By Chip Drago
Mobile Bay Times
In victory, glory. In defeat, all manner of lessons, including sometimes an unexpected celebrity, a solid career move, a few laughs on the way to Buck’s Pocket and a chance “to fall in love all over again.”

With the idea that loss is a more interesting teacher than triumph, the Mobile Bay Times contacted a number of unsuccessful candidates in recent elections with two questions:

* Are you still glad you ran for office?; and

* What did you learn during the campaign that most surprised you?

A couple of things were clearly evident — no losing candidate regretted running or, at least, was willing to admit to that and it takes longer than a month before the vanquished are more likely to say “time heals all wounds” rather than “it’s time to wound all the heels.”

For big Ben Lodmell, the out-of-nowhere Democratic shooting star for Congress, defeat occurred early, well before the votes were counted. He was charged with soliciting a prostitute on the Eastern Shore and, ultimately, as the case was resolved, disappeared as suddenly as he had arrived.

The former Alabamian, who returned to his home state from Arizona as a highly-successful international banker/insurance executive, still manages to see his aborted bid in a positive light.

“I believe in the old adage that it is better to regret the things you did than to regret the things that you did not do,” Lodmell said. “It was a dream of mine to go home to Alabama and confront systemic problems that I
believed needed to change ever since I was a boy. I did … (and) failed, but I don’t regret it.

“I am a better person. It was a wonderful year. No one can take away the memories of all the kind people I met while shaking hands in front of Food Tiger, all the barbershop chats … all those priceless Sunday mornings with my family in Prichard churches.”

Lodmell professed both a positive and negative surprise in his campaign. The public voice that his candidacy provided was even more broad than he imagined. On the downside, that cash is king in a campaign for a congressional seat became disappointingly apparent.

“I discovered a tremendous paradox when I ran for Congress and it surprised me. On the one hand, I couldn’t believe how accessible the platform to speak out and be heard actually is. It is as if there are so few people willing to stand up and really communicate their ideas
and vision that if you do, there is an immediate platform. Business leaders, public intellectuals, personalities etc. develop that platform over years or decades and a competent politician can do it in an
election cycle.”

“On the other hand, as accessible as the platform may
be, I was equally surprised by how closed the door to Congress is if you don’t have at least a million dollars for the House and probably $3-5 million for the Senate. I tried to be innovative and even controversial to level the financial playing field through earned media, but at the end of the the day a candidate has to pay for TV time. Even if you ignore polling and run on a core message, start your campaign early, campaign 15 hours a day, and reach out to every constituency who will invite you in their doors, you still have to pay for TV time.

“There were some Alabama Democrats who ran great campaigns this year, but without the money the election totals were not very different than in past cycles.

I was also surprised to what degree electoral politics is a dirty ball game.”

Lodmell’s lament over dubious tactics was shared by others who did not win.

Local Democratic Party Chairman Brad Warren ran an uphill battle against veteran Mobile County Commissioner Mike Dean and, like most of his fellow Democratic nominees, lost the election.

Even so, Warren said he was glad that he ran.

“It has given me a tremendous amount of empathy and
sympathy for candidates and elected officials,” he said. “No one could ever acquire this knowledge without becoming a candidate for elected office.”

Among the lessons of the campaign trail were, he said, how disconnected the average voter is from government and its effect on their lives.

Warren said the disengaged electorate continues to elect unqualified representatives who “… do not have the capacity to oversee the enormous budgets and decisions that we allow them. It saddens me that voters elected at least two officials, locally, that have numerous ethical charges pending. I have come to believe a straight Party voting mechanism is a real negative. It allows the voter to be lazy.”

Warren also learned a few extra-political lessons.

“I learned that my family is far more important to me than … ANYTHING. I learned that the Taste of the Bayou is the best value on the Gulf Coast. I learned that
support and treachery most often come from the places that you least expect. I learned that education is the single most important issue when it comes to deciding any issue. I learned that if you don’t laugh at yourself and your situation, running for office is the most miserable assignment on earth.”

Despite a number of previous setbacks, Democratic nominee for county treasurer Milton Morrow expressed perhaps the most disgust of any unsuccessful candidate after losing to the incumbent Republican, Al Sessions.

Although he too was “glad that I ran,” Morrow’s joy was tempered.

“If (Alabama Attorney General) Troy King would have done his job Al Sessions should not (have been) on the ballot,” Morrow contended. “He clearly violated state law and my Republican counterpart Jeff Jones (who lost to Sessions in the GOP primary) has said the same thing. At the least, he should have been fined for being late with his paperwork. The law calls for that, too.

“This election has also shown the people of Mobile County the bias of the probate court Judge Don Davis against Democrats and his allowing this law breaking to occur,” Morrow charged. “This does not just stop at the treasurer’s race; the current revenue commissioner has also broken the law and has been allowed to remain in office.”

