Make America Proactive Again
Lessons learned running for local elected office as an outsider and what needs to happen next in the grassroots support network for MAHA-Kennedy, MAGA-Trump, and broader political independent movement
In 2023, I ran as an independent for mayor of my small city in Massachusetts. I had run twice previously as an independent, the last one being in 2019. After that 2019 defeat, I vowed never to run again—life has a funny way of throwing declarations back in your face, especially for those with restless souls. Something monumental occurred that forced me to try again against my surface will; the great Bobby Kennedy Jr. announced he was the running for President. While ecstatic over the news, I also in parallel got that familiar feeling of borderline dread; you know, the one where you immediately scream NO! to doing something but deep down you know you will eventually do it, as the decision feels out of your hands and inevitable because of your makeup as a person. I felt an overwhelming need to do everything possible to spread the message about this once in a lifetime candidate named RFK Jr. and what better way to do that then by running for mayor at the same time to support his efforts.
Shortly after Bobby’s historic announcement to run for President in April 2023 at the Park Plaza hotel in downtown Boston—an event I wasn’t going to miss attending in person for the world—I got to work planning out my local campaign. I immediately decided I was going to explicitly lead and not shy away one iota from my 100% commitment to being an active supporter and volunteer for the Bobby Kennedy for President campaign. Of course, this directly put a huge target on my back, but I had long ago developed the necessary Teflon skin as a result of my years of being an outspoken outsider challenging conventional wisdom and putting myself directly up against people in power at many levels. I knew I would not be fazed in the least bit by the endless games, smears, and attacks surely to come my way from the entire local establishment in Massachusetts.
One thing I’ve learned as an activist is how rare the quality of not giving a shit truly is. It’s challenging to find people who not only do not seem to be impacted what so ever about what others think of them but are also willing to take that huge next step and put themselves purposely in uncomfortable positions time and again, driven principally by doing what is right. This hard outside shell of mine is combined internally with both deep empathy but also what I have learned is a naïve expectation of what the public is willing to allow itself to see, do, and act upon.
Along these lines, there have been a handful of times in my life that I was legitimately sent for a loop and devastated. Perhaps the biggest one was at the end of my campaign for Mayor of Amesbury, MA in the fall of 2019 after which I vowed to never run for office again as mentioned above. It was not because I felt mentally defeated losing to my direct opponents--in other words, my clear enemies, which were the establishment forces from both the Democratic and Republican sides who smeared me on social media and the local papers, froze me out of debates, etc.—I felt I did everything I could, gave it my all, and was proud of what I had done. In addition, the games and smears were expected by me and were easy to manage mentally coming from the clear opposition in front of me. No, the thing that devastated me internally was seeing the turnout numbers for the election. 12 percent....12 PERCENT!!! of the eligible voting population bothered to vote in the preliminary election that I lost in. In a small city like Amesbury with around 17,000 total residents, it is essentially impossible to make any sort of fundamental change with that level of engagement from the general population. After seeing all the usual and endless complaining in town--rightfully so--about how inexcusable local conditions were related to taxes, schools, roads, government transparency, etc. only 12% of voters could muster the effort to spend the roughly ten minutes of their time to at least show up and cast a vote. Still, my story is far from unique, as you see this everywhere. It is getting harder and harder every election cycle to find people willing to run for local office, serve on critical volunteer community boards, or support anyone new looking to step up and participate.
I had learned an important but harsh lesson: if we ever in this country want to see true independents and change agents elected in greater numbers, much more work and effort needed to occur at the local level to nurture a positive belief that real change was actually possible. We need to do whatever it takes to get the general population motivated and actually excited to get directly involved in democracy starting at the local and state government levels. This is especially true in firmly established one-party and completely fossilized political environments such as those seen in states like Massachusetts.
Fast forward to now, January 2025. The dust is still settling with regard to Bobby Kennedy Jr. volunteers and supporters, with people figuring out what comes next after the thrill of the November election results and our country being on the verge of seeing RFK Jr. become the head of HHS and fulfilling his pledge to lead America on the road to being healthy again over the next few years. Still, the issue is things now mainly appear to be on autopilot at the national level. Yes, it is critical for the grassroots to relentlessly push Congress right now to make sure they confirm Bobby; however, there is clear void at the grassroots in terms of a broader vision and figuring out what exactly to focus on for those who want to stay active in the near-term, not only for MAHA folks, but much more broadly in the population as well. This is especially true for the ones that dedicated much of their spare time and energy over the past year and a half to helping to get this country to this critical inflection point who want to continue on building on the momentum. There has been talk of solidifying some sort of a unity coalition between various groups, especially the MAGA grassroots and Kennedy MAHA independents, but nothing concrete. If there has been talk of a “unity coalition” effort, it has been focused on issues at a clear national level, which I believe is the wrong direction to view things, as so much at the national and international levels are out of ordinary people’s hands at the moment. What is desperately needed right now is a concerted effort to harness the energy that has been generated via the Presidential race down to the state and local levels where the best opportunities exist for a real impact, and, thus, where activist and volunteer efforts would be best utilized.
