to the volunteer who is managing the absentee voter mailings, and went swimming and ate supper and then walked door to door until it was dark. But other than, running for office really doesn't take much time.

Tuesday, August 15, 2006

Before I started all this

I talked to a woman who ran for judge back in 1996, which was the last time there was an open County Court seat. She said that pretty much every day she did something on the campaign. Perhaps her recollection was rosy, because pretty much every day, all day I'm doing something on this campaign.

Monday, August 14, 2006

Singing

I sang at a vigil mass tonight, and for the first time in many years the organist failed to appear, so I led the singing without an accompanist. It was hard, but I was in good voice, knew the songs well, and was lucky enough that 4 members of the choir were sitting in the congregation, and they sang their hearts out. But it was still hard.

One of my colleagues from work is going door to door for me. I gave him 250 flyers and he needs more. He is like the choir members singing their hearts out.

Tomorrow is another busy day, and marks three weeks until the election. If I was starting on a three week vacation tomorrow, it would feel all new and just beginning. It's important to remember that most people are just noticing that there is a judicial race, and I am a new candidate to them. They don't know anything about me, and it's time to tell them.

Another good day

I went to church Sunday morning with a very important person, and got introduced warmly, and when I stood up people clapped. After the service, the very important person stood in the vestibule with me and told people to vote for me and made people take flyers. It was extremely helpful to me, and probably got me a few votes, because people rely on other people to help them decide these down the ballot races.

I did do one non-election related thing today, which was see off a friend who is joining a convent. In this commercially driven world, it is like cool water to see someone chose something else, something productive in the broadest sense of the word. It was an extremely happy occasion.

Then I went door to door, and then attended yet another function where the candidates outnumbered the voters. When I got home, I felt like I'd done my part for the day.

Sunday, August 13, 2006

A Pretty Good Day

We spent yesterday morning going door to door talking to primary voters and made good progress. It was 102 degrees, according to the bank clock, by the time we finished, so we felt like we had done our part. In the afternoon I figured out a way to use up the remaining postcards without imposing on people to hand write another 700, and we did the grocery shopping. The young fellow who helped us with the groceries was happy because he has turned 18 and this is his first election. So I hope he votes for me, but mostly I just hope he votes.

Saturday, August 12, 2006

End Game

Just over three weeks until the primary. Even with the television and radio ads of my competitors, in going door to door I'm finding a majority of primary voters still don't know there's a judicial race. It's too late to change any part of the strategy, really, although I did have a crisis of faith yesterday, but I don't know what I thought I should do. The forums we've had recently were relatively poorly attended and were largely about the earned media that came from attendance. There are so many candidates that the speeches are limited to 3 minutes or so, and that means outside of a basic introduction, even voters in attendance know little about a candidate.

Even I, who have met most of the challenging candidates several times, cannot say that I have some significant knowledge of how well they would carry out their duties if elected. It's rather sobering.

Wednesday, August 09, 2006

Stalking Voters

Tonight I was standing outside a meeting for State of Florida retirees handing out flyers, and representatives from a gubenatorial candidate came and started handing out flyers, too. Of course, everybody's heard of the gubenatorial candidate and nobody's heard of me. Those people should go away and be satisfied with television time and stop infringing on voters, who need to talk to me, not them. Really.

I had to sort of feel sorry for the people trying to attend the meeting, they had to run the gauntlet of people inflicting flyers on them.

Good news: Two people told me that one of my supporters had already e-mailed them and they were going to vote for me.

Bad news: One guy wouldn't even take my flyer, saying he had one of my opponent's signs in his yard. Another guy, a known supporter of one of my opponents did take a flyer. I don't know which was worse.

Life Lessons

Yesterday I was at a luncheon for retired military. While one guy was getting his dessert, he fell. I went over to help, and told him the floor was very slippery, and he said that no, he had turned around too quickly, that he had some balance problems, and that he wouldn't blame someone else for what was his own fault. I found that to be a very brave statement. Not every one comes to terms with their losses as they age, fewer still own them in that clear way. I was impressed. There is more than one kind of bravery.

Tuesday, August 08, 2006

A Vertitable Whirlwind of Activity

Handing out flyers, attending luncheons and forums, going door to door, coaxing supporters to show up for things, talking to the saints who are working on the absentee voter mail, talking to the treasurer, planning walking for later in the week, planning the sign waving, preparing responses to forum questions. That's just the campaign stuff. Cleaning the kitchen, cooking the dinner, doing the laundry, reading to James, playing blackjack with James (is this a suitable game for a 7 year old?) talking to Jim. Checking my work e-mail, checking my work messages, talking to my secretary, struggling to keep one of my cases from being snatched by another section in my absence. I'm still sleeping and eating, but haven't exercised since last week, unless going door to door counts, and I think it probably doesn't. But other than that I'm not really doing anything. How are you?

Meanwhile, volunteers are doing mailings to absentee voters daily, phoning voters, knocking on the doors of voters, e-mailing voters, trying to figure out places I should be going to meet more voters, pressuring their friends and family to vote for me and trying to get more signs put up. I simply couldn't do this without them, or without Jim & James.

Monday, August 07, 2006

Kids Boutique

The Junior League sponsors a clothing buy for kids returning to school each year. A couple of my girlfriends belong, and I went as a "shadow shopper." There really were 150 kids there, plus their parents, plus other kids in the family who weren't getting clothes, it was amazing. We were assigned two girls in late grade school, they were cousins. We had $120 to spend on clothes and shoes, and were told to spend $90 on clothes and save $30 for shoes. We also got 20% off the store prices and didn't have to pay sales tax, but it was still hard. I largely helped with one kid, and she got two pairs of jeans, underwear, socks, a pair of gauchos, four t-shirts and a hooded zip up jacket. Her cousin, who was harder to fit, and we had to buy women's sized clothes for, wound up with fewer, but more expensive clothes. We had tears when we had to put a couple of things back because they put us over the budget. It's hard for kids to discern between what they'll need and wear all the time, like boring jeans, and what will get them sent home from school to change, like denim mini-skirts and spaghetti strap tank tops. I have never in my entire life experienced such helpful staff as last night. The staff at the store volunteered to stay late, and they were just tremendous. Here's the link to the local coverage.
http://www.tallahassee.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060807/NEWS01/608070311/1010

Sunday, August 06, 2006

Impolitic

Man, I'm tired. People told me I'd be tired, and I am tired. I just want to lie around the house and vegetate. However, lying around the house does not get one elected, so I'm going out again.

Saturday, August 05, 2006

Another forum

Last night I got another invitation to yet another forum, it arrived by e-mail, but is for a spaghetti dinner, so it's a modern method for a standard fund raising dinner. I'm quite pleased that the judicial candidates have at least been invited to several forums, people are hesitant because they view us as being able to say so little. Since there are a good number of people who don't even know there's a judicial race, even if we weren't able to say anything but the fact that there is a judicial race, we'd be providing valuable civics information. We can say a good bit more. Sometime, maybe after this is over, I'll post my stump speech.

Friday, August 04, 2006

Working Hard

One of my girlfriends who was sidelined from her own campaign for judge, is living vicariously through several other people she knows in various circuits around the state who are still running. She says she hears lots of stories from the campaign trail that are very funny, but she thinks I am working the hardest of any of the folks she is watching.

Today, I actually worked at my real job, which was a refreshing pleasure. I got to call up an opposing counsel and harass him, work on a subpoena, and generally remind myself that I'm still a lawyer. And I got invited to speak in October to a car dealer association, so it was a good day at work.

After work I picked up today's list of absentee voters, there are over 100 again. These people are breaking me in postage.

Thursday, August 03, 2006

Encouragement

Today I had lunch with a guy who has provided free advice to my campaign over the past year. We went over our plan for the next thirty days, and when I asked him for any last minute advice, he said that the plan was solid, stick to the schedule, I was doing all I could do. After lunch, I was standing in line to pay the bill, and a guy in front of me spoke to me about the race and I gave him a flyer (I was wearing my name tag, I'd forgotten I was wearing it). My advisor told me that I'd probably picked up another vote. And I realized how much I'd learned in the past year, and that the advisor had probably enjoyed watching me learn and watching me get better at campaigning.

