The Importance of Reaching Out to Unaffiliated Voters
In March 2018, when I started thinking about running for County Commissioner, I began by looking inward. What values and principles would I bring to the job, and what issues and concerns would I champion?
But something occurred to me as I pondered those core issues. As you know, when people run for office, they politically position themselves one way for the primary election, then deliberately (and somewhat cynically) pivot for the general election.
That struck me as ironic because if you win the general election you must represent all the residents, regardless of political affiliation. For some that would present a political conflict, but for me it was a moment of intense clarity.
You see, I don’t want to present myself as two politically different people based on the election I’m currently in—I want to be the exact same person throughout the entire process. If I didn’t, I would feel like all the other politicians who, regardless of political party, seem like political chameleons, coyly playing different roles based on circumstances.
That’s why as a Republican, I’ve been reaching out to Unaffiliated and Democratic voters. Having lived here for twenty-two years I know they have felt like political asterisks, marginalized afterthoughts in the process, and that’s just not fair.
The truth is I just don’t change political hats very easily. Although I’m a conservative, I share the same concerns about factions and political parties that President George Washington talked about in his Farewell Address.
And, as I’ve said in my newspaper ads and in discussions with voters, I believe Liberty has no political party—we all cherish it. It’s a legacy our Founding Fathers passed down to us, a torch in the dark of night that has lighted the way for our forebears during our nation’s darkest hours.
So, my goal in this campaign is to find the common denominator for all county residents, to focus on the core issues that impact all of us. I believe those are fundamental in nature—transportation, roads, infrastructure, law enforcement, our health services, working to better manage our forests, ensuring efficient services, and maintaining a budget that protects your tax dollars.
That said, you can be assured I will vigorously fight against unfunded mandates, as well as un-Constitutional legislation and laws, because whatever our legislators do, it must be within the confines of our Constitution, and it must come with funding.
So, regardless of your political affiliation, I pledge to be a champion of efficient, limited government, to ensure we’re anticipating growth and managing it intelligently, all of which will provide you and your children with a quality of life we can all be proud of—and isn’t that the real responsibility of government?
Please join me on this journey by supporting my campaign. As I’m self-funding, I’m not asking for your money, only your goodwill and understanding that regardless of our differences, we’re all Americans, and, as such, our differences can be overcome if we focus on all we share in common.
Phil Mella
Candidate, County Commissioner, District 3
