A Letter From Corey

Dear Friends and Supporters,

I realize that it will take me a lifetime to say “thank you” to each and every one of you who played a role in this campaign, but I’d like to begin that process with this letter. The endless support you gave this team will be something that I’ll hold onto for the rest of my life. I was often humbled by your efforts and endless enthusiasm. I have not seen many of you in several years, yet you worked hard to spread the message and showed me the depth of friendship that we share. For that, I am forever grateful.

I have taken the past few days to sit back and reflect upon the events of the past year. During that time, I have been overwhelmed by the countless messages, phone calls, and emails of support and encouragement from many of you in the wake of Tuesday’s election. And while we didn’t finish the race where we would have liked, we can take great pride in the results that our team was able to achieve as a first-time candidate in a field of experienced politicians and longstanding incumbents.

Let’s look at the facts…

A year ago, we announced that we were running for Mecklenburg County Commission At-Large. We realized that we’d be running in a race that spanned 546 square miles, contained 7 municipalities, and represented approximately 900,000 people. There were only 3 seats up for grabs, all of which were currently held by incumbents from the opposing political party. We knew we’d run the race as an underdog, with a mere fraction of the resources as our competition and fellow candidates, and without any history of experience or public recognition. Yet, we entered the race knowing that we would run with more passion and enthusiasm, and that our team effort would have to eclipse that of the other campaigns.

The ‘experts’ told us that we had no chance. While they admired our passion and earnestness, they wrote us off from the very beginning. When we were successful in the Primary last May, they pointed to a number of factors that contributed to our achievement, but still gave us little credit or any chance of winning in the General Election.

Over the months that followed, we worked hard to get our message out to the voters. While other campaigns had resources for numerous radio, television, and print ads, we continued to rely heavily on ‘sweat equity’ and the strength of our grassroots base. As our message became louder, and the image of a ‘rookie’ candidate (and teacher) running for political office began to resonate among the public and media, the hometown newspaper of record worked hard to bury our story, neglecting to interview us before making their endorsement and ignoring many of the more prominent aspects of our platform. In fact, just days before the election, while other candidates warranted paragraphs of review and analysis, our team was given a single sentence, with no mention of our platform or of being a teacher.

Yet, we pushed forward, and in the end we were able to reach over 94,000 voters. That mark left us only about 12,000 votes short of winning a seat (or less than 2% of the overall vote). So, while we came up short, our campaign was a factor up until the very end, and our message gained traction and resonated with a large number of voters on Election Day.

And so, that brings me back to you…

Throughout this entire process, YOU were the wind in the sails of this team. You worked hard to get our message out, and you took on the challenge of trying to ‘shock the world’ and to pull off one of the biggest upsets in local political history. Until the end, you never gave up, you never gave in, and you inspired me to push harder every day to prove the ‘experts’ wrong.

Through it all, I came to realize what a unique honor it was to be the voice and representative of so many people. It was a responsibility that I never took for granted, nor will it be one that I ever forget.

Many of you have asked about the future of the team, and where we’ll go from here. As a former coach, I often made several sports analogies throughout the campaign. Well, let me make one more…

The great thing about politics is that just as it is in sports, win or lose, there is always another season. I don’t know when it will be, or in what race it will be, but we will run again. I believe that we owe it to the 94,000+ supporters to try again in the future. I also believe that we have been blessed with a unique responsibility to continue to work hard in the days ahead on behalf of those who stood with us.

Yet next time will be different. Just as in sports, we will need to use the ‘off-season’ to prepare for the challenges ahead. Next time we can’t bank on the sentimental feelings of being the underdogs. We’ll spend the off-season getting ready to come back stronger, as we will need to be ready to hit harder and run faster than we did this time around. And, when we walk down the tunnel before kickoff next time, we’ll want our team to be the preseason favorites as opposed to being the rookie underdogs. To achieve that, we’ll continue to need your help every step of the way.

For now, I plan to make up for lost time with Jenny and Charlie and enjoy the holidays with family and friends. We will stay in touch through this Facebook page and the campaign website. You won’t hear from us every week, but you will hear from us and we’ll keep you updated as to what the future holds. I encourage you to stay connected with the team, and to offer your feedback and suggestions as we look ahead.

As I walk away from the campaign of 2010, I have nothing but good feelings about the job we did and admiration for the efforts of our team. Thank you again. I look forward to the next step in this journey, and to traveling the road ahead alongside each of you.

All the best,
Corey