USF Sarasota-Manatee to hold ‘Candidate College’ for those thinking of running for office

 

SARASOTA, FL (January 29, 2008) – Politics 101 is the only course that will be offered at the “Candidate College” at the University of South Florida Sarasota-Manatee on Feb. 7. The three-hour session, beginning at 6:00 p.m., is a primer for anyone running or thinking of running for office in this election year of 2008.

 

“This will be a nuts-and-bolts session to familiarize candidates or would-be candidates with what to expect as they prepare to run a campaign,” said David Klement, director of USF Sarasota-Manatee’s Institute for Public Policy and Leadership. And, he assured, “There will be no final exam at the end of the course.”

 

The college will consist of a series of brief presentations by professionals from different parts of the political campaign process. It will open with a presentation on the statutory requirements for running a campaign by the supervisors of election from Sarasota and Manatee counties, Kathy Dent and Bob Sweat. They will explain the importance of keeping detailed campaign records, deadlines for filing reports and other binding legal requirements by which candidates must abide.

 

Next, attendees will be walked through the basics of running a campaign, presented by political consultant Tom Nolan of The Nolan Group of Bradenton. Following Nolan will be presentations on dealing with the print media offered by editorial editors, news editors and advertising representatives of the Bradenton Herald and Sarasota Herald-Tribune. Basics of making and buying time for television spots will be presented by representatives from WWSB in Sarasota and BrightHouse. Finally, the ins and outs of direct mail will be presented by Colorama Inc., Sarasota.

 

The course, free to anyone who intends to run for office in the five-county region of Manatee, Sarasota, Charlotte, Hardee and De Soto counties, is another event in the year-long series presented by the USF Institute for Public Policy, Gulf Coast Community Foundation of Venice, and the Collins Center for Public Policy entitled “Civility in Democracy: Election 2008.” The series will include nationally known speakers who will address different facets of civility in political campaigning and media coverage of politics, followed by workshops in which academic and professional experts from relevant fields will debate the issues raised by the speakers. The series is designed to promote civility in public life, improve statesmanship among elected officials, and increase citizen participation in government.

 

In keeping with the series’ emphasis on civility, candidates attending the Feb. 7 Candidate College will be given the opportunity to sign a pledge to run a fair, honest campaign.

 

While only candidates or prospective candidates may actively participate, the forum is open to campaign managers and workers, political party leaders and anyone from the general public who would like to learn more about the political process.

 

To register for this event, visit our website www.sarasota.usf.edu/ippl or call the events hotline at (941) 359-4602.  For more information, contact Donna Fitzpatrick-Conard (941) 359-4774.