May 2, 1989
During my first hour class (The Rise of the United States as a World Power with Mr. Shaw), assistant principal Mr. Wilson announced the availability of nomination petitions for the upcoming senior class elections. At first, I wasn't interested, and when Ray Vucinaj asked me if I was going to run, I said I didn't think I would. I just filed the announcement in the back of my head and concentrated on Mr. Shaw's lecture on Woodrow Wilson.
I wouldn't change my mind until the final hour of the day, my AP English class. Ted Skinner had announced his candidacy for President, and already had students signing his petition.
Skinner has one important thing in common with me: He didn't get inducted into the National Honor Society as a junior, even though he had the qualifications to be inducted: In addition to getting good grades and being in a couple of advanced classes, he played football and was chosen as an Eagle Scout for his Boy Scout troop in 1988.
Another thing, too: During my 4th hour AP Math class, Jared Goldapper had said that the elections would be full of jocks and cheerleaders; Skinner didn't quite fit the "jock" mold, and I never did.
But after seeing Skinner start his campaign, I decided that Goldapper would not be totally correct. Sure, some jocks and cheerleaders would run, but they wouldn't be the only ones.
Since I didn't want to run against Skinner, I decided to run for Vice-President. Goldapper's statement about the jocks and cheerleaders had been the fuel, and Skinner's campaign was the spark. During 6th hour, I started writing down possible slogans, generating ten by the end of the hour. I picked up my own petition at the end of the day. I would have a role in the Harrison Senior Class Power Struggle, Part XIX.
May 3
It wasn't hard at all to get 10 signatures. Ray Vucinaj was the first to sign my petition. It's cool that he's the first because he has what Mr. Poelke (assistant principal) calls "global thinking"--knowledge of current events that is essential to the maturing American, yet many at our age don't have such an asset. I got the other 9 signatures I needed during 4th hour (Advanced Placement 11th Grade Math).
Now, my concern is picking a good slogan for the posters. I don't want a feeble one, obviously, but the slogan can't be so strong that people remember it and forget me.
In 5th hour French III, I find out that Paul Levine has started running a Presidential campaign. Todd Rope and I are the first two to sign his petition.
Also, the MESS ticket is introduced (Sonja Magdevski for Vice-President, Brian Ellison for Treasurer, Ted Skinner for President, Jeff Sklar for Secretary). As in, "Get us out of our MESS."
At home, I begin working on fliers. Using the Print Shop software I had on my home computer, I make one that says, "Don't drink and vote this year. Make sure that RABO is your choice for vice-prez." Inspired by a "don't drink and vote" Doonesbury comic strip I saw in November 1986, it features a "no" sign over a ballot and a martini.
May 4
The minute I came to school, I went right to the library, armed with plenty of spare change to copy my fliers with. Also, I noticed posters from a third candidate in the race for Veep: Jenny Fitzgerald. I thought, "Oh, my. Two of the most popular girls in the class, and I'm going up against them!"
By the time I finished putting up copies of my fliers, I had a thought: If Magdevski and Fitzgerald have the same loyal following (their friends, plus the jocks), they'd split their votes and I might win if I got enough of my own votes. It had happened before, way back in 1912. William Howard Taft and Theodore Roosevelt battled over the same conservative voters while Democrat Woodrow Wilson won with less than 42% of the vote. And believe me, I was feeling like Woody.
2nd hour is Humanities. We're watching a film from 1965, The Agony and the Ecstasy. We're watching it because the film is about the great Renaissance artist Michelangelo, but the music at the start of the film, with its snare drums, gets me thinking about the battle I've just gone into myself.
I thought I might dominate voting among males, with Sonja and Jenny splitting the female vote, but during third hour, I see that Todd Herremans (from the varsity basketball team) is in the running. There are four candidates in the race now.
In French III, a certain Junior Board member came up to me, questioned the seriousness of my campaign, and decided to give me some lecture about responsibility and what the Senior Board does. Now, I certainly didn't join the campaign thinking that being the Veep was a lazy job. I thought this kind of position helped make decisions about the school and the building. When she said that the Senior Board sells food and candy at football games, I was a little bit stunned. I am a student, a manager, a rapper and a writer. I am not a salesman. My mind is wrapped up in the prospect of selling hot dogs and M&M's for the rest of the hour.
