There really are two meanings to the term political party. Philosophically, a political party is a coalition of people with a common set of beliefs who unite in order to increase their political power. While members of political parties rarely agree on every issue, they do share some beliefs and an understanding that a party dedicated solely to their own individual interests would be a relatively small group. You might think of the party as a brand name; when commonly referring to the party, one is speaking about all the candidates, officials, and even the voters registered as members of that party.

As an organization, however, a political party is the actual political apparatus that exists to advance the interests of the movement. This includes the people whose careers are devoted to helping candidates, as well as the membership of party committees at various levels. It is this aspect of the political party that this manual concerns: the local Republican Parties, which are so critical to advancing the Republican movement in Massachusetts.

A political party is not a debating organization. It is not a social club. It is not even an issues advocacy organization. It is a machine that exists with only one underlying purpose: electing candidates. Parties may conduct a number of activities through the course of an election cycle, but each of those activities in some way plays a role in electing Republicans.

Different levels of a party’s apparatus undertake different activities based on which level of elective office they are most responsible for, and based on where their greatest organizational efficiencies are. Parties are successful when there are defined roles and responsibilities for each level of the party’s leadership and when those responsibilities are integrated to achieve the common goal of winning elections.

Purpose of this Manual

The purpose of this manual is to elect more Republicans to office in Massachusetts by assisting our Massachusetts Republican Town and Ward Committees to operate at their maximum potential. A key element in achieving a high level of activity and effectiveness is to develop a generally accepted division of labor between Republican organizations in the Commonwealth. Once established, the aggregate output of the Republican movement will increase dramatically and the result will be more Republicans elected to selectman, city council, the legislature, statewide office and, yes, even to Congress.

We hope all members of our local Committees will read through this manual and identify key areas where they can contribute to help build our Republican Party.

Republican Party Structure in Massachusetts

Party Organization in Massachusetts

The government of Massachusetts has taken it upon itself to dictate how political parties govern and operate themselves to a great extent. Therefore, a great number of the Republican Party’s organizational inefficiencies and strange rules are not due to our own by-laws, but due to state regulation.

In Massachusetts, the Republican Party has only two levels of official organization: the Republican State Committee and the local Republican Town Committee*. All other groups, from regional clubs to Republican PACs, are meant to serve as auxiliaries in this effort.

State Party: An 80-member committee that is made up of one man and one woman from every state Senate district in the Commonwealth governs the Massachusetts Republican Party. State Committee members serve four-year terms and are elected during the Republican presidential primary. The Committee itself is governed by a set of by-laws, which must be renewed after the quadrennial presidential primary, when a new committee is elected. State Committee members in turn elect the Chairman and other officers of the Party. Because of the labor-intensive nature of the State Party’s responsibilities, the Party Chairman hires a staff to help implement his or her political program.

Town & Ward Parties: Members of Republican Town & Ward Committee* are also elected every four years at the Republican presidential primary. There may be up to 35 voting members of a Town Committee and an unlimited number of associate members. Like the State Committee, town Committees also govern themselves with a set of bylaws, which are re-adopted after the Town Committee is reconstituted following the presidential primary. Where there is no Republican Town Committee, a new one may be established with the assistance of the Republican State Committee man or woman in whose district that town lies. In the case of a committee that fails to hold quarterly meetings or has become defunct, one of that town’s State Committee members may intervene to reorganize the committee.

City Parties: Republican City Committees are a bit different in that they don’t really exist of themselves, but rather are the product of a city’s Ward committees. Ward Committees come together to establish a City Committee because many elections are citywide, and because it is useful to have an official serving and leading the Republican movement on a citywide basis rather than only having Ward Chairmen. The mission of the Republican City Committee is to serve as a central organizing force for the Ward Committees and the main supporter of Republicans in citywide elections.

* NOTE: Because they are identical in powers, regulations, and responsibilities, Ward & Town Committees are both referred to as Town Committees throughout this manual.

