I’ve run my share of media campaigns for political candidates. Campaigns are not easy, and sometimes, no matter how hard you work, winning is almost impossible when running against a popular incumbent or better funded-opponent.
The odds were no doubt stacked against Democrat Glenn Kroll in this year’s Sullivan County district attorney’s race. Although he was able to mount a well-funded campaign, beating Republican Jim Farrell was a hand that Kroll would have to play perfectly. Farrell, a proven prosecutor in the Sullivan County District Attorney’s Office, had the ace up his sleeve — the very public backing of retiring District Attorney Steve Lungen.
But Kroll did not play his political hand well. Thus, the election result was completely predictable.
I’ll give Kroll a pass on the cheesy campaign photos of him holding a shotgun or jogging with a T-shirt featuring his campaign logo across his chest. His campaign will be remembered for seeking headlines and carrying out bizarre campaign tactics. While running for Sullivan County’s top crime fighter, Kroll handed out bottles of Krol vodka with his campaign sticker on them to supporters. Kroll also put up his own $10,000 reward to catch the killer of a Monticello man. While the reward offer may have been genuine, it opened to door for Kroll’s opponent to discount the move as publicity-seeking and potentially resulting in having to now chase down a surge of false leads.
Voters favor district attorney candidates who run their campaigns with polish and prestige. They likely didn’t want to see Kroll’s truck wrapped with a super-sized picture of his face like he was a member of the Black Eyed Peas.
Kroll misunderstood the advice that “all press is good press.” It doesn’t apply when you’re running for district attorney. Kroll’s paid advertising campaign was drowned out by poor campaign decisions and bad taste. Just like a candidate for judge, a district attorney candidate must run a campaign with dignity.
Kroll did make small-town politics more interesting than it has ever been. And don’t count Kroll out. He connected with a lot of voters in Sullivan County. Kroll’s got the type of passion where he could easily resurface again and successfully run for office. We need that type of passion for politics in the next generation of leaders that Kroll represents. If Kroll does run another campaign, we hope he’ll keep the vodka at home.
