Writer changed some info, but Syndi is contacting him about it. Other than that, great article.
Strangers give Syndi White —
and her campaign — a big lift
State rep candidate receives donations from across
the country after her campaign signs are destroyed
BY LLOYD JONES
CONWAY — Syndi White’s faith in mankind has been restored. And so has her candidacy for state representative for District 1.
White, a Democrat from Conway, thought her political career had taken a tailspin before it really had a chance to get off the ground this summer when just about all of her campaign signs were destroyed. She had spent $300 on signs, and, with so many damaged, it looked like she might not be able to get her message out. Someone picked up on White’s plight and let the world know about her situation via the Internet. In a little over two months she’s received financial contributions from all over the country — 32 people from different walks of life have donated $1,060 to date, getting White back in the race and more determined than ever in her first political endeavor.
“It’s really quite amazing,” White said.“What started as something upsetting ended as something inspiring! People from all walks of life have donated to my campaign — college students, engineers, stay-at-home moms, business executives, nurses, teachers, laborers, health-care administrators, software developers, small-business owners — and from states across the country (Iowa, California, Virginia, Georgia, Texas, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Florida, Michigan, Connecticut, North Carolina).They have all donated to make a statement and give me support. Wow, it is just overwhelming to think that people care about an unknown candidate in New Hampshire. Many were outraged that someone (or some group of people) would try to intimidate me and sabotage my campaign.”
White said someone, “I have no clue,” went onto the Web site DemocraticUnderground.com message board thread and mentioned what happened to her signs. “I had not heard of this group, nor did I know the person who originally posted the story,” White said. “I mentioned the incident to people attending a political event (in September). Apparently someone was upset about it and posted it on the message board. I found out via an e-mail that was sent to the Carroll County Democratic Committee by someone from California who read the post and issued the challenge to others to donate.” White went onto the
message board last week and posted a thank you.
It featured a Margaret Mead quote —“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful,committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.”
“I am writing to give the Democratic Underground community a big thank you,” White wrote. “It is amazing what thoughtful, committed people can do. You have changed my world and I believe the effect of your actions will go way beyond my own campaign. Before your donations, I had used the $300 in my Actblue account, together with some other donations, to buy my signs. I had very little money left in my campaign fund. In the span of a little over24 hours, you donated a total of $710 through Actblue! Wow, you have no idea how grateful I am. This sends a clear message to the people who tried to destroy my signs and intimidate me. You have made me a stronger person and a stronger candidate. “I will spread the word and let everyone know about the support and encouragement I have received from this group,” she continued. “I have received donations from all over the country, from people of widely different backgrounds and financial situations. I am thankful for each and every one. At the beginning of this week, I was feeling discouraged, defeated, and just plain sad that someone (or some group) would target me for such an attack. You see, I am a relatively unknown candidate with no previous political experience that would put me in a position of controversy. I
don’t have any personal enemies either (that I know of anyway). So this was a shock. Today I am feeling very optimistic and full of positive energy. It is all due to people I don’t know, but who cared enough to try and make a difference.”
With 32 donations totaling $1,060, White is far ahead of her fellow Democratic state rep
candidates. Eight candidates —four Democrats and four Republicans — are vying for four District 1 House seats. White is eager to get her message out.
“First of all, I am not a politician,” she said in an e-mail. “I am a mom of three from a working-class family. Professionally, I have been in the human service and special ed field. After spending two years as a stay-at-home mom, I started my own business as a special education advocate. Several factors led me to the decision to throw my hat into the political ring. First was my children. My husband and I have always tried to instill in them the importance of thinking independently, being kind and respectful to all people, and doing things that make a positive difference in the lives of others. My oldest son is very liberal and progressive in his thinking (he’s a junior in high school), but has become so jaded by the current state of politics and poor federal administration in this country that he had been talking a lot about how one person (or a small group) cannot make a difference in the world. That bothered me.
“Around the same time, I met Michelle Obama,” she continued. “She was talking to a small group of people in our local coffee shop. She talked about her kids and family,her background and why she felt it was important to live a life of service to others. She also talked about how entering politics was a risk and the importance of being able to take risks in life in order to move forward and make a difference. That resonated with me.
I knew at that moment that I also needed to take a risk and move beyond my own little world in order to make a difference. I knew that I had a lot to offer at the state level and I could be an effective representative for my community. So the first step I took was to join the Carroll County Democratic Committee. I was nominated as a delegate to our state convention. I was energized by the party’s positive direction and commitment to progressive ideals. It took a few more weeks and encouragement from the incumbent state reps before I made the decision to become a candidate. Being an unknown, and not savvy to the system, I was having a hard time getting started. I was late ordering my signs due to lack of funds, then UPS lost the signs (delivered them to the wrong person in the wrong state) and I didn’t have any visibility and name recognition in the primary (except for my own homemade signs that I held in the July Fourth parade and at the polls).”
White said she placed her initial 15 signs around the area last month. “In the middle of the night someone drove around and searched out every one of the signs and yanked them out of the ground,” she said. “This was not an easy task. Some of the signs were on streets off the beaten path, so they really had to search. They tried to destroy all the signs and some of the stakes, but fortunately corrugated plastic is nearly impossible to rip with your hands, so the best they could do is to fold, crush and scratch. I was able to straighten some of them out and put them back
up (though they look a little battered). The scary thing about this incident is that it was a targeted, personal attack. It wasn’t just a spontaneous ‘drive by, pull up a sign and toss
it.’ This was a planned, thorough assault. They took the signs and stakes to my house and dumped them in a pile in my driveway.”
Fortunately, White said her faith has been restored. “It’s really been amazing,” she said. “I had a college student from Texas who didn’t know me at all send me $3 because they wanted to make a difference. I’ll never forget this support. I’m really about the people much more than the politics.”
Other Democrats running for District 1 House are incumbent Tom Buco, of Conway; incumbent Ed Butler, of Hart’s Location; and Gino Funicella, of Jackson. Republican candidates are incumbent Gene Chandler, of Bartlett; Dan Bacon, of Conway; Karen Umberger, of Conway; and Sue Wernette, of Bartlett.
http://www.actblue.com/entity/fundraisers/20902
Printer-friendly format
Email this thread to a friend
Bookmark this thread
(1000+ posts)
Send PM |
Profile |
Ignore