Core Duties of the Town Committee

The Republican Town Committee is not a committee of politically interested individuals who get together from time to time to discuss the issues of the day. Rather, the Committee needs to act as a highly partisan group working to recruit and elect Republican candidates. It is the Republican Party for your town. For instance, don’t think of yourselves as the Chelmsford Republican Town Committee, but rather as the Chelmsford Republican Party!

The Town Committee exists to elect Republicans to public office. It’s as simple as that. In order to fulfill this mission, a successful Committee will focus its efforts on five core responsibilities:

Building & maintaining a vibrant local Party organization
Recruiting candidates for municipal and legislative office
Communicating the Republican message in your local media
Growing the Republican base vote with aggressive voter registration programs
Getting out the Republican vote on Election Day

In order to conduct those activities effectively, however, the Town Committee must:

Define long & short-term goals
Construct and adhere to a written plan outlining the Committee’s goals
Raise the necessary funds to carry out the Committee’s programs

This manual is intended to help Town Committees organize into effective political parties and operate at their maximum potential. Below you will find step-by-step instructions on how to build and operate a successful, local Republican Party.

National, State & Local Parties: A Division of Labor

In order to increase aggregate Republican output in the Commonwealth, we must work towards establishing a coherent division of labor.

It is critical to determine which party-building activities are done most efficiently by each respective GOP organization. For instance, it makes less sense for the small staff at the State Party to spend time conducting GOTV phone calls when they can be advising the local parties on how to most effectively implement a GOTV plan. Likewise, it does not make sense for each local party committee to develop and publish its own promotional materials for a statewide candidate, when those candidates or the State Party can use its purchasing power to produce the same product much more cheaply.

Most importantly, though, is to have an understanding of what is expected at each level of the Republican leadership chain, so as to minimize duplication and maximize total output.

National Republican Party

Recruits and serves as primary source of support for Presidential candidates
Recruits and serves as primary source of support for Congressional candidates
Markets Republican brand-name & candidates in national media
Assists State Parties in developing into successful organizations

State Republican Party

Provides Republican information to activists and organizations statewide
Recruits and serves as primary source of support for statewide candidates
Recruits and serves as primary source of support for state Senate candidates
Assists town parties in becoming successful organizations
Conducts statewide GOTV program in legislative election years

· Markets Republican brand-name & candidates in statewide media

Provides training and advisory assistance to legislative and county candidates

Town/Ward Republican Party

Recruits and serves as primary source of support for state House candidates
Recruits and serves as primary source of support for municipal candidates
Leads GOTV “ground game” on behalf of all candidates
Registers new Republican voters
Markets Republican brand-name & candidates in local media

Republican County Club

Recruits and serves as primary source of support for District Attorneys, Sheriffs, Registers of Deeds & Probate, County Commissioners, and Clerks of Court
Facilitates of communication/cooperation among Town Committees in County

Republican Professional or Ethnically Affiliated Clubs

Recruits candidates for any elective office from specific community
Communicates GOP perspective to members of that community
Bolsters overall GOTV effort by targeting their specific demographic
Registers new Republicans from members of community

Running a Successful Committee

The Chairman’s Responsibilities

Republican Town Chairmen are responsible for the overall vitality and success of their respective Republican parties. Chairmen are not merely the elected presiding officers of their committees, but the chief executives of each community’s Republican Party.

Chairmen are charged with setting the strategic direction and tone for their local Party. A good Chairman will utilize all resources at his/her disposal to carry out that vision. This includes:

Being an effective presiding officer

The core responsibilities of each Town Chairman are to set the agenda and preside over Committee meetings. Chairmen should be organized, be able to hold the attention of Committee members, and keep meetings short and focused on the agenda. Furthermore, the Chairman should always be on guard against allowing the Committee to drift into areas outside its core responsibilities. It’s easy to become distracted from the agenda—make sure that every single activity the Committee undertakes plays a role in reaching stated Committee goals. Running an effective meeting is the first step towards keeping the membership engaged and involved with the Committee.