There will be many local and state races for elected office coming up, including 36 Gubernatorial races for 2026. Nicole Shanahan in California, for example, has been throwing out strong vibes about running for Governor of California. That would be an obvious galvanizing effort for people mainly on the west coast. How about here in New England and Massachusetts? Every state in New England will be having a race for Governor in 2026.
Another key lesson I have learned is that the right mix of people and personalities is absolutely critical for any group to succeed. In addition, you need to have a clear and direct plan of action. Still, you can makes plans till the cows come home, but ultimately, the most important thing I’ve learned in life and activism is that spirit rules everything.
You can’t force people to think things/do things. The best you can hope for as a legitimate change agent trying to make a better world is to try and plant idea seeds in people’s minds and then nurture an environment where as many of those ideas have a chance at growing as possible. Be persistent and never give up leading by example; be fluid and open-minded in your evolving approach and tactics; and primarily seek and nurture connections with other truth and light seekers--those that not only “get it” but are willing to put egos aside and work cooperatively and who inspire you and others.
It is important to add that if we truly want to help push a sustainable and inspiring political movement at the grassroots local and state levels, we shouldn’t be focusing heavily on a message about how terrible things are or how much the cards are stacked against us. People are well aware of the massive challenges facing our society and while it is important to honestly look at the issues and have a clear understanding about the huge challenges in front of us, what is needed more than anything in our communities is inspiration and a reinvigorating of the can-do American spirit. Nevertheless, to support this positive revolution in spirit and energy, there is a massive need for laying out a comprehensive and clear proactive plan of action. Advocates need to lead by example by thinking and taking action on the offensive side of the ball, as opposed to the trap that many well-intentioned activists take, which is to be reactive and play defense primarily. In other words, we need to move beyond the mindset of merely protesting issues or begging our existing leaders to do certain things and actually lead the way to show how things should and could be done. A big part of that strategy is aggressively pushing to recruit, train, and help get new blood into elected office at the local and state levels. Not an easy task to say the least, but absolutely vital.
We need to be speaking in the language that positive change will inevitably happen by focusing on our proactive efforts that volunteers and activists are engaging in and then, critically, linking all the positive doers together in a fluid but coordinated way that allows everyone to express their individual talents and efforts, leading to an unstoppable movement. The beautiful thing is that we have the perfect example of all of this right in front of us. I can’t think of any politician in my lifetime who has best exemplified all of these characteristics than Bobby Kennedy Jr. Still, he has his hands full now on tackling the bureaucracy and machine at the federal and international levels. It is time for leaders to step up their game at the state and local levels and carry the torch that Bobby has lit. RFK Jr. has created the template, lit the flame, and now all we got to do is take his example down to the state and local levels to truly be able to reclaim our lives and communities.
There is no one-size fits all solution. Nevertheless, below is a draft proposal coming from years of writing and thinking about this moment, based on experience in various areas. Specifically, the idea is for the creation of loose regional steering committees formed throughout the country to lead us to the next level. I hope at a minimum this sparks a conversation and perhaps helps generate ideas for others to think about in terms of how best to take advantage of this unique period in time and grand opportunity we’ve been gifted to be able to truly reclaim our lives and communities.
Sample: Massachusetts and Northern New England Unity Coalition Steering Committee
Draft Vision/Mission Statement:
Help get more freedom minded and fearless people running and elected into office in Massachusetts and Northern New England, combined with new Legislation passed that better protects our liberties via an educational and support campaign utilizing: social media; events/conferences; local investigative reporting; newsletters and Substack articles/writing; and videos/Podcasts/radio.
And/or
inspire more of our neighbors and peers to become proactive citizens, whether it be running for elected office, investigating the activities of our local governments, or encouraging free speech and discussion of critical issues with our circle of friends, families, neighbors, adversaries, and associates. This will be aided by the establishment of a Massachusetts and Northern New England MAHA-MAGA centered independent local media and support network.
Organizational Setup:
I believe loose steering committees are the way to go, linking existing organizations and already established activist activities. No effort or time spent on forming an official new nonprofit organization, collecting donations, or creating separate outreach/contact lists, but rather incorporating messages and efforts within already existing resources of individual members.
