It was an incredible, high-energy, fun, eye-opening, and well-worth-it experience! Don and I recommend it for anyone looking to help their communities.
I'm so grateful for the support we received.
One of the reasons my husband and I put so much effort toward the campaign - and tried to have a positive and reasonable approach in our communications - was because we sought more than a seat at the table. We wanted to energize Fredon’s community spirit and encourage others to speak up.
We may not have won the election, but we feel ripple effects from efforts to create positive change. We know many of you are the reason why others are also following this lead.
The Arena
It wasn’t all sunshine and unicorns, obviously.
In fact, if you do run for office, please expect that even at the local level, elected officials and a handful of private citizens will lie about you. When it was happening to me, one of my favorite Fredon leaders sent me a link to a Brene Brown video. She is a motivational speaker and spoke about how if you want to create anything of value to you - in our case, a more positive culture and vision for Fredon - there is only one thing you can be sure of - you are going to get beat up in "the arena” by some strangers.
If you can tune out these comments that come from the “cheap seats," then you can keep focusing on your goals.
That video, the experienced leader who reached out me, and the hundreds of voices who feel the same way about the future of Fredon, kept my husband and I going full speed through until Election Day.
So, What's Next?
Don and I are going to take a short “water break” in the arena to refocus on how best to keep changing the tone in town and continue to bring timely and accurate information to those who seek it.
We hope you all enjoy the Thanksgiving season whether you voted for us or not. So many of you have given us the gift of growth and friendship, so our family has much to be thankful for and celebrate. Our kids are especially excited for more Mommy time and a puppy they've been waiting patiently to meet.
We plan to start the blog and some social media posts about Fredon back up in the New Year, so please don’t unfollow us just yet! We aren’t going anywhere.
More Campaign Insight
For those who are curious and still want to read more, below is a recap of our budget, timeline, and analysis of Fredon's political climate and needs.
Budget: $1,200 spent on 150 signs, social media ads, and website. We filed with the NJ Election Law Enforcement Commission and used our own money to stay truly independent of political parties and personal interests.
Timeline to Set Up Our Independent Party
May: signatures collected, petition filed, website and social media pages designed
June, July, August: Set up bank account for Committe to Elect Laura Ciccolella for Fredon Township Committee, filed with the IRS and New Jersey Election Law Enforcement Commission, had personal identity verified by a notary to run political ads on Facebook and Instagram
September: signs ordered and put on private properties
October: Signs put up at street corners
Next Elections in Fredon
This timeline is for those considering jumping in the arena and giving voters choices too.
Some of these seats have incumbents who are doing great things for Fredon and really have our best interests at heart. I listed all of the opportunities in a spirit of fairness and transparency.
Fredon Township Committee
2 seats open in 2023
March 2023: Get petition signed and start campaign if running as a Republican or Democrat
May 2023: Get petition signed and start campaign if running as an Independent (you skip the Primary)
June 2023: Primary Election for Republicans and Democrats
November 2023: General Election
Fredon Board of Education
3 seats open in April 2023
February 2023: Get petition signed and start campaign
Candidates need time to set up a bank account (Paid for by the Committee to Elect…) and file with the NJ Election Law Enforcement Commission to fundraise and put up signs. They also need time to have their identity verified to run Facebook ads.
April 2023: Election
Kittatinny Board of Education
1 seat open in November 2023
September 2023: Get petition signed and start campaign
Candidate needs time to set up a bank account (Paid for by the Committee to Elect) and file with the NJ Election Law Enforcement Commission to fundraise and put up signs. They also need time to have their identity verified to run Facebook ads.
November 2023: Election
Political Analysis
We Need More Local News
The strongest government watchdog in my opinion is the news and Sussex County just doesn't have it anymore. The void is filled in with TapInto Newton, the Township Journal, and the Daily Voice, but these organizations don't have the staff to report on public meetings.
Without this oversight, it seems as if some local elected leaders (from all over Sussex County, including the County level) might not be being held to the high standards they would be if they were being reported on by a third party still.
I'm not sure there is an immediate solution to this issue, but I do believe Fredon Township meetings should be taped and posted online just like the Fredon School Board meetings and County Commissioner meetings are. I think it would add to the accountability and professionalism of some of our elected leaders in the near-term. It would also allow information to be shared faster than waiting for Township minutes to be released weeks after a meeting.
Feather Pillow Effect
On this note, we are relying on strangers on community forums for our news too much now. Minutes from public meetings and communications from the school take time to be approved and released.
By nature, people fill in the information voids with assumptions while they wait, thereby turning community forums into semi-gossip columns.
