As Bedford’s 2022 local election campaign moves toward voters casting ballots at the polls on Saturday, there’s one thing on which all of the candidates for office can agree: No one has ever seen so many political lawn signs in this town.
And the irony is almost tangible because this has been one of the worst environments for retail politics ever. Not only is technology changing the communications universe literally every week, but the pandemic—even in retreat—discourages group gatherings and even one-to-one conversations.
The result is not only campaign websites, common to all the candidates, but also specific Facebook groups, Zoom “coffees,” and social media efforts on behalf of most candidates.
Still, the transition is not painless. “It is best to communicate in person and use electronic media to share information,” remarked Select Board candidate Dan Carroll. “I miss seeing people in person,” said a fellow board hopeful, Shawn Hanegan.
“A lot of residents don’t use social media and prefer face-to-face conversations,” noted School Committee candidate Sheila Mehta-Green. “Normally a lot of people would have done the ‘meet-and-greets.’ We’ve had to rely a lot on Zoom,” which “allows you to meet a lot of people.” But “it takes away some of the personalization, where you can kick back and have a cup of coffee.” She said she hopes that eventually there will be a return to in-person campaigning.
Select Board candidate Ron O’Brien said, “I agree, it is challenging getting a message out in this Covid environment. My focus has primarily been on small meetings with voters and Zoom calls.” School Committee incumbent Brad Morrison admitted, “I was not particularly skilled in communicating through social media, so using social media strategically to advance a campaign was certainly out of my comfort zone.”
“Although I’ve had two outdoor in-person events, I’m doing meet-and-greets and campaign events mainly on Zoom,” Hanegan reported. “This has the benefit of higher attendance because it’s easier to access, but the drawback of reduced personal contact. Zoom is better than a phone call for contact but not as good as live meetings.”
Candidates have embraced electronic technology regardless of the coronavirus. “I think voters expect candidates to have a public online presence,” said Select Board member Emily Mitchell, running for re-election. “I designed my website and marketing materials, and I manage my Facebook page and Mailchimp account.”
Morrison stated, “It seems that a website is also essential, so I set up a domain and built a website.” Carroll concurred that “a campaign website is a given.” Hanegan observed, “A campaign website is essential. It’s important for a candidate to make a public declaration of where they stand on important issues facing our town. A website says a lot about what the candidate believes and what their priorities are.”
“I am using electronic communication to reach voters via text, email, social media, and my website,” Carroll commented. “These forms of electronic media are central to my campaign.”
Hanegan said, “I’m using electronic communications in the form of Facebook, Instagram, and group emails. I would be using these methods of communication even in a post-Covid environment. It’s a good way of getting info out quickly to many people.”
Mehta-Green said she found a way to combine traditional and virtual campaigning: she photographed supporters on the street with campaign signs and posted them on social media – which are “great to get your message out pretty quickly.”
Not everybody just eases onto those platforms. “I have never been active on social media” until running for office, O’Brien said.
Same for Morrison. “I have not had a strong social media presence prior to the campaign. I have had a Facebook account for quite some time, I have been completely passive,” he related. “Once this campaign began, it quickly became clear to me how much was going on in Bedford through Facebook. I thought it was essential to build a Facebook page.”
Hanegan commented, “One drawback is that when people communicate via social media instead of by voice or in-person, there is an increase in hostile discussions. It’s much easier to relate to and understand an actual person as opposed to an account on Facebook that represents a person.”
Mitchell concurred. “There are disadvantages to online campaigning — I got a couple of obscene comments on my Google signup form, for example, that I doubt would’ve happened in 2019 on a paper form. But I think it’s here to stay.”
Local media are part of the state-of-the-art campaign scene. “Having forums over Zoom and videos available through Bedford TV has been very helpful: voters can hear from candidates in real-time and have a record of how they respond to public comments and questions,” Mitchell said.
Carroll pointed out that “The Bedford Citizen remains a tool to educate the public.” O’Brien commented, “The candidate forums, like LWV and the BFC and Bedford TV, benefit the candidates to help communicate campaign ideas and messaging.”
“It has been fun to see everyone’s lawn signs all over town,” Mehta-Green said, even on dead-end streets. “It’s a great thing that we have so many people in our town that want to volunteer. Let’s take all that energy and voices and put it back into the town.”
Mike Rosenberg can be reached at [email protected], or 781-983-1763
Editor’s Note: While every candidate was contacted by email, not everyone responded in time to be included in this article.
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