What Matters Most

Bumped. George is a 29 year old running for state senate in Connecticut. He live-blogged here on Future Majority a few weeks back. Feel free to ask him about his race, his district, or running for office at such a young age.

Hi everyone!

It’s been a month since the live blog and I want to again thank Michael and everyone who participated. It was my first live blogging event and a real learning experience! It was a great opportunity and I’m looking forward to blogging again.

I’ve spent the past month enjoying the many community events that summertime brings to the 7th district: parades, 4th of July Celebrations, Fireman’s Carnivals, summer concerts, Little League games and more than my fair share of cookouts. The striking common element that hits me time and again is how refreshingly non-political these gatherings are. It’s easy to get caught up in the day-to-day grind of running a campaign. So much time is taken with responding to questionnaires, researching legislation, entering voter contact data, meeting with pollsters and mailing consultants, setting up websites and fundraising. Yet, while all these things are vital to a campaign, it‘s the time spent in fellowship with neighbors and strangers-turned-new-friends that remind you what public service is all about – people.

The one-on-one conversations are inspiring me to get out there every day. The headlines are dominated by stories of rising gas prices, the continuing mortgage crisis and companies making rounds of layoffs. Yet, when I talk with people, there’s just as much focus on last night’s Red Sox game, bragging about the fish that was caught last week or anxiously anticipating a child heading off to college.

I believe folks want representatives who understand what they’re going through every day: the worries of making ends meet and the joys of family: the crushing concern about the economy and the elation over a pennant race victory. They want someone they can trust to look out for them when even when they’re not looking out for themselves. Someone who will anticipate their wants and needs, maybe even before they do. Campaigns are a chance to remind people why they should care about who represents them in politics, while voters should seize the opportunity to remind candidates that they’re being sent to do a job to protect and support our families, our work, and our communities.

I spent nearly every morning in July at a different diner in the district. They weren’t publicized events. I would show up on my own, sit at the counter and strike up a conversation with anyone and everyone who felt like talking. I wouldn’t mention that I’m running for office until the middle or end of the conversation. It’s these casual, unscripted talks that are teaching me the most about what folks are going through and I’d like to tell you about just a few of them. I met a waitress who drives 25 minutes to work and needs to seriously consider working closer to home, but doesn’t have the time to search for another job in summer because she needs the day-to-day tip money to pay for day-care. I spoke with a diner owner who’s spending $56 per case of eggs. He can’t pass that along to customers – ‘cause let’s face it, who wants a 10-dollar omelet – but that could mean laying off a worker who’s become more family than employee. I broke bread with a relocated father who’s starting a new job, in a new town, while trying to sell a home that is worth less then what he owes on it. He’s not sure he can come up with the security deposit for a rental after taking the loss…and to top things off he can’t sleep at night thinking about his wife going through the start of the school year while he’s 1500 miles away. These are the campaign meetings that I’m discovering are the most compelling. The first step in solving any problem is to understand it, and the more I’m learning, the more anxious I am to begin finding solutions as a State Senator. The “inside politics” many of us in the blogosophere like to debate and argue are fun, important, and can lead to some great *on-line* discussions. However, I found that what’s learned *on the road* is what really matters most.

I'll be checking back soon. Feel free to follow along on www.georgecolli.com . Enjoy the Summer!