Jono Miller: Facebook, YouTube, Webpage, Blog "Four-fold Campaign Internet Seems to Work"

Sure, Barack Obama has success with his high-end website. But does it make a difference locally? Based on traffic I say yes. Web Designer Nikki Kostyun has overhauled the old format, making it easier to read and easier for me to keep current. Our new webpage layout may be responsible or it may simply be that people now crave information about candidates, but my website traffic has been increasing dramatically, with over 50 visits on Monday alone and new visitors outnumbering returns 2 to 1. And website totals show over 2,150 distinct  "absolute unique" visitors have checked it out. You can check out the new look too -- simply click on the highlighted text. Combine the website with the blog that now has over 1,500 'reads' on Sarasota Speaks and the YouTube Video from January (152 views) and the Facebook campaign group Jono Miller for Sarasota County Commission '08 (118 members) and  -- if everyone visiting these sites like what they see and votes in Sarasota -- that could make a big difference on November 4th.

Herald Tribune Notes Jono Miller has Raised More Than One Hundred Thousand Dollars

October 22 • A front page story in the Sarasota Herald Tribune's local section covers the fact that I've raised the most money in county history for a county commission race. That should help sell papers. Of course, curious citizens could have read my blog entry from October 7th for free to learn more about this phenomenon. What I failed to mention, and is absent from the Tribune story, is the fact that, because this is a race that will be decided in the general election, 222,000 are expected to vote, not a lower turnout primary (Staub - who won with a total 48,000 voting) or uncontested race (Thaxton). Reaching and persuading the majority of 222,000 costs a lot more than reaching half of 48,000 [Although to be fair, Shannon Staub did not know in advance precisely which 48,000 would be voting.]

Read the Tribune Story here.

An excerpt from the article:

He is unapologetic about his support from the county to the north.

"I don't know why it's more ominous to have money from an out-of-county developer than in an in-county developer," Miller said.

Developers have always contributed to County Commission candidates, and Miller says it reflects well on him that he has been able to court their contributions.

"It's a lot of money," he said. "I wish we could do it some other way, but there's no point in showing up at a gunfight with a knife."

An excerpt from my earlier blog:

Here's what voters need to ask themselves: Would we rather have:

1) a leading environmentalist with the endorsement of the Sierra Club, a reputation for being "a voice of reason", and a three decade track record of consistent defense of the environment supported by some developers and hundreds of citizens,

or

2) candidates with no stated environmental credentials being supported by some other developers or having no significant grassroots support?

Jono Miller Reflects on October 19th and Asks for Your Vote

I’m writing late on October 19th to tell you that, on the eve of early voting, despite the polls, pundits, and predictions, no one knows the outcome of any of the pending elections. No one knows exactly how Obama or McCain will do in the popular or electoral vote and no one knows how Carolyn, John and myself will fare in the one remaining undecided county commission contest. But before I tell you that I need to tell you about four inspirational moments of the day: one walk and two talks and two runs.

Six weeks ago two women decided to organize a bridge walk in support of the Obama campaign. They did, and so, at noon, Julie and I found ourselves converging on a corner with a crowd ultimately estimated to be between 3,500 and 5,000. It wasn’t that long ago that comparable numbers were signing an online petition to object to renaming the Ringling bridge; but 4,000 digital signatures is nothing like 4,000 like-minded people moving forward towards a goal, whether that goal is walking across a bridge and back or electing Barack Obama. Or both. The energy contained in that group of Sarasotans was unlike anything I had experienced around here before. The newspaper makes it sound like a tee-shirt sale and estimates the crowd at half that, but it was clearly more than a tee-shirt sale and clearly more than 2,000 people.

Late in the afternoon I found myself sitting under a jacaranda, my feet scuffing a lawn and facing a group of maybe 40 neighbors south of downtown. I’ve grown weary of the sandblasted No Solicitation signs that seem to decorate so many deed-restricted developments in our county. The other week one couple offered to ‘call the cops’ when I knocked on their door (I hadn’t seen the sign). I’m sure most Americans would look askance at a foreign country if we were told their candidates were not allowed to introduce themselves to the citizenry. But there are dozens of ‘communities’ where not only political signs are banned but also the candidates themselves. So it was refreshing to address a group of neighbors that actually wanted to hear from candidates. It was democracy in action and had Norman Rockwell been alive, he might have tried to capture the moment.

