Councilwoman Gerrie Schipske Offers Workshop on
Running for the 5th Council District: Everything You Need to Know
She offered it when she ran for re-election in 2006 and now that she will be termed out in 2014, Fifth District Councilwoman Gerrie Schipske is again hosting a workshop for anyone interested in running for the 5th Council District.
“I love the 5th District and want to help recruit quality candidates and make sure our residents have some good choices,” says Schipske who was first elected to the seat in 2006 and is serving in her second full term. “With the election just 12 months away, anyone thinking of running should be starting his or her campaign.”
Schipske will brief potential candidates about the issues impacting the 5th District and discuss the system she and her staff use to respond to residents. She will also review the 7 years of projects she has initiated and will also cover the basics of what a candidate needs to do in order to be successful in the 5th Council District.
“The residents of the 5th District have come to expect information, contact and follow up from their elected officials. They also expect candidates to walk door to door so they can get a chance to talk with you one on one. That takes a lot of work to win a campaign in this district because geographically the district is spread out across 11.5 square miles.”
Schipske notes that she will not seek a third term on the City Council by running as a write in candidate. “I am concerned that term limits have resulted in so much turn over down at City Hall that major decisions and power gets placed in the hands of long time employees instead of elected officials. But the voters approved term limits and I respect that decision.”
Schipske will not make an endorsement for the 5th Council District but pledged that once her replacement is elected, she will make the transition as “smooth as possible so that residents won’t see an interruption in service.”
Residents of the 5th Council District interested in running for the council seat in 2014 are invited to attend the workshop on Wednesday, March 20, 2013 at 5 pm – 6:30 pm in the large conference room of the Parks and Recreation Administration Building at Studebaker and Barrios.
