Q-and-A with Galen Gondolfi
Posted by gondolfi on March 4, 2007
Caught at the campaign HQ on Saturday, before leading a group of volunteers into the field for a last, big round of door visits, Galen stopped to talk for a few minutes about the campaign and Tuesday’s election.
Q: Three days out, what’s the feeling?
A: We feel incredibly confident. There’s a lot of momentum and a lot of energy. It’s all about the GOTV effort, at this point. We feel really excited about Tuesday, we’re ready to take it on.
Q: Are there certain comments and feedback that you’ve heard from residents, which were items you didn’t necessarily expect?
A: To be honest, I’m not surprised by what issues people have expressed concerns about. It’s quite evident in our neighborhoods what the issues are, and those are the ones being talked about: vacant properties, crime, the lack of small businesses and a lack of opportunities for youth. There actually haven’t been a lot of surprises. Residents have been talking about what I feel are very evident issues that need to be addressed in the 20th ward.
Q: Being on the ground every day, what have you learned about the ward?
A: I’ve learned a lot. I learned a lot and I’ve been impressed, actually. The more I’m out there, the more excited I am to be out there to partner with people and to make a difference. Everybody has an opinion and it’s quite an opportunity to hear a multitude of perspectives on various issues. People are more concerned and want to get more involved than we give them credit for, so we need to provide opportunities for residents to participate. That’s what I really think this campaign has been about establishing. A beach-head, so to speak, for residents’ voices to be heard.
Q: There’s been a lot of talk about turnout and there’s been talk that it could be low. Why is it so important for people to make it out this week?
A: Oh, it’s most imperative. It all comes down to counting votes. We need as many of those votes as possible. The 20th ward has historically had low voter turnout, which is making it even more important to have those voters come out, as opposed to a ward with a larger voter base.
Q: If there’s one thing that you’d want people to know about you and the campaign, at this point, what would it be?
A: That we have had a tireless work ethic and our commitment’s been to being out there. Our level of energy has been unabated, but I also want to mention that we’ve stuck to our guns, staying away from any purported “character issues,” while talking about the issues.
