Inside Our Campaign

Our campaign will be one that defies conventional wisdom. Those who know me won’t be surprised; there is nothing conventional about me. My two sisters and I were raised by our folks to think for ourselves and to question authority. We were also taught that if we chose to do so, we’d best be well informed, confident and ready to experience stiff resistance from the powers-that-be.

I did it anyway and haven’t stopped yet.

Conventional wisdom, I have learned in every profession in which I’ve worked, must be challenged. At the least, it makes people stop, ask questions and think. That in itself is a victory for education! Beyond that, challenging conventional wisdom – considering the rapid advances in technology and social instability around the globe – is simply essential. It is the old adage about the definition of insanity – don’t expect change if our thinking and methods won’t adapt to an ever changing world.

So, we’ll do things differently. I’d like you to understand why.

We Are Limiting Our Spending

We have committed to running this campaign on less than $1,000. I have filed for office under a provision in North Carolina law that allows a campaign to do that, so long as we don’t ask for contributions and spend only our own money. We are still required to maintain records in the event of an audit or should we decide to increase our threshold of fundraising past $1,000, which we do not intend to do.

Why? Good stewardship of other people’s money. Campaigns are entirely too expensive. And, I seek to be a School Board member, not a Director of Development. I stink at asking other people for money, probably because of how we were raised. My time is better spent meeting voters face-to-face and hearing their questions and concerns.

This is not a new position for me. Two decades ago, I joined with 99 other civic leaders in North Carolina in saying, “We need an alternative to the money-chase that dominates so much of politics today. We support a voluntary, ‘Voter-Owned’ public financing program for statewide candidates in North Carolina.”

No Social Media

Gasp! Now, this is heresy.

Social media sites are nothing but worldwide open forum gossip sessions. I am not going to waste time monitoring social media to see what nasty, horrible and untruthful things are being said about me. In fact, this is reason enough to avoid social media so far as I am concerned.

The second reason is that I’m a storyteller. I don’t do elevator speeches or offer soundbites. We need to have conversations, to open our ears, and exchange ideas with civility. To achieve that, I’ll go where the people are – in neighborhoods, rural enclaves, festivals, concerts, art exhibits, breweries, and on the streets.

I naturally have no control over what others do, whether in support or opposition to my candidacy, so to that I say, “Whatever.”

No Yard Signs

While political strategists will disagree with this, citizens won’t.

Yard signs are visual pollution. They are expensive. While sometimes effective, with the length of the 2024 ballot, their efficacy is questionable. We’ll save the money and time for more fruitful means of communication.

Conclusion

Will spurning conventional wisdom actually help me win a seat on the Caldwell County School Board? I don’t know. But I know I trust the voters to answer that question.

© Committee to Elect Michael Barrick, 2023. Contact: michaelbarrick56@gmail.com