Political Change in Plainfield

As much as people complain about city politics, there are ways to create change.

Individuals have gotten petitions signed and successfully won seats on the Democratic City Committee. That is how the late Peter Janis took Jerry Green's seat on the committee some years back. More recently, Jim Spear ran as an independent and won in his district.

Candidates have run off the line and taken council seats many times in the past, mainly through hard work and efficient campaigning.

Republicans are now outnumbered 12 to 1 by Democrats here, but some have garnered votes across party lines and brought a bipartisan message, even if they did not win.

The clinker in the process for Democrats is that winning a primary contest means you get the Regular Democratic Organization line, no matter how much you differ ideologically from the perceived "machine." Retaining your own stance is risky once you are subsumed by the RDO, as Adrian Mapp and other "New Democrats" can attest.

Still, a well-organized campaign can get results and even the chairmanship of the party once in a blue moon.

The best way for an ambitious candidate to learn the ropes is to work on a few campaigns, either within the party or with a group that has a track record of wins. Deciding that you are the deity's gift to Plainfield and that influence from on high will guarantee your success is a fantasy. You need to raise money, identify your support, win over a lot of the others and make sure they arrive at the polls on Election Day.

Back in the day when there were three powerful Democrats with followings, one could look at the City Committee and trace the political DNA of each person. It took a lot more horsetrading and even machinations to win when there were more than 80 committee seats.Now there are 68, a male and female in each of the 34 voting districts, so the challenge is slightly more manageable..

The committee members elected in June 2013 will serve until June 2015, so if you want to try for a seat, you have plenty of time to make yourself known to your neighbors as a possible candidate.The committee will pick a chairman at the reorganization after the 2015 June primary.

So if you really want change in the political landscape, take the advice of social activist Florynce "Flo" Kennedy: "Don't agonize. Organize."

--Bernice