A key component of the Chairman’s job is to make sure that a spirit of cooperation and collegiality exists on the Committee. A Chairman is expected to remain above the fray in disagreements between committee members and should work to diffuse conflicts when they inevitably arise. The Chairman should further seek to operate his or her meetings in a way that respects each Committee participant.

Effective meetings are brief, informative, and to the point. There are times to deliberate a major point, but if the committee must debate every decision at length, attendance in your meetings will dwindle. Officers and committee heads can do their work outside the meeting. The committee meeting should not be a place where major brainstorming occurs; officers should come to the meeting prepared to report on their activities, for the review of the whole committee.

Analyze the Current Condition of Your Committee

Before making big plans for the future, it is important to make an honest evaluation of the strengths and weaknesses of your Town Committee.

Does the Committee have 35 full members?
Does the Committee meet monthly?
How many Republican candidates have run in recent election cycles?
Has the Committee raised and donated money to local candidates?
How many Committee-backed candidates have won?
Has the Committee engaged in outreach activities? GOTV efforts?

Different Town Committees will have inherent strengths and weaknesses. Each committee should make an honest assessment of its strengths and identify those areas needing improvement.

Setting attainable goals

You must then set attainable goals for one, three, and five years down the road. Setting challenging, but realistic, objectives is the first step. Depending on the current strength of the Republican Party in your community, goals may include:

Electing a majority of Republicans to the Board of Selectmen
Electing a Republican Ward Councilor
Increasing Republican voter registration by 2 percentage points
Electing a Republican state Representative
Furnishing candidates with storefront headquarters for final 4 months of campaign
Achieving maximum Republican turnout in elections
Boosting committee membership above 35 (including assoc. members)
Keeping the heat on local Democrat incumbents during non-election years
Donating a certain amount of cash or in-kind assistance to local candidates

Developing a plan

Once the goals are stated, the Committee can turn its full attention toward developing a comprehensive written plan that will serve as the blueprint for goal setting and future political activity. The plan should clearly define the rules, roles and responsibilities for the membership and outline both the short and long-term priorities for the Committee.

Delegating Responsibilities

A good Town Committee, operating at full speed, is engaged in such a wide range of activities that the Chairman and officers could never possibly accomplish them without assistance from the membership. Rather, the Chairman of a fully operational committee uses their efforts to assure that the Committee’s varied tasks are accomplished.

There should be several dozen members on each Town Committee—use them! No matter what a committee member’s level of expertise is in a given area, there is something positive they can contribute. Appoint a sub-committee or a special taskforce for each of the following priorities: Membership, Candidates, Grass Roots, Communications, and Finance. Assign the members specific directives and let them go to work.

Creating a number of sub-committees with specific tasks lessens the burden on the Chairman and officers, who should concentrate on running an efficient, effective Committee. There are too many cases where the Chairman and a few officers end up doing the lion’s share of the committee’s work. This practice is extremely dysfunctional, as it causes the officers to get burnt out, and fails to educate and prepare future officers for eventually running the committee. In short, the Chairman and officers should stick to managing the committee effectively and ensuring that the subcommittees are fulfilling their responsibilities.

Each subcommittee and its functions should be outlined in your Committee’s by-laws (a sample set of by-laws are included in the reference section). Be aware that Committee by-laws become void every four years after the Republican Presidential Primary election, when a new Town Committee is elected. Even if a Town Committee is made up of the same people, it is considered a newly constituted Town Committee, and new by-laws must be adopted at the first meeting following the election.

The existence of sub-committees does not mean that members of the Town Committee are exempt from participating in all activities of the local Party. On the contrary, all members should be informed and involved in all aspects of the Party’s operation. Establishing sub-committees is the most effective mechanism for the Committee’s leadership to oversee core areas of operation while enlisting a group of members to take ownership of specific key projects.

Below is a suggested organizational chart for a Town Committee:

Executive Committee

The Executive Committee is essentially the “cabinet” of the Town Committee. It consists of all the elected officers plus the head of each of your appointed sub-committees. The Executive Committee’s purpose is to serve as a vehicle for long-term planning and can convene as needed to address Town Committee business.

