What an incredible year this has been! At the beginning of this campaign I remember thinking "I am about to learn a lot and I have no idea what it's going to be!"  I also didn't realize how all consuming and life altering the experience would be. Unfortunately, I was not elected to the board, but the campaign WAS a success!!!

• A female Democrat first-timer ran in a strongly Republican area (with an all male board) against an 8 year incumbent who is also the Assistant County Executive and was born and raised in the area ... and got 39% of the vote!!!! That's pretty hopeful!
• For the first time in 8 years, the residents of the Third Ward in Greece had a choice for their town board.
• Issues were brought to the forefront that need to be dealt with in order to change the direction that the town is going in.
• Residents were made aware, while the current administration was forced to go out and speak to them and hear their concerns.
• A significant number more people came out to vote in the Third Ward than in any of the other wards.
• Members of the town board were no longer sitting comfortable and being unchallenged. They know now not to take for granted that there won't be a challenge.
• People from Greece as well as from all over the county came out to lend their support and work together even though there were more local elections this year than ever.

There is still much more to do in Greece and this is just the beginning. Together we can continue to make a difference.  

I want to thank you all SO much for the time, energy and dedication you gave to this campaign. I am so humbled and honored by how much you all believed in what I was doing and came out in force to support me and my mission. I could hardly begin to name everyone that helped. From lit dropping to paper folding, from data collection to feeding the volunteers, there were more people than I ever imagined helping out. 

There are two people in particular however that deserve special notice. Adrienne Anger and I barely knew each other when I asked her to coordinate volunteer efforts on this campaign. I now consider her one of my closest friends. She gave COUNTLESS hours and heart to this campaign. I think we would all agree that she did an incredible job. My deepest gratitude goes out to her. Christine Voigt and I, on the other hand, knew each other very well at the beginning of this. She never thought she would end up managing the campaign, but she did. She gave up more than you could imagine in order to help me do this. She has been my biggest cheerleader and still managed to keep me focused. I couldn't have done it without her. 

Again, thank you all from the bottom of my heart. Stay focused, stay encouraged and stay active. This is not the end .. this is just the beginning! 

Jo

I encourage you to contact me to let me know what is important to you and to share your ideas at 585.621.2998 or email me at Jo@JoMeleca.com