Interviewed by Moristotle
The first yard signs we saw in our neighborhood for the November 7 election of three City Councillors in Mebane, North Carolina advertised Sean C. Ewing. It was his first run for a governmental office, and he was opposing the three popular incumbents whose terms were ending. All of the incumbents had served at least two terms already, and two of them had served at least six terms. Sean seemed to be in for an uphill battle.
With a voter turnout whose percentage was some number of points higher [I haven’t been able to confirm yet] than the state average of almost 17%, Sean came within 182 votes of replacing one of the incumbents. We aren’t hesitant at all to interview the losing candidate. Sean Ewing doesn’t give the impression of being a loser. Our questions are in italics.
Sean, why do so many eligible voters not bother to vote?
With this municipal election being one of the largest ever for Mebane, I am very proud of the campaign and all Mebanite voters. Our campaign team will be reaching out to the community to better understand how we can continue a large turnout not only for general and mid-term elections, but also municipal elections.
What does it take to get voters out anyway?
Our campaign knocked on doors, called constituents, posted reminders on social media, sent mailers, and told everyone we could about voting. We will continue these actions going forward. Voting is so critical for a functioning democracy which represents the people. I look forward to continued increase in voter turnout in the future and I am so proud of everyone that was involved in the campaign and that voted in this election.
I see myself as a Progressive that will continue to strive to work for the people I represent. The people I represent are diverse in social, community, and political views. Therefore, I must take everyone’s thoughts, opinions, and point-of-view into consideration when decisions are made.
What is progressivism anyway, to your way of thinking?
America and the world is a changing place. As such, we should work to ensure we are inclusive for everyone and have the most educated workforce moving forward. An educated and healthy workforce is a prosperous workforce.
What advice might you have for progressives in making their case today, with the swell of “conservative” opinion opposing them? Do you agree that conservative opposition is currently a serious problem for progressives? Or how would you put it?
The best advice is to listen to everyone and find common ground. Once common ground is found, then you can begin building a dialogue from there.
Do you plan to try to help the Mebane community even though you weren’t elected?
One hundred percent, absolutely. After serving my time in the military, the fiancée and I are at home in Mebane. We are going to strengthen our current community bonds and continue to serve those in the community.
Your website describes you as a problem-solver. “A problem solver at work, Sean knows the most efficient solution begins with listening to the feedback from those experiencing the problem.” Please elaborate on that.
I work as a Quality Manager and Telematics Verification Engineer for Volvo and Mack semi-trucks. My passion runs deep for improved quality in a manufacturing environment. With high quality, you reduce issues in the future. When there are issues, I must listen to everyone at the company to understand what improvements need to be made. From workers on the assembly line to vice presidents, and maybe even the CEO, I need to ensure that those affected by quality improvements are heard. Often times, I hear opinions or reasoning for improvements that would otherwise not have been considered. These skill sets translate into community-building by integrating everyone into an improvement process, whether the process be a manufacturing assembly process, a new park, or the impact of high-density zoning. I want to ensure that as many people as possible are involved in the process, because there may be a historical reason or other opinions for improvement that may not have been considered before.
Did you run for a local office as a stepping stone to higher office? Please comment on what one of the incumbents told me, and I quote, “I think Sean is in it as a stepping stone into higher office, and he’s not really interested in Mebane. If he has all these great ideas, why has he attended Council meetings for several months but never suggested any of them?”
I am very disappointed that any of the incumbents would have said that I am not interested in Mebane. Given my military service, I did not have the luxury to live in a town all of my life. The fiancée and I chose to live in Mebane. This is our home and we love the people of Mebane. As a councilman, I would strive to get out into the community to listen and have two-way dialogues with all of our residents.
In your view, how is Mebane doing, and how could it do better?
Mebane is well. However, while out talking with the people of Mebane, I discovered that there are strong concerns within our community. Growth is a large concern, because people move and live here for the community charm. With growth, we can lose that charm that everyone loves. Additionally, when it comes to growth, although we have capacity for water and sewer, other infrastructure does not appear to be prepared. For example, school-overcrowding is a real and actual issue right now. Although the City Council does not have jurisdiction of schools [which are county], as Mebane grows, school overcrowding will continue to be an issue that directly impacts the current and next generation of Mebanites.
Who are your heroes in government? Did any of them counsel you about running?
We have an outstanding base of political leaders in the area. I aspire to the passion and leadership of Alamance County Commissioner Bob Byrd and Burlington Mayor Ian Baltutis. Both get out among the people and often challenge their own views to provide continuously improving leadership.
