The lawn chair campaign

From the Gainesville Sun-

Gainesville City Commission candidate Francis "Pat" Fitzpatrick set up a lawn chair and a pair of posterboard signs outside City Hall on Friday, declaring he would spend his campaign picketing the city's main administration building and distributing food to the homeless.

The unorthodox campaign, designed to unseat Commissioner Craig Lowe — who represents the downtown area — and call attention to homeless issues, will find Fitzpatrick protesting at the clocktower outside City Hall until the March 6 election, he says.

The 57-year-old smoking-cessation counselor, whose platform is focused on improving the lot of the city's homeless residents, issued a call Friday for the city to use eminent domain to take over vacant retail space in the downtown Commerce Center that could be used for homeless service facilities.

"When private property lays fallow and is not being used for the benefit of the people, it is the duty of the people to expropriate the property for the common good," Fitzpatrick said.

Fitzpatrick said he plans to forgo typical campaign activities, such as walking door-to-door in neighborhoods to get support, and spend his campaign fasting and praying in front of City Hall.

Fitzpatrick said he also plans to collect food and distribute it to the homeless in front of City Hall in violation of city policies and on Friday he challenged officials to arrest him for his actions.

Lowe said he planned to run a more traditional campaign.

That means television and radio ads, signs everywhere, stuffing people's mailboxes with junk mail. At least on the campain level, I like Francis "Pat" Fitzpatrick and I wish him good luck.

Linked to- Bullwinkle, Stop the ACLU, Bright & Early,