The verdict was decided today by the Summit County Board of Elections: Not enough of my 1086 signatures were deemed valid.
Most of the reasons were either because they:
- Weren’t registered.
- Not the correct address.
That was the fatal flaw of my strategy. Most of my time was spent with the homeless. Apparently they have a hard time remembering if they were officially registered as a voter or where they lived when they were registered.
I have a very difficult time with accepting defeat. I always like to play to win.
But mostly I’m really sorry that I let you down.
I had big plans of trying to get people excited about the election. About trying to bring the values of Bernie Sanders to the Akron mayoral race.
I wanted to give you something that is new and interesting to vote for (or even against). I just wanted to give you another option for mayor.
I also wanted to give a voice to the issues so often ignored or sidelined:
- 27% poverty.
- Less jobs in Summit County than in the year 2000.
- Countless abandoned homes.
- Countless homeless people.
I wanted to be a voice for the voiceless.
And I’m sorry to say but I suspect those issues will largely disappear from this mayoral race.
You will hear a lot about:
- Water and sewer bills increasing.
- Watching what the EPA decides to approve with our sewer system.
- Getting an Arena.
- Increasing property taxes.
Those will be the big talking points until November.
But I don’t believe this is the end for me.
In many ways I think this is just the beginning. In fact, running for mayor will likely become a footnote in where I think we can go from here.
Not being on the ballot for mayor frees me to do many things that would not be “mayoral.”
You should know that I’m a huge fan of Nonviolent Civil Disobedience.
I very well might be able to raise awareness on the issues that are important to me better than if I was running for mayor.
We simply cannot have the epidemic we have of poverty, homelessness and abandoned homes that we have.
This is where I’m heading next.
Being on this journey has opened my eyes to many things in Akron that aren’t right.
I feel like I have a new found awareness and cause for my life.
So, again, I’m sorry I failed you. That was not my intention.
But please don’t write me off. Together I truly believe we can do some amazing things on our own, outside of government.
Thank you for all of your love and support. That was the most overwhelming part of all this. You all are so amazing.
Please keep an eye out for where we can go next. I think it might even be cooler than from where we came.
I love you,
Sage
Photo by Shane Wynn.
Comments
5 responses to “Day 106: I’m Out and I’m Sorry – On The Road To Mayor”
Thanks for having the courage to bring light to the true issues at hand. I’m confident we’re at a turning point in our nation’s history where good enough isn’t good enough. I expect you to be one of the courageous leading the Nonviolent Civil Disobedience.
Thank you so much man!
I couldn’t agree more. It’s a really exciting time to be alive. I’m going to do my best to be a positive force in the world. I feel like it’s the only reason for being alive.
Thanks again!
I am sorry to see you out of this race, Sage. I think you made a lot of people stop and think about who really needs to be in office and what really needs to be addressed. I think that the time you spent getting out and talking to the people, especially the homeless, took a lot of guts, and I am reasonably sure it has changed you for the better. You DID give these people a voice that is often squashed by so many others, by people who think they are too good to lower themselves to those people. You gave them a platform to be heard, and while you won’t be the mayor, you will surely make whomever becomes the mayor take notice of the needs of the homeless and other similar groups of “forgotten” people. This may not have been your year, Sage, but I’ve known you long enough to know that you will do great things with your life–just look at what you have accomplished thus far! I’m really proud of the man you have become, and I feel blessed to have known someone as amazing as you are! Here’s to YOUR future, wherever you take it!!
Steff
Damn, I would have given you my signature had I known you were trying to get on the ticket. I know that doesn’t help now but I read some of your articles and I like what I see so far. If you decide to try again, you’ve got my email address. I feel that there are a LOT of unregistered voters, not just in Summit county, but in the state of Ohio. Most of them are probably young people and I get the feeling that it’s just too much effort to print a form, fill it out, sign it, and mail it in. I’m convinced that’s the main reason Issue 3 failed. Spreading awareness goes a long way. I’ve never been into politics until very recently and I’m still not all that committed to it but I want to be. I want to get involved on a local level because I believe community is where it starts and also where I’d affect the most change… causes gain momentum from there. You’re doing a lot of good Sage, keep it up!
Sam
Hi Sage, I’m curious about your approach to collecting signatures and spreading the word within your communities about your bid for mayor. You gathered 1,086 signatures which is roughly three times the necessary number needed if you’re running as an independent (yes, I read the article on the Akronist lol). Were you able to cross check the signer’s name within the BOE’s voter registration Voter Search registry? http://www.summitcountyboe.com/WebApps/vtrlookup.aspx This may have gone a long way in validating whether a voter was registered/entering the correct address on file with the BOE at the time of signing. Some might find it uncomfortable if you were to check the registry to confirm the accuracy of their information on your mobile phone while you’re collecting their signature but I feel like most people would understand if you explained to them that it only counts if you’re registered and the address matches. If you found that they weren’t registered or their address didn’t match what they gave you, it’s still a win because now they know. One drawback is that the Voter Search data seems to be a month or two old so it wouldn’t reflect current data on file. This would only be an issue if someone recently submitted an address change or they were a newly registered voter. I whole-hardheartedly believe the following: bureaucracy and law is inherently designed for those with enough power to snuff out attempts by others that they deem a threat to their power. Is that whiteout on your form? Petition denied. That’s terrible. Husted hired a special investigator to determine if there was any fraudulent activity involved when ResponsibleOhio submitted their petition. Do you think that’s common? Absolutely not. It’s a waste of time and money and resources. I do have hope as well though. My generation is becoming our country’s leaders now and the older generation is slowly dying away. Maybe that’s a harsh way to express hope but I feel as though the Republican-Democrat model is becoming less and less of a norm. There will always be corruption and greed and allegiance but I want to believe that my generation has the courage and self-awareness and honesty to declare that this shit is broken and it’s a joke and we need to find a better way. And we need to make that a reality.