MoveOn.org Solicits La Mesans to Run for Local Office, Including ‘Mayor’

La Mesa residents who subscribe to the newsletter of the liberal activist group MoveOn.org were urged Monday to run for local office.

One tailored note, to the editor of La Mesa Patch, began: “Dear Kenneth, If you were mayor of La Mesa, what would be the first thing you’d do? Make sure city employees don’t lose their pensions? Support green business startups? Or maybe fight back against cuts to crucial local services?”

The letter continued:

This isn’t just a hypothetical scenario—it’s exactly what more than 4,000 MoveOn members just like you have been thinking about since taking the first step to run for elective office. And they’re not just running for mayor. They’re exploring running for offices including school board, town council, and state legislature in cities and towns across the country.

If you’ve ever thought, “I’ve got some ideas for doing things differently in La Mesa,” or seen a local politician and thought, “If that were me, things would be different,” then it’s time to join thousands of other progressives across the country and run for office.

And if you decide to run, you won’t be alone. You’ll be part of a nationwide progressive strategy to take back local offices in 2012 and beyond. To help give you the resources you need to run a competitive campaign, we’ve partnered with the New Organizing Institute to provide you with online training and strategic advice. Trust me—running for office is easier than you think. So what do you say?

The next mayoral election in La Mesa isn't until 2014. Art Madrid won re-election to a sixth term in November 2010.

MoveOn’s local organizers included a link to the Candidate Project:

Among other things, La Mesans are asked whether they “pledge to uphold progressive values and advance American democracy by:

• Running for local office in 2012
• Joining a local campaign team
• Recruiting  candidates”

The letter concluded:

Back in 2010, tea party candidates, backed by national tea party groups, were elected to hundreds of local offices. That’s exactly what we’re going to do in 2012—but with a wave of candidates who will stand up for the 99% in communities across the country.
 
If you decide to run, you’ll gain access to the New Organizing Institute’s great online training programs. And to help progressive candidates in 2012, they’ve created a comprehensive set of candidate guides. ... So if you’ve ever wanted to change things in California, or imagined yourself running for office in La Mesa, now’s the time.

The letter was signed by “Kat, Elena, Tate, Garlin and the rest of the team.”