THE WHITMAN & CLARK EXPEDITION:

Yes indeed, this is for real. Hello, my name is James Whitman, and I am an American government teacher at Sidney High School who is running as an Independent candidate for Ohio Governor in the upcoming November 2002 general election. My running mate and fellow teacher, Tom Clark, is seeking the office of Lieutenant Governor. We are out to prove to our students and others that anyone, even us common folk, can run for the highest of political offices. We hope to revolutionize the future of political campaigning through the use of the Internet, strategically combined with a projected budget of only $500 to restore the power of the people to our state government.

While other political parties will be spending millions of dollars seeking election and re-election, we are sponsoring our true “grassroots campaign” on these minimal fees. We hope to use the Internet as a means for mass communicating our ideas in a good old-fashioned campaign by word of mouth. We made a valiant effort to obtain 5,000 signatures within two months in an attempt to qualify for the ballot, but we came up short as we simply ran out of time before the deadline. Now, we are registering as official "Write-in" candidates for the November 5th election. We acknowledge that no person has ever won a statewide office as a Write-in candidate, but there is a first time for everything. If you are sick and tired of voting for "the lesser of two evils," then vote for someone who has some integrity by writing in "Whitman and Clark" on your ballots. We are campaigning on a projected budget of only $500, and we are NOT accepting ANY financial contributions. We want to demonstrate to all that we are legitimate contenders by setting up this website (which utilizes a free network) to broadcast our ideas. Running a campaign on this “shoe string" budget is just one of several innovative ideas to help make Ohio a better place for all of us.

"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it's the only thing that ever has." -Margaret Mead

THE NATURE OF THE POLITICAL GAME

Our current political system is corrupt. There are a few wealthy individuals who have effectively established minority rule. How many Ohioans can afford to spend thousands, much less millions of dollars to seek political office? Obviously, the majority of us cannot afford such endeavors. If one is not corrupt to start, he will be in the end because he must negotiate with those people, businesses, and special interest groups to obtain funds for seeking re-election or higher offices. I hope to bypass all the “poisoned” campaign contributions by running this campaign on a $500 budget and aiming for the highest office in the state! You can help us send a message that “We the people” still govern ourselves in this democracy by supporting this campaign. But there is much more you need to consider before casting your vote. Please take the time to examine our ideas and plans as well as our credentials and backgrounds. It is our sincere hope that you will see a little piece of yourself in us, and you will elect us because we truly represent you.

Paid for by the Committee to elect Whitman and Clark.

Treasurer, Lana Whitman, 3716 Co. Rd. 31 South, Bellefontaine, OH 43311