Proposed Specific issue Areas to Focus on and Promote at the Local and State Levels via Ongoing and Coordinated Workshops, Events, Actions:
- Health Rights
- Gun Ownership
- Divorce/Family Court Reform
- Free Speech
- Media
- Public Education/Protect Children
- Mental Health
- Toxic Chemicals
- Food/Farming
- Chronic Disease
- Housing
- Small Business Support
- Career Development
- State Legislation Drafting/Lobbying
- Helping People Run for Local/State Office and Getting Elected
Sample Long-Term Steering Committee Member Sub-Working Groups:
- Small group with a passion for writing to help start alternative community newsletters and local investigative reporting apparatus and network within the region
- Small group with knowledge in politics to create step-by-step guidebook for independents/freedom lovers to run for local and state office
- Small group to coordinate a general freedom umbrella to push for: free speech protections, gun rights, health rights, etc.
- Small group with eco passion to promote: small scale green energy, nontoxic chemicals, forest management, etc.…
- Small group with a green thumb to help promote more weekly and then eventually daily community farmer’s markets
- Small group with good computer skills to start an Amazon-style online shopping site for individual towns
- Small group with homesteading skills to start workshop series on various self-reliant topics
- Small group with labor skills to develop helpful career guidance and local worker cooperative ideas/programs
- Small group with housing and zoning expertise to set-up a robust/diverse local housing program
Attachment A
Long Term End Result: Local Controlled Food, Jobs, Shelter
Food: Establish a robust local food program to have as much of our food grown and consumed at the local level as possible
· Grow as much food as you can on your property
· Buy as much of your store-bought food from local farm markets, including your meats
· Teach and encourage a new generation of hunters
· Organic, GMO-free, fair trade, should be bought as much as possible for any remaining food
· Pressure your town to preserve open space for public farming
· Create weekly and even daily community farmer’s markets
· Connect locally grown food to all local schools, nursing homes, small businesses, etc.
· Create workshop series to train gardening and homestead skills
· Demand our state/federal govt enact local food policies only
Jobs: Comprehensive community-first business and worker’s cooperative program, with the goal being the creation and purchase of as many products as possible at the local level
· Create community-focused shopping websites: AMAZON STYLE ONLINE SHOPPING SITE FOR INDIVIDUAL TOWNS
· Expand the shared office space model
· Promote the sharing economy
· Move past unions/freelance limits to more empowering worker cooperative movement
· Shift our money to local banks and credit unions
· Encourage more people to pursue “real” careers: farmers; green chemists; HVAC; etc
Shelter: Creating Happy, Non-Toxic, and Freedom-loving Living Arrangements and Communities
· Limit greenspace development
· Convert underutilized buildings, mainly office spaces, into housing units
· Expand creative uses of shared living arrangements
· Promote more robust use of small-scale green energy
· Build up our homeowner and creative skill set: take more matters into our own hands
· Aggressively defend free speech/1st Amendment principles
· Roll back mandates and restrictions related to schooling, guns/personal protection, and health care. Promote holistic approaches to health/well-being and disease management
· Push for greater transparency in key institutions such as the Statehouse and Court System
· Promote healthy and balanced family life, including protection of parental rights over their children and common-sense plus simple/clear guidelines in schools, family court/divorce, etc
Attachment B
Long Term Indicators of Success:
· Big drop in chronic illness
· Surging reports of happiness and sense of purpose due to plunging rates of loneliness and mental health issues, while civic engagement explodes, resulting in people feeling proud again about their culture and country and having more faith in our future and leadership
· Big declines in Facebook, Amazon, etc. usage, replaced by more locally controlled media and shopping
· Many toxic chemicals banned and replaced by nontoxic materials
· Self-reliant enclaves sprout up all over
· Vast decline in global trade
· Town walkability surges
· Huge shift in government spending toward community building and away from corporate welfare, war, and surveillance
· A strengthening of core family life seen via simple indicators such as the number of family dinners held on a weekly basis
· Far less reliance on lawyers and the litigation culture to grease the wheels of society, signaling a return of the forces of trust, dignity, and honor in how we handle ourselves
· A massive decrease in bureaucratic jobs (cogs in the machine in both the private and public sectors), with much greater numbers of “real” jobs, such as farmers, successful small business owners, carpenters, independent family doctors, etc.
· Many new faces in elected office in the Statehouse plus city/town halls throughout New England
My "restless soul" always looking to pave the way for a healthy, sustainable life for all. Thank you for your tireless efforts of forging this future, not just to make our community and nation better for our family, but for all!