Back at home, I continue to think more about the job than winning, which is as it should be. My final thought: Stay in the campaign. If you win, you deal with the job. If you lose, you lose, but at least you won't be selling hot dogs. If you pull out, you not only lose, but you're a wimp. The Russians pulled out of World War I, and they looked so lame, they didn't even get invited to the League of Nations after the war ended.
Now intent on staying in the campaign, I made another flier. This time, I decided to dig through magazine ads instead of using the Print Shop. I used the left half of a 2-page Merit cigarette ad, which said "Smoke this page." I thought this ad was hilarious because I had never seen an ad that asked its reader to do something that stupid, like smoke a page from a magazine. I added some text below the "Smoke this page" headline: "You might as well if your idea of a Senior Class Vice-President isn't Mark Rabinowitz."
May 5
I've got a hell of a month on my hands--the campaign, I've got the Stratford field trip on the 19th, I've got the SAT to prepare for, and then Precalc and Physics on top of that.
I now know of 14 juniors who are running for the four offices (including me), and no wall in the building is without a sign or poster. It dawns on me, I'm not just battling with my competition (Jenny, Sonja and Todd). When it comes to getting attention, I'm battling with the candidates for the other three offices as well.
I bumped into Mr. Shalla (my Chemistry teacher last year) while putting up fliers. He joked that I was getting students to take up smoking with the "Smoke this page" fliers.
Aaron Browne, a candidate for Secretary, is putting his fliers all over the walls, usually in messy clusters several feet apart. He likes what I've been doing with my fliers. But I think he's gone overboard with his.
One thing I don't like about this election so far: I'd like at least one debate, but there haven't been any.
May 8
I did a new flier over the weekend. It's based on a Maxell videotape ad, that shows a man being "blown away" by the quality of the videotape, but I added the words, "Getting too much hot air?" A number of my friends say they like this one. I wish I had come up with it a week ago. Another thing about this ad: I mentioned the date of Election Day, which is Wednesday, May 10. I think the "hot air" flier is the only one to mention when Election Day is, and I'm hoping a few voters will remember that.
Aaron Browne suggested that I make some posters in addition to fliers, but I figure I'm fine as long as my fliers stand out and don't get "lost in the shuffle." Sure, posterboards are cheap--they're 50 cents each--but I don't want my parents to know that I'm running, and since I don't have a car to drive to the store to buy the posterboards (and store them as well), I'll stick with the fliers.
Paul Levine still hasn't made any posters yet. I'd like to see him do something.
Ted Skinner doubts he'll win because he thinks he and Levine will split their vote (I didn't ask him what he meant, but my guess is the "male vote"), leaving Kallen to win.
May 9
It's the last day before elections.
Hardly anything new's been put up, aside from a banner for "Downtown Aaron Browne." I like to think it's because we're finally giving our voters time to make their decisions. Right now, over 200 juniors may be focusing on the candidates, not their fliers or their posters.
I wonder if there will be anyone on the ballot who's been running without any fliers or posters. I've heard rumors of Angela Tomle, Jenay Willer and Victor Lajcaj running for something. They'd really have to make names for themselves in order to win.
ELECTION DAY, May 10
(Before the election)
I could not have waited another day for this.
I copied my "hot air" flier a few more times. Skinner has a "the good, the bad and the ugly" poster flier: A picture of him appears above "good," a picture of Stephanie Kallen is "bad" and there's a picture of a macaque above the word "ugly."
I saw one poster Sonja put up promising (among other things) a better All-Night Party next year. One thing I hate about political campaigns is making promises they won't, or can't, keep, and I was never going to stoop to that level.
The time ticks away so slowly. But I know that the election itself will fly by (it's held during lunch hour).
Who will I vote for? Hey, this is America, where voting is supposed to be "secret ballot." So I won't tell.
(After the election)
The winners were announced over the PA at the end of 5th hour: Brian Ellison (Treasurer), Joe George (Secretary), Sonja Madgevski (Vice-President) and Stephanie Kallen (President). Ellison was the only candidate without previous board experience to win.
Todd Rope said at the conclusion of the announcement, "No surprises." But I have to admit, I thought either Jenny Fitzgerald would win, or I'd pull off an upset with those "Don't drink and vote," "Smoke this page" and "Getting too much hot air" fliers.
Even though I lost, I feel I've gained some respect. I'll spend the rest of the day removing my fliers and walking back to the real world. I've got 3 chapters to study for Physics, anyway.
