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Me for mayor

ou're running for what?
Mayor? Why? He's kidding
right? Oh, you're serious?
Can you do that? Tell me about it!"
I've been getting alot of that over
the last eight months, ever since I
announced that I was running for
mayor of Ann Arbor. My campaign
raises a lot of eyebrows - it's not
a common thing for a 20-year-old
University student to do - but my
candidacy stems from something
bigger than age. And anyway, it's
been an amazing ride.
Coming here as a freshman, I
was eager to join politically active
campus.groups. But I realized that
although conservative students
have Young Americans for Free-
dom, Students for Life and the Col-
lege Republicans, and liberals have
a load of student groups to join,
libertarians on campus lacked rep-
resentation. So after my first year, I
founded the University's chapter of
the College Libertarians. Thomas
Bagwell, Chair of the Washtenaw
County Libertarian Party, heard
about my efforts on campus and
asked me to accept the party's nom-
ination for mayor.

Of course, I was initially appre-
hensive, but in the end, I decided
to run for a couple reasons. Major
John Hieftje would have other-
wise been running unopposed and
I wanted to offer an alternative for
voters who disagree with his poli-
cies. It would also be a great way
to spread the ideas of limited gov-
ernment and individual freedom.
What better way to voice my views
than to run for office?
It has proven an effective strat-
egy in reaching the eyes and ears
- and hopefully, hearts and minds
- of reach many students. Start-
ing with a front-page story for The
Michigan Daily, I have to say at
first it was strange to see my pic-
ture splashed across everyone's
lecture hall reading all day. My
ideas and viewpoints were in the
articles, though, and that is what
matters. Next came the articles in
The Michigan Review and The Ann
Arbor News. CBS News even picked
up the Daily article and posted it on
its national blog.
I began receiving e-mails and
calls from people as far as New York
and Texas wishing me luck. Most of

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eople were encouraging, but most Ann Arbor issues, but goats
were a few odd encounters. hadn't come up before. Not one
e man called from Ohio, say- to be caught off guard, I spent the
wanted to help mycampaign. next 20 minutes-crafting my official
en went on to explain how he p6sition on goats in Ann Arbor.
ctually starting a marketing One supporter, though, was
nd wanted to me to work for definitely the high point of my
campaign. During the presiden-
tial primaries, I had been a strong
20-year-old supporter of U.S. Rep Ron Paul
bid (R-Tex.), who was running for the
bertarian's bid Republican nomination. I sent an
e-mail to his campaign asking for
for mayor of his endorsement of my own candi-
dacy, not expecting a reply. But to
Ann Arbor mysurprise,Paul'scampaignissued
me an official public endorsement,
prompting another wave of local
newspaper articles and interview
A half-hour later, he said he requests.
rgotten why he had called me Yet another wave of public-
aid he'd get back to me later. ity came after I proposed that the
red his next phone call and city of Ann Arbor stop handing
ed an angry message about out Minor in Possession charges
my campaign would be dead for people older than 18 - a policy
ut him. similar to the city's marijuana law.
so received a midnight phone Reactions to my proposal have
-om someone who wanted to been mixed. Many students have
if, as mayor, I would support thanked me for standing up for the
asure to allow local citizens initiative, while others have writ-
ve goats. I was up to date on ten me off as apunk who just wants

to be able to drink.
The mostnerve-racking moment
of my campaign was my debate
against Mayor Hieftje on public
television. After acceptingthe invi-
tation from the League of Women
Voters, I actually wasn't too ner-
vous, until they turned on the
bright lights and started the count
down, at which point my heart rate
basically tripled. But somehow, I
calmed down and offered intel-
ligent responses in my first-ever
political debate.
What has been gratifying about
this experience is the chance to
spread my ideals at the individual
level. Normally, a Saturday-night
partyis the last place students want
to talk politics, but several times
I've strangers have come up and
said, "Hey, you're that guy who's
running for mayor! What is a liber-
tarian anyway? Tell me about your
views."
Even ifI don'twin, questions like
that make my campaign worth it.
-Eric Plourde is an LSA
sophomore and the Libertarian Party
nominee for mayor of Ann Arbor

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