A closer look: how to plan a successful campaign

As vibrant yard signs began to appear on front lawns, each with its own unique slogan and bolded name vying for the attention of pedestrians and drivers, Saratoga residents felt the tension rising as the 2014 City Council election day rapidly approached on Nov. 4.

The candidates who ran for office this year were incumbent mayor Emily Lo, Data Center engineer John Chen, Planning Commission Chairperson Mary-Lynne Bernald, founder of

“Saratoga’s Got Talent” Rishi Kumar and Saratoga Elementary PTA Board Treasurer Yan Zhao. Only three out of these five candidates will be elected to a city council position.

The candidates planned and prepared for the election months in advance. Most hired campaign managers, set up multiple meet and greets and attended numerous community outreach events to engage with residents.

“Running a campaign requires a lot of commitment and focus,” Lo said. “It is important to get your message across in a way that voters can understand and remember you.”

One of these meet-and-greet events took place on Oct. 24, when candidates met in the school’s library to talk about their missions and pitch their views. This experience proved to be helpful to students in understanding the work ethic and goals of each candidate and let students inform their parents on who they believe should be elected, said junior Daniel Eem, who attended the event.

The candidates who endeavored to “fix problems from the root rather than the result” made the best impression on students, said junior Kunal Kathuria.

In addition to face-to-face meetings and speeches, candidates seek endorsements during their campaign to further promote their credibility with voters. 

Also, each candidates’ campaign managers generally assist them by organizing each stage of the campaign. Normally, the campaign manager is someone with prior experience who can provide valuable advice, candidates said.

Each candidate generally orders, prints and distributes business cards, door hangers, campaign flyers, mailers and lawn signs. Most also establish Facebook pages that are updated with new slogans, ads, pictures, videos, news and at times, Saratoga News Letters to the Editor.

Building a “running network,” by finding help and support every step of the way, helps candidates “sprint to the finish line,” Zhao said.

According to Bernald, campaigns are a way for the candidates to learn to “juggle many balls” and push themselves in achieving something that they really want, in order to benefit the community.

To keep their schedules organized and clear, each candidate created a campaign calendar with milestones and details.

The candidates said running for city council takes a lot of work and is time consuming, but does have a payoff.

“There is the reward that a random person will come up someday and say thank you for something the council has done for them,” Chen said.

As election drew near, candidates pushed themselves as hard as they could, never pausing to promote their ideas through outreach and media.

“We have a tremendous opportunity to be a harbinger of something fantastic,” Kumar said. “That impact can make a huge difference in our city for years to come.”