A few weeks later:
I don't know where I finished. I don't care anymore about whether it was second by a few votes or dead last, but I would have loved to have seen the final tally. I don't know if the Catalyst would have published the results (they had an issue planned for May but they had problems with either the computer or the printer and that issue was cancelled).
But after seeing Skinner start his campaign, I decided that Goldapper would not be totally correct. Sure, some jocks and cheerleaders would run, but they wouldn't be the only ones.
Since I didn't want to run against Skinner, I decided to run for Vice-President. Goldapper's statement about the jocks and cheerleaders had been the fuel, and Skinner's campaign was the spark. During 6th hour, I started writing down possible slogans, generating ten by the end of the hour. I picked up my own petition at the end of the day. I would have a role in the Harrison Senior Class Power Struggle, Part XIX.
May 3
It wasn't hard at all to get 10 signatures. Ray Vucinaj was the first to sign my petition. It's cool that he's the first because he has what Mr. Poelke (assistant principal) calls "global thinking"--knowledge of current events that is essential to the maturing American, yet many at our age don't have such an asset. I got the other 9 signatures I needed during 4th hour (Advanced Placement 11th Grade Math).
Now, my concern is picking a good slogan for the posters. I don't want a feeble one, obviously, but the slogan can't be so strong that people remember it and forget me.
In 5th hour French III, I find out that Paul Levine has started running a Presidential campaign. Todd Rope and I are the first two to sign his petition.
Also, the MESS ticket is introduced (Sonja Magdevski for Vice-President, Brian Ellison for Treasurer, Ted Skinner for President, Jeff Sklar for Secretary). As in, "Get us out of our MESS."
At home, I begin working on fliers. Using the Print Shop software I had on my home computer, I make one that says, "Don't drink and vote this year. Make sure that RABO is your choice for vice-prez." Inspired by a "don't drink and vote" Doonesbury comic strip I saw in November 1986, it features a "no" sign over a ballot and a martini.
(Why the lace frills and fancy script type? That was a vain attempt to get some
of the "female vote" away from Sonja Magdevski and Jenny Fitzgerald.)
May 4
The minute I came to school, I went right to the library, armed with plenty of spare change to copy my fliers with. Also, I noticed posters from a third candidate in the race for Veep: Jenny Fitzgerald. I thought, "Oh, my. Two of the most popular girls in the class, and I'm going up against them!"
By the time I finished putting up copies of my fliers, I had a thought: If Magdevski and Fitzgerald have the same loyal following (their friends, plus the jocks), they'd split their votes and I might win if I got enough of my own votes. It had happened before, way back in 1912. William Howard Taft and Theodore Roosevelt battled over the same conservative voters while Democrat Woodrow Wilson won with less than 42% of the vote. And believe me, I was feeling like Woody.
2nd hour is Humanities. We're watching a film from 1965, The Agony and the Ecstasy. We're watching it because the film is about the great Renaissance artist Michelangelo, but the music at the start of the film, with its snare drums, gets me thinking about the battle I've just gone into myself.
I thought I might dominate voting among males, with Sonja and Jenny splitting the female vote, but during third hour, I see that Todd Herremans (from the varsity basketball team) is in the running. There are four candidates in the race now.
Above: Brian Ellison during his campaign for Class Treasurer.
In French III, a certain Junior Board member came up to me, questioned the seriousness of my campaign, and decided to give me some lecture about responsibility and what the Senior Board does. Now, I certainly didn't join the campaign thinking that being the Veep was a lazy job. I thought this kind of position helped make decisions about the school and the building. When she said that the Senior Board sells food and candy at football games, I was a little bit stunned. I am a student, a manager, a rapper and a writer. I am not a salesman. My mind is wrapped up in the prospect of selling hot dogs and M&M's for the rest of the hour.
Back at home, I continue to think more about the job than winning, which is as it should be. My final thought: Stay in the campaign. If you win, you deal with the job. If you lose, you lose, but at least you won't be selling hot dogs. If you pull out, you not only lose, but you're a wimp. The Russians pulled out of World War I, and they looked so lame, they didn't even get invited to the League of Nations after the war ended.