Finance Committee

The Finance Committee is responsible for creating the Town Committee’s operating budget and authoring a plan to raise the necessary funds to fund various Committee activities. The Chairman of the Finance Committee should be a known & respected member of the community, have sales skills and be comfortable asking their peers for contributions to support the Committee’s activities. See more on operating a successful Finance Committee in the Fundraising section of this manual.

Candidates Committee

The Candidates Committee is responsible for seeking out and supporting candidates for municipal and legislative office, and then supporting them with a robust effort to turn out the Republican base vote. The Vice Chairman should lead the Candidates Committee, which should be comprised of no fewer than five people, evenly distributed among the town’s precincts. See more on operating a successful Candidates Committee in the Candidate Recruitment and Get-out-the-Vote sections of this manual.

Public Relations Committee

The Communications Committee is the publicity wing of the Town Committee. It should work to ensure that the local press is covering the Committee’s activities and ensure that the Republican message is being promoted in your local, daily or weekly print media, and on the local cable station. The Public Relations Committee should be relatively small in comparison to the other committees, which are much more labor intensive. See more on operating a successful Communications Committee in the Communications section of this manual.

Outreach Committee

The Outreach Committee charged with the responsibility of designing and implementing the Committee’s voter registration plan, as well as the planning and management of any non-fundraising events and rallies the Committee might hold. Additionally, the Outreach Committee will work to recruit new members to the Town Committee. By statute, the Town Committee can have up to 35 voting members and is permitted to include an unlimited number of associate members. A Town or Ward Committee operating at its maximum potential has well over 35 members. See more on operating a successful Outreach Committee in the Building the Party Organization and Voter Registration sections of this manual.

Building Your Party Organization

Building the Party Organization

Committee Membership

Under Massachusetts Law, a maximum of 35 official voting members is permitted for a Town or Ward Committee. Additional members may participate, but only as Associate Members, with no official vote in Committee elections. Indeed, some Committees have the full compliment of 35 members and 20 or more associate members.

Many committees have elected to reserve full membership only to senior members and place all new members as associates. We feel this practice is counterproductive to the overall growth and health of the Town Committee. On committees with 35 members, the newer, younger members of the committee should be elevated to full voting status within a short timeframe (or immediately) as an incentive to attract and retain new members. In addition, members unable to fully participate in the committee’s activities should be asked to move to associate status in order to make room for the next generation of Republican activists.

Recruiting New Members

Adding new Committee members is a key element to build the Republican Party in your community. In many cases, GOP Town Committees have dwindled to so few members because there is no recruitment program in place to regenerate the committee.

The Chairman needs to assign a reliable and visible member to serve as Outreach Chairman. This individual will be in charge of recruiting new members to the Committee. The Outreach Chairman will encourage the entire Committee to seek out new members and provide them with instruction on how to identify and attract new recruits.

Town Committee members are motivated, first and foremost, by the conviction that the ideals of the Republican Party are the most effective means to implement government policy and make their communities, and their country, a better place to live. Other motivations for joining a Town Committee may include:

A desire to see the political process in action
Seeking the opportunity to make a meaningful contribution to their community, state and country
Experiencing fulfillment in new associations

When building the membership, strive to ensure that the active roster represents every precinct and attempt to achieve balance between men and women on the Committee. The Committee should make a concerted effort to find younger members and get them involved in Committee activities. As your Committee grows, you will find that ideal members are:

Dedicated: All other characteristics are secondary when compared to the importance of dedication to the job.
Personable: Getting along with people is vitally important in political activity. You cannot afford anyone who doesn’t get along with volunteers, neighbors or potential voters.
Strong Leaders: People that have proven their capacity to lead either within the GOP or in the local community.