Then this evening, at the first door I knocked on, a woman answered the door, and I told her my name and that I was running for County Court Judge. She said, "Oh, I got your flyer in the mail yesterday. I'm so glad you're here." It was, quite possibly, the single most satisfying moment of this entire campaign.

Editorial Board at the Tallahassee Democrat

All three of us arrived early, because we're eager beavers, and also know that the hour spent with the editorial board is one of the most important hours spent during the campaign. Mary Ann Lindley came out and said they'd be a few more minutes, so we were given a temporary reprieve, but she came back shortly thereafter and said we could come in. There were seven people talking to us, including the publisher and two citizen members of the editorial board. Mary Ann Lindley told us we had three minutes to make an introductory statement, then she had five questions, and then we could have two minutes to close.

It was difficult, similar in pressure to a Supreme Court oral argument. The questions were largely issues we'd heard before, one we had at the Tallahassee Bar Association about being fair and not letting our former work influence our decision making, one about court funding similar to the one asked two years ago by the League of Women Voters in their judicial questionaire, and three others which I forget now. I closed with two minutes on how to evaluate a judicial candidate, which had one member specifically say to me, "good closing."

Another member shook all of our hands afterwards and said we were three very strong candidates. I hope someone remembers that the last time there was an open County bench seat, the paper endorsed several people.

After reading the columns in the paper by a couple of members of the board talking about how hard these interviews are for them, even implying that they are also dull, I think the group was both interested and might have learned something. Mary Ann Lindley said they'd run their endorsements day by day, ending the Saturday before the election, people not endorsed would have an opportunity to have a short letter of response printed.

After that, we all swapped cell phone numbers for election night, the guys made jokes about asking where the other was going so they could follow each other, and I went to the supervisor's office to pick up labels for absentee ballots. Then I picked up James and we went over to somebody else's house and put labels and stamps on flyers for 143 absentee voters, then we ate some supper and went door to door. There were six of us last night, so even though we just had those short hours after work and before dark, we got a lot done.

It was a busy day.

Tuesday, August 01, 2006

Forum - for other people

This evening there was a forum for the District 3 candidates, I went because I figured that the people there are obviously going to vote, and as long as they are voting anyway, they should vote for me. I was really impressed with the range of topics presented in the questioning, and how demanding it must have been to be well versed in so many areas. It seemed that most of the people there were people interested in environmental issues concerning Lake Jackson, but a few people had seen the forum posted on listservs and come in, and one lady told me she was new to the area and was learning about the candidates before she voted. I could have kissed her. Just wish I heard it more often.

Handing out Flyers

So it's good to know that it is hot at 8:00 am as well as 7:00 pm. Today I handed out flyers in front of a state office building for an hour and a half before work started. Apparently it is a favorite spot, somebody told me that a County Commission candidate was there the day before and another couple of candidates have been standing there in the past couple of weeks. At least it's a popular spot. It was particularly wretched because we were surrounded by little flying gnats (my campaign manager actually had one fly in her mouth while she was talking to a voter). Also a loud riding mower was mowing across the street, and a train went by, and for a while I felt like I couldn't hear myself think. One guy said he wasn't going to vote for me because I'd had breast cancer. Two people said thank you for running. Several people seemed reasonably interested. One person asked an intelligent question about election vs. appointment. About 200 people took a flyer. We were pretty careful to ask people if they voted in Leon County before we gave them one of our precious flyers.

The absentee list came out yesterday so I was frantically trying to get the mailers going. Much better to have so much money you can send an introductory piece to every primary voter and not have to run around like a chicken with your head cut off the day the ballots go out. Off and running to deliver signs and flyers to a supporter.

Monday, July 31, 2006

A young girl

A little person, perhaps two or three was wandering about boldly on her own at the Dollar Store while her mother and older sisters were in line. I talked to her briefly before getting in line, and then when her mother had finished her transaction, said, "Now, where is she?" I said, "I just saw her." She was over looking at some display or other. Her mother said to me, "You must be a teacher." I said, "No, I'm a lawyer, and I'm running for judge." An older daughter, who was 12 or 13, her eyes got wide, and I had to smile. I gave them a flyer and told them to vote for me and to tell their friends about me. I know that even now, it is odd to young girls that a woman could run for judge.

Sunday, July 30, 2006

Truth in Advertising

One of my opponents has sent out a flyer declaring that various people agree he is the best choice for County Judge. But when you read the statement, it doesn't actually say that he's the best of the three candidates. In fact, the majority of his endorsements came months before anyone else was in the race, so it was difficult to compare.

Whatever, back to work.

Saturday, July 29, 2006

Walking with an Entourage

Today I went door to door with a reporter and photographer from the Tallahassee Democrat following me. Needless to say, at first it was a trifle unnerving, but after the first little while it wasn't bothering me any more. The reporter has just started with the paper, and it was the photographer's last day, he's got a full time job at the Chicago Tribune. He's from Chicago, and has been on a paid internship here at the Democrat, so he was one happy fellow. He told us stories of other political campaigns he'd followed, including three months following Senatorial candidate Barack Obama. I was particularly impressed with the photographer because he is the product of the Chicago foster care system. Talk about a survivor.

A guy I know gave us all ice water in paper cups, so we could take them with us and suck the ice as we walked. He did it even though he is supporting one of my opponents, which made me feel like at least people are not opposed to my presence in the race, which was not the feeling I had when I started this process.

It was Saturday, so there were 6 of us going from house to house in the blazing heat, plus the two young people from the Democrat. People had to think we were mad.

My girlfriend Tequisha Myles is visiting from Broward, and told us stories about when her dad ran for Mayor when she was an undergraduate. I know James will always remember this summer, if only because we all worked so hard. After we walked, we wrote postcards until our arms ached. The absentee ballots go out next week. There is no time to lose.

Thursday, July 27, 2006

Military Officers Association of America

Last night I was at the Military Officers Association of America dinner where Bobby Bowden was the speaker. It was essentially a full house, over 150 people were there at the Silver Slipper. There were 4 candidates there, but I was the only one that had previously spoken to the group so had better recognition. I was also the only judicial candidate, and the only person running for an open seat. Some people took signs, and five women took flyers to give to their friends or pass around at work. I am very lucky to have the support of so many people who have served their country. I also, shamelessly, tried to get Bobby Bowden to agree to give a flyer to his wife. The first game of the season is the evening before the election, but unfortunately it's out of town. Always looking for another campaign opportunity, oh well.

There was a Tallahassee Democrat reporter and photographer there. The photographer had the biggest telephoto lens I'd ever seen. At first I thought he was a protester holding a bullhorn.

http://www.tdo.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060727/NEWS01/607270314/1010

Wednesday, July 26, 2006

Why I love canvassing

I love standing on the doorstep and telling people I'm running for judge. I'm still so proud of that, just the opportunity to run still thrills me. I'm delighted when I get good questions, curious about how everybody else lives, and generally surprised at how well received I've been received everywhere I've gone. I'm walking door to door in all sorts of neighborhoods, and although I am often (I think appropriately) observed with some curiousity, no one has questioned whether I should be allowed to go door to door asking complete strangers to vote for me. In Chris Matthews' Hardball he points out that he saw women in Washington create opportunities for themselves by persistently asking. So I'm asking people to vote for me.

Tuesday, July 25, 2006

Tough Decisions

Direct mail has lots of requirements and it is costly. In exchange it puts your document in the hands of someone you can target, but doesn't guarantee that they'll actually look at it, or even see it if someone else brings in the mail. Television is dispersed, and many people who are not voters, or not voters in your area see it, but you pay for them anyway. So with television, you have to pay for a good deal of coverage you don't care about, but direct mail costs more per person. With very limited funds, I'm making tough decisions now, about how many people to send mail to, and how many times. I'm evaluating how many more doors I can reasonably knock on by election day, and where those doors should be. I remain cautiously optimistic, as I see daily signs of groundswell.

