Election Day

It's election day in Omaha. I think two or three people might actually go to the polls before they close tonight at 8 p.m. No, the turnout is expected to be slightly higher than that I guess, but not by much.

Among the races on the ballot in the city of Omaha is the race for mayor. Incumbent mayor Mike Fahey is being challenged by former police officer Dave Friend. While Mr. Friend has a great last name for politics or a plumbing business - "You have a Friend with a plunger...", that's about all he has. In the recent primary, Fahey won by a margin of more than 20%.

I watched some coverage of the last full day of campaigning last night on local TV. All three stations that I watched basically had the same footage: Fahey in a business suit calmly reading a book to school children and Friend in a t-shirt, shorts and a ball cap standing on a street corner with a yard sign. One man looked like a mayor - the other looked like he was about to mow his lawn.

During one of the commercial breaks, a spot for Mr. Friend appeared. While he is wearing a business suit - he might as well be wearing his more casual attire. The spot is obviously locally produced on a very tight budget because it looks awful. Even the sound is muddy and difficult to hear at times. You end up feeling sorry for the guy.

It's a bad cliche - but what the heck - I'll say it again - image is everything. If you want to be the mayor of a large metropolitan city like Omaha, you have to look like the mayor of that city. If you want to mow lawns instead, grab the tennies and your screen printed t-shirt. In order to be taken seriously, one must take the task at hand seriously.

This applies not only to politicians and elected officials, it applies to everyone who is ever in the public eye - non-profit Executive Directors, CEOs, ministers, athletes, etc. You never know when a TV camera might show up in your office or who you might meet at the supermarket.