Political parties hungry for involvement

CHILLICOTHE – As early as 2008, Southeastern High School teacher Jamie Barker had a feeling then-junior Josh Cartee would have a future in politics.

“I’m a government teacher and something about him stood out,” Barker said. “We got out of school early one day and I took him to see Bill Clinton when Bill Clinton visited the OU-C Shoemaker Center when Hillary (Clinton) was running in 2008 against (Barack) Obama in the primary. ... I think he got to shake Bill Clinton’s hand.”

Seven years later, both the teacher and student are being singled out by their respective party chairs as up-and-comers in the local political arena. Cartee, 24, is a Democrat vying against fellow Democrats Ceil Corcoran and Dustin Proehl and Republican Bill Betson for three Chillicothe City Council at-large seats. Barker, 34, is a Republican Jefferson Township Trustee who also is serving as president of the Township Trustees Association.

They represent something party chairs at the local and state levels aren’t seeing enough of – active, meaningful involvement in the political process, particularly from the younger generations. That means a struggle finding people to run for office, volunteer with the parties or on specific campaigns or just getting to the polls to vote.

“With people getting to the polls, it’s about apathy,” said Ross County Republican Party Chair Diane Carnes. “In life in general, they just don’t care. They want to complain, but they don’t want to do anything about it.

“Every candidate, every party works really hard, spends lots of money to try and get people’s attention. It’s just really hard.”

Dustin Proehl, chair of the Ross County Democratic Party, agrees. He said the real trick is getting someone to the polls to vote that first time, which can often be the hump to get over that creates regular voters, possible party volunteers and potential future candidates.

Making that final step into candidacy may be the biggest hurdle. In this year’s primary, there were no contested primaries for any Chillicothe city seats. While both Carnes and Proehl said that’s partially by design – primary fights can create splits in the party, drain resources for the general election and serve to drive the primary loser away from future candidacy – it’s also partly because there is a greater reluctance among people to pursue an elected position. Only one Republican, Betson, chose to pursue a council at-large seat even though as many as three from each party could square off in November. No Democrats came forward to contest for the Sixth Ward council seat held by Republican Pat Patrick.

Both party chairs cited similar reasons they regularly hear for reluctance to seek office. Concerns about being held up to public scrutiny by the media, unrestricted criticism on social media, time constraints and personal expense of running for office have all served to keep people away.

The parties, both on a local and state level, have begun bolstering their outreach and recruitment efforts to reverse those trends, beginning with identifying and cultivating young talent like Cartee, who said he first became interested in politics watching the 2004 presidential campaign between George W. Bush and John Kerry unfold. He then became active in it when he volunteered for the Obama campaign in 2008 and later interned with former Chillicothe Mayor Joe Sulzer.

“What attracted me to local government is that people are forced to cooperate together and it’s more of a collaborative effort,” Cartee said. “Certainly, the younger generation does have a negative view, by and large, of the political process, but hopefully we can help change that and my candidacy can help change that a little.”

Proehl said the mayoral candidacy of Luke Feeney, in his race against Republican councilwoman Nancy Ames for Mayor Jack Everson’s job, has created a surge of younger volunteers into the Democratic camp. Proehl also cited councilman Joel Fleurima and Ross County Young Democrats head Katy River as other bright young stars in the party.

Barker took a route into local politics that both party chairs said more people should take advantage of. Having always had an interest in the political system that was only fueled by his work as an American history and government teacher at Southeastern, Barker contacted Carnes several years ago saying he wanted to get involved and was invited to attend a monthly Republican Party meeting. That led to volunteering with the party and his eventual candidacy for a township trustee post in 2013.

Barker feels that for those who don’t get interested in politics at an early age, it takes changes in their lives to get them involved later.

“The more life I’ve lived, I guess, the more important different issues have become for me,” he said. “When you’re in your 20s and maybe you don’t have a family or you don’t own a home or maybe haven’t started your career yet, there maybe aren’t as many issues that are personal to you.”

Carnes said Barker proved himself as someone to watch when he ran an actual campaign for the trustee seat rather than just post a couple yard signs. Other younger Republicans making a mark, she said, include Betson and Fifth Ward council candidate Steven Truman.

cbalusik@nncogannett.com

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Twitter: @Chris_Balusik

Reaching out for help

Democrats

•Expanding the number of vice chair positions available locally on committees and splitting them equally among men and women to expand the opportunities to develop leadership skills within the party.

•Developing a local Democratic Club that adds a more social element to the party that it has been lacking and that may add appeal for younger residents. Also courting younger talent through the Young Democrats organization and targeting young talent when forming committees to search for potential candidates.

•Expanding local outreach in the online and social media realms, including a new web page, active Facebook and Twitter presence and developing a mobile app.

•Embarking on more local community service projects and voter registration efforts.

•On the state level, embarking on a new Main Street Initiative designed to identify promising local candidates and provide them with the training and expertise that will help in their campaigns. Also following a “16-18 Plan” that aims to build momentum during the 2016 presidential election cycle the party hopes will then carry over into the 2018 midterms.

Republicans

•Encouraging attendance at monthly Ross County Republican Party luncheons.

•Seeking out and pursuing potential candidates who possess a genuine interest for what is happening in the city who have strong educational backgrounds and some leadership experience to become a force in elected office.

•Boosting outreach through social media and online and seeking young Republicans with potential candidacy aspirations.

•Increasing outreach statewide to minorities by bringing in younger minority political operatives in the African-American, Hispanic and gay and lesbian communities.

Gazette’s Five to Thrive

The Gazette, as part of a long-term initiative to address issues of community concern, created Five to Thrive — five specific issues that hold the community back. They are:

•Closing the skills gap for employers.

•Creating and maintaining a drug-free workplace.

•Building community pride.

•Developing the next generation of leaders.

•Increasing education as a priority.