Monday, July 24, 2006

R & R

We took a few days off, to enjoy Jim's Dad's 93rd birthday, to go to the beach, to be a family. Sarah was so good the whole time, she was good with James, fun to be with, she reminded me of everything that was best about 15. I didn't realize how much I miss the beach until we were there. Jim had booked a place right on the water, and it was so nice to get up in the morning and look out and see the sea. I swam so much I had to get a haircut when I got home because my hair was so damaged from sun, salt and chlorine.

Now I'm back, going through days of e-mail, catching up on sign deliveries, reviewing the endless requirements for direct mail, writing thank you notes, and asking people to vote for me. Bob Inzer told me last week that the most intense portion of this event is just beginning, and I believe him. People I don't know are calling up asking for signs. Volunteers are calling. It's remarkable, and I am continually surprised. Today there was an article in the paper about the Attorney General, asking him about donations he'd received from a couple of private citizens from out of state, he said he didn't know them and didn't have a clue why they'd contributed. Almost all of my contributions have come from people I know, but a few have come from friends of friends. But the signs are going out broadly, and I'm very happy about that.

Friends are asking why I talked about my volunteer work before my legal work in the paper last week. I didn't. The reporter put it down that way. We've been told to muster next week for a group interview with the Tallahassee Democrat Editorial board. They aren't even saying that they'll endorse. Sunday's editorial says that they won't endorse where they're "damning with faint praise." Historically, they endorse several candidates, we'll see what happens.

Wednesday, July 19, 2006

Tallahassee Democrat

Two reporters from the Democrat were at the Tallahassee Bar Association forum for most of the evening, and didn't leave until after 8:30 pm, so they must have written the article that appears in this morning's paper after that. So I'm glad I'm not them, when I was done, I went home and read a novel, I didn't have to work late. Aside from mixing up my early guardian ad litem work with my current guardianship work, the article is fine, and the photo even reasonably flattering.

http://www.tdo.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060719/NEWS01/607190316/1010

Tuesday, July 18, 2006

Power of the Purse

After work today I went to a United Way fundraiser called the "Power of the Purse" which invited women to come and meet and greet and bid on jewellry. There had to be a couple of hundred women there. So I mixed around and met and greeted. I saw Judge Hawkins there. One of my girlfriends has an in-law who is a judge and she says that elected judges have to stay in the public eye even after they are elected so that they can stay elected. Then I went on to the Tallahasse Bar Association's judicial forum, which was challenging. There were probably well over one hundred people there, all five of the County Judges were there, and several other judges, including a federal court judge, an appellate court judge, and some circuit judges and administrative law judges. The room was predominently Newton supporters, with a few, but enthusiastic, Flury supporters. None of the questions submitted by my friends were accepted. There was one soft ball question each for Newton and Flury. The first time I got up to speak, the Tallahassee Democrat reporter took so many flash pictures I thought I was going blind. They had this complicated system for determining who went first, I spoke first, and then answered the first question first, and then we cycled so much I frankly had trouble keeping up with who was next. The questions were not deeply taxing, in some ways, but the first question was whether the case work I had done would cause me to be biased on the bench. Which I thought was sort of a retarded question, because any lawyer of any talent knows that lawyers get ahead by knowing both sides of a case. There was a question about our committee work and pro bono work, a question about what work we had done in county court, and I forget the other two. In closing, we were asked to cover anything we felt that had not been adequately covered previously. So I talked about the opportunity to run, and the importance of applying for open judgeships and running, and how my only sadness was that there were not more people running.

Sunday, July 16, 2006

On the Campaign Trail

This weekend has been largely dedicated to campaigning. Yesterday I went door to door for about three hours, and dropped off a walking list so someone else could go door to door in his neighborhood, and visited someone who goes to my church about putting up a sign, and wrote about a dozen thank you notes. Today I attended St. Eugene's Parish, and was delighted by the acapella choir.

Friday, July 14, 2006

Fundraiser

Here's a story I was told before I filed to run. A local hopeful filed, and a friend of his, an attorney, invited 300 people to a fundraiser. The attorney prepared food for 100 people. The day of the event arrived, and 3 people came. The local hopeful went on to win the election, but the initial lack of interest in his campaign kept him humble.

So with that as a benchmark, our fundraiser yesterday went very well, and most importantly, instead of the crowd being the usual one of my friends and relations, many people there were complete strangers to me, so I'm finally branching out. Perhaps the race is of some interest, or at least curiousity, so that people will come out to meet someone running for the post.

Wednesday, July 12, 2006

55 days until the election

Part of me feels like I'm not overwhelmed because I've done so much ground work in the past year. Part of me feels that I'm not overwhelmed because I don't actually understand what's going on. Early in this process I read that you get 80% of your results from 20% of your effort, but it's difficult to tell which is the 20%. I continue to be amazed by the fact that we don't even have an accurate definition of effective campaigning. I was rather pleased by my signs, until I heard that there wasn't any data to show that signs do any good at all. One of my girlfriends recently saw an advertisement for someone who is running for county commission, but we don't actually know how or if that type of advertising works, either. So you create your plan, knowing how little you know, adjust for the budget, and make a decision about how you will try to inform the voters of your qualifications and ideals.

Sunday, July 09, 2006

Early Services

On Sunday morning, I'm going to a different church every week. I go to the early service, even though they are routinely less well attended than later services, because it interferes less with my family life. This is one of the compromises I make as the mother of a young child on the campaign trail. My husband and son did go to one early service with me, but since it lasted twice as long as the services at our own church, they have declined to attend another. So I'm going alone, and find it a time not just to go to new places and meet new people, but a time to worship in peace without trying to make James sit still. Funny how blessings find us where we least expect them. What I thought would be difficult has turned out to be a joy.

Saturday, July 08, 2006

Busy

My colleagues are already on full time leave from their jobs. Since my immediate supervisor is leaving to go to private practice, I will take full time leave starting when he departs. There are no longer typical days. Every day I have some sort of administrative stuff to do, following up on spreadsheets, responding to e-mail, planning. Most days I also meet people, either by going to where groups of people are, or by going door to door. Some days I have several events in a day, and this happens increasingly. So it's probably time to stop trying to crush work into fewer and fewer hours a week, and just let someone else take over for a while, and help them as I can.

Yesterday I was at an volunteer event, and I met a woman who had lost her husband in the Vietnam War. She noticed my candidate's badge, and asked if I had known her son, Steve Seymoe. Steve had been the lawyer for Guardian ad Litem when I was a volunteer there. He was a lawyer at Ausley, McMullen, and a popular fellow, who died of a brain tumor a few years ago. I felt very sad that this woman had neither husband nor son, and honored that she was willing to volunteer to help others.

Thursday, July 06, 2006

Targeting

I learned about marketing from Ford Motor Company's Explorer advertisements. I learned about focus groups, about how marketers follow who buys what, and attempt to get people to buy what they are selling. So it is only natural that I try to apply that to politics. It is amazing, considering that the vast majority of all elective races are local, how little controlled work has been done on what works in local elections. There is conventional wisdom, but relatively little science to sustain those conventions.

My plan is my desire tempered by budget. My plan is simple and focused, because I have figured out that people are not going to spend significant time on this, the last name in the last race on the ballot.

Wednesday, July 05, 2006

First Forum

These down the ballot races do not receive a lot of attention, so all three candidates were happy to be invited to a forum at the Republican Club that took place today. It was my first time hearing Ron Flury speak publicly, it was very interesting. The moderator said that all three candidates were very qualified, which is true, and with three litigators, every talk was well done. The talks were quite focused on qualifications and experience, and several people came up to me afterwards to say that they were impressed, which made me happy. I felt very strongly when I ran that it was important to have a range of voices in the campaign field, and hopefully on the bench. Based on the number of forums that I know we'll be invited to so far, less than 1% of the people who will vote in September will hear from all three judicial candidates in a forum.

