Personal Statement: Me for mayor

"You’re running for what? Mayor? Why? He’s kidding right? Oh, you’re serious? Can you do that? Tell me about it!”

I’ve been getting a lot of that over the last eight months, ever since I announced that I was running for mayor of Ann Arbor. My campaign raises a lot of eyebrows — it’s not a common thing for a 20-year-old University student to do — but my candidacy stems from something bigger than age. And anyway, it’s been an amazing ride.

Coming here as a freshman, I was eager to join politically active campus groups. But I realized that although conservative students have Young Americans for Freedom, Students for Life and the College Republicans, and liberals have a load of student groups to join, libertarians on campus lacked representation. So after my first year, I founded the University’s chapter of the College Libertarians. Thomas Bagwell, Chair of the Washtenaw County Libertarian Party, heard about my efforts on campus and asked me to accept the party’s nomination for mayor.

Of course, I was initially apprehensive, but in the end, I decided to run for a couple reasons. Major John Hieftje would have otherwise been running unopposed and I wanted to offer an alternative for voters who disagree with his policies. It would also be a great way to spread the ideas of limited government and individual freedom. What better way to voice my views than to run for office?

It has proven an effective strategy in reaching the eyes and ears — and hopefully, hearts and minds — of reach many students. Starting with a front-page story for The Michigan Daily, I have to say at first it was strange to see my picture splashed across everyone’s lecture hall reading all day. My ideas and viewpoints were in the articles, though, and that is what matters. Next came the articles in The Michigan Review and The Ann Arbor News. CBS News even picked up the Daily article and posted it on its national blog.

I began receiving e-mails and calls from people as far as New York and Texas wishing me luck. Most of the people were encouraging, but there were a few odd encounters.

One man called from Ohio, saying he wanted to help my campaign. He then went on to explain how he was actually starting a marketing firm and wanted to me to work for him. A half-hour later, he said he had forgotten why he had called me and said he’d get back to me later. I ignored his next phone call and received an angry message about how my campaign would be dead without him.

I also received a midnight phone call from someone who wanted to know if, as mayor, I would support a measure to allow local citizens to have goats. I was up to date on most Ann Arbor issues, but goats hadn’t come up before. Not one to be caught off guard, I spent the next 20 minutes crafting my official position on goats in Ann Arbor.

One supporter, though, was definitely the high point of my campaign. During the presidential primaries, I had been a strong supporter of U.S. Rep Ron Paul (R–Tex.), who was running for the Republican nomination. I sent an e-mail to his campaign asking for his endorsement of my own candidacy, not expecting a reply. But to my surprise, Paul’s campaign issued me an official public endorsement, prompting another wave of local newspaper articles and interview requests.

Yet another wave of publicity came after I proposed that the city of Ann Arbor stop handing out Minor in Possession charges for people older than 18 — a policy similar to the city’s marijuana law. Reactions to my proposal have been mixed. Many students have thanked me for standing up for the initiative, while others have written me off as a punk who just wants to be able to drink.

The most nerve-racking moment of my campaign was my debate against Mayor Hieftje on public television. After accepting the invitation from the League of Women Voters, I actually wasn’t too nervous, until they turned on the bright lights and started the count down, at which point my heart rate basically tripled. But somehow, I calmed down and offered intelligent responses in my first-ever political debate.

What has been gratifying about this experience is the chance to spread my ideals at the individual level. Normally, a Saturday-night party is the last place students want to talk politics, but several times I’ve strangers have come up and said, “Hey, you’re that guy who’s running for mayor! What is a libertarian anyway? Tell me about your views.”

Even if I don’t win, questions like that make my campaign worth it.

—Eric Plourde is an LSA sophomore and the Libertarian Party nominee for mayor of Ann Arbor