Finally, there was the Democrats fundraising dinner at Michael’s on East. I’m sure you can imagine how tedious a fundraising dinner might be. And there were the obligatory name tags, the program at the place setting and the chicken. But we were graced with the presence of an American who had covered more ground than most, John Lewis, a sharecropper’s son who now represents Georgia’s fifth congressional district. Along the way he participated in the Selma to Montgomery march and spoke at the same event that featured Dr. King’s I Have a Dream speech. He is living testimony to the quest for rights and a very compelling speaker. My wife and I are honored to know a man who helped Representative Lewis in his first run for Congress. Julie spoke with him about that common friend - in addition to thanking him for his service, I spoke with him about raising chickens.

Some will remember October 19th 2008 as the day the Rays made it to the World Series, leading by two runs, but for me that was just one of four memorable events. And despite its significance it was the only one of the four that I experienced vicariously, as a spectator. There is something about directly participating in democracy that is unlike anything TV can offer.

Early voting starts today and I need your help. This is your chance to directly participate in Democracy. As you may know, I’m ahead by many measures of campaigns – newspaper endorsements, days campaigning, number of contributors, dollars raised, blog entries read (over 1.500 now), etc. But I hope, we hope, that none of that matters in our system of government – what matters is the number of votes. Whether you are a regular blog reader of mine or this is your first visit; please send a link to your friends and neighbors, telling them about my candidacy and encouraging them to vote for me.

Tell them three major newspapers in the County find me to be the most qualified. Tell them I am the most committed to communicating with the public. Tell them to do their own research. Tell them about whatever you find compelling (see the poll in the upper right hand corner of the blog). But tell them to vote.

Observer finds Jono Miller Most Qualified, Then Endorses Mullarkey

October 17 • The Observer family of newspapers has released its candidate endorsements. While it is no surprise that incumbent Democrat, Barbara Ford-Coates, has the best credentials for Tax Collector, it was a surprise that the Observer actually went for a Democrat. But that was it for the Democratic candidates. In the District 1 County Commission race, Jono Miller got rave reviews, then lost ground for providing leadership on one of the most popular and successful county programs -the Environmentally Sensitive Lands initiative that used voter-approved funds to protect nearly 45 square miles of the county through a willing seller program.

An excerpt of the Observer's comments about Jono appears below. (If you want to read what was said about John Mullarkey, pick up a copy of the Observer or maybe he will post the text on his blog.)

This race has two of the most thoughtful candidates in the entire field-- Democrat Jono Miller and Mullarkey. Of the two, Miller is the candidate most ready and qualified for the position. He has an expert grasp of the issues and would raise the commission’s intellectual capital.

Our one hesitation with Miller has been his support of a county tax to buy private land from preservation. Except for that, Miller gets it: He understands that the top challenge for Sarasota County is creating an environment that will lead to job and business growth. He understands that stopping sprawl and limiting densities and heights are conflicting policies. Of the two, he supports higher densities.

Pelican Press Endorses Jono Miller for the Sarasota County Commission

October 15 • Just one day after another leading newspaper announced its preference in the District 1 County Commission contest, the Pelican Press has announced it is endorsing Jono Miller. In doing so, the Pelican Press demonstrated it is willing to look at the complete record and not get derailed by a single issue.

Although it is commonly reported that I am "a professor" at New College, I never have been a member of the faculty and I take pains to clarify that my position as Director of the Environmental Studies Program was an administrative position that allowed me opportunities to teach in collaboration with New College faculty members.

The text of the Pelican Press endorsement appears below.

The Sarasota County Commission District 1 race this year is especially important. The successful candidate must be prepared to create a balanced budget in a time of increasing economic stress and revisit county building and zoning regulations to create new codes.

The strengthening of the urban services boundary by referendum earlier this year places special requirements on the commissioners to weigh carefully urban in-fill development. And the county’s program of sustainability, preservation of natural spaces and park lands will be under stress.