Sunday, July 02, 2006

Signs go up, Signs come down

I'm getting reports that some of my signs are disappearing from yards. One fellow lost two from his place, replaced them, and hasn't had any trouble since. Another family, after retrieving the sign from the ditch several times and then having it stolen altogether have started putting the sign out in the morning and taking it in every evening. They feel rather disturbed, it's not illegal for them to support a candidate for office, and they believe they should be able to have a sign in their yard without having people steal it.

I'd been given to believe that judicial races were relatively free of this sort of activity, but I suppose I was mistaken. Fortunately, I have plenty of signs.

Friday, June 30, 2006

Working

I'm still working, not full time, but quite a lot. I find it a useful counterpoint to campaigning, an area where I find it too easy to lose perspective. I'm happy to be able to do both. We had a good week canvassing, went to a lot of houses, talked to a good number of people, and got some more signs put out. We're going to have a fundraiser, my first, in a couple of weeks, and a couple of friends have offered to have neighbors in to meet me. It's really been extraordinary.

This afternoon several people from the Solicitor General's Office attended the passing of the gavel at the Supreme Court. Once every two years a different justice becomes Chief Justice, today Justice Barbara Pariente yielded the gavel to Justice Fred Lewis. It was a very nice function, filled with affection and laughter, very different from most Court activities. I got a bit teary when he took the oath of office, Justice Lewis had his wife and daughter hold the Bible for him while he took the oath. His daughter, Lindsay, was helping her mother to hold the bible, and while he was taking the oath, she reached out with her other hand for a moment to play with the tucks on the front of his robe. He looked down at her and smiled, and for a second lost his place in repeating the oath. It was a touching moment, such a powerful man so tender to his child.

http://www.flcourts.org/images/chiefjusticelewis_2006.jpg

Tuesday, June 27, 2006

Tornado

This afternoon we had a bad thunderstorm and a little tornado went through our neighborhood. It sheared off trees, one in our yard and took down a 35 foot water oak. It sheared off a tree in our neighbor's yard, too, and part of our tree is in her yard, and the water oak is laying where our fence used to be. Amazingly, none of the trees landed squarely on a house. So we'll be digging out from this for the next few days. No wonder it's hard to get insurance.

Sunday, June 25, 2006

Enough

The problem with campaigning is the same problem as with housework -- there's always more to do. You just have to pick a point at which you feel like you can live with the results and not drive yourself into the ground. Yesterday I did two rounds of canvassing plus a church supper. Today I went to a party and have been fooling around with trying to get a tent together for July 4th's political tent city at Tom Brown Park. Could I be doing more? Sure. But I also had to go to church and do the grocery shopping and get the laundry done and none of those things will wait until after the campaign is over. Obviously the measure of "enough" is that which will make a good showing at the polls. The problem is that it's not possible to tell what "enough" is in advance.

Saturday, June 24, 2006

Hot

It's over 95 degrees today, and hot walking from door to door. The best part is when someone opens the door and air conditioned air blows out the door on me. I diligently plod up and down the street, knocking at the doors of people who vote in primaries. Mostly, they've never heard of any of us.

Friday, June 23, 2006

How's the campaign going?

I don't have the faintest idea. More people say they've heard of me than three months ago, but I have a vague sort of impression that hundreds of people have heard of me, and I'm not really sure that's sufficient. Of course, three months ago, scores of people had heard of me, so things are improving. Today a complete stranger told me that he'd heard good things about me and planned to vote for me. My colleagues at work tease me mercilessly about polling, knowing full well that I don't have enough campaign money for that sort of thing. One of my worthy opponents does have enough money for polling and my girlfriend tells me he's seemed very happy recently, so maybe he's taken a poll and it says he'll win. But mostly strangers I talk to haven't heard of any us, say they haven't seen any signs, and give every appearance of not even knowing the race is on the ballot. I wish there was more opportunity to interact with voters, but there isn't, and the days are slipping by like sand in an hourglass.

Tuesday, June 20, 2006

Walking

So I was going door to door tonight, and I'm walking down the street and pass another guy who is running for office and is going door to door down the same street. There were four of us tonight, so we covered a lot more ground than I do by myself, which is helpful. I also handed out flyers today to a group of retired teachers, and gave out some signs, so I'm feeling like I had a productive day. Jim got home from Ft. Lauderdale while we were out walking this evening, and when we came back in he had cleaned up the kitchen. We had just left out plates on the table so that we could spend more daylight walking. I can't believe that the election will be over in only 75 days. It's been a long time in coming, but now that campaign season is here, it seems to be flying by.

Monday, June 19, 2006

Campaign Work

It was a good weekend for campaign work, we handed out flyers at a couple of places on Saturday morning, we canvassed on Saturday afternoon, and put out signs on Sunday afternoon. My friends and relations are writing postcards, we're working on a mailer to send out before the election, we're raising a little money. Things are going about as well as could be expected. I'm working hard, but I'm still glad I am trying, so that people have a choice outside what they always have.

Thursday, June 15, 2006

Postcard Party

It was fun, and more people than I thought would show up came, so by the time Jim got home we were out of soup and he had to get a hamburger from McDonald's. But we got a lot of postcards done, and several people took some home, and Dean Showalter came by and picked some up, and we'll get them all done yet. People are picking up signs and carting them off for themselves and their friends and neighbors. I believe that I'm doing what I can do, and I shouldn't worry, but of course I do.

Wednesday, June 14, 2006

Working on the campaign

Is sort of like housework, there's always something else that could be done, and it's a continual process. Now that the jury trial is in my rear view mirror, I've taken the day off and am trying to catch up. I've got postcards to write, and food to cook, and postage to buy, and database work to review, and signs to keep up with. With less than 90 days left before the election, it feels like there's no way to get it all done, and I see my esteemed opponents working just as hard. Part of me is pleased that the sophistication of judicial campaigns as campaigns has evolved so much in the past ten years, people can't make a judgement about who will be judge if they've never heard of the candidates. On the other hand, trying to get a structured message across in the time it takes to utter a soundbite is difficult.

Monday, June 12, 2006

Verdict

Juries have their own wisdom. It looks like they decided that with 13 building permits, the property was usable as residential, but it would be hard, and they discounted for that. They also decided that even with heavy regulation, the land still had some value as a place for storing traps for commercial fishermen. They expressed these decisions in the three values they were asked to give for the property, and they gave the plaintiff about $3.5 million less than they asked for, and asked the government to pay about $3 million more than they were willing to pay. It may look like they just split the baby, but on the "after the take" value, which is the value of the property with heavy regulation, the jury said that the property still had a value of $250,000, when the plaintiff said it was only worth $10,000. Which, unbeknownst to the jury, means that there probably hasn't been a regulatory take, that the government hasn't actually taken the land, and the plaintiff will get 0, regardless of how the jury valued the property. Funny how in some cases what looks like not a particularly good result is actually a win.

Jury's Out

The jury is now deliberating in the case we tried last week. My colleague who did the closing argument this morning says that they asked for all the exhibits and an easel pad of paper and a marker. He swears he'll call me the second they get the call that the jury verdict is in, and then will call me again when they have a verdict. Wish I was there. The local press has not been particularly kind to us, though.

http://www.keysnews.com/334616974884621.bsp.htm

http://www.keysnews.com/286295208587168.bsp.htm

Sunday, June 11, 2006

Suzy Homemaker

Since I was gone all last week to do a jury trial, let's just say I'm a little behind in the housework department. Yesterday both James and I were so tired we did little more than get a few groceries into the house. I enjoyed the opportunity to feel truly guilty about my failure to do work on my own campaign yesterday when a guy running for county commission was going door to door in my neighborhood.

This morning I've been Suzy Homemaker. Up at 6:30 am, made blueberry bran muffins from scratch, started on what will likely be 6 loads of laundry, and am taking a short break from cleaning up the kitchen. James has agreed to mop the floor after I've swept.