Potential membership sources that the Outreach Chairman should consider include:

Active members’ family and friends.
Local organizations (religious, ethnic, veterans’, fraternal, senior citizens, professional, PTA, youth, civic and social). These people have already demonstrated an interest in involvement and would make great members.
Past and present Republican candidates and elected officials.
Active Republican primary election voters (mail them a postcard inviting them to attend a committee meeting).
Members of local GOP Auxiliary organizations (College Republicans, Women’s Republican Clubs, etc.)
People who volunteered for a current or past Republican candidate.
People who espoused a GOP point of view in a past letter to the editor to your local paper.

Engaging & Training Your Members

Far too often, Town Committees have fallen into disrepair because of an all-too-common cycle:

The Committee meets, but has no particular agenda beyond electing convention delegates;
With no goals to work toward, there is no agenda;
With no agenda, the committee members focus on how bad things are;
With poor morale, committee meeting attendance begins to wane;
With no active members, there are no candidates, voter registration drives, or effort to turnout the GOP base in elections;
The Committee is officially dead.

This scenario must never happen again! An effective Chairman will be a dynamic individual who sets an aggressive agenda and encourages the members to participate in accomplishing important tasks. Stress the importance of the Committee’s mission and getting the job done! Let precinct leaders know what is expected of them. Delegate specific duties to the members and coach them on how to accomplish their tasks. Encourage active participation in organizational affairs. Members must feel that their opinions and contributions are valued.

Keeping Your Members

Remember that your Committee members are volunteering their time. They are not paid and can get up and leave very easily. Remind them that they are integral parts of the team and recognize their contributions. Maintain a good sense of humor.
Committee members are a valuable resource: treat them as such.
Make your Committee meetings short, productive and fun.
Build a team spirit.
Be flexible. Be businesslike and have a good game plan, but be realistic.
Instructions for your tasks should be in simple, concise language, both written and verbal.
Make a realistic plan and follow-up on directives to make certain assigned tasks are accomplished.
Have nametags at events. Party leaders need to know the volunteers and volunteers need to know each other.

Candidate Recruitment

Recruiting candidates for municipal and legislative office is the most important responsibility of each Town Committee. Success in this endeavor makes a significant, tangible impact on the overall health of our state Republican Party. Recruiting candidates for every elective office each cycle is also the first step towards rebuilding the Republican Party in Massachusetts.

Town Committee members should concentrate their efforts on identifying and fielding candidates for every elective office, from Selectman to City Councilor to state Representative. A Democrat should never be awarded an office by default. If there is a Democrat on the ballot, there must be a Republican on the ballot. As long as there is a Republican on the ballot, the Democrat must spend personal and party resources on the race. Without opposition, however, those resources will go to assist another Democrat candidate, keeping Massachusetts under the stranglehold of a one party system.

Five main reasons why you should put great effort into recruiting candidates:

YOU CAN’T WIN IF YOU ARE NOT IN THE GAME.
Unopposed Democrats have a free hand to assist their comrades.
Fielding candidates greatly helps other Republican candidates running at different levels of the ticket.
Fielding candidates supplies the local & state GOP with current data about voting patterns.
Even if victory is unlikely, fielding candidates keeps your Party’s machinery well-oiled for the day when a viable candidate emerges.

As leaders of the Republican Party, and as the incubators of the next generation of Republican leaders, our town parties must begin to find and develop the best possible candidates for legislative and municipal office.

How to Find and Recruit the Right Person

Identify Characteristics of the Ideal Candidate

Convene the Candidate Committee at a special meeting to establish the characteristics present in the ideal candidate for a particular office. Some basic characteristics are inherent in all political candidates while others are related to the particular district. Defining the characteristics of the so-called “ideal candidate” helps maintain focus on the most important characteristics a candidate needs to run a successful election campaign.