Now intent on staying in the campaign, I made another flier. This time, I decided to dig through magazine ads instead of using the Print Shop. I used the left half of a 2-page Merit cigarette ad, which said "Smoke this page." I thought this ad was hilarious because I had never seen an ad that asked its reader to do something that stupid, like smoke a page from a magazine. I added some text below the "Smoke this page" headline: "You might as well if your idea of a Senior Class Vice-President isn't Mark Rabinowitz."
May 5
I've got a hell of a month on my hands--the campaign, I've got the Stratford field trip on the 19th, I've got the SAT to prepare for, and then Precalc and Physics on top of that.
I now know of 14 juniors who are running for the four offices (including me), and no wall in the building is without a sign or poster. It dawns on me, I'm not just battling with my competition (Jenny, Sonja and Todd). When it comes to getting attention, I'm battling with the candidates for the other three offices as well.
I bumped into Mr. Shalla (my Chemistry teacher last year) while putting up fliers. He joked that I was getting students to take up smoking with the "Smoke this page" fliers.
Aaron Browne, a candidate for Secretary, is putting his fliers all over the walls, usually in messy clusters several feet apart. He likes what I've been doing with my fliers. But I think he's gone overboard with his.
One thing I don't like about this election so far: I'd like at least one debate, but there haven't been any.
May 8
I did a new flier over the weekend. It's based on a Maxell videotape ad, that shows a man being "blown away" by the quality of the videotape, but I added the words, "Getting too much hot air?" A number of my friends say they like this one. I wish I had come up with it a week ago. Another thing about this ad: I mentioned the date of Election Day, which is Wednesday, May 10. I think the "hot air" flier is the only one to mention when Election Day is, and I'm hoping a few voters will remember that.
The "hot air" ad, based on a Maxell videotape ad from the early 1980s. That ad, in turn,
was
derived from a similar ad Maxell did for its audio cassettes in 1979.)
Aaron Browne suggested that I make some posters in addition to fliers, but I figure I'm fine as long as my fliers stand out and don't get "lost in the shuffle." Sure, posterboards are cheap--they're 50 cents each--but I don't want my parents to know that I'm running, and since I don't have a car to drive to the store to buy the posterboards (and store them as well), I'll stick with the fliers.
Paul Levine still hasn't made any posters yet. I'd like to see him do something.
Ted Skinner doubts he'll win because he thinks he and Levine will split their vote (I didn't ask him what he meant, but my guess is the "male vote"), leaving Kallen to win.
May 9
It's the last day before elections.
Hardly anything new's been put up, aside from a banner for "Downtown Aaron Browne." I like to think it's because we're finally giving our voters time to make their decisions. Right now, over 200 juniors may be focusing on the candidates, not their fliers or their posters.
I wonder if there will be anyone on the ballot who's been running without any fliers or posters. I've heard rumors of Angela Tomle, Jenay Willer and Victor Lajcaj running for something. They'd really have to make names for themselves in order to win.
ELECTION DAY, May 10
(Before the election)
I could not have waited another day for this.
I copied my "hot air" flier a few more times. Skinner has a "the good, the bad and the ugly" poster flier: A picture of him appears above "good," a picture of Stephanie Kallen is "bad" and there's a picture of a macaque above the word "ugly."
I saw one poster Sonja put up promising (among other things) a better All-Night Party next year. One thing I hate about political campaigns is making promises they won't, or can't, keep, and I was never going to stoop to that level.
The time ticks away so slowly. But I know that the election itself will fly by (it's held during lunch hour).
Who will I vote for? Hey, this is America, where voting is supposed to be "secret ballot." So I won't tell.
(After the election)
The winners were announced over the PA at the end of 5th hour: Brian Ellison (Treasurer), Joe George (Secretary), Sonja Madgevski (Vice-President) and Stephanie Kallen (President). Ellison was the only candidate without previous board experience to win.
Todd Rope said at the conclusion of the announcement, "No surprises." But I have to admit, I thought either Jenny Fitzgerald would win, or I'd pull off an upset with those "Don't drink and vote," "Smoke this page" and "Getting too much hot air" fliers.
Even though I lost, I feel I've gained some respect. I'll spend the rest of the day removing my fliers and walking back to the real world. I've got 3 chapters to study for Physics, anyway.
A few weeks later:
I don't know where I finished. I don't care anymore about whether it was second by a few votes or dead last, but I would have loved to have seen the final tally. I don't know if the Catalyst would have published the results (they had an issue planned for May but they had problems with either the computer or the printer and that issue was cancelled).
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