Bean Buzz April 2008
PUBLISHED: April 18, 2008
Meet Joe Lestingi, Campaign Manager
I want to open this letter with a well deserved “Thank You.” Because of your support over the past years and your ongoing support of Congresswoman Bean, the Bean Team is one of the strongest campaign teams I have ever had the blessing to join. Your optimism, hard work and unwavering support have gotten the Congresswoman to where she is today, and it is my hope to continue that tradition with this year’s campaign.
Having joined the team a little over a month ago, this is the first time I have had a chance to introduce myself to you, and I would like to take this moment to do that.
My name is Joe Lestingi and I am the new campaign manager for the Melissa Bean 2008 Re-Election campaign. Just to briefly introduce myself, I am a veteran of many hard-fought campaigns. My background focuses on working in challenging environments, where Democrats often face impossible odds and up-hill battles. Having worked and been successful in states like Texas, Louisiana, Nebraska and Virginia, I know what it is like to have the cards stacked against you.
This race will have some new firsts for me. It will be the first time I have worked with such a strong and solid team. It will be my first race in Illinois, and with any luck it will be the first time I get to see a Cubs game and historic Wrigley Field! (No offense intended to the White Sox fans out there.)
I look forward to the challenges that may come our way this year, but more importantly, I look forward to meeting you. Volunteers and supporters are the heart and soul of a campaign, and I have a standing open door policy on every campaign I work for. I hope that, just as I have taken time to introduce myself to you, you may take a moment to come down to headquarters and introduce yourself to me. I enjoy hearing from everyone.
In the near future we will hold our first volunteers and supporters update meeting. These meetings are designed to engage everyone, hear what the latest buzz is, and get feedback on what going on in your area. Please keep an eye out for future announcements on this event. I hope you all can make it.
Thank you for your time,
Joe Lestingi
joe@melissabean.com
Volunteers
Field Priorities
The campaign keeps gaining momentum each day, and as we draw closer and closer to the November election, we will need everyone to get involved to get Melissa over the finish line on election day. Right now we have two major priorities that we need our volunteers to get involved in.
Parades: How do you know what campaign season is in full-swing? When you are marching with Congresswoman Bean at a parade on a warm summer day of course! Parades are an important way to show your enthusiasm for Melissa and are also great fun. Last year we had people bring their pets, children, and even a soccer team to march along side our Congresswoman! This year we are also looking for someone with a Domestic vehicle (preferably a convertible) to drive in the parade. Please let Ray know, ray@melissabean.com, if you think you might be able to help out!
Please come out and show your support for Melissa at the following Memorial Day parades on May 26th.
Memorial Day Parades, May 26th
Wauconda
Time: 9:30am
Place: Wauconda Park District
555. N Main St.
Wauconda, IL
Lake Villa
Time: 1:00pm
Place: Palumbi School,
133 McKinley Avenue
Lake Villa, IL 60046
Phones: It shouldn't be a surprise to you that Melissa has thousands of supporters, so many in fact that we can not possibly talk to each one of them without your help. We need help calling our supporters and updating their information so that we can keep in touch with them throughout the campaign.
Would you consider spending an evening help us update our supporters contact information? We will be having a phone bank on Monday, April 28th from 5pm-8pm to update our contact information. Ray will provide a quick training on how to use our system and then get you started! We will be calling supporters so the phone calls should all be very pleasant.
Phone Bank
Date: Monday, April 28th
Time: 5-8pm
Location: 800 E. Northwest Hwy
Palatine, IL
7th Floor, Harris Bank Building.
Questions? Contact Ray at ray@melissabean.com or 815-451-6861.
Recent Events
Barn Brunch, March 9
We had a great turnout for our first “Volunteer Recognition” event. Staff talked about how invaluable all of our volunteers are, whether they are stuffing envelopes, placing yard signs around the district, gathering signatures for petitions, phone banking, or doing any of the other important tasks we have that need doing.
Evening with Senator Dick Durbin, March 30
Guests enjoyed wonderful food and good company at this event with Senator Durbin.
Upcoming Events
Stay tuned for more information on house parties, a luncheon with Bill Daley, the golf outing, Ravinia, Fall Fest and more!
As always, please don’t hesitate to call or email us!
