Editor,
The election of 2014 is over and boy oh boy what a ride it was! I am very proud to have come in as runner up. Compared to the war chests of other candidates and their spending, my team and I worked really hard and ran a smart campaign with not a lot of money.
We walked the neighborhoods and had the privilege of getting to know many of Laguna’s awesome citizens. It was always encouraging when people that I had never met before opened their doors and said, “I know you…. And I’m voting for you!”
The election process also opened the door for me to get to understand the issues facing our arts community. Laguna’s artists are passionate, intelligent, caring and really love where they both live and work. Laguna must never forget our roots as an artist colony. We must preserve our true heritage by ensuring that these extraordinary and hard-working people can afford to both live and work in our town.
Thank you to all of you who showed your confidence in my leadership abilities by voting for me, opening your homes for an event, putting up a yard sign, writing a check to my campaign, making calls and/or sending emails to friends and families, walking precincts and rallying around me right down to the last hours on election day. Most of all, thank you to all who kept me in your prayers.
I’d also like to thank the Orange County Register for their endorsement and to the four Laguna Beach mayors (Steve Dicterow, Elizabeth Pearson, Wayne Baglin and Cheryl Kinsman), who believed in me enough to endorse me. I was honored to receive public support from these and dozens of other elected officials and residents.
Finally, I’d like to send a special thank you to the people who were on my campaign team, advisors, volunteers, friends and family, all who worked for our cause. Your love and support touched my heart in ways you will never know.
We proved ourselves in forums with other candidates, in the media, going door-to-door and with the voters on the street. We learned a lot and will be stronger for the next time.
The campaign affirmed in news ways what public service means to me. Each of us is called to serve others in our own way, and in my own case I can assure you that the 2014 election only deepened my commitment to community service values. So look for me and I will look out for you as we continue to work for the renewal, vitality and success of our little town.
Namaste (which literally means: I see the light in you and you see the light in me).
Michele Hall, Laguna Beach
