Copies of the letter below were mailed on March 7th to all candidates running for office. The letters were sent Priority Mail with delivery confirmation.
Dear Bay St. Louis city candidate,
We would like to offer you a unique – and free - way to reach thousands of potential voters.
The Shoofly Magazine (www.bslshoofly.com) is a popular monthly online publication that has more than 2300 subscribers and 16,000+ unique viewers each month – and we’re growing every day. With the help of a bi-partisan group of volunteers, we have set up a website to:
The project is called Serve Bay St. Louis and the web address is simple: www.servebsl.com. Our civic supporters in this project include the Hancock Chamber of Commerce and the Sea Coast Echo. The tag-line for the project is “Compare Answers, Not Ads.” We believe this online forum to be the first of its kind in the state.
The website contains a vast amount of local voter information including maps, how to register, important dates and a list of all candidates. Later, we’ll be adding items like sample ballots. The entire site is mobile-friendly, so younger voters especially will find it easy to use.
On the Serve Bay St. Louis website, candidates in both mayoral and city council races will have two opportunities to reach thousands of voters - at no cost.
To participate is free and easy! Here’s how it works:
Part One
1. Email us before 5pm on March 20th 2017, with your name, phone number and e-mail address. You’ll find detailed instructions at the end of this letter.
2. With that email, include a digital photo and introductory statement. See the end of this letter for detailed instructions.
3. All bios and photos will be posted on the Serve BSL website by March 26th. Detailed instructions at end of this letter.
4. Participation in Part One of the Forum automatically qualifies candidates for Part Two. Candidates who don’t participate in Part One will NOT be eligible to participate in Part Two.
Part Two
1. On March 20th, participating Serve BSL Forum candidates will be emailed a list of questions, which have been compiled with input from community leaders and residents.
2. You'll have until 5pm on April 9th to respond to the questions (nearly three weeks). Then we’ll post all candidates’ answers online on or around April 12th.
3. When the answers from all participating candidates have been entered onto the website, we’ll launch a major social media and press campaign to publicize the site to voters. The Hancock Chamber and the Sea Coast Echo will also help us publicize the site.
A few notes:
· Serve Bay St. Louis will NOT endorse any candidate. Our volunteers have committed to not making their own choices before reading the candidates’ responses on the forum.
· Any candidate who chooses not to participate will remain on the list of candidates posted on our website with a note stating “Chose not to participate.” Any candidate who participates in Part One who doesn’t return answers to questions before deadline will be listed with the explanation of “no response before deadline.”
· Information received from candidates will not be edited. In the interest of accuracy, we’ll be copying and pasting EXACTLY what we receive from you onto the website. We will not be able to make corrections or changes. It is in your best interest to have at least two people proof-read your material before sending it in.
THIS IS A FREE COMMUNITY SERVICE
We're hoping for 100% participation from candidates. After all, who can afford to pass up an opportunity to get your views out to thousands of voters at no cost?
Thank you for your consideration,
The Serve Bay St. Louis Volunteers:
Ellis Anderson, Suzi Kergosien Hand, Larry Jaubert, Myron Labat, David Mayley, Carole McKellar, Kathleen Monti, Lisa Monti, Chris Roth
Details on Participating in Serve Bay St. Louis
Part One:
· Send an email with your name, phone number and your email address to: servebsl@bslshoofly.com
· Include a short statement that introduces you to voters and explains why you feel you’re the right person for the job.
· The statement should be 200 words max. That’s about four short paragraphs. USE A COUNTER ON A WORD PROCESSING PROGRAM (like MS Word or Pages) TO MAKE SURE YOU DON’T GO OVER THE LIMIT. Entries over 200 words will be cut off at the 200-word mark in the interest of fairness.
· Make sure your statement is free from typos, misspellings, and grammatical errors. We will copy and paste this information onto our website and will not be editing. We also won’t be able to make changes once the information is received.
· Also include a digital image of yourself. Head and shoulder pictures will work best. The higher the resolution, the better (we can size down, but can’t size up). We’ll be cropping all images to 3in X 3in with 125 resolution. You may size your own image before sending to us if you wish.
· Make sure that your junk mail filters are set to allow emails from servebsl@bslshoofly.com to reach you.
· All forum candidates are being mailed this letter on the same date via priority mail so we can track delivery.
· Since phone numbers of candidates are no longer made available to the public through the elections board, our volunteers will make all reasonable attempts to locate your phone number during Part One of the forum. Assuming they’re able to find it, they may contact you by phone (up to three times) to answer any questions you might have during the process.
We would like to offer you a unique – and free - way to reach thousands of potential voters.
The Shoofly Magazine (www.bslshoofly.com) is a popular monthly online publication that has more than 2300 subscribers and 16,000+ unique viewers each month – and we’re growing every day. With the help of a bi-partisan group of volunteers, we have set up a website to:
- Introduce candidates in the upcoming Bay St. Louis elections
- Present their viewpoints on various issues
- Act as a one-stop-shop for important local voting information.
The project is called Serve Bay St. Louis and the web address is simple: www.servebsl.com. Our civic supporters in this project include the Hancock Chamber of Commerce and the Sea Coast Echo. The tag-line for the project is “Compare Answers, Not Ads.” We believe this online forum to be the first of its kind in the state.
