Rick Minor [email protected] (850) 445-1914

Rick Minor
[email protected]
(850) 445-1914
Background
 Government background
 Chief of Staff for Mayor’s Office
 Public Policy Consultant for Local, State, Federal Govts
 IT Consultant for State and Federal agencies
 Political experience
 Former Candidate for Florida’s State Legislature
 Public Policy consultant / speechwriter
 Developed public policy for 3 gubernatorial campaigns and a
presidential campaign
 Field Director for presidential campaign
 Member of the Presidential Electoral College in 2008
3 Lessons on getting involved
Be tenacious. Don’t give up!
2. Be willing to do anything (legal!) for the campaign,
government, or organization.
3. If it’s a worthwhile operation, they will notice you
and give you greater responsibilities. If they don’t
notice your good work, move on and find an
organization that will.
1.
Civic Engagement - Government
 Local government
 Possible Internships

Contact me or Jackie Hightower (City Manager’s Executive
Assistant) at [email protected] or 891-8576
 Citizens’ Advisory Boards for Tallahassee


Tallahassee Human Relations Committee, Airport Advisory
Board, Affordable Housing Committee, Community
Improvement Advisory Council, etc.
Check out: http://www.talgov.com/treasurer/boards.cfm
 Joining the planning of community events

Springtime Tallahassee events, WinterFest, Downtown
Getdowns, Turkey Trot, Tallahassee Senior Center
Civic Engagement - NPOs
 Non-profit organizations
 Serve on non-profit boards and committees


The Shelter, Big Bend Homeless Coalition
Student Government Association
 Organizing / Fundraising for Community Projects

Cascades Park, Bond Community Health Center
(www.bondchc.com), Community Gardens
(http://maninoveralls.blogspot.com/)
 College Leadership Tallahassee (CLT) and Leadership
Tallahassee (http://leadershiptallahassee.com)
Effective Communication, in
practical terms
Hints & Tips on Effective Public
Communication (Written, Oral, or Visual)
 Be succinct. Brevity matters.
 Present some brief facts/statistics to bolster your point, but don’t go
overboard.
 Be civil. Don’t attack other people, and use calm, rational language.
 Why is civility important?
 You’re trying to persuade the ‘persuadables’, and a calm, rational tone is the
most effective approach.
 If you use vitriolic language, most people will focus on that and won’t hear
your message. And the ‘persuadables’ (those you most want to convince)
will most likely dismiss you.
 Remember: In the age of social media, nearly everything you say/do is
permanent, forever, and traceable back to you! Will you be proud of
your statement in 20 years?
Making sure your voice is heard – Print media
 Letters to the Editor in the Tallahassee Democrat
 150-200 words
 Email to [email protected]
 “My View” Opinion Editorials in the Tallahassee Democrat
 500 words maximum
 Before writing, ask editors Byron Dobson ([email protected]) or
Mark Hohmeister ([email protected]) if they’d be interested in
printing your OpEd.
 Similar requirements for the FAMUan and FSView
Making sure your voice is heard - Radio
 Calling into or Emailing Radio
Programs
 100.7 FM WFLA’s Preston Scott



Live on air: Monday - Friday 6am - 9am
Call: 850-205-WFLA
Email: Preston Scott at [email protected];
Eric Eggers at [email protected]
 88.9 FM WFSU’s Perspectives
 Live on air: Thursdays, 11 am ET – Noon
 Call: 850-414-1234
 Email: [email protected]
Making sure your voice is heard – Social media
 Facebook
 Join relevant groups
 Twitter
 Use good hashtags
 Blogging
 Posting comments on news websites:
 Tallahassee Democrat -
www.Tallahassee.com
 WTXL www.wtxl.tv
 WCTV www.wctv.tv
Making sure your voice is heard –
Press Conferences and Press Releases
 Make sure your statement is





newsworthy. Fortunately, many
college students’ issues are viewed
with interest by the press.
Be sure your facts are correct!
Build coalitions with other
organizations to increase credibility,
newsworthiness.
Review sample press releases for the
proper format (e.g. AP style, etc.)
Contact the right reporters.
For press conferences:
• Choose a location with good visuals and easy access for TV media.
• Send a media advisory at least 1 day prior, and send press release
immediately after the news conference.
Getting involved in politics
 Political Parties
 Candidates and Campaigns
 Disclaimer: The League of Women Voters of Florida is a non-partisan
organization and does not endorse or support political candidates. As
such, the political views expressed here are my own, and should not be
construed as belonging to the LWVF.
Local Political Parties
 Democratic Party
 Leon County Democratic Executive Committee
(www.LeonDems.com)
 Leon DEC Chair Richard Junnier

850-577-DEMS (850-577-3367) or
[email protected]
 Florida Democratic Party (www.FlaDems.com)

FDP Operations Manager Nick Pellito

850-222-3411 or [email protected]
 Republican Party
 Leon County Republican Executive Committee
(www.LeonGOP.com)
 Leon REC Chair Brad Maxwell

(850) 544-5121 or [email protected]
 Republican Party of Florida (www.RPOF.org)

(850) 222-7920 or [email protected]
Political Parties
 Join the Democratic or Republican Executive
Committee
 Join (and become active in) the College Democrats or
the College Republicans
 Become a political party volunteer
 Organize party fundraisers
 Get Out the Vote operations
 Recruit new members
Joining a candidate’s campaign
 Large campaigns (Governor, President)
 Can be very exciting: Lots of media attention
 Usually more resources are available
 Usually working in large teams
 Small campaigns (State legislature, County or City
Commission)
 Often, you can start as a campaign manager and you’re
running the whole operation
 LOTS of responsibilty, lots of accountability
 Much greater scope of work, and your experience is
much broader than working on a large campaign
How to join a campaign
 First, find a candidate that you like:
 Do you know him/her personally?
 Do you agree with most of his/her positions?
 Are his/her priorities sincere?
 Does the candidate have integrity / high morals?
 Contact information for local candidates can be found
on the Leon County Supervisor of Elections website:
http://leonvotes.com/includes/Candidates%20and%2
0Reports/PDF/2012/2012filed.pdf
A great way to get involved in the
Presidential Race…
 Run to become a delegate
to the Democratic or
Republican National
Conventions
 Democratic National
Convention
 September 3-6 in
Charlotte, North
Carolina
 Republican National
Convention
 August 27 – 30 in
Tampa, Florida
The competition to become a national delegate can be VERY tough, but even if you
aren’t selected, it’s still an exciting process and a great learning experience.
For the Democratic National Convention
First, file to run to become a state delegate.
2. Win your election to become state
delegate, at the Leon Democrats’ Caucus at
Tallahassee City Hall on May 5th
3. File to run to become a national delegate.
4. Win your election to become national
delegate at the Florida Democratic State
Convention in Tampa from June 1-3.
5. You’re in!!! Attend the Democratic
National Convention in Charlotte, NC from
Sept. 3-6.
1.
If interested, please talk with me after this presentation and I can give you
the delegate candidate form.
For the Republican National Convention
Contact the Leon County Republican Executive
Committee or the Republican Party of Florida for
details.