Campaign Philosophy

By Alan M. Hern

Lessons of a Campaign

It may sound funny, but I don't consider myself a "politician". In fact, I often bristle when I hear people say to me, "So, you're a politician now". I want to say, "No I'm not, but I strive to be a leader". In my mind, politicians play games with words to try and please the most amount of people. Leaders tell you what they really think, even if it's unpleasant or hard to take. Politicians promise the world, but often backpedal when it comes time to follow through. Leaders don't promise lightly, and when they give their word, they follow through. Politicians put their interests above the whole. Leaders put the interests of the whole above themselves.

These are concepts I started to learn on the playing fields of Alhambra High, but which truly flowered during my "four years by the bay" at the United States Naval Academy. There, I was immersed, with my classmates, in a leadership laboratory designed to prepare us to lead the fine men and women of this country on the front lines around the world. There, I learned about personal sacrifice. I was taught the great example of infantry officers who ensure their men have food and are taken care of before they themselves eat. I read about gallant sailors who gave their lives to make sure their ship stayed afloat after taking damage. I was shown examples of real people, who literally dove on grenades, to save their fellow Marines. These things stay with you, and I thought about them often as we transited across the oceans and patrolled the coasts of Iraq and Iran. What would I do if faced with these situations? I also learned a great deal about a concept I'm sure everyone is familiar with; Leading by Example. Leading by Example is hugely important in the military because your credibility as a leader is everything. If you don't live up to the standards you set for your people, why should they be expected too? It sounds easy in theory, right? It's not, we all slip sometimes or try to take the easy route, but when you have 40 pairs of eyes watching your every move those instances better be few and far between. Why, because you are their leader. They look to you for guidance and example, just as children look to parents.

How does this all relate to this campaign, you might be asking yourselves. When we started this campaign we were eager to win and people in the know said you have to get this endorsement and that endorsement. They said you need to raise money, but make sure you don't spend too much of your own. They said have fun with it. Right off the bat we were disappointed when the labor council didn't endorse us. In quick succession, we failed to be endorsed by any of the many groups that give endorsements. Sometimes I heard "We admire you for doing what your doing. Good luck". That I learned is a code word for "I like you, but can't support you".

But as the campaign evolved, I learned that not being endorsed was probably the best thing that could have happened to me. In pursuit of endorsements I had started down the political path I had wanted to avoid. If I had succeeded in obtaining endorsements, I'm afraid it would have been very fair to label me a politician. Fortunately, failure in that arena gave me time to reflect on why I'm doing this to begin with. My goal is not to be a "politician", but to address important issues and make good decisions that are in the best interests of the community. I take this seriously and have self-financed a great majority of my campaign to continue this struggle. I have literally put my money where my mouth is. Have I had fun during this campaign? I don't know if "fun" is the right word, but it certainly has been rewarding. I have been able to run my campaign they way I wanted to, with intelligence, honor, and integrity. I'm very curious to find out if that translates into votes on election day.

We so often lament in this country during election time that we have no real choices, that we have to choose between the lesser of two evils. This year's gubernatorial race is no exception. Many people don't want to vote for Davis or Simon, I among them. It's been so political and dirty. But we in many ways get what we deserve. We don't demand that our candidates or elected officials understand personal sacrifice. We don't demand that they lead by example. We don't demand that they are honorable. We don't demand that they be leaders.

I hope that that will change in the coming years, because I believe there are many fine people out there who shy away from public service because it's often about politics and not leadership. It's often about who can make the most noise or run the best commercials, not about who is most qualified to lead. But I can tell you with conviction that I'm running because I am a leader. If elected, I will represent all of Martinez equally, because I am tied to no one, but my own conscience. I will lead by example because that is what the people deserve. I will be a real choice, and not a lesser evil.