The Clean Up

June 21st – Twenty Six days till election day.

We're still behind in the polls. I have almost four weeks to make up as many points. Cameron says it's a long shot. That we need a change in strategy. I pay Cam a lot of money to be my top advisor but I refuse to change my stance on the issues now. What kind of message would I be sending to my donors, my staff, the citizens of Greyrock if I balked now with only a few weeks to go.

Tomorrow is the introduction of the “Clean Up Initiative.” If it doesn't hit then I may truly be out of the running.

It'll be a home run though, right? I hope so. Please?

I truly believe in it. At least I have that going for me. No more speaking from a stage about some bullshit that nobody believes in. This time I'll get to speak with true conviction. Hopefully it will resonate. It has to.

How can it not? Downtown has been shit for as long as I can remember and Mayor Duncan has done nothing to improve it. Mom and pops have been closing their doors faster than ever. Lost jobs lead to lost wages. Unemployment soars. Taxes go up. I'm certain nobody voted for that, right?

I need to gain the support of the minorities. It could be the difference between victory and defeat. I haven't been polling well with the Black or Latino population but that's going to change tomorrow.

I mean, when was the last time anyone did anything to fix the Section Eight housing? Those buildings are crumbling as fast as the hopes and dreams of the people who live in them.

When was the last time anyone, especially Duncan, infused some life into those districts. There's more homeless sleeping on sidewalks and in church parking lots than there are after school programs or soup kitchens.

Giving them money has to work. I don't love the idea of buying votes but isn't that sort of what politics has become? It's all about, ‘what can you do for ME?’

Pick me, I'll repair your apartment buildings. Pick me, I'll build parks and after school centers. I’ll build homeless shelters, no more street corner eyesores. Outdoor parks without needles and syringes. New restaurants and an arts center. Downtown can actually be a place people want to come and spend their Saturday night.

I don't want to think about what failure looks like. Losing this election means the past two years have been a waste. All the time spent campaigning. The sleepless nights. The stress. The sacrifices.

I miss Claire and the kids. Henry graduated middle school last month and I was at a rally at the Veterans Association. Joanna hit a home run at her softball game last week and I was meeting with donors. I swear, Claire has the patience of a saint. She's put up with an awful lot over these past two years.

But they're the reason I'm doing this, right? Not just for my family, but for everyone. For two years I've watched Duncan run the city of Greyrock into the ground. I'm sick of seeing abandoned buildings that used to be engineering plants.

Why is it politicians always care about their own agendas and not the people they are supposed to represent? They can shake hands and kiss babies all they want but in the end all they amount to are a bunch of broken promises.

There's no participation trophy for losing an election. That's it – you lost. You are the loser. Claire didn't marry a loser.

On July 26th everything changes.

-William Bess

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July 3rd – Fourteen days till election day.

Not bad, not bad. Two points. Two points in two weeks. If that repeats I'll be neck and neck with Duncan come election day.

Honestly though, this campaign has been a bitch. I'm tired. I'm wired too tight. A few days ago I snapped at Cameron for suggesting I ease up a bit on the initiative. Not sure why. I wouldn't have gained the points if it weren't doing well.

The publicity has been great if not stressful. The teachers union acted like I promised two summer vacations by the time my speech was over. And my PR people said I smoked the interview with The Herald. I'm just thankful I made it out alive. I was afraid my nerves would get the better of me, I felt like a bumbling idiot. But Cam says I did better than I think.

And I suppose he's right. I should ease up on him. More than a few people have stopped me on the streets to tell me how much they liked the article. But what if those people already support me? I need to get the undecided voters on my side.

Whatever. What's done is done. Stop worrying about it and focus on the next thing.

Tomorrow is huge. The debate on the waterfront will be the last chance to make a big impression on people before election day. I'll win the integrity vote. Duncan has always been good on camera but the guy's a scumbag.

I'm not.

And I've prepped for this for too long and too hard to let him get the better of me. People will see who's better when we go heads up. Who's the leader and who's the puppet.

Integrity. Something I can control. I swear though, if Duncan comes after Claire or the kids the gloves are coming off.

I worry about letting Claire down. There's no ‘Honorable Mention' for losing an election. You lose. That's it. I can't let them see me as a loser.