We talked to Jim on the phone about 5 times yesterday, he's visiting with his 92 year old father in Deltona, but will be home today. Next week I'll be a better candidate, I swear I will. I just don't want to reach the September elections feeling like I simply didn't do enough to be a credible candidate.

Saturday, June 10, 2006

Defense Rests

Friday I did direct examination of two witnesses, made a lengthy profer, cross-examined the plaintiff's rebuttal witness, negotiated the jury instructions, and drafted the verdict form. It was the sixth busy day in a row. Now that the evidence is all in, on Monday my colleague Jon Glogau will do the closing argument (I did the opening) and the jury will take over. All week long the lawyers that we've met have been commenting about the fact that Jon and I work in the "Complex Litigation" unit at the Attorney General's Office. Jon says that our unit takes simple litigation and makes it complex. Although I will say that this inverse condemnation case, which during the six weeks I was on on the case raised highly complex issues of regulatory taking, comparative sales, and the limits of expert testimony did not arrive as a simple case. I think we've got a good jury, capable, and of course, since they are all from Monroe County, far more understanding of property prices and comparative properties in the area than I am. I came home this morning, but made Jon promise to call me the moment the jury goes out on Monday and then again the moment they come back.

Tuesday, June 06, 2006

In Trial in Key West

There are live chickens that wander around in the grass and road near the courthouse. We're trying the case in the courthouse annex, parts of which are over 100 years old and used to be a jail. This place has atmosphere. The jury pool was very different from what we draw in Leon County, too. Only 10% minority, more former Navy enlisted than minorities. The trial is solely to set the value of property between a corporation and the government, so there is lots of expert testimony expected. We spent all day yesterday in legal argument and selecting a jury of 12, so we'll start with opening statements this morning. We're going out to view the property on Thursday morning, hopefully after the close of all other evidence, but probably not at the rate we're going.

Saturday, June 03, 2006

Kidsfest

This morning James and I went to Kidsfest and we had a really good time. I've been preparing for a jury trial this week, and it was great to do something that was just fun. We went down a big, blow up bouncy slide, James had his face painted and had his picture taken with Sammy the Squirrel. I talked to lots of people. At the Subway afterwards, I convinced a nice couple to vote for me, and the sandwich makers put one of my flyers up on the wall. It was all very cheerful.

Thursday, June 01, 2006

Political Junkie

Yesterday I had a brief conversation with a a true political junkie. He is currently following two races closely, one at the federal level and one statewide race, and he's putting out endorsements in local races, as well. I was fascinated by what motivates someone to have a regular job, yet follow politics so closely for 25 years. It was clearly more than a hobby, perhaps an avocation. Talking with him was intense, like running harder than you like to get up a hill. I think I'm just as glad my friends and relations are working on this, it might be overwhelming to be surrounding by those so deeply committed to the cause of getting a particular person elected. Then not getting elected would be a really big deal, and it shouldn't be a really big deal. The big deal is in being willing to run, and to running well, and the biggest deal is to be the kind of person with the sort of dedication and talents that are useful to the community. That sort of person is found both in and out of politics.

Tuesday, May 30, 2006

Memorial Day

The local VFW post #3308 has a cemetary in Wakulla County, so we all met out there at 11:00 o'clock in the morning for a service for Memorial Day. It was bright, sunny and pretty hot. A local ROTC color guard was there, and they had a rifle salute and played taps. I was proud to be there, proud to be able to honor people who had died in service to the United States. Recently, I heard someone commenting that when service members are sworn in, they swear to uphold the constitution of the United States, not allegiance to a particular person or political party, but to a document.

http://www.wctv6.com/home/headlines/2891191.html

Monday, May 29, 2006

My picture on the front page of the paper

Sort of. It's an overhead crowd shot, and even though I knew what I was wearing and where I was standing, I had a hard time finding myself. We went to a march commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Tallahassee bus boycot of 1956, which began the city's integration in earnest. James, who was standing in front of someone to my right, can't be seen at all. There was an interesting mix of ages, little kids from about James' age, middle aged people, people in their 20s, and some old people. It was tremendously hot, probably mid-nineties at 5:00 pm. We were, for the most part able to stand in the shade, and I liked walking along and singing "We Shall Overcome." My kid did not know the song. It was important to me to take him to this event because I want him to know that he's from a place that used to be very different. I know it's inconceivable to him to have a segregated classroom, but I want him to know. I want him to see. I saw several people I knew there, Lee Cardice, Fred Lee, and Brenda Hawkins, and it was nice to see them. The elected officials and the pastors led the march. Since I am neither, James and I walked along with everybody else.
http://www.tdo.com/apps/pbcs.dll/frontpage

Friday, May 26, 2006

Veterans

A data analyst with the Department of Veteran's Affairs took his laptop home with him, which he'd been doing for years, to do a little evening work. Burgalars broke into his Maryland home and stole his laptop, which contained the names, birthdates, and social security numbers for 26 million veterans, including every veteran discharged since 1975. The records were not encrypted. Congress held hearings yesterday, but the VA has had dismal grades in information security for years. Last night I went to the American Legion and gave them a check list of things to watch for so they'd know if their identity had been compromised.

Sunday, May 21, 2006

Surrogates

Yesterday someone said she would go to her neighborhood association and pass out flyers for me and I was so grateful I could have kissed her. On Friday, another friend took flyers to take to her neighborhood association meeting, too. Since I can't be everywhere, that my friends will tack on to their busy lives one more thing to remember to do when they go somewhere is heartening.

Saturday, May 20, 2006

Drowning

The problem is that it is not physically possible to be at every event, to write a note to every voter you speak to, to knock on the door of every primary voter, to prepare for a jury trial, to keep the house clean, do the grocery shopping, take James to a play date, spend time with my spouse, sleep, eat and exercise. Yesterday I was at an event and spoke to a working mommmy who was talking about how she just runs from one thing to another, from work to brownie troop to the grocery store, etc., and I realized that I'm doing the same thing, only campaigning, too.

Friday, May 19, 2006

Even I am amazed at how busy I am

Last night I attended the Air Force Association meeting, which was really nice because my neighbor, Don Coon, was awarded their science teacher of the year award, and now goes on to compete at the state level. I love going there because the people I meet there have such broad backgrounds. I talked to an accident reconstruction engineer, a retired diplomat, and a former U.S. senator's aide last night, and it was a typical evening there. Then this morning I stood at the Senior Center Expo for nearly three hours, handing out flyers and talking to people. This afternoon all judicial candidates had to appear for a training on judicial canons of ethics, which went as expected, except that there were some candidates from other circuits there, who were in Tallahassee today and couldn't make it to the seminars in their own circuits. I was pleased to meet Angela Ball, who is running for County Court Judge against a 22 year incumbent in Taylor County. Here is the difference in the sizes in our races. In the last primary, 4500 people went to the polls in Taylor County, and 56,000 went in Leon County. But tonight my whole family is going swimming, and then we're going out to dinner, and I'm so glad.

Wednesday, May 17, 2006

Tough Day on Boot Hill

So work was fine, I'm preparing for a jury trial in early June. Yesterday was a consumer law seminar, and I enjoyed that. But today my two opponents, who know people that belong to the Tiger Bay Club, got to have a lovely lunch at the highly political Tiger Bay Club, while I, as usual, didn't even know it was happening. And they probably got to hand out lots of flyers, and everyone probably said how marvelous it is that they have decided to run for election and how much they respect them. So instead of having lunch with the Tiger Bay club, I went and ate lunch with my first grade son's class. One of my opponents pointed out recently that although I may be very popular with the grade one class, they cannot vote for me, so I should not spend so much time with them. I haven't given them any flyers, but I'm sure they would appreciate them. Although I gave a flyer to a seven year old recently and he made a paper airplane out of it.

Mother's Day

James had his last day of catechism for the school year, and we all went to church together at noon, and brought up the gifts before communion, so it was nice. Most of the people at church know my face because I've been a cantor there for eight or nine years, but they don't know that I'm a lawyer or that I'm running for judge. I'm mildly amused at how surprised people often are that I'm an attorney. One person actually said, "But you're so nice!" Perhaps being pleasant and a competent attorney are mutually exclusive.

