Alumni return to teach politics

Oberlin alums returned Saturday to discuss the benefits and pitfalls of being in public office.

Six alumni participated in a symposium entitled "Running for Office in the 21st Century."

The symposium was sponsored by the Oberlin Initiative in Electoral Politics, a subset of the Politics department whose purpose is to encourage and prepare Oberlin students for public service. The Alumni Office co-sponsored the symposium.

"The objective was to allow our students to talk to alumni who have direct personal experience with campaigns and elections," Associate Professor of Politics Eve Sandberg said.

The symposium consisted of two panels which included two state senators, two city councilmen, a county treasurer and a political consultant.

The first panel was made up of State Senators Janet Denison Howell, OC '66, and Jackie Vaughn III, OC '54. It also included political consultant James Margolis, OC '78. Margolis's firm, Greer, Margolis, Mitchell, Burns and Associates, Inc., helped run Clinton's 1992 campaign.

The panel was moderated by Professor of Politics Ronald Kahn and addressed how and whether to run for office. Panelists addressed the issue of whether students should run for public office.

"Do you want more than anything to be an elected official?" Howell said. "If you answer yes, do yourself and us a favor and don't run. There are enough people like that already. If you have a vision, if you see something that only you can change, then please consider running. We don't have enough people like that. We need people like that."

The panelists also gave advice on being elected, staying elected and catering to a district's needs. "You should really be conscious of their needs and their wants and their aspirations," Vaughn said.

Howell gave some basic advice for running for office. "Know yourself, know what you stand for, know what you will not compromise on and know what you're perhaps willing to change," she said.

Howell also reminded the audience that sometimes a person's opponent makes a mistake that tips the election in the other candidate's favor. She cited as an example a debate that occurred during her first campaign, when one of her opponents asserted that bottle recycling caused AIDS. Howell won the election.

Margolis gave a speech which addressed the issue of campaign spending and advertising. "You got to have money to play,� he said.

In addition, Margolis addressed the issue of cynicism towards elections. "This is important stuff. Who we elect and who gets involved matters," Margolis said.

He also spoke about his job. "Political consultants are the only ones held in lower esteem than politicians," Margolis said.

The second panel addressed the same issues, as well as the issue of privacy as a public official. The second group of panelists consisted of City Councilmen Charlene Drew Jarvis, OC '62 and Todd Portune, OC '80, as well as Cuyahoga County Treasurer James Rokakis, OC '77.

"You've got to decide to do it, talk to your family, friends, pay your taxes," Jarvis said. "Look at your past and see if you're willing to have it on the front page."

In addition to the panels, the symposium included a dinner and opportunities for students and alumni to have informal discussions.

"I think I heard a lot of stuff which I'm still digesting and applying and considering," Cole Scholar junior Scott Remley said.

Junior Meagan Willits, also in the program, commented on the application of what the Cole Scholars have learned in class to real life political careers. "It was interesting hearing it come from real people who'd been through it," Willits said.