Home > Track the Issues > Candidate Academy

August 2007

Candidate Academy 2007

Educating the Long Beach community on the components of serving on a city Board or Commission, and the realities of running a successful political campaign.
 

When

Thursday evenings
5:30pm – 7:00pm
August 2, 2007 – August 30, 2007

Tuition

$95.00 total

(cost includes food at each session, class text, materials and supplies)

Where

daVinci Ristorante
2801 East Spring Street, 3rd Floor
Long Beach, California 90806
 

Questions

Call Brandon Kline, Vice President for Public Policy at (562) 983-1241 or email us more information

 
Academy Curriculum Purpose

The purpose of this event is to educate community members within the Long Beach area on all the various components and the sometimes harsh realities of a political campaign.

Goals

To provide an invaluable resource of information to individuals within the Long Beach area contemplating a political career. An exit survey will be given to the participants to quantify the seminar’s performance.

To assemble leaders within the Long Beach community to reveal insights and ideas on the subjects. A representative from elected offices will be present for those topics deemed necessary.

Serve as a “recruitment tool” for chamber members and others to recruit candidates for office.

Background

The Candidate Academy will be a five evening seminar course each Thursday from 5:30pm to 7:00pm. It is designed for individuals considering running for local, County, regional, and State public office.

The first Candidate Academy will be held on August 2nd and will end on August 30th. The seminar is intended to educate potential local political candidates on exactly what it entails to stage a campaign for public office. The five week class will be non-partisan and informational only.

There will be a $95.00 charge to fund the costs involving the production of the occasion.

The seminars will be comprised of five topics, one discussed during each session, within the proposed format with a speaker for each subject matter.

Each evening will occur for one and a half hours during the week. The speakers will make presentations with question and answer sessions.

Each speaker shall be responsible for providing the Academy participants with hand-outs and/or other materials critical to the evening’s topic. Each speaker will review their information with a Chamber representative no later than one week prior to their scheduled appearance.

The Chairman of the Chamber’s Political Action Committee’s will serve as Chairman of the Candidate Academy.

Candidate Academy Syllabus

Session I
SECURE THE ENDORSEMENTS
Thursday, August 2, 2007
5:30pm – 7:00pm

Self Introductions

Welcome / Overview

Dave Neary
Candidate Academy Chair
(CEO, WestLand Construction)

Panel Discussion

The Honorable Gary I. DeLong
Long Beach City Councilmember (District 3)
2005 Candidate Academy Graduate

Steve James
President, Long Beach Police Officers Association

Rich Brandt
President, Long Beach Firefighters Association

Endorsements

The interview process, preparation and consistency
Who’s endorsement to go after
When to avoid an endorsement
Individual endorsements
What organizations look for in a candidate

Q & A Session

Session II
GETTING APPOINTED TO A CITY BOARD/COMMISSION…BUILDING A FOUNDATION OF CIVIC INVOLVEMENT TO RUN A SUCCESSFUL CAMPAIGN
Thursday, August 9, 2007
5:30pm – 7:00pm

Welcome / Overview

Dave Neary
Candidate Academy Chair
(CEO, WestLand Construction)

Randy Gordon
President/CEO
Long Beach Chamber

Elements of a Winning Campaign

How to navigate the appointment process
Why serve on a citywide board or commission?
Why is a foundation important?
Polling
Message
GOTV
Absentee Ballots
Community Connections
Meeting constituents
Walking the district

Panel Discussion

Steve Kuykendall
Former Congressman

Rob Webb
Former Long Beach City Councilmember (9th District)

Larry Rice
Seaside Printing
(Member, Government Affairs Council)

Randy Terrell
Croshaw Political Media

Q & A Session

Session III
FUND, DEVELOP AND DELIVER THE MESSAGE MEDIA COMMUNICATIONS AND BRANDING
Thursday, August 16, 2007
5:30pm – 7:00pm

Welcome / Overview

Randy Gordon
President/CEO
Long Beach Chamber

Funding and Marketing a Winning Campaign

The Honorable Bob Foster
Mayor, City of Long Beach

Fundraisers; who to ask; how much to ask for
Campaign limits; political Action Committee’s and Independent Expenditures
Setting up mailers, lawn signs, & print/cable ads.

Panel Discussion—Campaign Message Development

Larry Allison
Editor, Press Telegram

Jay Beeler
Publisher, Beachcomber

George Economides
Publisher, Long Beach Business Journal

Dave Kuta
Publisher & President
Long Beach Press-Telegram

What is message branding?
What are do’s and don’ts when communicating with media outlets?
Online -v- hard print
Issues your constituents can relate to
Hit pieces vs. positive pieces.

Q & A Session

Session IV
ALUMNI NIGHT—PASSION
Thursday, August 23, 2007
5:30pm – 7:00pm

Welcome / Overview

Dave Neary
Candidate Academy Chair
(CEO, WestLand Construction)

Randy Gordon
President/CEO
Long Beach Chamber

The Passion to Make a Difference

The Honorable Beverly O’Neill
Former Mayor, City of Long Beach

Why are you running?
Specific issues
Make a difference

Alumni Panel Discussion

The Honorable Laura Richardson
2005 Candidate Academy Alumna

Alex Cherin
Deputy City Auditor, City of Long Beach
2005 Candidate Academy Alumni

Becky Blair
President and Principal
Blair Commercial Real Estate
2005 Candidate Academy Alumna

Roundtable discussion, in preparation for the evening answer questions about why run for office, what are you passionate about, how does it align with what you are running for in your community
Commitment to the campaign – candidate must be completed committed to the campaign and must work very hard to get elected. It doesn’t just happen because you are a good person!

Q & A Session

Session V
WINNING THE RIGHT WAY REALITY OF BEING AN ELECTED OFFICIAL
Thursday, August 30, 2007
5:30pm – 8:00pm

Welcome / Overview

Dave Neary
Candidate Academy Chair
(CEO, WestLand Construction)

I Won, What’s Next?

The Honorable Alan Lowenthal
California State Senator, 27th District

Keeping your constituency happy
Pressure from special interests

Q & A Session

Panel Discussion—Winning the Right way
The Honorable Laura Doud
Long Beach City Auditor

Joanne Davis
President, Davis Group

Rick Davis
Principal, Davis Group

Does it pay to go negative?
What if my campaign runs out of money?
What’s the most important element of a successful campaign strategy?
Staff: Campaign Manager, Campaign Staff, Finance Committee
More on Grassroots, Polling, Message, GOTV and Absentee Ballots

Roundtable Discussion from Participants

Conferral of Mayoral Proclamations & Certificates of Alumni Status