Kate Troll knows a thing or two about running for public office, and one thing she learned quickly is sometimes you lose.
“I remember when I first ran for state legislature in Ketchikan and I lost,” Troll, a former City and Borough of Juneau Assembly member, said. “I did not know a lot about winning in a bigger race. Sometimes you lose and that’s OK.”
Troll said she was going to door-to-door to houses of people who did not vote. She said she needed to learn more about who did vote and make sure to visit those people.
She turned that learning process into becoming a successful politician. Troll has run for office four times. She served on Ketchikan Gateway Borough Assembly, ran for and won a term as a Juneau Assembly member, and then lost her re-election bid.
She, along with former public officials Beth Kerttula, Sally Smith, Karen Crane and Sally Saddler, is conducting a campaign awareness workshop for women from 1-5 p.m. Saturday at United Way Conference Room, 3225 Hospital Dr.
Kerttula said her family had always played a part in politics, and one of her earliest memories reflects that.
“I remember sitting on the floor in my parents’ house licking envelopes for (former Alaska Gov. and U.S. Sen.) Ernest Gruening,” Kerttula, said. Kerttula is a former Democratic member of the Alaska House of Representatives. She also became the White House Director of the National Ocean Council from 2014 to 2016.
“I think public service is really important and too few women are in it,” she said.
Smith, Mayor of Juneau from 2000 to 2003, hopes the workshop helps women come to terms that running for office is much like life.
“I think fear of being judged is something people think about,” Smith said. “Well, yes you are going to be judged. But, we have jobs and you are judged by your supervisor.”
Smith wants the workshop to teach that while fundraising is a part of politics, having the most money does not always win elections.
“I ran four times and I won four times,” Smith said. “I was never the biggest spender. People who are looking for the biggest spender are only worried about the money game.”
Troll said the idea for the workshop came from two sources. The first was the development of Alaska Women Ascend — an eight-month “Get Elected’” training program designed for progressive women of all ages who are interested in learning more about running for public office, managing a campaign or being a campaign treasurer,” held in Anchorage one a month. The program also has has an online broadcast for those outside Anchorage. The second was what Troll and Kerttula saw at Juneau’s Women’s March at the Alaska State Capitol on Jan. 20. Both spoke at the rally.
“For me it was exciting to see new faces and new energy (at the Women’s March),” Troll said. “I wanted to know how we can tap into the energy and get women involved.”
Kerttula — who is not running any political campaign but says her “life is always political” — said she does not want women to miss out on a chance to support causes they care about.
“I knew if I did not run, I would always regret it,” Kerttula said. “When I got elected, I wanted to focus on environmental and oil and gas issues. That allowed me to do that.”
While Saturday’s workshop is not an extensive training group, Troll said it will help give women the basics of what needs to be done to feel more comfortable running for office. The group will go over using social media — a tool Troll said sometimes seems more difficult to people than it needs to be.
“Nowadays social media is such an important tool,” Troll said. “Sometimes women my age (65) don’t know how to use it. While there is no hands-on applications (at the workshop), we will have a younger person — who is very skilled — that will talk about the core pieces of info. We will also discuss how relying on a skilled graphic artist is part of it. A lot of people who run for office may think they have to know everything about social media, but they don’t.”
Troll said Greg Smith, who served as former Juneau Mayor Greg Fisk’s campaign manager and then served in the same capacity for her re-election bid, is the one handling the social media portion of the workshop. He is currently a legislative aide.
Troll also added that the group will discuss the right and wrong way to fundraise.
“It can be awkward to ask for money,” Troll said, “but as a candidate, people expect you to ask. Not only is it appropriate, but it is something you have to do.”
Troll hopes the workshop makes anyone who attends feel more comfortable in a sphere that can be unwelcoming at times.
“Having to run for office can be intimidating,” Troll said. “We want to let other women know we are here to help.”
