A lot will be said in the next weeks about this year’s election. Hammonton First will be the benefactors of praise, while the Democrats and Republicans will catch a good amount of scorning. But the more I look at this election, the more I see it wasn’t about difference of ideas, but about effective marketing.
Hammonton First spared no moment to get their message out to voters. That message was two fold: no tax increase and growth in recreational facilities. An unknowlegable reader may think from the outset that the Republicans on Council voted against these things, and that the Democrats disagreed with them. That’s not the case however. Republicans voted for the same budget Hammonton First did. One can argue(as I have in The Hammonton News) that Republicans are actually MORE responsible than HF for the budget due to their respective committee assignments. Democrats did not disagree with not raising taxes, but had no representation on Council, and only challenged the way Council got to their budget numbers, and an apparent lack of fiscal responsibility.
That leaves us with three parties pretty much agreeing on two major issues, with just a few diffences in their translations. So why did Hammonton First receive almost 50% of the total vote? Simple. They took credit for them and broadcast it effectively to the voters while Dems and Reps steered clear of reinforcing the positive effects of those two issues on voters.
Taking credit is more than saying “I voted for this” or “I agree with that.” In this election, taking credit meant using the internet, US Mail, newspapers, vehicles, and even town controlled television to get their message across. It was an effective, sometimes low budget, sometimes high-art, mass communication of their issue positions to the public.
To their credit, Republicans and Democrats did take a message to the public, using mainly The Hammonton News and mixture of other mediums to a lighter degree. Unfortunately, to effectively communicate and sway popular opinon, that message has to be delivered repeatedly, on target, and clearly.
Nothing should be taken away from the candidates themselves, though. From meeting all of them, I can honestly say any of the six that didn’t win would make effective town leaders given the opportunity. You can not deny the love for Hammonton that those six men and women hold close to their heart. It takes a dedication few of us have to devote so much time to a job that has so little thanks attached to it.
So, what can Republicans and Democrats take from this election? A lesson for next year: From the outset of your campaign, you will need to clarify your vision, plan, and strategy for your message to voters. Take that strategy, stick to it (DO NOT DEVIATE!), and repeatedly broadcast the message using every medium available to you. If your message is on target with the feelings of voters (and that’s not really hard to gauge in Hammonton), you can beat the other two parties.
I will say one more thing, Democrats and Republicans campaigned in a spirited manner, but from what I saw they respected the laws and traditions of elections. You will hear a lot of allegations in the near future about this election and the manner in which parties acted and executed their campaign. We’ve brought one issue up concerning campaign finance rules. I’d be silly to say more accusations won’t surface in print or in whispers around town. Regardless of rules that may have been broken, Hammonton First won. But, all parties in a small town like ours should stick to the rules as if it were a tightrope. The voters and the other candidates deserve at least that much.
