I really hate questions like this: “What makes you the most qualified person for this position?” It came up in a questionnaire for Plano Profile. I hate these questions because it’s hard to write a response in which nearly every sentence doesn’t start with “I”, and says why I’m the best. And, it guides you toward comparing yourself with opponents, when I would rather just talk about my ideas and record and not talk about them at all. But most importantly, voters should be deciding who is most qualified – not candidates – and whether or not qualifications even matter.
But, I guess they’re inevitable. Further, for this particular race qualifications are the main thing on the ballot since we all want the same thing – for Democrats to win. Here’s my response:
The question “most qualified” invites a comparison with others running for this office.
When I decided to run for County Chair in 2013 the party was in decline. Since my team and I took office in 2014 we have turned the party around. By every objective measure we have built the party to be stronger than it has been in 30 years. We have momentum and are headed in the right direction. I am the only candidate for this office with that kind of track record, doing what every candidate for this office pledges to do – have more Democrats on the ballot, win more votes for them, and build a stronger county party.
A political party is unlike any other organization, and there is no other job like County Chair. While there are some similarities and transferable skills, there are no equivalents for actual experience in the party. Not only am I the only candidate who has served as County Chair (3 ½ years), I am the only one who has been a Precinct Chair (10 years), chaired a party committee (Coordinated Campaign and Strategic Planning Committees), been a delegate to the Texas Democratic Party state convention (six times), presided over a County Convention, been a delegate to a County or Senate District Convention (eight times), chaired a County Convention Committee (Resolutions three times), presided over a Precinct Convention, attended a Precinct Convention (nine times), and have been and currently is a sustaining donor to both the CCDP and TDP. One of my opponents never attended a County Executive Committee until announcing for office, and the other still hasn’t. In short, I am the only candidate who has any significant experience in the party or demonstrated any serious commitment to it, and had anything more than a brief, casual association with the Democratic Party at any level. From this broad and deep experience I have gained an intimate working knowledge of party operations and rules that is unmatched by anyone else seeking this office, and built relationships in the county and across the state that have been essential to success in this position.
I am the only candidate who has proven my skills at campaigning by actually winning an election – beating my predecessor, a five year incumbent, by a margin of two to one.
Finally, In addition to political experience, in my adult life I have more than 30 years of nearly continuous experience in leadership positions in a variety of professional, technical, and environmental organizations.
For the full Plano Profile article, go here.