This week I tried an experiment that had mixed results. I am interested in what you think.
In my town, there is a small private college. The students, and most of the faculty and staff, probably represent 50% of the Democratic votes in the County. The current D County Chair is on staff. Over the last 150 years, (old college), the people who have stayed in town, or returned, also associated with the college, have created and support a cultural-political tradition of liberalism. It is still a minority position. Only one person from this “school of thought” has been elected to community leadership.
The college itself is a very smart business. It makes good financial decisions. It builds cutting edge smart buildings. And the patriarch of local Republican Businessmen (Rich-Deceased), has left huge amounts of money to the college. However, the present electeds and appointeds avoid the campus and contact with the college leadership and students like the plague. There is a “campus bubble” that has a nearly impermeable cell wall.
My organization Many Waters is promoting sustainability, and smart growth. So, I set up a tour of one of the smarter buildings on campus. ($150,000 saved over 20 years, as calculated by my college intern.) I invited electeds, contractors, realtors, planners, etc. Seems like if an elected could tell voters that (he – yes, gender specific) had saved them $150,000, that would be a good thing. There was a lot of expressed interest, and intention to attend. Actual turnout was not very good.
When push came to shove, penetrating the bubble to learn something was just not on top of their list of things to do.
So, what do you think about reaching out to “red-state minds?” Is it worth it? If so, what works?
reaching out to local elected officials that are republicans, your approach is a good one. It might not work magic at first, but over time they will get to know you if you participate in local government and offer respectful and helpful advice on how to save money and do smart growth.
It works even better on the average non-elected Joe, because most Americans are not political, and they will reward the party that shows them interest and listens to their concerns.
direction? Would it be possible to get students and faculty more involved in local issues outside the campus? For example, our biology dept for many years had an ongoing water quality testing project, testing various creeks and lakes in the area on a monthly basis. Students learned a lot about water quality issues and about how the testing is done. And the local environmental agency used (and appreciated) their data.
A government class might do a project on how the county commissioners work, attend meetings, etc.
And what BooMan said – these things take time. It takes a while to get to know people, convince them that you are serious and will be around for a while, that you have something to offer, regardless of what side of the political spectrum you are on. Making a difference requires, more than anything else, persistence and a refusal to be discouraged easily.
Thanks Boo, Janet!
I’m also consulting with a student committee that is studying formation of a food co-op. They are aware that providing a market for local farm producers would be a big step in the direction of connection with the community.