Sunday, May 14, 2006

James

Apparently James wrote a message to his classmates, as follows:

Hi!

Do you know my mom? Well, she is special to me because she is funning sic for judge! She is really working hard! But she is on the ballot.

James
May 2006


Now, I love my son, but at 7, he needs to consult with someone before engaging in marketing activities. I am less than enthralled with having a group of people, even people who are in grade one, informed that I am "funning" for judge. Second, and in this case it may be a good thing, he fails to mention my name.

I, and several thousand of my closest friends, went out to the Relay for Life on Friday night. The event had front page coverage on the local paper.
http://www.tdo.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060513/NEWS01/605130315&SearchID=73244528347616

Friday, May 12, 2006

Qualified

Yesterday I went to the Supervisor of Elections Office to formally qualify to run for judge. I swear I signed enough papers to buy a house. It was the same experience, "Sign here, here and here, initial here, we'll give you a copy, you don't need to read it."

I was the last of the three to qualify, my file was all alone in the file drawer when I arrived on Thursday afternoon. My husband, Jim, was with me, and since my mum couldn't be here, my friend Claire Kelly stood in loco parentus. James, who is 7, declined to come, saying it would be boring. The staff at the elections office reported that another candidate brought his young daughter when he qualified, and that she was, in fact, bored, and turned over every item in the office while she was there. So perhaps it was just as well.

Before I came, the elections staff asked if I had called the media. The media is not interested in this race. It appears so far down the ballot, you have to turn the ballot over.

But I am, nonetheless, very happy to be on the ballot, and I'm going to frame one when this is all over.

Tuesday, May 09, 2006

Standing in the Rain

Last night was the Council of Neighborhood Associations' annual awards dinner. Once again, my campaign manager, Jennifer Kilinski, and her husband, Jeff, and James and I were standing outside handing out flyers. Only it was raining, so we stood inside the door, and nobody threw us out. Oddly, there were a number of people there I knew from church. Jennifer's mom babysat Wyatt, who is a toddler, and my husband, Jim, stayed home and cooked supper for James and me, so we could all be there. Campaigns require a lot of back up support, I'm discovering.

Friday, May 05, 2006

My mother always said

That I could get on a bus, and by the time I got off, I'd have the life story of the person I was sitting next to. But I like meeting people, and hearing their stories. So today I talked to the federal express guy who delivered my signs.

I was the last delivery of the day for him, and his last delivery for the particular shift he's been working. He lives in Valdosta, and drives to Tallahassee to make a "city run" four days a week. They are ten hour days, but often stretch to 12. He gets Wednesdays and weekends off. City drives are hard, because he makes lots of deliveries to places like the Supreme Court, where it is very narrow to back in his truck, which is a semi with a lift on the back. He let me ride on the lift with him. It was fun.

He is 32 years old, and is married to a woman 5 years older than he is. They have two kids, 13 and 2 and a half. The younger one is a girl, and just like her mother. He has an undergraduate degree in criminal justice with a minor in psychology, but while he was going to school, he started working in trucking, and by the time he graduated, was making more driving a truck than he could make in any entry level criminology job, so he just stayed with trucking. He leaves his house in the morning, drops off the big kid at school, and then he heads in to work.

While he was in school, a buddy of his who also majored in criminology, finished school and went to law school. But his friend dropped out of law school and is teaching political science in high school now.

He was particularly happy today, because today is his last day on the shift. On Monday, he's start a night driving shift, that doesn't involve deliveries, just a destination run to drop off and pick up one load and then home again. He thinks it will be better for his family, since he'll be gone at night when they're asleep anyway, and probably up shortly after they get home from school. Right now, he frequently gets home just as they are going to bed. Plus, he's getting a 30k a year annual increase.

His wife wants some new kitchen cupboards and a privacy fence. He likes to work on old cars, so he figures some of the money will go into that hobby, as well.

They just got Blackberries in the trucks, he has to input every stop and then estimate the time he'll arrive at his next stop. Yesterday he was answering it, they often send updates via the Blackberry, and he got pulled over for doing 40 in a 35 zone. The officer let him off with a warning, but the police have been very strict with commercial truck drivers in the city since a DHL driver killed someone here in Tallahasssee recently.

Federal Express is a good employer, they pay for everything, the truck, the gas, the Blackberry, even the uniform. He left my place at 5:15, having been there about 20 minutes unloading 4 pallets of signs into my garage, and estimated that he'd be back in Valdosta by 6:40 pm. He was amused by how happy I was about receiving the signs, and helped me take one out so I could look at it.

Before that today, I went to the Retired Educator's Association's installation of officers. I handed out flyers and told people I was running for county judge. Folks were very nice, and several people said they would vote for me. And I saw a lady there I had met at the Kiwanis Club, and the speaker was someone I had met at a Rotary Club last fall. Progress is always measured incrementally. I think I'll go out to the garage and admire my signs now.

Thursday, May 04, 2006

Financial disclosure

Every year a host of state workers fill out financial disclosure forms, so when I was told I had to fill out a financial disclosure form to run for office, I wasn't particularly concerned. After all, the Form 1 just asks for debts that exceed your assets, and income that exceeds 5% of your total income, just enough so financial interests that could affect one's judgment are disclosed. All very reasonable.

Now I discover that candidates do not fill out Form 1, we fill out Form 6, a form which is impressive in its invasiveness. Anyone who is interested in my methods of asset allocation will have a clear view after this. I feel miffed. I feel put upon. I feel that the Ethics Prosecutor will have a field day if I make a mistake.

I've spoken with the Ethics office and they've explained that I can't lump anything together, that every separate index fund has to be listed with the amount in it. I'm dying, here. I haven't gathered together a list of everything I have and where it is since I got married. Oh well, I still have a week to organize so that I can bare my financial soul for the sake of standing for election.

Wednesday, May 03, 2006

Tired

I was dragging up the hill to work this morning, because I'm tired from all my extra-curricular campaign activities. Walking up with me was a woman who used to be a secretary to a guy while he was running for County Judge. She said he was tired the whole time, and he won his very first time. For some reason this story heartened me, as though because I am tired, this makes me more likely to win.

Monday, May 01, 2006

Name Recognition

Aside from the problem that nearly 60,000 voters will show up at the primary this September, and most of them never heard of me, my campaign has no problems. This weekend my family and I went to the Master Gardener Open House, and gave people flyers. Then yesterday someone I know but did not see there said she saw one of my flyers at the open house. She politely did not mention whether she saw it because it was on the ground, or if she fished it out of the trash, where it resided with many of my flyers.

Actually, one of the great things about campaigning in the South of the United States is how polite everybody is. For example, I tell people my name and the office I'm running for, and instead of being told to go away, I am usually met with a polite response, or even a pertinent question. It is actually infrequent that people brush me off completely. Now, it is clear that they view me as slightly lunatic, but it is a fair view, as I am the one approaching complete strangers and asking them to vote for me. In September. For an obscure down the ballot race.

Thursday, April 27, 2006

Minor Coup

Today was the Leon County Volunteer of the Year Awards luncheon at the University Club. My campaign manager, my friend and I stood outside the doors and handed out flyers to people entering. I was the only candidate standing there and we handed out a couple hundred flyers to people who are deeply involved in this community in about 40 minutes. So I'm happy.

Monday, April 24, 2006

WAVES

This past week I talked with two women who also served in the Navy, one served during the Second World War, and the other went to boot camp just 3 or 4 years before I did. Before I started running, I truly rarely talked about my experience in the military, or even thought about it. But I have been rewarded by talking with other veterans, it is a shared experience that reaches across the decades, across race and gender lines, and even across branch of service lines.

