This thread is for the sake of transparency in what has been a learning experience for me. Since my candidacy for Sebastopol City Council was announced, I have received many emails from different organizations soliciting me to be considered for their endorsements only after I agree to a set of principles, fill out a questionnaire, and then meet with them for an interview.
These organizations are those which are sometimes opposed to one another and include the following:
Coalition for a Better Sonoma County, North Bay Labor Council (AFL-CIO), Sonoma County Alliance and Business Group, North Coast Builders Exchange, Engineering Contractors Association, NORBAR (North Bay Association of Realtors), North Bay Leadership Council, Sierra Club Sonoma Group, and the Sonoma County Conservation Group.
After carefully considering their requests, I responded to all of the organizations as follows: "Due to the fact that I have been inundated with requests from organizations wanting to endorse my candidacy, I have decided not to accept any endorsements but those from the individual residents of Sebastopol."
Because I have seen what happens when a candidate is endorsed by one group or another, I decided not to wear anyone's boots but my own. If it costs me the election, so be it.