First of two parts.
Laura Chardiet, School Board member, meet Laura Chardiet, manager of twin School Board candidates.
Forty days out from the Nov. 3 School Board election when she is voluntarily giving up her seat after one term, Ms. Chardiet says “being a campaign manager is easier than running for office.
“There is less pressure in this job. When you are a candidate, you not only have mental stress but also emotional stress because you are putting yourself out there to be judged.”
But before delving too deeply into the psyche of Ms. Chardiet, one crucial duty of a campaign manager is to neonize her candidates, make sure they are constantly visible.
That is emphatically true with first-time contenders, as is the case with Ms. Chardiet’s joint entry of Anne Burke and Scott McVarish. They are contesting Prof. Kelly Kent for two seats being vacated by retiring Nancy Goldberg and Ms. Chardiet.
The freshman campaign manager’s observations were surprising.
As a former actress, no one plunged into the School Board race four years ago with more zest, more stage-presence personality, more aplomb and more sheer confidence than Ms. Chardiet.
She did enjoy her campaign, didn’t she?
“It is invigorating and challenging,” Ms. Chardiet said. “Toward the end of the campaign, though, when you are so exhausted, it is very stressful.”
She ran a longer campaign than this year’s contenders.
Announcing in June, she worked hard every week of the summer and through the autumn.
By contrast, Mr. McVarish and Ms. Burke did not sign up until late July.
Dr. Kent did not join the race until two days before the extended August deadline.
(To be continued)
