APA President-Elect candidate e-mail - spam, or something else

[Dan]

I think this is the first time I got unsolicited e-mail from somebody running for an APA office. Here's the text ...

[tt]From: "Robert Hunter" <isupportbob@plancom.org>
To: <(my e-mail address)>

March 1, 2004
Hello Daniel,

My name is Bob Hunter, and I am a candidate for APA President-Elect. I have held local, state and national APA offices and have been elected by my colleagues to be a Fellow of the AICP in recognition of my leadership and accomplishments.
I’d like to offer you the opportunity to consider my position statement (hyperlinked at: Bob Hunter’s APA President-Elect Position Paper). For additional information, I encourage you to visit my website – HUNTERFORAPA.COM. If you find that we agree on many issues, please forward my position statement and website information to your APA member colleagues and encourage them to vote for me. You may want to tell them that ballots will be mailed to all APA members on March 12th and are due back to APA by April 16th (firm deadline).

Also, if you have other issues that you believe should be addressed by national APA, I’d like to hear from you -- just email me at isupportbob@email.com. I will be updating my website during the campaign.

The other candidates are D. Siegel and F. Lapp, but I hope I can count on your support during the election process. If you would like more information on how you can actively support my candidacy for APA President-Elect and get the word and information out to other APA members, please call or email me. Together, I believe we can make APA become the widely recognized “go to” source and the “visionaries of the urban form of our cities” that was envisioned when APA was created 25 years ago.

Sincerely,

Bob Hunter

Robert B. Hunter, FAICP
Executive Director
Hillsborough County City-County Planning Commission
201 E. Jackson Street, 18th Floor
Tampa, FL 33602
(813) 272-5940 ext. 337 (office)
(813) 310-8005 (cellular)
(813) 272-6258 (fax)

"The world that we have made as a result of thinking we have done thus far creates problems that we cannot solve at the same level we created them at." - Albert Einstein[/tt]

Anyone else get this mail? What do you think of this technique to gather votes for APA office? I can't help but think this is spam; maybe sent with the best of intentions, but still spam. I didn't ask to be put on an APA officer candidate mailing list, and I think the same e-mail might have been sent to hundreds of others.

If I was the only recipient, I'll delete this post.

 

[PlannerGirl]

I did not get it yet but man Id be pissed if I did.

 

[el Guapo]

I didn't get it. But I'm not the man.

Maybe you should take it as a complement? Maybe he is soliciting the planning Playas? You da man or he is a very slow spamer.

 

[Planderella]

Yes, I got the same email about 4 times. Once sent directly to me, then the others forwarded from the state chapter president and other members of the state executive committee.

 

[Repo Man]

Anyone who uses those annoying mouse tails on their website will not get my vote!

http://hunterforapa.com/

 

[NHPlanner]

Anyone who uses those annoying mouse tails on their website will not get my vote!

http://hunterforapa.com/

And if you're gonna do a top ten list on your site, at least have a picture of LETTERMAN and not Leno!

He does, however, seem to have a sense of humor....

 

[mendelman]

I didn't get the email, and I'm with Repo. That website is laughable and annoying. BTW, he looks like a proto-typical long time planner who loves writing and revising code. B-) (not that there's anything wrong with that ;-) )

 

[JNA]

I did not get his e-mail and don't want it.
Anybody that has their own website campaigning for an organization (APA) office,
Please no more, enough already.

 

[el Guapo]

After visiting his website I now like Bob. Bob, please send me your email. I want to be included in your campaign which obviously has big Mo! Count me as Shock Trooper for Bob! I'm going to email Bob

Hey I hit 4K with this post. I rock!

 

[Floridays]

I didn't get an email, but I did get an envelope full of "campaign postcards" from a candidate, to distribute to co-workers.

 

[Repo Man]

I e-mailed bob and asked him some pointed questions about concerns I have with apa. I will see how he addresses them before I make up my mind. I say we draft one of our own to run next year.

Some of my questions were related to:

APA releasing political press releases (Trent Lott)
The fee structure for membership. Why if you make more should you pay more yet recieve the exact same benefits as someone paying less??
The cost of publications (65 bucks a year for the 4-page Zoning News?!!)
Crappy customer service at APA. I had to leave 3 messages before I recieved a call back on a simple membership question and I believe the only reason that I recieved a response was because I threatened to contact the APA president.

 

[michaelskis]

ah... Bob scares me...

I would like to know his thoughts on many of the issues... (for America and not China)

 

[el Guapo]

My Email to Bob

Bob,
Sir, you rock! I love your website and the guerrilla campaign. Way to take on "the man" (APA). Please count on my support and vote.

