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Somebody's Gotta Do It: Why Cursing at the News Won't Save the Nation, But Your Name on a Local Ballot Can
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About This Book
A humorous (and instructive) memoir about a progressive woman who runs for very small-town elected office in a red county--and wins (yay!)--and then realizes the critical importance of the job.Back in the fall of 2016, before casting her vote for Hillary Clinton, Adrienne Martini, a knitter, a runner, a mom, and a resident of rural Otsego County in snowy upstate New York, knew who her Senators were, wasn't too sure who her Congressman was, and had only vague inklings about who her state reps were. She's always thought of politicians as . . . oily. Then she spent election night curled in bed, texting her husband, who was at work, unable to stop shaking. And after the presidential inauguration, she reached out to Dave, a friend of a friend, who was involved in the Otsego County Democratic Party. Maybe she could help out with phone calls or fundraising? But Dave's idea was: she should run for office. Someone had to do it. And so, in the year that 26,000 women (up from 920 the year before) contacted Emily's List about running for offices large and small, Adrienne Martini ran for the District 12 seat on the Otsego County Board. And became one of the 14 delegates who collectively serve one rural American county, overseeing a budget of $130 million. Highway repair? Soil and water conservation? Child safety? Want wifi? Need a coroner? It turns out, local office matters. A lot.
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Reviews
"This is not your standard focus-group-approved politician fare; it's an honest, in-the-moment, firsthand account of a disappointed mother's foray into local politics ..."
"Martini's approach is simultaneously lighthearted and enlightening, brimming with practical advice on how (and why), if you want to enact real change, your local government is the place to start."
"Using humor and anecdotes, Martini shows the importance of running for local office and helps provide a broader understanding of local government."
"[Martini] doesn't sugarcoat the challenges, from five-hour meetings to family time lost to doorbell-ringing, but she frequently offers strategies for meeting them, and her overall message is hopeful: Democracy works—at least at the local level ..."
"The result is a useful guide for those contemplating the plunge into electoral politics."
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