Since I started my campaign, I have been fortunate to receive several endorsements. Webster defines endorsement as “an act of giving one’s public approval or support to someone or something”. Some of the endorsements have not only been for me they have grouped several candidates. That brings me to my next definition. Slate “a list of candidates, officers etc. to be considered for nomination, appointment, election” It is important to know these definitions when there are multiple candidates all running for the same position. In Carefree we have 6 candidates running for 3 open town council seats. I have been endorsed/slated with various combinations of all six candidates.
To be clear, I am running independently. I have met and had discussions with other council candidates and have agreed and disagreed on various topics. However, at no point have I formed a slated team to run in unison. I have an established position paper focusing on specific Carefree topics, which can be found on my website: LonJohnson4Carefree.org
As I have found over the last several months, running for office is similar to the telegraph or telephone game we played as children. You start with a short story or statement and whisper it to the person next to you. By the time the story has passed through a dozen people, it has a completely different meaning.
As we draw nearer to the election, I felt it was important to restate my initial policies and positions. I am running for council to use my experience and knowledge in a positive way. When elected I will put the residents first and operate transparently. I have a firm belief that “transparency builds trust and confidence”.
Lon Johnson
Candidate for Carefree Town Council
