So this was the first year I actively participated in ANY campaign. I have always voted (except for times when I lived in another country) but I have never worked on any campaign. Well I can now say I have!
I chose to support our Mayor Elect Naheed Nenshi. I got on the band wagon relatively early this year. I signed up in the summer (before the election was "officially" called) and volunteered my time as office help. After my first volunteer meeting, I realized that my "early" was pretty late to the game compared to some of the volunteers there -- many who were returning from his 2010 campaign.
Though the office job may sound a bit boring, being surrounded by people who are excited about their city and want to ensure that change happens, is very addictive. If I didn't have a day job, I'm sure I would have been at campaign headquarters more often (and it seemed like some volunteers were there very, very, VERYoften.)
Nancy and Susan, my two main coordinators were not only professional but personable and always seemed interested in you, regardless of how busy they were. What amazed me is that they remembered who I was all the time (now I believe I am completely unforgettable but realistically when you consider that the @nenshi campaign had over 1300 volunteers, Nancy and Susan's gift of being able to remember not only the names, but specifics about the volunteers they work with, is simply amazing!)
I also loooooved meeting all the different people. From the lawn sign distributors, the phone bank callers, the T-shirt folders, the gutsy souls who were the door-knockers, the mainstreeters (the group that accompanied Mayor Nenshi to public meet and greets in the "Main Street") to just everyday Calgarians coming in to drop off donations or perhaps pick up purchased T-shirts, I had the distinct pleasure of meeting so many great people.
There wasn't one person I came in contact with during my volunteer shifts that was a "downer". Every person was excited and you could feel that we all knew that we were doing important things and were attached to an important cause.
Image Source here
And the most incredible thing???? Everyone thanked everyone.... all the time. You were thanked for coming in, thanked for working hard, thanked for staying late (even when you had to leave early) thanked for doing a great job. You never left after a shift working on the Mayor Nenshi campaign feeling ignored or unappreciated. What a classy bunch!
Now other politicos might say that this is a terrible reason to vote for a candidate. They might say that your decision should be based solely on the candidate's platform and what they stand for. Well let me say that after working a number of shifts at Mayor Nenshi's campaign headquarters, I don't need to read his platform (though I have ... a number of times) to know that I agree with his policies. The fact that he surrounds himself with people (himself included) that are expected to treat everyone they encounter (even an occasional once-per-week volunteer) with the utmost respect and appreciation speaks volumes to me as to his values and how he must treat his staff and colleagues at City Hall.
So now it's my turn to offer my thanks.
Thank you to all the great people I met...from Nancy and Susan to Chima and Marc and Mayor Nenshi, himself. See you next time! (Maybe on the next campaign I'll get up the nerve to actually ask to have my picture taken with the real Mayor Nenshi and not just take a selfie with his campaign poster)!
Alli Mac
