Holli Herndon makes a class move

Happy Thursday! 

A Citrus County School District educator reached out a few months back, asking to discuss a nonprofit she and her husband had started. 

The three of us met for a Cattle Dog chat and talked for nearly two hours. I was so impressed with their nonprofit, Peer Leaders in Engineering, because its aim is to teach middle- and high-school kids hands-on skills for success. That’s simplifying it, but you get the picture.

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Like many of these chats, the conversation veered into service to the community. We talked about how our community is changing so much that the direction is uncertain, and that it’s even more important now for leaders to stand up.

We promised to talk more about Peer Leaders in Engineering to see how the blog can help.

Two weeks go by, here comes a second email from the educator, who is also a loyal JWC follower. Someone clearly vested in what goes on around here.

She asked for another Cattle Dog chat. We met, and she told me she couldn’t get that conversation out of her head. The educator concluded that there was more she could do to help the community, even if it meant sacrificing her comfort and trying something brand new.

Like running for County Commission.

And that’s how Holli Herndon became a candidate, bringing instant attention to the County Commission District 4 race where incumbent Rebecca Bays is seeking re-election.

Before we go any further, two things straight away:

During that first Cattle Dog chat, before politics was ever mentioned, Tim Herndon Plumbing became a JWC advertising sponsor. I had never met Tim, didn’t know he had a business. That all came about during our talk; in fact, he was super encouraging to me from a businessman’s perspective. I can see why he mentors kids. I'm extremely grateful for his support.

Second, this isn’t an elect Holli Herndon blog. I’m not plugging her campaign. I mean…we’re in winter. The Primary is seven months away. We’ll see how things shake out in the coming months.

What I am saying is Holli deserves our thanks for engaging in the process. She's brand new at this.

When we talked that second time, I gave her numerous reasons not to do this: Stress on family, an enormous amount of information to consume, finicky voters, and an incumbent who, no doubt, will have strong financial backing.

In other words, a major hill to climb.

Then I gave her all the reasons to run. Actually, just one:

Service to community.

I then suggested that she not focus on winning. The goal is to serve, and if that occurs in a losing effort, so be it. Candidates who campaign in service mode do very well. Why? Their message is one of vision and encouragement, instead of gotcha and attack.

I always like to tell this story. I met several years ago with a candidate for local office. He was somewhat of a buffoon, but the guy knew a lot of people and the county’s political history. I suggested he could run an issues-oriented campaign and come out on top no matter the result. Or, I said, he could be a joke. He chose the joke route, and finished third in a three-candidate Primary.

That approach just won’t cut it.

This year, more than ever, we need candidates with a detailed vision for Citrus County and the life experiences to pull it off. I cannot wait to see Holli discussing issues of significance with Rebecca in a debate setting.

We deserve this conversation. Rebecca is the board’s deep thinker, especially in transportation and taxes. Opponents need to hold their own against a skilled incumbent. That’s not NEARLY as easy as most people think. 

You know me by now. Competitive County Commission races that focus on community are the stuff of my dreams. We have that in District 2 with incumbent Diana Finegan and Stacey Worthington. Now it's in District 4 as well.

And, geez, it’s still early. More names are bound to follow.

Feels like we’ve already won.

Have a tremendous Thursday, friends.

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