A few days ago, Justin wrote about the election campaigns and made some observations. In lieu of Mario Baldassari’s victory, I will add my own observations to the election and respond to Justin’s post.
I liked Justin’s breakdown of of the various campaigns, but I disagree with his “Most creative campaigning” award, given to Noah. Noah’s slogans were amusing, but Mario had an organized, uniform campaign that relied on specific, recurring symbols to send his message. The recurring puzzle-pieces, Mario-style chalking font, and aesthetically appealing campaign posters made his candidacy seem consistent, serious and professional. Yet he also managed to have cheeky slogans. On North Campus, where he lives, he chalked “keep it local,” and by the Dr. Seuss plaque near Young Hall he claimed, “Dr. Seuss would vote for Mario.”
Like him or hate him, Mario’s smooth campaign carried him to victory in this election. Let’s face it, most people probably don’t stop to read every campaign poster they see. With Mario’s posters, you can get as much out of his imagery as you can from the text. Let’s hope he can carry that consistency and competence into his administration next semester.
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Indeed, Mario marketed aggressively with chalk in the final days, borrowing elements from Noah (witty sayings) and Louise (guerilla-style, those puzzle pieces were hard to ignore). Additionally, Mario appeared to use a higher quality chalk than any of the other candidates.
Staff of The Stentor, Lake Forest College’s student newspaper, speak out on issues facing them. Topics discussed include LFC issues, the city of Lake Forest, and college life in general.
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