Here’s some absentee ballots returned numbers to hang on that:

2578 for August 2006
2803 for August 2008
3092 so far for August 2010

Re:[28] “The City Clerk will provide anyone that requests them a list of absentee voters updated weekly.”

It’s actually daily that the spreadsheet gets emailed out!

While I often disagree with your perspective, I certainly think you are a thoughtful person and I for one will consider your candidacy seriously. I will vote for you before a polarizing figure like Pat Lesko and I might very well vote for you before a past-his-expiration-date Hieftje. Good luck!

With the number of absentee ballots issued increasing each year, if only 25% of the voters show up tomorrow, this years elections may already have been won or lost. The smart candidates have already done targeted mailing to absentee voters as they know they will actually vote. The City Clerk will provide anyone that requests them a list of absentee voters updated weekly.

~Stew

@19: You don’t seem to be serious about me winning either! What I’m serious about is the community winning, and the same old approaches aren’t likely to achieve that, given the circumstances we face. You don’t have to get used to me doing things differently, but it might be easier. You’ll be seeing it for at least three more months.

Marketing is a powerful tool, and you have to create the appearance of a mob of supporters to attract more — and they will ditch an incumbent if they know who you are and give them enough motivation.

One complaint I do have about you is that here, and in other blogs where I have read you, you like to play the devil’s advocate a bit too long, often until someone gets fed up and has to pin you down. If you came to the party, then dance, no one’s going to do your dancing for you; and if you are going to wait around like a wallflower and expect hosanna’s, you may as well go home.

Actually, Sumi Kailasapathy show contributions from 29 different people, contrasted with incumbent Sandi Smith, who shows contributions from 46 donors.

Suni has more contributors in Ward #1 than the incumbent. In Ward #5, the challenger has very few contributors, especially once you subtract out the “slate” donations.

I think I make independent decisions, but in the old days of newspaper ads, the Vote for X with the supporters in small print were effective ads. These were similar to noticing which neighborhoods in a ward were supporting one candidate and which ones were supporting the other.

Of course, it is up to the voter to look at the candidates’ positions on issues, but taking the advice/lead from people you trust is not a bad start.

This is a long-winded way of saying that people will not be searching out Bean’s positions unless they’ve heard of him.

I think this is a year that folks are looking for an alternative so get some energy and follow through with your original intent.