Feed the Frog!

The toughest part of a political campaign is fundraising. I think most people, including myself, are reluctant to ask others for money. But my race for Public Defender covers three large counties that have a combined total of over 450,000 voters. We haven't had a Public Defender election in this circuit since 1976 and therefore many people are not aware that they will be voting for this office. And while I have worked hard over the past twenty-three years to earn a solid reputation for vigorous and professional work, we have a host of new residents who have never heard of me or the job. If want to be elected, I am going to have raise a significant amount of money just to address basic voter education about this race.

A few weeks ago, Ambassador Leidel held a small fundraiser for me at the Landings. His delightful wife Bev brought out a wire frog with a gaping mouth to be used to collect contributions. At the end of the evening, Bev presented Regina and I with the frog to use for future events. This past weekend, Bob and Suzanne Atwell hosted a fundraiser for me at their lovely home on Bird Key. It had been a wet weekend in Sarasota and there was an 80% chance of rain for Sunday. The reception was scheduled from 5-7 and I must confess that I said a little prayer that the rain would hold off until 7:30. Fortunately, whatever the reason, the deluge waited until after most of the guests had come and gone. I am delighted to report that it was a huge success. Over one hundred people turned out for shrimp, cheese, drinks and to hear me speak. As you can see from the above picture, the frog was filled to capacity. Thank you to everyone who made the event a success, including the Atwells, my host committee, the Sarasota Democratic Party, and to my guests. If you would like to help "feed the frog," please visit my main web-page at www.Adam4pd.info, as I am now set up to take online contributions.

I have been speaking a lot lately and I have a major address at the Sarasota Democratic Club on Saturday, April 12. Each time I get the opportunity to talk, I learn something from the experience. I have been speaking about the Consitution, the relationship between the citizen and their government, the history of the Public Defender's Office, our local criminal justice system, and the success of the Drug Court program. I am trying to engage my audience to enter into a conversation about criminal justice so that together we can decide our priorities. I have been receiving excellent and thoughtful questions from people that cause me to constantly seek out additional knowledge so as to be better prepared to answer. I believe that campaigning should be a dynamic experience where I learn as much about the community as they learn about me. So if you see me out on the trail, do not hesitate to let me know what is on your mind. Of if you belong to a club or church or neighborhood association that would like to know more about criminal justice, please get in touch with me with an e-mail to Adam@Adam4pd.info and I will be happy to come visit.