Making a Difference in the U.S.A.

---

Winning With Hard Work, Supportive Friends

Hard work and some very supportive friends helped Gerron Levi realize her life-long dream of holding public office.

In January 2007, Levi beat two incumbents and another non-incumbent for a seat as a delegate in the Maryland General Assembly, representing her district in Prince George's County.

Above, Gerron Levi. (Courtesy Gerron Levi) Below, Gerron Levi, with Joseline Peña-Melnyk on her left, cheers passage of a bill to help homeowners. (Courtesy of the Baltimore Sun Company, Inc., All Rights Reserved.)

"I had always had the desire to run for public office," Levi says. "I didn't know exactly how I would enter into that. I didn't have a great number of contacts in the (Democratic) party establishment in Prince George's County – in fact, I had none."

But her friends urged her to reach for her dream, and in December 2005, she held her first community meeting to establish herself as a contender for the delegate seat.

"The primary obstacle," Levi says, "was simply 'name recognition.' For any candidate entering into office, the primary obstacle is getting known and getting your message out to enough people."

To do that, of course, takes money.

"Money is central to being able to mail things to people, to host events, to get to know people," Levi stresses. Initially, she raised money from family, friends, and professional colleagues -- Levi is an attorney and serves as assistant director of the Legislative Department at the AFL-CIO, a federation of over 50 national and international labor organizations.

By January 2006, Levi had $38,000 and eventually was able to raise a little over $70,000 for her entire race.

At the end of March 2006, Levi had mailed literature about herself and her political goals to over 30,000 voters. In the course of her campaign, most voters got at least five pieces of mail from Levi. She walked through neighborhoods, knocked on doors, and personally introduced herself to over 8,000 voters at their homes. She went to countless community events and held her own fundraisers. "That's how I was able to gain enough name recognition and then go on and win the race," Levi says. "I basically outworked the incumbents."

Levi credits her success as a political newcomer to two special aunts who gave her emotional support and a lot of great friends.

"When I got ready to run for office, I was surprised by some of the things my friends did," Levi says. "I had so many friends who gave me enormous money, opened their homes, and just 'went over and above (the call of duty)' for me. And so I feel that I owe them a great debt -- that is part of the reason I really try to be as best a public official that I can be and to remain true to my convictions."

And those convictions include improving the troubled school system in Prince George's County -- closing the "achievement gap" between students of color and their Caucasian counterparts -- and reducing crime. Levi is proud of the work she did on passing a bill to prevent truancy, which she considers to be a "feeder crime" – a "small crime" that potentially leads to more serious crimes. And she has been tireless in her work to get parents and communities to become more involved in working to improve the performance of neighborhood schools.

A graduate of the University of California, Berkeley, and Howard University's School of Law, Levi got her first taste of politics while serving as legislative assistant for U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein (Democrat of California) on judiciary issues. Levi helped Feinstein draft campaign finance legislation and pass a ban on assault weapons.

"I really have a high regard for her (Feinstein), so as a professional politician, I would say I probably emulate her," Levi says.

"I think it is very important for women to be involved in politics," Levi says. "And it's important for them to join together in organizations with like- minded women who can support them in that effort.

"It can be very difficult, when you are one of a very few, so you really need a support base."

Levi could have a long political career ahead of her. Young, Levi will only admit to being "under 40."

"I don't feel that I've accomplished enough at this point. I'm always sensitive about my age because of that," she explains. But she said that after completing her first year in the House of Delegates, she might consider running again after completing her four-year term.

"This is a lot of work!" she acknowledges.

Next>>> Barbara Robinson