A Free Podium for Candidates on the Chronicle

This article contains opinions and/or editorial content.

Over the weekend, I have invited every registered candidate in the Lodi Valley to take advantage of an opportunity to speak to the voters–YOU–unedited and unrestricted.  We have already had one candidate accept the offer. They should begin posting soon.

The Requirements

There are 4 requirements for candidate accounts:

1. The name displayed on their column will match their name on the ballot. This is to assure that voters know who they’re voting for.
2. Their account will include an “author box”. This requires:
   1.  a “headshot” photo (supplied by the candidate) so people can see who they are. This is to help readers recognize the candidate.
   2. a 3 to 5 sentence “bio” describing the candidate (see the bottom of any article for an example).
3. The posts can not be edited once they are published.
4. They must allow people to comment (spam, trolls, etc. will be moderated by the Chronicle, with transparency¹Blatant spam will be deleted, all others will be held in a moderation queue and Candidates can ask for these comments to be approved if they wish.  In order to comment, a person must have registered with the Chronicle.  Anonymous comments are accepted as Letters to the Editor, and are subject to approval and editing.).

The Request

I have been told, more than once, “Do not expect candidates to accept your offer; they’ve been burned before.”

This bothers me.

A core concept of the Chronicle is that “An informed electorate is essential to a free democracy.”  Every candidate is being offered an unrestricted and unedited podium from which to educate the Lodi Valley Electorate–about the facts, about their opinions, about why they think they’re the best person for the job.

So my request is simple:  Talk to the candidates and let them know that you want to hear what they have to say.  Encourage them to accept the Chronicle’s offer of “unlimited column inches” from which to speak their minds–unlimited column inches which are free for them and free for anyone who wants to read them.

The Expansion

The April 2020 election is interesting.  Two jurisdictions have the possibility of empty seats.  Plural. This means that write-in candidates can become very important–and not just in those two jurisdictions.

Starting next Monday (Feb 3rd) anyone seeking a write-in nomination is invited to take advantage of the same opportunity:  A free, unrestricted and unedited, column in the Chronicle.

Blaze Miskulin

Editor-in-Chief

A Lodi native, Blaze attended the University of Wisconsin, Green Bay where he graduated with a degree in theatre technology & design.  He has traveled extensively throughout the United States and the world–including a 6-year stint in China.  He has been a teacher, a writer, a designer, and is the founder of the Redleaf Consulting Group.

redleafconsulting.us