Freedom Fighters
"Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn't pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same."
- Ronald Reagan
- Ronald Reagan
TEAM TEVIS CALLS OUT LOCAL LOBBYIST GROUP
Steve Hyslop
Subject: GSBLRA and SBRCC City Council Forum
Dear Mr. Hyslop ,
I am writing this letter for reconsideration in allowing me to participate in the GSBLRA and SBRCC Candidate's Forum on September 9th. In your literature, you state that only viable candidates will be allowed to participate and use the barometer of only allowing those who have raised $5,000 or more during their first filing period. I believe my candidacy is viable by any measure, including how well my team did in raising monetary contributions, particularly when compared to the candidates you are allowing to participate in the Forum.
One of the participants in the GSBLRA and SBRCC Candidate's Forum was recently convicted of violating the terms of his DUI conviction, but is still considered viable because he raised $54,000, only $1,000 of which came from small donations of $100. In contrast, I reported 38 cash contributions, 14 of which were $100 of more. That shows broad support, and I am unaware of any candidate who had a greater number of donors.
One candidate being allowed to participate raised the bulk of his donations from his wife. Another eligible candidate surpassed the $5,000 mark with a donation from a Texas developer. One more eligible candidate made the cut only because she wrote herself a check for $7,000. I don't think I am being cynical when I say that these are all political insiders who were familiar with the rule of needing $5,000 to be included in some of the key candidate forums.
I am a newcomer to politics and just asked friends, family, co-workers, & Santa Barbara locals to support my candidacy and ended up receiving $2,594 in cash and significantly more than that through in-kind donations. If my in-kind contributions were counted, then I would be well over the $5,000 mark. People from all walks of life were very enthusiastic in offering their support to my candidacy, for which I am humbled and grateful. Had I been a seasoned insider, I would have reallocated some of my in-kind donations to monetary, and then paid for services. For example, one supporter purchased over $300 in Campaign T-Shirts. Had I understood the implications, I would have had the supporter give me the money and then purchased the t-shirts out of my campaign funds. My campaign is true grassroots, unlike the competition whose contributions have primarily come from special interests groups who buy political influence with their large sacks of money, or from wealthy family members.
Since the first filing period, my campaign has gained a lot of momentum and established legitimacy. I have more than doubled my monetary contributions expanded my campaign team into a solid core base that dwarfs any of the competition, evidenced by our presence at the candidate forums. I have also received a major endorsement and have been pounding the pavement meeting voters with more zeal than any of my opponents.
In addition, there are other barometers for measuring the viability of one's candidacy. An area where I have a noticeable competitive advantage is the social media networking world. For example, I have over 1,000 Facebook friends with a significant portion of them living in the Santa Barbara area. My Facebook group "Tevis for Santa Barbara City Council" has around 450 members. This is in contrast to Frank Hotchkiss who has a similar group for his candidacy, but with only 28 members. I have a Youtube video from a rally at Lois Capps' office with almost 1,400 views, and another speech from Tax Day on local politics with over 600 views. My campaign is on the cutting edge when it comes to the new world of technology, where people organize and share information on the internet. My message is getting spread much quicker than that of my opponents.
Again, this campaign is as real as it gets. People are fed up with the way that politicians have been elected in the past, and this election promises to break precedents, where a grassroots newcomer without the special interests backing his campaign has a legitimate shot at winning. I do not intend to waste anyone's time, especially my own. I would not be devoting the amount of time and energy I have to this campaign if I did not feel confident in my ability to win come November.
I disagree with your assertion that excluding me is not disparaging to me as a candidate. You are facilitating one of the largest public candidate forums before the election. You are signaling to the voting public that I do not have a shot. If you want to give the public an opportunity to meet a top contender for Santa Barbara City Council, please allow me to present my position on the issues. My policy position papers have been published repeatedly by local media, including the Santa Barbara News-Press and Noozhawk, both of which consider me a viable candidate. I have the time, resources, money, and most importantly, the most energized volunteer base of any of the candidates. I received one of two endorsements from the Santa Barbara County Republican club who obviously consider me a viable candidate. My volunteer team that extends from working professionals to students on the UCSB and SBCC campuses, all consider me a viable candidate. All I am asking is for a fair shot, and to be recognized as a viable candidate, which I have proven to be.
Big money early on does not necessarily translate into victory, as has clearly been demonstrated by the withdrawal of candidates Falcone and Uribe. Team Tevis continues to pick up steam and I think you do a disservice to myself, the voting public and your Forum by not allowing me to participate. Again, I would be extremely gracious to be given the opportunity to participate in the GSBLRA and SBRCC Candidate's Forum. I appreciate your reconsideration of this matter.
