Following a marathon weekend of door-knocking, Art and his team of super-fantastic volunteers have been making phone calls to voters. Finally, Halloween has arrived giving us a free evening to catch up on all the paperwork – and to focus on the final stretch of the campaign. It’s also given me time to think! I’d like to share with you Why I Voted For Art Staed.
• We don’t agree on everything.(Sometimes it seems as though we don’t agree on much!) But Art appreciates my views and seeks my opinions when making decisions. Although his kids may have more to say on the subject, I’ve never heard him raise his voice in anger. Instead, he listens carefully and has a strong enough personality to admit when he may be wrong on a particular point.
• He is intelligent. When we go to the library or bookstore, I gravitate towards spy novels while he immediately heads to dull books about Economics, Education and History. Seriously. Although he has two Masters, this guy’s hunger for knowledge never ceases. When tackled with a new challenge, he conducts an exhaustive research on the topic. (I, too, like a good Google Search. When I find a site with opinions I agree with, Art cautions me, “Follow the source!”)
• Art is compassionate and grateful. He came home from teaching yesterday and looked at the long list of volunteers who had been helping me with a major campaign mailing. Slightly overwhelmed by this tremendous display of support (and, I suspect, by the intenseness of the campaign’s final days), tears trickled down his cheeks. Team Staed has been an integral part of this endeavor; Art and I are always aware of why we’re doing this and for whom.
• He approaches this campaign seriously. I recently asked him, “What is the first thing you’ll do if you win?” expecting his response to be somewhere along the lines of… “Sleep” or “Take a vacation” or even “Watch a movie.” Instead he said, “I’ll start organizing and prioritizing my door-knocking notes to determine what legislative issues need to be addressed first.” I smiled and nodded my head, but was inwardly in awe of the magnitude with which he values the position of State Representative. (And I was secretly bummed- I wanted to throw a party!)
• Because when a young Goblin knocked on our door this evening, Art peered into his bulging candy bag and was excited when he spotted the Babe Ruth bars. “Oh, you’ve got some good stuff here! Wanna trade?”
Yep, I know I’m partial (“Consider the source!”), but as Art and I approach our wedding anniversary after a two-year long campaign, I’m more impressed than ever with his integrity, pragmatism and humility. And THAT’s why I voted for Art Staed!