I have had the privilege of meeting your fiancée, Iza, who accompanied you to my front door when you came by to leave me a yard sign. What are your favorite things that Iza has said to you?
Iza is my rock. She keeps me grounded and focused. I am extraordinarily fortunate to have a fiancée and partner such as her. When it comes to most favorite things she has said to me, I would have to choose her responding “Yes!” to my marriage proposal back in September. We are very excited for our next steps in life, especially here in Mebane.
Which of you was more disappointed that you weren’t elected?
There is no disappointment in the campaign. All the volunteers from across the city came together for the campaign. We were so very lucky to have the supporters, volunteers, and Mebanites working on the campaign. No one should have any regrets, it was an amazing campaign.
Did “anything funny happen on the way to the forum” during the campaign? Surely you have two or three funny stories…?
Not too much funny, but we made it fun to get out and canvass across Mebane. Once volunteers begin to get comfortable to knock on doors in any neighborhood, a lot of faith in humanity is restored due to the kindness of Mebanites.
What was it like running for office?
I am honored to run for office. The campaign teammates and myself went out regularly into the community to campaign. We were constantly out, welcoming new Mebanites to this town. Continuing this activity and getting out to meet the thousands of Mebanites is something I look forward to every year.
What were the best moments of the campaign?
The best moments were seeing the Mebanites that teammates and I had registered to vote in the past, as well as seeing all the new faces that have moved into town. We, as a town, are very fortunate to be so welcoming. I am grateful because Mebanites that have been in town from 2 weeks to 4 generations welcomed me into their homes to talk about politics.
What were the worst moments?
During the campaign, a very small minority of people were quite hostile that I had chosen to live in Mebane after my military duty. This was unfortunate, but definitely not a reflection on all the great people of Mebane that come from many diverse backgrounds.
It sounds to me as though you will try again in four years for the Mebane City Council. Is that your intention? By the way, did you learn anything in the campaign about how to weasel-word your way out of a too-revealing question?
I cannot guarantee anything right now in my political career. What I can say is that I am incredibly proud of everyone involved in the campaign and of the voters that did come out to vote on November 7th. I am excited for the available opportunities to serve Mebanites in the future.
If the three incumbents who just won re-election were sitting here with us, what wishes might you express for them? Or express anyway, even though they aren’t here?
First off, I want to say “thank you” to everyone that came out to cast a vote for any candidate in the election. This was one of the largest turnouts for a Mebane municipal election.
In regards to the individuals re-elected, I wish them the best as they face decisions involving roughly 2,900 residential units possibly coming to Mebane [in the near future], how to move forward with the YMCA, and the many other decisions City Council members must make.
Were there some questions you were hoping I would ask that I haven’t asked? Feel free to raise and answer them.
“What are some bright spots of the campaign that we could use as lessons learned?”
Moving forward, I hope we can make diversity, inclusiveness, and community outreach a high and overt priority. For example, I was able to meet the Chief of the Mebane Police Department, Terrence Caldwell. I hope we can all aspire to his level of management and leadership. Chief Caldwell’s police force is diverse and reflective of the people they serve. Additionally, the Chief strives for his officers to get out into the community, meet the people, and get feedback. Many people I talked to in the community that had had the police called on them are thankful for our police department. The responding officers respond with empathy and de-escalate the situation. In fact, many people know the police officers by name. Mebanites are very lucky to have a leader like Chief Caldwell.
“Is there anyone else you would like to thank?”
In addition to Iza and all the volunteers and supporters, one person that I would like to thank in particular is Mr. Matt Skinner. He was the campaign manager and did a spectacular job organizing the campaign and the volunteers. He was out in the community, rain or shine, working to ensure that everyone knew about the campaign and the upcoming election. He should be strongly commended for his hard work.
May I infer, because you hadn’t managed to make those two points earlier, that you have a few things yet to learn about talking like a politician? <I laugh and Sean laughs> Is that necessarily a bad thing?
I certainly have learned a lot about communicating with people. The main thing I’ve learned is that to talk to people, you need to listen to them first. Everyone is unique and different. Everyone has different priorities and concerns. I don’t really see this as talking like a politician, so much as I see it as serving the community. You don’t know the concerns unless you reach out and make an effort to hear what people have to say.
| Copyright © 2017 by Sean C. Ewing & Moristotle |
No comments:
Post a Comment