“I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith.”
  St. Paul

“Satisfaction does not come with achievement, but with effort. Full effort is full victory.”
  Mahatma Gandhi

Thank you, thank you, thank you. Last night I attended a victory celebration on Lady Street at Robbie Butt’s office. Surprisingly, it was my victory celebration. A great crowd of well wishers and enthusiasts gathered to say “well done” followed immediately by “so when do we do it again?” I was overwhelmed then and I am overwhelmed now as the calls and e-mails continue to come in. The themes have been consistent - we all see a need for accountability and change in our city government and we are all willing to work for it.

We came close. We rose from an 11 percent start to a 42 percent showing in ten weeks in the overall results.  In District 3, where my opponent had enormous strength in his first run for office, I moved from 7 percent in the beginning to well over 50 percent yesterday.  Endorsements from the State Newspaper, many neighborhood leaders, the business community and most of all you, were the wave that pushed me forward. We witnessed large crowds at forums and debates and many repeat participants anxious to come at the issues again, and again.  We exposed a bad deal in Five Points and gave people a reason to believe that their voices will be heard.  Our message hit home here in our home, Columbia.

And we did it for 25 percent of what our opponent spent. Our campaign was ably served by some of the most experienced and well regarded figures in the Republican and Democratic parties. Our organization was all family and friends.  We all believed and we came close……

Next time…….Yes! There will be a next time and I hope you will be with me as we take on the entrenched, and the powerful.

Your Friend,

Cameron

PS. Below please find my letter of congratulations to Daniel Rickenmann. It was delivered to his office today and copies were provided to local media. This recognition is well deserved. After taking a couple of days off to gather my thoughts and get reacquainted with my wonderful wife, I will be sending a note to the voters as well.

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Dear Mr. Rickenmann,

Congratulations on your re-election to the Columbia City Council. Like me, I am sure that you are very grateful to your many supporters. Although I needed to limit my run for this important office to only a few months and ran a campaign built on small donations and many volunteer hours, I am pleased with the result. Our joint appearances raised many important issues, addressed a number of significant concerns, and challenged voters to consider what priorities they want to see addressed as we look to the future of our great city.

At times our conversations were spirited as they should have been. We disagreed on many matters. And that is as it should be. We owed our constituents our directness, our honesty and our zeal as we challenged each other and offered differing visions for the city. We each presented a unique set of experiences, and skills to be applied to Office of City Council Person.

While my support grew steadily throughout the campaign from 11 percent in its first days to 41.7 percent last night, it is clear that a majority of voters considered you worthy of a second term. I hope it is one marked by an overriding concern for the needs of our citizens.

I stand ready to be of assistance as you and your fellow council members grapple with how to ensure that every tax dollar is spent carefully with citizens able to access information related to this easily and in a timely manner. I stand ready to be of assistance as you all weigh in on the future development of Five Points especially in regards to the clean up of the recently identified contamination at the Kenny’s site and as you gather all the pertinent information regarding the best use of the property. I stand ready to be of assistance as the Council addresses safety in our city through innovative gang intervention programs, an expansion of the number of police officers on the streets, better pay and benefits for our officers to encourage retention, and the study of the establishment of a police reserve/auxiliary like those in our county and in so many other cities in this state.

I believe in local political action as the first step in any national movement toward reform. I will stay actively involved and committed to my city and its people. Call on me if I can be of help. I look forward to continued engagement with you and your fellow Council Members in the years ahead.

Respectfully,

Cameron Runyan