January 21, 2009 -- During his time in the United States Army as a Combat Engineer Officer,
Amherst (
Website |
Profile) resident Phil Van Treuren says that he learned the value of planning ahead for important missions. And as a prospective candidate for Amherst City Council At-Large, Van Treuren is using that lesson to launch his campaign in a way never before seen in Lorain County politics.
Van Treuren recently sent a full-color mailer to the homes of thousands of Amherst residents who are eligible to sign his candidacy petition, offering to personally come to their door and introduce himself. Not only was every copy of the mailer personally signed by Van Treuren, but he and his wife, Jessica, spent weeks addressing each envelope by hand.
"Starting to aggressively campaign in January isn't something that's usually seen in a city council race, but it's my way of showing the people of Amherst how serious I am about serving," Van Treuren said. "Since I want to be a councilman for everyone, I want to give every eligible resident the opportunity to take part in the first step of our campaign."
Although Van Treuren only needs fifty valid signatures to become a city council candidate, he says that he doesn't want to limit the opportunity for taking part to so few people.
"I don't think this has ever been done before in Amherst politics, but the hard work is worth it to give people the opportunity to take part," Van Treuren says. "We're going to run an extremely aggressive campaign, and I want to show every voter how hard I'm willing to work for their interests."
As for why Van Treuren is putting so much effort into his campaign so early in the year, he has a very simple answer: his family and neighbors.
"This is the city where my wife and I are raising our family, and where our children will go to school and grow up," he says. "I consider it my duty to my family, and my neighbors' families, to do everything I can to keep Amherst as safe and beautiful as possible."
Any Amherst resident who wants Phil to personally visit their home with his campaign petition can contact him through his website at www.PhilVanTreuren.com.