-William Bess

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July 5th, Twelve days till election day

Unbelievable. You can't make this shit up. Duncan did some digging and found out Pharmaceutical Unlimited had been a donor of mine and The Herald ran the story yesterday right before the debate.

Bess' Blue Collar Turns White

The polls have me down five points! The election is less than two weeks away and now everyone thinks I support the big companies. It's a giant middle finger to the working man and the small businesses I swore to protect.

Yes, fine, I took a donation from Unlimited at the start of my campaign. What's wrong with advancements in modern medicine. Now everything I ran on is being looked at as a total lie. It's bullshit.

Duncan skewered me at the debate.

“What's next? Real estate firms knocking down the projects he swore to rebuild?”

“Big box stores coming in to crush local businesses?”

“Williams is a total fraud.”

Politics is a dirty game. One wrong move and boom, DONE!

PR is helping with damage control. They've been on the phones all day trying to reassure our donors that the campaign remains on solid ground. In half an hour I have to meet with them. How many donors am I going to lose?

Cam is adamant we need to change strategies. That ‘Clean Up' is a lost cause. Cut our losses and regroup. I don’t know what to do. I don’t disagree with him, not necessarily, but what am I supposed to come up with in twelve days. I do not want to go back on the promises I made.

Thank God for Claire. I cried on her for so long her shoulder was soaked with my tears. Her words, though. Her words are what put out the fire.

She reminded me why she married me. Compassion for others. Selflessness. Someone who will listen before they talk. Stick up for those who cannot do it for themselves. But she said the most important thing was that I was an honest man. A good man. And it doesn't matter what people say or do, that the truth is always the best policy.

And I know that I can try to be something I'm not, but at the end of the day, the mirror doesn't lie. I'll know if I was true to myself. I'll know if sold out.

And I like being able to look at myself and not be ashamed of what's looking back at me.

I need to meet with Cam ASAP. We're doubling down on this. This is my campaign and I'd rather lose running my own platform than compromise my position.

A lot can be done in twelve days.

-William Bess

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July 18th – Victory

I'm not sorry.

Every politician does it. Promise the world but hand them ashes. Walk with them then leave them in the dust. Lift their spirits only to crush their souls.

Defeat wasn't an option. It just wasn't. Too many sacrifices were made. Kissing ass and playing nice with people you'd just as soon spit on as be in bed with. Sleepless nights and working weekends. The toll it took on me and Claire.

Claire won't look at me. It hurts. Having Claire turn her back on me, too? But what was the alternative? Going back to running for City Council? Might as well run for Register of Deeds and file paperwork till I'm dead.

They shouldn't have turned their backs on me. This isn’t my fault. I was ready to give them everything. And for what? To be called ‘liar?’ To have protest rallies outside my offices? To put it all out there then be spit on?

If the people didn't want to buy into my ideas then fine. Striking a deal with Pharmaceutical Unlimited buys a lot of votes. Same with Peterson Reality and Bannerman Bank. Those guys brought in votes by the thousands.

But the mirror doesn't look great right now. Winning feels good, obviously. But I don't feel good. I don’t know. Was it worth it? I compromised myself once. Ok. But does it end there? My gut says no.

But maybe I can dig my way out of this. Cameron thinks I can. I have two years. If I can make good on ‘Clean Up' then maybe all will be forgotten. Maybe I'll be able to forgive myself. Maybe Claire will forgive me.

All's well that ends well, right?

So am I doing this for me and Claire or am I doing this for the city? Or my new donors? One day and already there's too many mouths to feed. One day and I don't know which way is up.

The silence of my cell phone is deafening. I wish Claire would call.

Maybe this is why Duncan only looked after himself. It's certainly easier that way. Probably more fun, too. But this was never about ‘fun.’ It's about duty. To leave something better than when you found it.

God, I sound so idealistic. Get over yourself, Will.

It’s ironic, I just became mayor but I'm not my own boss. Over the past seventy-two hours I shook some filthy hands. There's still dirt underneath my fingernails. Now I'm in the pockets of Unlimited, Bannerman, and Peterson.

And the city hates me.

You either pay the devil his due now or you pay it later. I guess this is the price you pay for success.

-Mayor Bess