Character: The candidate must identify with the people in the district and must believe that he or she will represent them better than the incumbent. Candidates must have, or have the ability to earn, the respect of the community at large.
Charisma: In many respects, local elections are popularity contests. The candidate should be a person who is likeable and who enjoys interacting with others. Candidates should have the ability to motivate others to participate in the campaign.
Personal Network: Candidates should have strong community ties and a personal network enabling them to draw on the immediate support of 6-10 people willing to dedicate their time to support the campaign.
Sales Skills: Running for office means constantly asking for something. Candidates must be willing to ask people for their money, their time, and their vote. Candidates with sales experience are ideal, as they have developed a thick skin and are able to deal with rejection and keep pressing on.
Support Base: Candidates need a base of support to draw upon. The base can come from a number of areas, and the support base of the incumbent should be studied when identifying attractive support bases for your candidate:
- Geography: Candidate comes from the most populous town/ward/precinct in the district.
- Ideology: Candidate was involved in a hot local issue, like leading the fight on a Prop 2½ override.
- Demography: Consider age, gender, and influential ethnic groups in the community.
- Professional: Candidate would identify with a large, influential professional group in the district such as lawyers, small business owners, or a particular industry that the community depends on for employment or property taxes.
Fire-in-the-Belly: Above all, the candidate must have the drive to win.

Identifying Potential Candidates

Committee members should branch out into their respective precincts and begin gathering information about potential candidates. Based on the criteria the candidate committee has pinpointed, members should begin consulting fellow Republicans, business and community leaders for ideas. Be sure not to limit yourself to individuals who have been active in Party circles. Among the sources of potential candidates are:

Current and former Republican elected officials, even if elected to nonpartisan office.
Former candidates, as they have some degree of name recognition.
Business owners: compile a list of all business owners & check their voter registration to narrow list.
Community activists & civic leaders.
Lawyers & insurance agents often have numerous community contacts.

For business leaders and community activists, compile a list from any available sources and narrow it down by checking their voter registration. That being said, you never want to shut the door on the idea of convincing people to switch their party affiliation to run as a Republican.

The Candidate Committee should reconvene to discuss identified potential candidates and begin the process of reaching to those individuals cited. The committee may want to compare its prospective candidates by determining a few desired criteria they would like to see in the ideal candidate. Comparing them side-by-side is useful, and you may want to consider putting together a chart as follows to help your analysis:

Selling Potential Candidates on Running

The Candidate Committee member from the prospective candidate’s precinct should contact the prospect and request a meeting between themselves, the prospective candidate and the local Party Chairman.

In the meeting, the Candidate Committee should indicate how their name was raised as a potential candidate and highlight how they meet various characteristics of the “ideal candidate.” Describe the political landscape, the opponent’s potential weaknesses, and explain why voters might seek change. Emphasize the role the Town Committee will play in the election and outline the strategic plans you have for the Party in your community. If possible, gather past data on the district, including the performance of past local and statewide candidates, as well as fundraising numbers for past local candidates. Also, outline specific commitments that the Town Committee will make on behalf of the Republican candidate. These commitments may be in the form of offering the manpower of your 35+ committee members, a commitment to donating $1,000 of the committee’s cash to the candidate’s campaign, or a specific goal of spending $4,000 on in-kind assistance on behalf of the candidate.

These meetings, even if they do not result in a candidate, are critical to building your Party organization. The prospect is likely to be impressed with your commitment to building the Party and may join your Town Committee or become a contributor.

If you are recruiting for a legislative race and have an individual who would be a terrific candidate but remains undecided, contact the State Committee Headquarters to set up a meeting with the Chairman and other members of the staff so the prospect can learn more about running for office. Additional help can come from the Republican House and Senate leadership or the Governor’s Office.

Write-In or “Sticker” Campaigns

In instances where the local Party fails to have a candidate meet the signature deadline, they should consider running a write-in or “sticker” candidate. The object is to win the uncontested Republican primary election and secure a place on the general election ballot with write-in votes. Getting the same number of write-in votes as the signatures required of traditional candidates is all that is needed. The term sticker is used because it is the most effective method to get your write-in votes: by giving voters a sticker with the appropriate information that they can simply stick on to the ballot, without having to worry about the voters misspelling or making another mistake.