In talking with the woman who had also been to boot camp in Orlando, we had a laugh about being so old even our boot camp has been decommissioned. She remembered things I had forgotten about, the grinder, which was the huge ashphalt marching ground, Starboard Leading Petty Officers, Company Comanders, phrases that I used in boot camp and pretty much never again. When I was talking to her I could feel the heat on the grinder again, remembered the rhymes of cadence marching and the guides who set the marching pace. When we were in boot camp, it lasted nine weeks, and they gauged it by week and day, 1-1 was week one, day one. Truth be told, I sort of liked marching around, it was fun. The firefighting, where you entered a room that was on fire, was terrifying. I hauled my "Bluejacket's Manual" the paperback textbook that was issed, around for years, although I never looked at it again after boot camp.

Boot camp was all about the Navy that used to exist. The Navy I served in was about technology and the cold war, and the beginning of Americans overseas being killed by terrorists.

Saturday, April 22, 2006

Rained Out

I had an ambitious day planned, Sportsability, March of Dimes, Chain of Parks Art Festival, Kidsfest, a block party in a high turnout neighborhood, a picnic. But we're enjoying a thunderstorm right now, and it should clear up right after everything is scheduled to end. Perils of sub-tropical campaigns.

Tuesday, April 18, 2006

Police Chief's Breakfast

Several times a year, the Chief of Police here in Tallahassee, Walt McNeil, has a breakfast and a forum to which all the neighborhood groups are invited and anyone who has a question or issue to discuss with the police is welcome to attend. I went for the first time on Saturday, and was impressed with both the range of issues and the responsiveness of the Chief and his managers.

Most of the speakers from local neighborhoods had two primary issues, noise from university student parties and traffic speeding through the neighborhood. There were comments from other citizens that we should be happy that these are our problems, since serious crime rates are down. But at the beginning Chief McNeil read from the crime statistics for March of this year, and there were 39 car thefts last month, and that was higher than I would have guessed.

We also heard from a representative from Wilson Green, which is Ali Gilmore's neighborhood. Ali is a young woman from that neighborhood, who was four months pregnant, who was a state worker and worked part time at Publix, who just disappeared in February. People in her neighborhood don't know if they are next. I hadn't thought about the aspects of a single crime creating fear in everyone in a neighborhood. The Police Chief assured the representative that currently Wilson Green was the most policed neighborhood in the city, and that the construction sites had been gone through, and that the police force was truly working the case.

There have been search parties out for Ali Gilmore, and signs posted around the county. I am pleased to see this effort by the community, and to see the expression of concern for our loss. I know that her family wants resolution, I would want resolution. It's also been two months, and most crimes are solved within 24 hours. Although I had a niece who was raped by a stranger, and they didn't find him for two years, and then he was arrested and incarcerated for the crime.

A tailor spoke about his weariness with the prostitution in his neighborhood. He said his sister says that they are there even when she goes to church on Sunday mornings. The Police Chief said that the police arrest them with great regularity, and they make bail within hours. The Police Chief is clearly frustrated by this issue, he said that he has tried to talk to the judges and prosecutors about it without result.

The Police Chief said they'd have another breakfast in a couple of months and let people know what progress they've made on the issues raised. Here's a link to the newspaper's advertisement of the breakfast.

http://www.tdo.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060414/NEWS01/604140332&SearchID=73241929465603

Friday, April 14, 2006

One of the best days of my life

Yesterday was my 10th wedding anniversary, and I think it was one of the best days of my life. It actually started the night before, when Jim and I were attempting to roust 7 year old James to get him off to bed. To our surprise, he'd been making us a heart shaped card, that said, "Dear Mom and Dad Happy 10th anavesory James." He told us he'd told his whole class that it was our 10th anniversary.

Then yesterday morning I got to work, and did the final preparation for a talk on the judiciary for the Lion's Club. To make sure I had the timing right (luncheon talks must be under 20 minutes) I gave the chat to a couple of people in my office, and they said that it was interesting and that they learned things. Somebody wrote me and said that my name was in the paper, which I hadn't seen, because I'd been busy getting James off to school in the morning and hadn't seen the paper.

http://www.tdo.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060413/NEWS01/604130319&SearchID=73241530532788

I then assisted with a minor crisis where a pleading had been served on one of my colleagues after he'd left town to attend the hearing. Once that was resolved, I went to give the talk at the Lion's Club, which went well, and several people came up to me afterwards and said they'd learned something.

I've loved being a lawyer. My years at the Attorney General's Office have been productive and professionally satisfying. I didn't expect to stand for election, I didn't expect to have a forum to discuss my concerns about our system of justice, didn't expect to actually enjoy many aspects of campaigning. So yesterday I thought about that, and how lucky I've been to have both a job I love and a terrific family.

In the late afternoon, I was having some trouble with a current investigation about applying certain facts to the current "reasonable consumer" standard, and an additional issue regarding high pressure sales, so I went for a swim and thought about it. I actually learned about this when my sister was a physics major. She said one of her professors, when he needed to think about something, would go to his garden and weed. Since then, when I want to think about something, I go swimming. When I'm swimming in a pool, all I have to do is turn around every time I reach a wall, I don't have to think much about what I'm doing, yet it somehow frees my mind up to address legal problems in a way just sitting at my desk doesn't. I don't know how it works.

Then I came back to work and tidied up some things, talked about some legal research with a paralegal, followed up on some other tasks, and then had an entire hour free before I was to meet Jim for supper. A free hour for those of us who are working with young children is a rare commodity. It was more the having of it than what I did with it that was the part that was important. All I did was go to the library and pick out a new book to read to James.

Jim and I met and we had a lovely supper at Nino's, which is where we had our wedding reception 10 years ago. We met the proprietor going in, and had a pleasant exchange about anniversaries, since Nino's has been open 18 years this week. Jim and I talked at supper at first about who he had lunch with today and other mild matters, and we didn't talk about the kids, or the campaign, or work. We then talked about the past ten years, and how we were both sort of surprised at how fortunate we've been. And we were all by ourselves for a couple of hours.

Then we went home and Mrs. Davis was reading a story to James, who was wearing his pajamas, and he jumped up and ran up to us like we'd been gone for years. And we said good-night to Mrs. Davis, who helped me keep my job when James had salmonella poisoning when he was one and has babysat for us ever since, and I helped James brush his teeth, and read to him a from the book I just took out from the library, and I was really, really happy.

Thursday, April 13, 2006

Door to door to door

Since I have now gathered enough petitions to qualify, I decided that we should start canvassing door to door to raise my pathetic name recognition. I enlisted my son, James, who turned 7 on Sunday to assist in our first venture. Not wanting to strain ourselves, plus it was a school night, plus I wanted to eat supper first, I had a list of 11 houses to visit. James and I got on our tandem bike after supper, we rode about 20 feet, and James announced that he had forgotten his helmet. So we stopped and went back in, because I realized I'd falso orgotten my name badge. We got back on the bike and rode around the corner, and James dropped our flyers, which promptly scattered all over the road. James held the bike while I picked them up, some were run over by cars and had gravel imprints on them

Finally we made it down to the end of the street, and knocked on our friend Cheryl's door to tell her we were going to leave our bike in her yard, but we woke her up because she was having a little snooze and I felt terrible.

Then we went to the first house. The couple there were very nice, and they said they would put a yard sign up for us, which was a good start. We knocked on a total of six doors. One person wasn't home. One person didn't answer. One family sent their children out, but wouldn't talk to us. Two other people did talk to us, and asked questions, but wouldn't put a sign in their yard.

Then it was quarter to eight and we had to ride home before it got dark. All that effort and we only talked to four voters. And got gravel imprints on the flyers. And James and I were super tired the next morning. I'd planned to knock on 20,000 doors. I think I need a new plan.

Tuesday, April 11, 2006

Streefight

Ted Hsu, who is the webmaster for the campaign, sent this video for my family to watch. It's a documentary about a young lawyer, Corey Booker, running against a five term mayoral incumbent, Sharpe James. In the film, both sides had a lot of the trappings of very large campaigns - paid staffs, full time campaigning, and millions of dollars raised. Between two candidates, they raised almost $7 million. At the end, the incumbent wins, no surprise, what was surprising was the number of votes cast. Fewer than 58,000 votes were cast in the 2002 Newark Mayoral election. Here in Tallahassee, we had 53,000 votes cast in the 2002 primary. Newark has a population of 2 million. Tallahassee's populations is 250,000.

