March 26, 2012 01:27 AM UTC

At Least Try to Make Your Press Releases Unique

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• by: Colorado Pols

Since neither Rick Enstrom nor Amy Attwood had primary challengers in their races for HD-23 and HD-28, respectively, their nominations at yesterday’s county assembly were nothing more than a formality.

We don’t blame either for sending out press releases championing their respective victories, however. Symbolically, their nominations at the assembly are important in signaling the next phase of the campaign in which each will make their case for election.

Still, reading through the statements released by both Enstrom’s and Attwood’s campaigns, you’ve got to wonder just how sincere either candidate really feels — their statements are almost identical.

Let’s start with Attwood:

Amy Attwood Earns Spot on Ballot as Candidate for House District 28: Jeffco GOP Assembly Demonstrates Strong Support for Attwood Candidacy

Lakewood, CO- Jefferson County small business woman Amy Attwood, R-Lakewood, this Saturday, earned the nomination to be the GOP candidate for State House District 28 in this November’s election.

Attwood says she is humbled by the strong show of support and looks forward to officially kicking off her campaign for House District 28.

“I am running for the State House to provide a strong voice for Jefferson County families and small business owners,” Attwood said. “Working in small business, the community and caring for my own family has provided me with the experience and background that I believe will serve House District 28 well in the state legislator.”

After years of experience working for her family construction business, Amy knows firsthand the impact government has on job creation and preservation. Her experience has instilled her with the values of small business ownership, commitment to employees and their families as well as customers and the community.

“Balancing budgets and keeping records for a small business has taught me a lot about what government does right and where government gets in the way,” Attwood said. “That is the perspective that I will to bring to the state House. I believe this perspective will best serve Jeffco families and small business owners as we turn the corner of this recession.”

Amy has deep roots in Jefferson County and Colorado. She is a native of Lakewood, a graduate of Columbine High School and the University of Northern Colorado and has served on the Jefferson County Planning Commission.

“I know and love this community and am honored to have the opportunity to earn the votes of my friends and neighbors in Lakewood,” Attwood said. “I look forward to continuing my commitment to our community over the course of this campaign as I speak with voters across the district to ensure that their voices are a heard.”

Amy is married to Gavin, and together they have two sons, Max, 9 and Zak, 7.

Now, for Enstrom:

Rick Enstrom Receives Unanimous Support as Candidate for House District 23: Jeffco GOP Assembly rallies around Enstrom Candidacy

Lakewood, CO-Jefferson County businessman and Lakewood resident Rick Enstrom, on Saturday, earned the nomination to be the Republican candidate for State House District 23 in this November’s election.

Enstrom said he had long looked forward to the official beginning of his campaign as the party’s nominee, and was touched by the outpouring of support he received at the Assembly.

“After a lifetime of living in Colorado – working to create jobs, raising a family and giving back to my community, I am excited to take this next step.” Enstrom said. “Coloradans deserve a leader who will actively listen to the needs of the community and work to provide people the freedom and opportunity to pursue their goals.”

Years of working for the family business, Enstrom Candies, has equipped Rick with the skills and experience needed to make a meaningful difference in state government. His years of service as a volunteer firefighter, EMT and member of the Highland Rescue Team have instilled in him a passion and a drive for giving back to his community.

“As our state and our country confront the realities presented by the economic slowdown and the dramatic job losses of recent years, I intend to work for increased economic opportunity and growth of good careers that JeffCo families need in order to provide a bright future for their children,” Enstrom said.

Rick has strong ties to Jefferson County. A Colorado native, Rick is the father to two married sons and has three grandchildren who all live nearby in Lakewood. He is a graduate of Mesa College.  He has served on the Colorado Wildlife Commission and the board of Great Outdoors Colorado.  His passion for the outdoors earned him “Conservationist of the Year” awards from both Colorado Ducks Unlimited and Southeast Prowers NRCS.

“I’m looking forward to beginning my campaign in earnest.” Enstrom said. “Coloradans deserve a representative who will listen to their needs and that is what I intend to do over the coming months as I walk door to door in my district seeking the support of my longtime friends and neighbors.”

Rick has been married to his greatest supporter, Linda, for 36 years.

There’s nothing wrong with either of these statements. In fact, as far as press releases go, they’ve covered everything they need to cover: each candidate’s career, ties to the area, and reasons for campaigning – perfect fodder for local news.

The problem is, when read side-by-side, these releases make you wonder if they weren’t, in fact, written by the same person. They probably were, of course, or were drafted in deference to the same guidelines from above. If you’re campaigning for a local office, however, you should at least attempt to mask the fact you’re running for reasons given to you by your political party.

That’s a difficult task when all members of your political party make the same sort of statements.

Attwood and Enstrom both “earned the nomination to be the GOP candidate…in this November’s election.”

Attwood’s “years of experience working for her family construction business” sounds a lot like Enstrom’s “years of working for the family business, Enstrom’s candies.”

Enstrom’s “strong ties to Jefferson County” are also pretty similar to Attwood’s “deep roots in Jefferson County.”

Oh, don’t forget that both candidates are “looking forward” to the campaign. That’s important. Don’t overlook the last sentence in the boilerplate, either, where Enstrom talks about his wife Linda and Attwood talks about her husband Gavin.

In short, because each of these candidate’s statements are designed to showcase their deeply personal reasoning and unique qualifications for public office, it looks really bad when those same statements are nothing more than generic buzzwords adapted for each race.

Or at the very least, it’s going to make the person reading your press releases – presumably the very point of issuing a statement – either very suspicious or, more likely, very bored. Neither of those reactions lend themselves to favorable newspaper ink.