Sticker campaigns are often derided as impossible to win. While difficult, they are certainly not impossible at the local level. There are precedents for Republicans winning through write-in “sticker” campaigns. For instance, Sticker candidate Matthew Amorello got on the ballot for state Senate in 1990 and went on to defeat incumbent Senator Huston in the general election. And Robert Hargraves of Groton ran a sticker campaign in 1994, winning the primary against another Republican whose name actually appeared on the primary ballot, and went on to win the general election.

There are several reasons why someone would want to run a sticker campaign, including:

Didn’t register as a Republican in time
Didn’t gather enough signatures
Decided to run too late

Whatever the reasons, the basic question remains, what is different about running as a write-in candidate? The short answer is, not much.

If there is no one else on the ballot, candidates only need as many write-in votes as they would have needed to collect during the familiar signature gathering process. Candidates running for State Representative need 150 write-in or sticker votes. State Senate candidates need 300.

In many respects, getting the required number of write-in votes is easier than getting the same amount of signatures, because you have more time to identify likely voters, get the stickers into their hands, and get them to the polls.

Rules for write-ins campaigns are not as stringent as many people think. The misinformed often claim that a voter must spell the candidates name exactly, and write their address as well. This is not true. The standard set by the Secretary of the Commonwealth is: can the election worker discern the intent of the voter? While it is possible that this interpretation could lead to Florida-like recount battles, this is rarely the case. Town and City Clerks understand their role in the process. They know that if your name is spelled “Phaneuf” and a voter writes the name “Fanoof,” the voter clearly stated their intended vote. Still, a pre-printed sticker removes all doubt…unless the voter places the sticker in the wrong place on the ballot! This is why the instructions to the voter are just as important as getting the sticker itself to them:

December 5, 2001

Dear Republican Friend:

Next Tuesday, we have an important opportunity to build Republican strength on Beacon Hill.

On Tuesday, December 11^th, a special election is being held to fill the vacant state Senate seat in Essex County.

Mary Carrier, the Republican Candidate, needs your help.

In order to qualify for the ballot in the general election, Mary must receive Republican write-in votes in the December 11^th primary.

Mary Carrier is a former mayor of Newburyport and has been a strong Republican voice throughout Essex County. I’m, giving her my full support, and I hope I can count on you to do the same.

Included in this letter are two stickers. These are designed to make it easier to write in Mary on the ballot next Tuesday.

How to Vote for Mary Carrier:

1. Choose a Republican ballot

2. Bring the enclosed sticker to the polling place

3. Under the heading SENATOR IN GENERAL COURT, place the sticker in the box labeled WRITE-IN SPACE ONLY.

4. Fill the corresponding oval or connect the corresponding arrow

I have enclosed extra stickers in this envelope. Please feel free to give them to other Republican voters in your household and to your Republican friends.

Sincerely,

Kerry Murphy Healey

Chairman

Communications

Building a viable communications infrastructure is a key component in every Town Committee’s effort to elect candidates. Whether candidate or issue related, developing an overall communications strategy will make a significant impact on the credibility of your committee and the success of your operations.

Many believe that managing public relations is the sole responsibility of the candidates and the state & national parties. Nothing could be further from the truth. Consider the following: If your own Town Committee were following all the right behaviors, how would anyone know unless you were effectively communicating your message to its intended audience?

Making the community at-large aware of the local Republican Party and its activities must be a core behavior for the Town Committee. Don’t try and re-invent the wheel. Raise the profile of your Town Committee by choosing smart work over hard work. Identify the decision makers and local media players; provide them with accurate, reliable information. Building a mutual rapport with the local media will provide tangible benefits in the Town Committee’s effort to manage and deliver its message.

There are several components to an effective communications operation and these generally fit into two categories: Earned Media & Paid Media.

Earned Media

Earned media, or free media as it is sometimes called, is the publicity won when local news media including newspapers, radio and television stations cover your organization. The Committee generates earned media via news conferences, press releases, public statements and personal contact with reporters.

Earned media is generally more effective than paid advertising for two reasons:

It builds credibility because an independent, recognized media outlet is reporting the Committee’s message and events.
It is an investment of time and effort but does not require the expenditure of precious financial resources.