Now, to get a bit serious, APA needs a customer service attitude adjustment and I hope you'll consider bringing that to the table upon your election and assumption of the throne. It seems to me the chapters are just dues farms that are only tended to and serviced with the bare minimum of effort to ensure the money flows into National. We need more service and better communication with our organization for the troops on the front line. For instance what is with the APA's Red China planning cult? We are spending money on this when have planners in small or under populated states struggling to keep regulations from going backwards due to aggressive farm, industry and developer lobbies? How about diverting funds back in to our nation and states to help advance "great communities" here?

Additionally, I am a member of an urban planner's community called Cyburbia (www.cyburbia.org). You may have heard of it. You might read a few threads there to see what some of us are thinking when it comes to our beloved APA. Good Luck and please keep your site updated. A blog (www.blogger.com) might be a good vehicle so we can track the progress of your campaign.

{My Real Name and Address Deleted}

PS - Nobody over 16 likes mouse trails on a website. Sorry for the candor but that one will cost you votes.

 

[Plannerbabs]

I just got the email! I feel special now.

:-D

 

[Richmond Jake]

I just got the email! I feel special now.

:-D

Ditto, just got mine. You rock, Bob.

And congrats on the 4K milestone, eG .

 

[Dan]

Here's how Bob can get some sure-fire votes from the planning community.

 

[michaelskis]

WOW.. I got 2 e-mails from BOB in one day!

WOW... I got mine this morning but I was a little disheartened to see that he spelled my name wrong... so I replied, and asked a few questions on here he stands...

Here is the reply...

:-( he supports the whole china thing

Michael, I am sorry , I am sorry for misspelling your name. It was late is no excuse; but I was trying to get everyone's name on their own personally addressed email.

Smart Growth is a subject that involves a lot. And, APA is not doing enough. For example, if elected, APA should make available model ordinances which embrace certain aspects of smart growth by group, i e, multi modal; roads; design; mixed use LDCs; signage and landscaping; etc. Plus, and probably most importantly, APA needs to "court" the elected/appointed officials and members, perhaps, as associates or affiliates, but members of APA. It is imperative that these folks who make the recommendations and decisions become familiar with the term and techniques so that they can start applying them in the day to day decisions of reviewing development applications. And, not to leave out our Planners, as I mentioned above, APA needs to have more sessions at the nat'l. conf. and probably, regionally, samples that work and why they work for our professional and the citizens.

Training for cities in China-- While the correct political thing to say is that , of course, there needs to be more training for the planning of cities in China---China hires planning consultants and there are quite a few good, even superior, planning firms in the U.S. and elsewhere that can do an adequate job of not only planning for cities in China, but training for…...

Re: the creative class, new urbanism, "smart growth" again, transportation, and other related subjects; the/our creative class in the U.S. needs to be a bit more real and honest with ourselves, while we/planners think we are the "creative" folks, we need to recognize and practice what we preach- we plan for everyone not just the elite-look at the Walmart clients,etc. ( I shop there also). New urbanism is one of the most creative concepts to come along in a long time. More examples need to be built that the average person can afford- if the concept is going to catch on and it should- it brings mixed incomes, mixed uses, walkable communities, multi-modal choices, housing choices, neighborhood and people together- good concept.

About transportation, please review my website. APA needs to become the national authority on planning, which includes transportation- and not let the concrete/ engineering industry become the "go to " experts. APA needs to make info available about the importance of multi-modal, choices and long term benefits.

So much more to say, but …..

Great questions, thanks for asking and please consider voting for me when the ballots are mailed 12 March.

 

[el Guapo]

No answer from BOB, so far for the Guapo....
I think I may change my signature line...
Bob, if you are out there email me...please...

 

[Dan]

Another spam today.

[tt]Soon, you’ll be receiving your APA election ballot. I’m a candidate for President-Elect of APA, along with Floyd Lapp and Dave Siegel. Your participation in the election process can put APA on course to making vision a reality, and I urge you to vote.

My focus is to promote the role of planners as the visionaries of urban form and to develop APA into an inclusive, full spectrum organization of planners and elected/appointed officials as well as planning students and citizens, increasing our strength through diversity.

It’s time that APA better served our membership locally and influenced critical national policy. I would appreciate your consideration and VOTE!

Bob Hunter, FAICP

Making Vision a Reality
www.HUNTERforAPA.com

P.S. I would like to ask that if you have questions on my viewpoints, goals, and past accomplishments please visit my web site. In a campaign, there are often distortions and misinformation put out about a candidate’s viewpoints and positions that are not correct. I ask you to judge my candidacy on the views that I express and have stated and not on others interpretations. Thanks..[/tt]

"In a campaign, there are often distortions and misinformation put out about a candidate’s viewpoints and positions that are not correct." Mudslinging in an APA presidential campaign? What next, commercials showing farms, American flags and happy families, followed by "I'm so-and-so, and I approve this message."?

In small print, at the end ...

If you’d rather I not send you election-related email, kindly reply back to me and indicate such. I will gladly respect your wishes.

Sorry, Bob, but even with removal instructions, unsolicited bulk e-mail is never an acceptable practice. Lost my vote.