“I was asked not to challenge the election by many people telling me that it would be a waste of my time and money under the current people in charge,” Morrow said. “I just hope that we can get some justice in this county. Right now I believe we are being represented by a new Mobile Mafia.”

Davis suggested that Morrow was not well-versed on the law that applied in those specific instances, adding that he did not intend to get into a running public dialogue with the disappointed candidate. Davis, who previously found against former Republican incumbent Juvenile Judge Pam Millsaps in a qualifying dispute that fell under his jurisdiction, noted that the allegation against Sessions fell under a different law more properly pursued through the office of Mobile County District Attorney John Tyson, a Democrat.

Renee Williams sought the office of county revenue commissioner. As a Democrat in Mobile County, Williams found the political going tough, but predictably was glad she ran and described the experience as a mixture of “tears of joy and disappointment.”

“It was rewarding to find so many people give generously to my campaign in both dollars and personal effort,” said Williams. “It was disappointing to lose to a straight ticket mentality that did not objectively measure the qualifications of the different candidates.”

“The local Republican Party ran ads on TV and radio asking voters to vote a straight ticket,” she continued. “(Talk show host) Uncle Henry accused President-Elect Obama of being a socialist every day for a week prior to the election. Our fellow citizens in Mobile County were afraid that a tax increase on individuals with a net income of $250,000 or more somehow applied to them.”

But the Democratic Party shared some blame in the failure to connect with the average voter, “i.e. Joe the Plumber,” in Mobile County, she acknowledged.

“We must do a better job of getting the message out that we are an inclusive party that represents working men and women, who pay their taxes and send their children to public schools,” Williams said. “We represent individuals who are not born into wealth, but, through education and personal achievement climb the ladder of success. Having come from humble beginnings, we will ensure the ladder reaches those who struggle behind us.

She applauded the local Democratic ticket, including Elizabeth Edwards for license commissioner, Warren, Morrow and herself, as replete with “knowledge, experience, integrity and a willingness to serve.”

“We worked hard to meet the citizens and get our individual messages out to the voters,” she said. “We attended forums for local candidates where one or more Republican candidates would fail to even show up. In the end the straight Republican ticket beat each and every one of us. That was disappointing.”

Williams said she had “new respect” for candidates and campaign workers. Even in defeat, the local Democratic Party attained gains that will bear fruit in the future, she said.

“We will learn from this experience and work toward winning future elections,” she pledged. “The process has renewed my appreciation for the rights we as Americans have.”

Phil Benson also ran for revenue commissioner, but in the Republican primary where he, too, lost to incumbent, former Democrat turned Republican, Marilyn Wood.

“Am I glad that I ran for public office?” Benson said. “The answer is yes. I met a lot of good folks during the short campaign, and hopefully I can stay in contact with them, if only through the meetings of various Republican organizations.

Like Warren, Benson was surprised and disappointed at voter apathy.

“I found that many folks knew nothing about the candidates, and had no idea what the function was of the office that they were seeking,” Benson said. “The second thing that I found surprising, was the amount of disregard for the law and the amount of disrespect that some candidates had for their opponents and their opponent’s property. Apparently, the destruction of the opponents signs is acceptable. Also, I am still amazed that some candidates are allowed to use public assets while campaigning, which is a tremendous advantage, and no one seems to care.”

Henry Barnes lost a try for Bayou La Batre City Council. He was glad he ran despite the defeat and thought he did well under the circumstances.

“I did no campaigning and was out of town working when the runoff took place and I only lost by 40 votes,” he pointed out. “I did not think that was too bad.”

In the Year of the Challenge over financial disclosure requirements, Barnes also sought to oust his foe on those grounds.

“I learned that Alabama needs stricter laws concerning campaigning,” he said. “This may not change since the ones that need to change the laws are the ones that benefit from the loopholes in these laws. What really surprised me was when I filed a complaint against my opponent for not filing a campaign committee report until he knew he was in a runoff, Judge (Charlie) Graddick dismissed the case. This was a violation of the Fair Campaign Practices Act, but for some reason Judge Graddick basically ruled against this act. And there was no reason given for the dismissal. I could appeal this decision but since the election I have moved on with my life. I can now take a job and not have to worry about getting off for meetings like I did the past four years.”

Fairhope mayoral hopeful Rick Gambino said, “It was a great experience running and I’m certainly not sorry I ran. I met a lot of great people with many diverse ideas about the direction they want Fairhope to go. The one thing that’s consistent with most people is they want to maintain the unique village atmosphere. I sincerely hope the city council will listen to the people because that’s who they represent and don’t let any self interests get in the way of doing the citizens of Fairhope’s work.”

Fairhope city council candidate Danny Corte found his prominent Eastern Shore name to be a double-edged sword.

His name recognition was high without having to spend money, he said, but because of extensive Corte real estate holdings he found himself susceptible to the charge of being pro-developer.