For example, someone on a large social media forum makes a claim without proof. Similar
to cutting open a feather pillow in a wind storm, this incorrect information spreads fast and we as a community can never collect the feathers back fast enough to fix the record again.
Confusion and fighting ensue.
I know some do it innocently, but I believe I have seen some people in Fredon cut these pillows open on purpose to generate panic and motivate residents to react strongly.
I know we can't fix social media, but we can recognize who is holding the scissors and question them directly about their facts. Or, we can question them in our own heads and then call and seek the information from the Township and school before we spread it more.
We All Agree On More Than We Think
I am going on month 9 now of telling Fredon parents that kids statewide (including mine and many others I know) are getting the Covid vaccine and that if the overall state percentage gets high enough, a lame-duck Governor with nothing to lose because he can't run for re-election is going to mandate it.
I've been jumping up and down, waving my arms, and telling them to go to the State if they want to stop it.
State laws and decisions of all kinds are controlled and made at the state level - not the local level.
For example, the Township Committee and the school didn’t stop the masks. They didn’t stop the health standards, and they won’t stop a vaccine mandate.
This appears to be how the rumor that I am "pro-vaccine mandate" started when I really just don't want our school going through another round of fighting that goes nowhere.
I made these comments peacefully and civilly many times and have been met with anger and lies about me.
On the other hand, I've seen an elected Republican official and other private citizens who are registered Republicans post the same thing about the need to go to the state on state issues and they were met with silence from these same individuals.
I'm not naieve enough to think that lies aren't part of the game in politics, but I can now confirm from personal experience on this campaign that political prejudice is real and holding us back from moving forward on issues we agree on anyway.
Too Much Focus on School
When someone asks a question about a municipal issue (ordinance, budget) on a community forum, there appears to be very few answers from anyone - let alone Township leaders.
When someone asks about the school, it seems as if so many people - elected or not - chime in right away.
If elected leaders can discuss the school either as private or public individuals online, then we should raise our expectations of them and urge them to post municipal answers there too.
Free Speech
On the other hand, if some people insist on using social media to communicate with elected leaders, we should raise our expectations of citizens too and ask them to post on the Township's Facebook page where everyone has access to the answers and free speech is more protected for them in a conversation with elected officials.
I can't help but wonder if people are somewhat addicted to the drama of the community forums. Why do they feel more comfortable there when they typically don't get answers or they get the wrong ones that cause more confusion?
Developing a social media policy or plan at the Township level is still important to help alleviate these communication and First Amendment issues. It will also help avoid a quorum of elected officials posting all at once and violating the Open Public Meetings Act. I have watched chains come close many times to violating this act myself. I have great respect and appreciation for the elected officials who are very careful in their online communications because of these reasons.
No Clear Majority
One of the reasons I started going to meetings is because over the course of a year, I read meeting minutes too many times with residents saying their views "reflected a clear majority of taxpayers" or "an overwhelming majority of parents."
I didn't always agree with these residents nor did others I knew so it was frustrating to have them speak for my family and friends. There was also no proof to back up these claims of an "overwhelming majority" even when I asked for them.
The last two contested elections in town show the election was split approximately 40% and 60% between the candidates, and voter records show that 49% of Fredon voters are either registered Democrats or Independents.
I am not discounting that the Republican party is strong in the area. I do believe, however, we are more moderate overall than the loudest voices sometimes represent.
This is why these percentages are certainly not large enough spreads to discount about a minimum of 4 in 10 voices in any given Fredon audience on any given issue.
A "clear majority" doesn't seem like an accurate claim that should be accepted as fact without
proof.
Crippling Fear
This leads me to my final analysis from the campaign.
I believe we are all in the process of grieving the America we knew and loved and we are just in different stages.
Some of us are angry (afraid) and we don’t know who to be angry at so we picked a common enemy in people from the “other” party. Even a virus wasn't a strong enough enemy to quell this hatred. We needed human faces with which to direct this anger.
Some of us are just depressed at this point and desperate for a savior to emerge and pick us all back up.
But, some of us have reached the place of acceptance and we don't want to wait for a savior anymore.
We want to act locally on things we can control and be our own heroes along with our neighbors who feel the same way.
This is where Don and I fit in, and this is where we found so many of our new friends and supporters fit in.
The Ciccolella’s aren’t going to wait for the next President or Governor to help our community heal and feel alive again. We’re committed to head in these directions through our words and actions, and we found a lot of residents on the same path as us.
If you're up for joining us still, we hope to meet you on the trail soon!
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