I loved my petitions

I had over 2000 of them and I loved them. I loved counting them, I loved seeing where all the people who signed them lived. I thought about all those people and why they would sign a petition for someone they didn't know, and whether they would vote for me. But I also loved turning them in, and looking forward to the next part of the campaign. I have a colleague running for the same seat and he and I often chat about our respective struggles on the campaign trail. Now I'm just waiting to hear if I've qualified to run. The Supervisor of Elections Office will pull 100 petitions randomly from the ones I brought in, and then check them to see if the names appear on the rolls and if the signatures match. If more than 82 do, I'm in. If more that 18 don't, they pull another 100, and try again. When I did my review, about 93/100 were on the voter rolls, but I don't have people's signatures, so I really won't know until they tell me.

Monday, April 03, 2006

I love a Parade

On Saturday, James and I marched with the American Cancer Society in the Springtime Tallahassee parade. Jim was in charge of chauferring us to the start and picking us up at the end. It was very different from the Veteran's Day parade we marched in last fall. Instead of thousands of people, there were tens of thousands. It was fun, but less intimate. Oddly, I didn't see any of the local veteran's organizations in the parade, I don't know why. The weather was spectacular. I spoke with a couple who had just stopped in Tallahassee overnight on their way to visit their son in Winter Haven and I told them that 200,000 people were expected at the events. The wife said, "Yes, and it looks like 70,000 of them are in the parade." She was probably right. I saw Paula Holder and her husband and kids along the parade route, and Charlie McCoy and his daughter, and Nisha Vickers, but that was all the people I saw that I knew, and there were literally thousands of people there. James had a great time handing out beads and candy, and when we were all done, I was shot, but James wanted to go swimming.

Friday, March 31, 2006

On the campaign trail

Last night I went to the Civil Air Patrol's Open House, and to a Grand Opening at Lofy Pursuits for their new gaming section, and to the American Legion. All the events were interesting, the recently received plane at the Civil Air Patrol, the new games at Lofty Pursuits (I tried to play one, it was fun, but I was terrible) and the dancing at the American Legion. I remember the people the best, though. I met the McPhersons at the Civil Air Patrol. Like me, they had just dropped in for the Open House. He spent 22 years in the Air Force, and then another 10 in the Navy. He was a jet mechanic, so we had a nice time talking about our duty time over in Jacksonville, he was at Cecil Field when I was at NAS Jax. He was born and raised here, but his wife is from Mississippi, a part ravaged last year by Hurricane Katrina. I also ran into Debbie Abrams, who used to work as a pediatrician for CHP, and was the first doctor I ever had to take a barfing kid to. That brought back some memories of my early days as a step-parent. I also talked to Marc Depuis, a native of Montreal, Quebec, who was cooking burgers.

At Lofty Pursuits, I of course talked to my long time friend and the owner, Greg Cohen, about his business, which has now been around for nearly 20 years. I talked with David Gilmore, who is a local private investigator, and his wife Andrea. I saw John Lyons, who reminded me that although his parents, uncles and sister were all lawyers, they couldn't so much as send an e-mail without him, since he does all their web hosting.

Actually, being out and about and talking with people, I feel much more like myself, and often forget I've been practicing law for 15 years. One woman said to me, "I've never even met a judge." That was true for me, too, before I went to law school.

Last I went to the American Legion, where they were having a fundraiser for a local veteran who is dying. Cocooned in State Government, you forget how hard long term illness is on families with limited insurance. There I talked to a couple in their seventies who had been married seven months. They met dancing, and were there to dance. I met another man who told me this was his first time out dancing in two years. I said that was a long time not to dance. He said his wife had been ill for some time, and then she died last May, and he hadn't really felt like dancing. He said that they had sung in the church choir together, and that he hadn't been able to go back since she died. He just couldn't sing.

I resolved to spend more time dancing with my husband. I went home at 9 o'clock, to discover that James was not in bed. Heads rolled. More tomorrow.

Thursday, March 30, 2006

Rotary Club

I was at the Tallahassee Rotary Club yesterday to watch the award for the Frederick Clifton Moore to Dr. Larry Deeb. It was really nice. I sat with J. Rae Brown and his wife, Dean Penny Ralston from FSU, Dr. Luke Blanton and with Donna Thornton, who brought me along. It was especially nice for me to be there, because my Rotary sponsor, Jervey Kelly, had been an awardee in the early nineties. I like going to this Rotary club particularly, because so many people there remember Jervey, and I like to talk about him. Dr. Stan Marshall told me that he'd written a column in the Tallahassee Magazine about a year ago about Jervey's mission behind enemy lines during WWII. I continue to hope, nearly 20 years after being a Rotary Scholar sponsored by the club, that somebody will invite me to join.

Tuesday, March 28, 2006

F.I.R.E.

FIRE stands for the Florida Institute of Rehabilitative Education, which means it's the local charity that serves blind people and people who are visually impaired. I've sat on the Board of Directors since 2002. As usual with "good" works, I get more out of it than I put in. For example, I'm continually impressed by the drive and dedication of people whose lives have been affected by vision loss. I'm distressed by the limits, frequently irrational, that the sighted place on the blind, particularly in the area of employment. And I rejoice in our successes. Yesterday, local government officials voted to put a sidewalk on a major street to improve access to FIRE for visually impaired citizens.

http://www.tdo.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060328/NEWS01/603280338/1010

Tuesday, March 14, 2006

Judiciary

Yesterday, I was at a CLE where one of the speakers was Alan Bookman, who is the current president of the Florida Bar. He said that there was a tension between the legislature and the Supreme Court over the Court's control of procedural rules. Several years ago, the Court decided that competency hearings should be held before trial rather than after, so that there would not be the cost and expense of a trial if someone was incompetent. Some legislators deemed that to be a substantive, rather than procedural change, and introduced legislation to move both procedural and substantive rules to the purview of the legislature. The Court believes the judiciary is best placed to determine court procedures.

Meanwhile, last year the Supreme Court certified a need for 110 new judges and 55 were put in to place by the legislature. This year the Supreme Court has requested 67 new judges. Bookman says that Florida judges have caseloads 30% higher than the average in other states.

Thursday, March 09, 2006

Somebody told me today

That he was going to support me because he'd found that I was tough but fair while in Economic Crimes, and that I'd be a fair judge, even though he didn't think he'd agree with every ruling I'd make. Here is a guy that understands that by supporting me he'll personally get nothing at the end of the day, but will put his good name out there to say he'll support me. It's moments like this that make me happy I decided to run.

Monday, March 06, 2006

Reach to Recovery

The local paper had an article last week about volunteers who visit breast cancer patients. One of those volunteers visited me last year when I was recovering from breast cancer surgery, and I was grateful not just for the information provided, but because it came from a breast cancer survivor. Her survival made me believe I would be around years later, too. So I wrote a letter to the editor saying that I was grateful.

http://www.tdo.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060305/OPINION02/603050334/1006/NEWS17

Wednesday, March 01, 2006

Tallahassee Rotary Club

I was a Rotary Scholar sponsored by the Tallahassee Rotary Club in 1990-91. I attended the University of the West Indies, and after I returned, I gave a talk to the club about my year overseas. During that talk in 1991, I used slides and a slide projector to show photos of where I'd gone and what I'd done. Today I returned to the club to talk about my work in consumer law. I used a laptop with powerpoint slides and a projector that only accepts digital information. My Rotary sponsor, Jervey Kelly, died in 1994, so he wasn't there, but I did see several people I knew through Jervey, like Luke Blanton, Stan Marshall, Judson Chapman and David Horton. The club has changed since I was there last, there are a number of women there now, and they've had a woman club president.