You’re gonna have to serve somebody

Brace yourselves. I have an announcement to make.

Although it’s been nearly eight years since I left my Biddeford newspaper gig, there is hardly a week that goes by when someone doesn’t stop me on the street, call me or otherwise seek some inside information or the latest scoop about my hometown’s political structure.

In all fairness, it’s somewhat understandable why so many people, including journalists, local business owners, statewide policy leaders, city staffers, neighbors and even members of the City Council, come to me for the latest scoop or rumor concerning Biddeford’s politics.

For more than 15 years, I have been closely observing and writing about Biddeford’s political antics.

I was the editor of the Biddeford-Saco-OOB Courier, I also provided consulting services for Friends of the Biddeford Airport. In 2006, I was appointed to Charter Commission by Mayor Wallace Nutting and I was the campaign manager for current Mayor Alan Casavant. Some folks may even remember the political talk show I hosted on Biddeford’s public access channel.

In 2007, my wife, Laura, received more votes than any other candidate on the ballot for her first of two terms on the Biddeford School Committee. Laura received 3,080 votes, nearly twice the amount of votes received by that year’s winning mayoral candidate, Joanne Twomey who garnered  1,742 votes in a three-way race. After stepping down from the school committee, Laura was appointed last year to the city council’s Policy Committee. I make it my business to know when an elected official farts in this city, and what they had for breakfast before the offense.

So now, with that background information out of the way, here is my big, earth-shattering announcement.

Many of the same people who ask me for political advice or the latest City Hall news have encouraged me to run for office in Biddeford. I am always flattered by these suggestions, and I appreciate the confidence and trust of so many people in my hometown.

Thus, taking a page from Eliot Cutler’s brilliant campaign strategy, I am announcing today that I will formally announce sometime after Labor Day that I will not be running for political office. There are three primary factors that have shaped this painful, gut-wrenching decision.

1.) According to members of my imaginary exploratory committee, there is a better than a decent shot of me winning an election in Biddeford. The idea that I would be elected and then expected to serve as an elected official should scare the bejesus out of anyone with an IQ that ranges above room temperature;

2.) I have neither the temperament, the time or the patience to endure the weight of public service;

3.) And finally, perhaps most importantly, my health precludes me from taking on any additional responsibilities. Considering the random and fluctuating significance of my mental health, it is nothing short of a miracle that I am able to string together a sentence, never mind my ability to consistently deliver results for my professional clients, maintain my responsibilities as a husband and father and co-manage a household.

In all seriousness, locally elected officials receive little to nothing in terms of financial compensation, benefits or even a moment of public gratitude. Like you and me, they also have conflicting responsibilities and obligations. It becomes far too easy for the rest of us to sit back and bitch about their performance without ever acknowledging the very real sacrifices they make in order to serve us.

Finally, if you are one of those people who is considering a run for public office this year, ask yourself this one question: Are you running to be someone, or are you running to do something? Take some time with your answer because the rest of us will know it as soon as you announce that you will be making a formal announcement.