Ever thought about running for school board, village council, county commissioner, a state seat or Congress? More than 20 people running for office or interested in a possible future run learned some of the campaign basics at a candidate “boot camp” on May 31 and June 1 at Founders Park Community Center. Organized by the Islamorada Chamber of Commerce, the boot camp was led by Kate DeLoach, lobbyist with The Southern Group; Audra Wallace, certified public accountant and founder of Tolley & Hill; and Jason Koler, publisher of Keys Weekly Newspapers and owner of Overseas Media Group. Attendees learned about the intricacies of campaign finance, campaign laws, the importance of community outreach, media relations and more. Guest speakers included county commissioner and former state Rep. Holly Raschein and former Islamorada councilman and current state Rep. Jim Mooney. “I think it’s incredibly important to know why you’re running for office,” DeLoach told the group during opening remarks.” The chamber hopes to host another boot camp for interested candidates in the future.
