The Candidate's Heart
Today I received a phone call from a citizen interested in my campaign. He was an older fellow – a 75-year old retiree who arrived in Hickory along the same time I did (though obviously by different means). His request of me was simply this – email me a letter/resume summing up your campaign. Easy enough. We then went on to talk for another 45 minutes. By the end of our conversation I had won him (and his wife) over. I still sent the email and offer it below for everyone else to read as well.
Today I received a phone call from a citizen interested in my campaign. He was an older fellow – a 75-year old retiree who arrived in Hickory along the same time I did (though obviously by different means). His request of me was simply this – email me a letter/resume summing up your campaign. Easy enough. We then went on to talk for another 45 minutes. By the end of our conversation I had won him (and his wife) over. I still sent the email and offer it below for everyone else to read as well.
JB
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Mr. -----
My apologies for the delay in getting this information to you. I do want to thank you for your phone call and your interest in my campaign.
Education:
Graduated from App. State University. Majored in Political Science
Political career:
I began working for Rep. Cass Ballenger in the Fall of ’01. I stayed with Ballenger’s office until Feb. ’04. I then began working on Rep. Richard Burr’s campaign for Senate (I was essentially traded in the off-season for some printer paper, toner, and a yet-to-be-named quantity of Post-it notes). I became Sen. Burr’s Western Regional Director in Jan. ’05, and headed up the Senator’s Asheville office. I was responsible for a 20-county region.
I left the Senator’s office in Dec. ’06 and took on a role in a small business my brother had started here locally. I’m still active in the operations of that business with my focus being on marketing and account management.
In the Fall of 2011, I registered with the Catawba County School system and became a certified substitute teacher. I’ve always been interested in, and very much enjoy, public service and being able to interact with the public in a positive way. Since I was no longer in professional politics, I felt that getting involved in education through substitute teaching would give me the opportunity to give back and hopefully be a positive influence in some of the kids’ lives.
Out of all the things that I’ve been fortunate enough to experience – whether through my time in the political realm or the private business sector – the most rewarding thing I’ve done with my life so far has been getting involved in the education system.
As far as my community involvement: I’ve served on the City’s Airport Taskforce (I am a private pilot) and on the City’s Rental Property Taskforce (in the past I have owned rental property). I work with the City’s Parks & Rec. Dept. as a sports official (baseball, football, volleyball). Along with others, I helped form the CEG. We successfully managed the petition drive and became the chairman of the CEG Ward Referendum Committee last year.
And that brings us to my decision to run for City Council. I believe the experience I gained working with Congressman Ballenger and Senator Burr gives me a truly unique perspective on how government should work. Being involved With a small, family-owned business I understand the concerns and needs of our local small-business community. And from my time in the school system over the past two years I’m becoming intimately knowledgable of the societal issues that the community at-large is facing.
By no means do I claim to have all the answers to Hickory’s problem. My first priority would be to simply open up the lines of communication and get people to acknowledge the problems we do have. Like I said on the phone, I grew up very comfortably, in NW Hickory (Lakeland Park). I never had to worry about crime or poverty. However, those are two very real issues that our fellow citizens deal with daily in other areas of our city. The ones that are affected most by those issues can’t fix the problem alone. And sadly, those of us that aren’t directly affected by those issues won’t acknowledge that we have those types of problems. We need leaders that realize a problem for one part of our city is a problem for all our city. In short, we’re all in this together.
I apologize for rambling. I do love this city and the people. I just want to do my part to make it better than it is now.
I’ll leave you with this quote. Sen. Burr was fond of it and I picked it up along the way as it sums up my feeling toward public service. It’s a quote from President George H. W. Bush (41). He said, “We are not the sum of our possessions. They are not the measure of our lives. In our hearts we know what matters. We must not only hope to leave our kids better cars and bigger bank accounts. We must give them a sense of what it means to be a loyal friend, a loving parent, a citizen who leaves his home, his neighborhood, his town better than he found it.”
Thanks again for your interest, and please feel free to call or email me any time. I do appreciate your support in this election.
All the Best,
Joe Brannock
Mr. -----
My apologies for the delay in getting this information to you. I do want to thank you for your phone call and your interest in my campaign.
Education:
Graduated from App. State University. Majored in Political Science
Political career:
I began working for Rep. Cass Ballenger in the Fall of ’01. I stayed with Ballenger’s office until Feb. ’04. I then began working on Rep. Richard Burr’s campaign for Senate (I was essentially traded in the off-season for some printer paper, toner, and a yet-to-be-named quantity of Post-it notes). I became Sen. Burr’s Western Regional Director in Jan. ’05, and headed up the Senator’s Asheville office. I was responsible for a 20-county region.
I left the Senator’s office in Dec. ’06 and took on a role in a small business my brother had started here locally. I’m still active in the operations of that business with my focus being on marketing and account management.
In the Fall of 2011, I registered with the Catawba County School system and became a certified substitute teacher. I’ve always been interested in, and very much enjoy, public service and being able to interact with the public in a positive way. Since I was no longer in professional politics, I felt that getting involved in education through substitute teaching would give me the opportunity to give back and hopefully be a positive influence in some of the kids’ lives.
Out of all the things that I’ve been fortunate enough to experience – whether through my time in the political realm or the private business sector – the most rewarding thing I’ve done with my life so far has been getting involved in the education system.
As far as my community involvement: I’ve served on the City’s Airport Taskforce (I am a private pilot) and on the City’s Rental Property Taskforce (in the past I have owned rental property). I work with the City’s Parks & Rec. Dept. as a sports official (baseball, football, volleyball). Along with others, I helped form the CEG. We successfully managed the petition drive and became the chairman of the CEG Ward Referendum Committee last year.
And that brings us to my decision to run for City Council. I believe the experience I gained working with Congressman Ballenger and Senator Burr gives me a truly unique perspective on how government should work. Being involved With a small, family-owned business I understand the concerns and needs of our local small-business community. And from my time in the school system over the past two years I’m becoming intimately knowledgable of the societal issues that the community at-large is facing.
By no means do I claim to have all the answers to Hickory’s problem. My first priority would be to simply open up the lines of communication and get people to acknowledge the problems we do have. Like I said on the phone, I grew up very comfortably, in NW Hickory (Lakeland Park). I never had to worry about crime or poverty. However, those are two very real issues that our fellow citizens deal with daily in other areas of our city. The ones that are affected most by those issues can’t fix the problem alone. And sadly, those of us that aren’t directly affected by those issues won’t acknowledge that we have those types of problems. We need leaders that realize a problem for one part of our city is a problem for all our city. In short, we’re all in this together.
I apologize for rambling. I do love this city and the people. I just want to do my part to make it better than it is now.
I’ll leave you with this quote. Sen. Burr was fond of it and I picked it up along the way as it sums up my feeling toward public service. It’s a quote from President George H. W. Bush (41). He said, “We are not the sum of our possessions. They are not the measure of our lives. In our hearts we know what matters. We must not only hope to leave our kids better cars and bigger bank accounts. We must give them a sense of what it means to be a loyal friend, a loving parent, a citizen who leaves his home, his neighborhood, his town better than he found it.”
Thanks again for your interest, and please feel free to call or email me any time. I do appreciate your support in this election.
All the Best,
Joe Brannock
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