Sincerely,
Justin Tevis
2009 Santa Barbara City Council Candidate
Steve Hyslop
Subject: GSBLRA and SBRCC City Council Forum
Dear Mr. Hyslop ,
I am writing this letter for reconsideration in allowing me to participate in the GSBLRA and SBRCC Candidate's Forum on September 9th. In your literature, you state that only viable candidates will be allowed to participate and use the barometer of only allowing those who have raised $5,000 or more during their first filing period. I believe my candidacy is viable by any measure, including how well my team did in raising monetary contributions, particularly when compared to the candidates you are allowing to participate in the Forum.
One of the participants in the GSBLRA and SBRCC Candidate's Forum was recently convicted of violating the terms of his DUI conviction, but is still considered viable because he raised $54,000, only $1,000 of which came from small donations of $100. In contrast, I reported 38 cash contributions, 14 of which were $100 of more. That shows broad support, and I am unaware of any candidate who had a greater number of donors.
One candidate being allowed to participate raised the bulk of his donations from his wife. Another eligible candidate surpassed the $5,000 mark with a donation from a Texas developer. One more eligible candidate made the cut only because she wrote herself a check for $7,000. I don't think I am being cynical when I say that these are all political insiders who were familiar with the rule of needing $5,000 to be included in some of the key candidate forums.
I am a newcomer to politics and just asked friends, family, co-workers, & Santa Barbara locals to support my candidacy and ended up receiving $2,594 in cash and significantly more than that through in-kind donations. If my in-kind contributions were counted, then I would be well over the $5,000 mark. People from all walks of life were very enthusiastic in offering their support to my candidacy, for which I am humbled and grateful. Had I been a seasoned insider, I would have reallocated some of my in-kind donations to monetary, and then paid for services. For example, one supporter purchased over $300 in Campaign T-Shirts. Had I understood the implications, I would have had the supporter give me the money and then purchased the t-shirts out of my campaign funds. My campaign is true grassroots, unlike the competition whose contributions have primarily come from special interests groups who buy political influence with their large sacks of money, or from wealthy family members.
Since the first filing period, my campaign has gained a lot of momentum and established legitimacy. I have more than doubled my monetary contributions expanded my campaign team into a solid core base that dwarfs any of the competition, evidenced by our presence at the candidate forums. I have also received a major endorsement and have been pounding the pavement meeting voters with more zeal than any of my opponents.
In addition, there are other barometers for measuring the viability of one's candidacy. An area where I have a noticeable competitive advantage is the social media networking world. For example, I have over 1,000 Facebook friends with a significant portion of them living in the Santa Barbara area. My Facebook group "Tevis for Santa Barbara City Council" has around 450 members. This is in contrast to Frank Hotchkiss who has a similar group for his candidacy, but with only 28 members. I have a Youtube video from a rally at Lois Capps' office with almost 1,400 views, and another speech from Tax Day on local politics with over 600 views. My campaign is on the cutting edge when it comes to the new world of technology, where people organize and share information on the internet. My message is getting spread much quicker than that of my opponents.
Again, this campaign is as real as it gets. People are fed up with the way that politicians have been elected in the past, and this election promises to break precedents, where a grassroots newcomer without the special interests backing his campaign has a legitimate shot at winning. I do not intend to waste anyone's time, especially my own. I would not be devoting the amount of time and energy I have to this campaign if I did not feel confident in my ability to win come November.
I disagree with your assertion that excluding me is not disparaging to me as a candidate. You are facilitating one of the largest public candidate forums before the election. You are signaling to the voting public that I do not have a shot. If you want to give the public an opportunity to meet a top contender for Santa Barbara City Council, please allow me to present my position on the issues. My policy position papers have been published repeatedly by local media, including the Santa Barbara News-Press and Noozhawk, both of which consider me a viable candidate. I have the time, resources, money, and most importantly, the most energized volunteer base of any of the candidates. I received one of two endorsements from the Santa Barbara County Republican club who obviously consider me a viable candidate. My volunteer team that extends from working professionals to students on the UCSB and SBCC campuses, all consider me a viable candidate. All I am asking is for a fair shot, and to be recognized as a viable candidate, which I have proven to be.
Big money early on does not necessarily translate into victory, as has clearly been demonstrated by the withdrawal of candidates Falcone and Uribe. Team Tevis continues to pick up steam and I think you do a disservice to myself, the voting public and your Forum by not allowing me to participate. Again, I would be extremely gracious to be given the opportunity to participate in the GSBLRA and SBRCC Candidate's Forum. I appreciate your reconsideration of this matter.
Sincerely,
Justin Tevis
2009 Santa Barbara City Council Candidate