Too many candidates. Too much direct mail.

 

Normally I am a huge fan of direct mail, especially postcards.  They are easy to target, inexpensive to make and send, and are usually capable of conveying a simple enough message to make their point.

 

But with 13 candidates for Mayor, 10 for Comptroller and 7 each for  Borough President and City Council this is hardly a normal year in NYC.

 

When the first batch of political mail arrived, I put it aside to look it over carefully when I had time.  But then the next day more arrived.  And more and more.   

 

 

And it occurred to me that there was no point in reading any of it.  Selective one way communication was not going to help me to make an informed decision.

 

So, I started to look for short cuts.

 

First I read the detailed editorial the New York Times published when they recommended Kathryn Garcia for Mayor.  It was very compelling.  As was their comment after the second debate that Ms. Garcia is the "competent" candidate.  Am I the only one who suspects that she was the brains behind many of the men she worked for in the past?

 

For the other candidates I "phoned a friend."  Yes.  I am lucky enough to know someone who works in the local politics space.  As a SME she has been engaged in this area to a far greater extent than I ever want to be.  So she was the perfect person to turn to for recommendations.

 

What would I have done without her?

 

I would have looked for additional recommendations from the Times and other news sources. 

 

What wouldn't I have done?

 

Read the direct mail flooding my mailbox.

 

Candidates for public office spend far too much time raising money.  I can't help wondering whether or not they track the effectiveness of their efforts the way that most marketers do. 

 

I suspect that they do not.