Class Note 1979
Issue
May - Jun 2018
Some of you will recall that our Class Notes for the March/April 2015 issue of the DAM featured then Santa Monica, California, city councilman (now mayor) Edward “Ted-O” Winterer. In his guest column, Ted-O lamented “the fractious level of discourse which has infected national politics has also afflicted our local dialogue.” Today, sadly, our leaders in national government have managed to take discord and divisiveness to a whole new level, making the need for honorable community representatives who will work to promote understanding through respectful dialogue and find common ground greater than ever.
Enter Bill Conway: “Classmates—greetings from the campaign trail. I took early retirement from my law practice at Skadden, Arps last year thinking I would accept an attractive offer from a solar company. The current White House occupant got me so agitated, however, that I decided to stop complaining and run as a Democratic candidate for one of four at-large seats on the Montgomery County (MoCo) council here in the Maryland suburbs of Washington, D.C. My endeavor sounds like small potatoes until you realize that MoCo’s population exceeds 1 million and its annual budget is $5.4 billion.
“The race is on a congressional scale. Turnout in the June 26 Democratic primary will be about 110,000, and I’ll need 30,000-plus votes to win one of the four slots. Winning in the primary essentially guarantees election in November, but the field of Democratic candidates is huge—29 by last count. I am campaigning full-time, seven days a week, and it’s grueling, especially since I’m relying on public financing to raise the necessary budget and can’t accept more than $150 from any individual contributor.
“My not-so-secret weapon in all of this is my wife, campaign chair and prominent career community activist, Diana Conway, who is routinely encouraged to run for office. Diana has zero interest in putting up with the abuse of being a council member. On the other hand, she thinks the idea of sending her relatively thick-skinned husband into the fray is rather ideal. While I can pretty much stand on my own now, the campaign largely began with me riding her coattails. I’m continually amazed by how many people know Diana and am very fortunate to benefit through her. Her nickname, appropriately given by my campaign manager, is ‘Madam Kickass.’
“The issues facing MoCo are daunting: Tax revenues not keeping up with the need for services, choking traffic, troubling performance gaps in our schools and conflicts between neighborhoods and development. But we also have significant strengths: a well-educated workforce, a strong foundation in the sciences (particularly biotech) and an incredibly diverse population that engenders a wonderful vitality. I’m optimistic for the future.
“So far the campaign is going well. Sometimes it’s fun, other times not so much. But it always feels meaningful. You can find out what I stand for and learn about my priorities in an online essay I penned for Maryland Matters (www.goo.gl/xteSvN). For more information and to donate to the campaign, please visit my website (www.billconwayforcouncil.com).”
—Stanley Weil, 15 Peck Road, Mt. Kisco, NY 10549; (917) 428-0852; stanno79@gmail.com; John Currier, 82 Carpenter St., Norwich, VT 05055; (802) 649-2577; john.h.currier@dartmouth.edu
Enter Bill Conway: “Classmates—greetings from the campaign trail. I took early retirement from my law practice at Skadden, Arps last year thinking I would accept an attractive offer from a solar company. The current White House occupant got me so agitated, however, that I decided to stop complaining and run as a Democratic candidate for one of four at-large seats on the Montgomery County (MoCo) council here in the Maryland suburbs of Washington, D.C. My endeavor sounds like small potatoes until you realize that MoCo’s population exceeds 1 million and its annual budget is $5.4 billion.
“The race is on a congressional scale. Turnout in the June 26 Democratic primary will be about 110,000, and I’ll need 30,000-plus votes to win one of the four slots. Winning in the primary essentially guarantees election in November, but the field of Democratic candidates is huge—29 by last count. I am campaigning full-time, seven days a week, and it’s grueling, especially since I’m relying on public financing to raise the necessary budget and can’t accept more than $150 from any individual contributor.
“My not-so-secret weapon in all of this is my wife, campaign chair and prominent career community activist, Diana Conway, who is routinely encouraged to run for office. Diana has zero interest in putting up with the abuse of being a council member. On the other hand, she thinks the idea of sending her relatively thick-skinned husband into the fray is rather ideal. While I can pretty much stand on my own now, the campaign largely began with me riding her coattails. I’m continually amazed by how many people know Diana and am very fortunate to benefit through her. Her nickname, appropriately given by my campaign manager, is ‘Madam Kickass.’
“The issues facing MoCo are daunting: Tax revenues not keeping up with the need for services, choking traffic, troubling performance gaps in our schools and conflicts between neighborhoods and development. But we also have significant strengths: a well-educated workforce, a strong foundation in the sciences (particularly biotech) and an incredibly diverse population that engenders a wonderful vitality. I’m optimistic for the future.
“So far the campaign is going well. Sometimes it’s fun, other times not so much. But it always feels meaningful. You can find out what I stand for and learn about my priorities in an online essay I penned for Maryland Matters (www.goo.gl/xteSvN). For more information and to donate to the campaign, please visit my website (www.billconwayforcouncil.com).”
—Stanley Weil, 15 Peck Road, Mt. Kisco, NY 10549; (917) 428-0852; stanno79@gmail.com; John Currier, 82 Carpenter St., Norwich, VT 05055; (802) 649-2577; john.h.currier@dartmouth.edu