Case
Study: Ron Kirk for Mayor
OVERVIEW:
Even though it was 1995— and the city's demographics
would clearly support the possibility— the city of Dallas,
Texas, had never before elected an African American mayor ...
until former Texas Secretary of State Ron Kirk threw his hat in
the ring.
 In
a follow-up analysis of Ron Kirk's election victory, Dallas
Observer wrote, "He does this at a time when the city
is fed up with its new racially diverse city government of the
'90s — from its tough-guy city manager to the 14 keystone
cops on the council."
STRATEGIES AND CHALLENGES: "Fancy logos
and catchy slogans don't elect mayors. A bona fide strategy and
a well-financed organization tight enough to implement it does,"
the Observer continued. "And that's where campaign
managers prove their worth."
Of course, the newspaper was writing about The Reeds PRC.
To offset Kirk's low name recognition, an initially shallow
campaign war chest, and prevailing racial anxiety, The Reeds implemented
a campaign that connected Kirk with citizens in a personal, heartfelt
and very thorough way.
In the Observer story, Kirk adds, "It was just good
ol'-fashioned grassroots politics."
RESULTS: It was a history-making achievement
for The Reeds. With hard-won support from Dallas' business community
— along with carefully constructed support from Dallas'
African American opinion leaders — Kirk was elected mayor
with 62 percent of the vote. Four years later, he was re-elected
to the city's top slot with a whopping 77 percent of the vote
(for more, read "The
Kirk connection" from Dallas Observer,
May, 1995, an Adobe .pdf document).
The Reeds can also meet your needs in corporate communications,
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