These are challenging matters that demand experience, talent and education of the people who will be addressing them. We are fortunate that one of the candidates in this race not only meets but exceeds these requirements – Jono Miller.

A professor of environmental studies at New College, Miller has participated in countywide environmental assessments for more than 20 years. He is also one of the founders of the Environmentally Sensitive Lands program.

Miller’s campaign is reaching "across the aisle" to the business community by promising a more business-friendly atmosphere in county government. And he is a proponent of in-fill development. His campaign finances show healthy contributions from the development community. For a well-known environmentalist to receive such contributions is a refreshing change, and an example of Miller’s ability to create consensus.

Republican Carolyn Mason, a former city commissioner and mayor of the City of Sarasota, is his principal opponent. She, too, has a long resumé of civic activity at the local and state level. However, we already have one former Sarasota mayor on the commission – Nora Patterson – and we think two mayors would be one too many.

An independent candidate John Mullarkey, is also running as a fiscal conservative. "We’re going into times now where ideology doesn’t count. Numbers count," he said.

All three candidates promise to promote the local economy and preserve the environment. However, two real-time issues show differences between the candidates – building a baseball stadium and reopening Midnight Pass. Mason favors both. Mullarkey wants to reopen the pass and ignore the stadium. Miller thinks the current baseball financing plan "is disingenuous" and does "not feel re-opening the pass is a good investment at this time."

We steadfastly have supported reopening Midnight Pass for two decades, but it is not our only issue. We believe Jono Miller is uniquely qualified in these uncertain times to provide a steady hand at the county commission. Despite his assigning Midnight Pass a low priority, we endorse Miller for the District One seat on the Sarasota County Commission.

Jono Miller Endorsed by Sarasota Herald-Tribune

I was humbled and honored this morning by the Herald-Tribune's glowing endorsement.  Here's what they singled out:

• Wide-ranging knowledge and experiences

• Well-organized campaign

• Voice of reason on contentious issues

The final two sentences are shown below:

Why is Jono Miller ahead in campaign fundraising?

People are curious about my demonstrated ability to raise campaign funds -- particularly when I am a Democrat with a proven environmental record. They're wondering how I've managed to raise more than four times as much money as my nearest competitor. There are several contributing factors.

First, I started earlier -- a lot earlier-- early January versus nearly June. That meant I had raised over $45,000 before my nearest competitor got to $10,000. So the $30,000 I have in the bank going into the home stretch is roughly the head start I created for myself by committing early and fully to the campaign. 

Secondly, I have more contributors. If I added correctly, I have 739 contributions and my nearest competitor less than one sixth that number (119). The large number of contributions reflects my county-wide grassroots support. People may suspect I am getting all the big $200 maximum contributions, but the fact is I have the lowest average contribution level of all three candidates ($43 less, on average than my nearest competitor). That lower average amount reflects the support of hundreds of citizens who believe in what I am trying to accomplish. 

Third, I am working harder. Not only did I start earlier, but I took a half year's unpaid leave from my job to pursue this post. That means I am working every day, most of the day, on the campaign. That's a big campaign advantage (and a big hole in our family income) that results in more contributions. 

Finally, there have been some raised eyebrows about "developers" and worse (apparently) "out of county developers".  A recent blog stated: Though Mason’s campaign has tried to paint Miller as an anti-growth candidate, Miller has been receiving money from big name developers in the region. . .

Here's the deal (you may want to read this sitting down): Developers do not sit out county commission races. They pick candidates and back them. I hope I'm not shattering anyone's illusions when I point out that everyone sitting on the County Commission today has received significant money from developers. In fact, it is not clear someone can be elected without significant developer support. I have some, but by no means all, local developers supporting me. Read my Republican opponent's contributor lists and you'll find "big name" development interests. Read her website and find a list of endorsers that is conspicuous for its lack of any environmental support.

Here's what voters need to ask themselves: Would we rather have: 

1) a leading environmentalist with the endorsement of the Sierra Club, a reputation for being "a voice of reason", and a three decade track record of consistent defense of the environment supported by some developers and hundreds of citizens,

 or 

2) candidates with no stated environmental credentials being supported by some other developers or having no significant grassroots support?