When pursuing opportunities to gain earned media, first determine if your statement is newsworthy. Remember: news outlets are in the business of selling news. While there are no hard and fast rules to determine exactly what constitutes news, consider these guidelines when planning an earned media event or issuing a news release:

Is your event or statement out of the ordinary?
Is it timely?
Is it controversial?
Does it have local appeal?
Is it emotional?
Is it big?
Is there an element of conflict?
Does it involve celebrities?
Does it mention local folks?
Is it what people are talking about?

Another question you need to keep in mind is not whether people should care about your specific issue, but whether they will care.

Hints in Approaching Your Local Media

No one expects each local organization to be professionals in media relations. But in politics, nothing is more important than letting people know your Committee exists.
Find a person interested in doing phoning, writing and follow-up work to serve as the public relations chairman. Reporters appreciate having this person’s day and evening phone numbers as well as the ability to contact them as necessary.
Keep track of the talk shows and newspapers in your area. Maintain a local scrapbook.
Always treat competing reporters equally.
Be accurate! Make sure names, statistics and dates are correct.
Cooperate fully with reporters. If one asks for details on a story, answer the reporter’s question without hesitation. If you don’t know an answer, say so and find out the answer.
Never lie. Your credibility as an organization is at stake and the media has a long memory.
Photos and the Media: Candid pictures are best. Identify the people in the picture, make sure to spell names correctly and include titles. Briefly explain what is taking place. Local papers will usually print pictures of local people. This is news and builds readership. REMEMBER, one good picture is worth a thousand words.

The State Party is available to help advise you on your communications program.

Writing a News Release

Always make your news release look professional; it is more likely to be used. Adhere to the inverted pyramid style of writing. This technique places the most important part of the release in the first paragraph, and each succeeding paragraph should be less essential. Answer the “five Ws”: who, what, when, where and why in the lead paragraph. Sentences should be short. Every release should make sense no matter where it’s edited. It is important that format is uniform. Keep these rules in mind:

Include a name and telephone number of your contact person in the release in case a reporter might have questions or need clarification. These items are usually typed in the upper right-hand corner of the release.
Double space, if possible.
At the top left-hand corner, give the release date. Usually “FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE” is proper.
In the center, before the text of the release, type a brief headline to catch the essence of the news contained within the release.
Leave plenty of white space on your release. Go down at least 2 inches from the top before beginning your release and leave about 1-1/2 inch margins on each side.
A good release is usually not more than one page. If your release exceeds one page, type “more” at the bottom of the page. Then, in the upper left-hand corner of the next page, use “Add 1.” At the end of the release, skip a line or two and put “###” to note that the release has ended.

Content Guidelines

Will the information or news really educate & inform the intended audience?
Does the information answer the key question that readers or listeners may ask?
Is the significance of the information explained in terms of audience?
Is the copy sufficiently newsworthy to survive stiff competition for public attention?
Will the information further the objectives of your organization? Is it useful?
Does the release accurately reflect the character and nature of your committee?
Will the release generate a follow-up story? Be ready for the follow-up question, a good reporter will make sure it is coming.
Are the facts, names and dates accurate? Are the technical terms explained?

Style & Structure

Will the lead catch and hold the busy reader’s or inattentive viewer’s attention?
Will it produce a bright, eye-catching headline? Is the lead concise, to the point?
Do the facts of the story support the lead in fact and spirit?
Is it readable copy, stripped of superlatives? Is it curt, clear, and concise?
Is the copy written so as to preclude the charge that it is an effort to get “free advertising”?
Is the information presented as dramatically as possible with this set of facts? (Squeeze all the news value you can into your story, but don’t exaggerate.)

If the Committee can answer these questions affirmatively, the release should pass muster with the toughest-minded news editor. News is anything timely that is interesting and significant to readers in respect to their personal affairs or their relation to society. The best news is that which possesses the greatest degree of interest and significance for the greatest number of readers.