The website contains a vast amount of local voter information including maps, how to register, important dates and a list of all candidates. Later, we’ll be adding items like sample ballots. The entire site is mobile-friendly, so younger voters especially will find it easy to use.
On the Serve Bay St. Louis website, candidates in both mayoral and city council races will have two opportunities to reach thousands of voters - at no cost.
- In Part One, you’ll be able to introduce yourself with a short bio and a photo. In the bio, you can explain why you feel qualified for the job. We’ll post them on the Serve BSL website for free.
- In Part Two, candidates who participated in Part One will have the opportunity to answer a set of questions submitted by the public and selected by our bi-partisan volunteers. Your responses will be posted on the website too.
To participate is free and easy! Here’s how it works:
Part One
1. Email us before 5pm on March 20th 2017, with your name, phone number and e-mail address. You’ll find detailed instructions at the end of this letter.
2. With that email, include a digital photo and introductory statement. See the end of this letter for detailed instructions.
3. All bios and photos will be posted on the Serve BSL website by March 26th. Detailed instructions at end of this letter.
4. Participation in Part One of the Forum automatically qualifies candidates for Part Two. Candidates who don’t participate in Part One will NOT be eligible to participate in Part Two.
Part Two
1. On March 20th, participating Serve BSL Forum candidates will be emailed a list of questions, which have been compiled with input from community leaders and residents.
2. You'll have until 5pm on April 9th to respond to the questions (nearly three weeks). Then we’ll post all candidates’ answers online on or around April 12th.
3. When the answers from all participating candidates have been entered onto the website, we’ll launch a major social media and press campaign to publicize the site to voters. The Hancock Chamber and the Sea Coast Echo will also help us publicize the site.
A few notes:
· Serve Bay St. Louis will NOT endorse any candidate. Our volunteers have committed to not making their own choices before reading the candidates’ responses on the forum.
· Any candidate who chooses not to participate will remain on the list of candidates posted on our website with a note stating “Chose not to participate.” Any candidate who participates in Part One who doesn’t return answers to questions before deadline will be listed with the explanation of “no response before deadline.”
· Information received from candidates will not be edited. In the interest of accuracy, we’ll be copying and pasting EXACTLY what we receive from you onto the website. We will not be able to make corrections or changes. It is in your best interest to have at least two people proof-read your material before sending it in.
THIS IS A FREE COMMUNITY SERVICE
We're hoping for 100% participation from candidates. After all, who can afford to pass up an opportunity to get your views out to thousands of voters at no cost?
Thank you for your consideration,
The Serve Bay St. Louis Volunteers:
Ellis Anderson, Suzi Kergosien Hand, Larry Jaubert, Myron Labat, David Mayley, Carole McKellar, Kathleen Monti, Lisa Monti, Chris Roth
Details on Participating in Serve Bay St. Louis
Part One:
· Send an email with your name, phone number and your email address to: servebsl@bslshoofly.com
· Include a short statement that introduces you to voters and explains why you feel you’re the right person for the job.
· The statement should be 200 words max. That’s about four short paragraphs. USE A COUNTER ON A WORD PROCESSING PROGRAM (like MS Word or Pages) TO MAKE SURE YOU DON’T GO OVER THE LIMIT. Entries over 200 words will be cut off at the 200-word mark in the interest of fairness.
· Make sure your statement is free from typos, misspellings, and grammatical errors. We will copy and paste this information onto our website and will not be editing. We also won’t be able to make changes once the information is received.
· Also include a digital image of yourself. Head and shoulder pictures will work best. The higher the resolution, the better (we can size down, but can’t size up). We’ll be cropping all images to 3in X 3in with 125 resolution. You may size your own image before sending to us if you wish.
· Make sure that your junk mail filters are set to allow emails from servebsl@bslshoofly.com to reach you.
· All forum candidates are being mailed this letter on the same date via priority mail so we can track delivery.
· Since phone numbers of candidates are no longer made available to the public through the elections board, our volunteers will make all reasonable attempts to locate your phone number during Part One of the forum. Assuming they’re able to find it, they may contact you by phone (up to three times) to answer any questions you might have during the process.
Why an Online Forum?
- Our volunteers believe that people who want to serve the public shouldn't have to go into debt to reach voters - or be forced to accept large campaign donations.
- We believe if citizens have access to a convenient, non-biased and time-saving way to make sound voting decisions, they'll use it.
- And finally, we believe that big changes start small. If local governments become healthier, the country will flourish as well. What better place to start than Bay St. Louis, a city known for its creative approach to life?
Serve Bay St. Louis
Compare Answers, Not Ads
Bay St. Louis, Mississippi Gulf Coast
This non-partisan site created and sponsored as a public service by volunteers working with
The Shoofly Magazine
with special thanks to our civic supporters:
The Hancock Chamber
The Sea Coast Echo
Terms of Use and Privacy Policy
Compare Answers, Not Ads
Bay St. Louis, Mississippi Gulf Coast
This non-partisan site created and sponsored as a public service by volunteers working with
The Shoofly Magazine
with special thanks to our civic supporters:
The Hancock Chamber
The Sea Coast Echo
Terms of Use and Privacy Policy
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