“I can say yes, I’m very glad I ran,” said Corte. “I learned lot about Fairhope that I really didn’t know before. I met a lot of new people. It was a very humbling experience to get the support that I did get and from people that I didn’t know that well before.”

“Unlike much of the history of Fairhope politics, it got a little bit nastier than I thought it would be, nastier than I thought it should have been,” Corte said.

“It was my perception that voters had a pre-conceived notion about me in particular or a negative notion about me that I didn’t quite understand,” said Corte. “The pre-conceived notion was that the Corte’s were a big family and all we wanted was more development in Fairhope and that was the furthest thing from the truth. I look at development on a case by case basis, but I was tagged with the big pro-development moniker. So being a Corte, honestly, cut both ways. It was interesting though that once somebody got to know me who had not known me, they would comment on how I seemed so different from they had perceived, including my views.”

Corte lost in a runoff to incumbent Fairhope City Councilman Dan Stankoski.

Fairhope artist Dean Mosher forced a runoff with incumbent Fairhope Mayor Tim Kant in probably the most hotly contested race on either side of the bay.

Mosher was glad he ran because he got to air views that he shared with his supporters.

“I got to speak to nearly 2,000 people directly and the way I formatted my 60 plus gatherings, I got to spend time giving and receiving questions and answers about the issues. We absolutely contributed to the civic betterment. I would have preferred to have won. Still, there have already been actions as a direct result or our campaign. I was involved with several of the council members in the process of holding our coffees and sharing in other events with them a lot of good information was given and exchanged. So I’m sure I have had an effect.”

A 34-year resident of Fairhope, Mosher described his campaign as “falling in love with Fairhope all over again.”

“Among those people who were willing to understand the problems and how they needed by solved, I made an awful lot of good friends and acquaintances, folks who now understand the issues and where Fairhope needs to go,” said Mosher.

Mosher said his mayoral bid wasn’t about any enduring political aspirations, but it certainly would never be the “end of the line about my caring for Fairhope and my working for its betterment and that’s taken many forms,” political and otherwise.

Mosher said the “number of intelligent and perceptive people who really care about the issues in depth both surprised and pleased me very much.”

The apathy others may have encountered was not apparent in Fairhope, said Mosher, noting the big voter turnout.

Like some of the others, Mosher pointed to finances and “Karl Rove tactics” as obstacles to the success of his campaign.

“I was disappointed in the nastiness though it didn’t come from me,” said Mosher. “If that’s what it took to win, I didn’t want to win.”

However, politics is a dog-eat-dog world with foes and fire hydrants there for the hosing, as one of Mosher’s opponents could readily attest.

For Willie Bean, a seven-year-old yellow Lab facetiously entered in the Fairhope mayor’s race by his owner and chief political consultant, Tress Turner of The Coffee Loft, it was all about the race and not the outcome.

In fact, a win would’ve spoiled things for Willie Bean, tethering him to City Hall whereas the loss gives him the freedom to roam the countryside for endorsement opportunities, media petting and dog treats unrestricted by campaign financial disclosure laws.

“We are thrilled the way things turned out, especially me,” said Turner. “If Willie would have won a position in (government) … I would have had to quit my day job.”

Turner grew tired of the pushing and pulling among supporters of the various mayoral candidates which, if she favored one over the others, posed a threat to her business relationships. So Turner decided to confer her support on Willie Bean, an escape that would’ve done Houdini proud. She could not be faulted for aligning herself with her most loyal friend, thus not alienating supporters of any other contender.

Besides getting Turner off the hook, Willie Bean’s candidacy took off like, well, like a scalded dog.

“The fact of the matter is Willie did win in the hearts of many voters, young and old,” she said.

“I think that people have grown weary of the politics that surround us,” she said. “Cynicism seems to get stirred more and more these days, especially during election times. Throw a dog in the mix and the humor and smiles lighten the mood … obviously.”

Interview requests came pouring in.

“The interviews from others states made me realize we were not the only town or state going through the election blues,” she said.

DJs and reporters confided that rough and tumble politics in their towns was wearing thin, too. They encouraged her to relocate to their communities if Fairhopians didn’t see the wisdom of electing Willie Bean, according to Turner. Or better still, the media suggested, write in Willie Bean for president so he could represent one and all.

Willie Bean quickly went international. His first interview request came from Canadian radio. Then Canada MTV had Willie Bean and Turner on live web cam twice, including an offer to endorse a Canadian candidate of the day. Willie Bean selected the Green Party nominee.

“I put a little peanut butter on her photo,” Turner confessed.

Defeat has only heightened Willie Bean’s profile and fueled his political ambitions. His new goal is to become “The Political Watch Dog,” said Turner.

His website is being developed for fun and education, sort of a dog’s eye view of government and politics, said Turner.

The site should be up next week.