Day 82: To Mike Williams Supporters – On The Road To Mayor

   You probably don’t know me. And therefore you have no reason to trust me.  And honestly, I’m not overly enthusiastic about Mike.  But he definitely has strengths:

• He is incredibly knowledgeable about how the Akron government machine works. 
• He’s smart. 
• He’s polished and professional. 

His weaknesses are not important for this conversation. And you could likely strengthen him as a leader if he were to become mayor.  But here’s the thing: Right now, based on what I see, I believe he has a very slim chance of winning.  Horrigan is just part 2 to the 28 year long Plusquellic movie.  Horrigan is just going to keep doing everything that has been done for the last 3 decades. He’s a front man for super powerful and rich people that want to stay rich and powerful.  That makes Horrigan very powerful and therefore hard to beat.  I think the thing I like most about Mike is that he is strong and can think for himself. Horrigan does not exhibit those qualities. The other thing I really like about Mike is you! I spent all day yesterday at Porch Rokr.  Not once did someone come up to me and say they were voting for Horrigan.  From what I can see there is no excitement about Horrigan. You have to admit, he doesn’t exude inspiration and excitement.  But Mike is different. I had three people say they wouldn’t sign my petition because “I like Mike!” That’s great. We need leaders that inspire excitement. That’s probably one of the most important things any leader can do.  You should know that probably 20,000 people or less are going to come out and vote in the Democratic primary on Tuesday September 8. It might even be less because people are so uninspired.  That means you only need 10,001 people to vote for Mike. And some people are still going to vote for Frank Comunale because he’ll still be on the ballot even though he isn’t running any more. So you might actually need less.  According to this site there are almost 62,000 African Americans in Akron.  African Americans could singlehandedly drastically change the political landscape of Akron over night.  But this is my message to you: Don’t wait for Mike or his people to get this done. Local politicians aren’t very organized.  Take this election into your own hands. Just do it yourself. Don’t ask for permission. Just do it!

• Call 10 people. 
• Have those 10 people call 10 people. 
• Make a flyer on a regular piece of paper. Write it by hand if your aren’t good with a computer. Get black and white copies at Kinkos or Staples. Just write down why you are going to vote for Mike. Put them in newspaper boxes, on windshields. Hand them out at the Metro Station or CSS.
• Tell people when the primary is: Tuesday September 8. Write that on your flyer. 
• If you or a friend don’t know where to vote call the Board of Elections: (330) 643-5200. They will gladly help you. 
• Drive 10 people to the voting locations on Election Day. 
• Call 10 people a day as many days as you can. Have them call 10 people a day. 
• Tell people on Facebook why you are voting for Mike. Ask them to vote for Mike. 
• Always ask if Mike can count on their vote. 
• Work the hardest on Election Day all the way up until the voting booths close. 

You have about 9 days. You can make this happen. You are just going to have to work super hard for the next 9 days.  But whatever you do don’t wait for someone to tell you to do it. Just do it.  Why am I doing this? I’m so glad you asked. 

• Abandoned homes 
• Homelessness 
• Drug use
• Crime
• Poverty 

I don’t believe that is what  Dan Horrigan cares about. But Mike might.  Get him through the primary.  We are experiencing a new wave of the civil rights movement. And it’s being led by the people.  You can make this happen.  Just do it!