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With fewer than forty days until election day and just two weeks until mail ballots drop, Jefferson County Commissioner John Odom has finally ended months of silence and hit the campaign trail. Well, at the very least, he’s sent out his first major fundraising pitch.

From the Odom campaign:

Since John Odom was appointed Jefferson County Commissioner in March of 2011, Jeffco has become one of the most fiscally sound governments in Colorado. Within just a few short weeks after Commissioner Odom’s appointment, the commissioners cut tens of millions of dollars of planned county spending. But that was just the beginning….

In August of 2011, the United States of America had it’s credit rating downgraded for the first time in history by S&P. It was shortly after this downgrade that another rating agency, Moody’s, took a hard look at Jefferson County. The result? Moody’s promptly upgraded Jefferson County’s credit rating.

Then in August of 2012 another rating agency examined Jeffco’s financial health. Fitch upheld Jeffco’s credit rating and reported, “Extensive financial planning and conservative management practices have contributed to the county’s solid financial operations.”

FACT: Jefferson County was the only government in Colorado to receive these two excellent report cards!

And just recently, Jeffco’s EXTERNAL auditor, Eide Bailly, came back with their report on Jefferson County. Their findings simply could not have been better! Jefferson County received an unqualified or “clean” opinion from Eide Bailly and the auditor went on to say, “This is the highest and best opinion an auditor can give.”

While many cities and other municipalities around the country find themselves in dire fiscal situations, strong leadership has kept Jefferson County fiscally sound! In order to maintain this responsible approach to government in Jefferson County, we need John Odom to be re-elected County Commissioner!

A contribution of $500, $100, $50, $10 or even $5 will go along way to re-elect John! You can contribute easily and conveniently, just click the link to our website below!  You can contribute with your credit card via paypal or mail a personal check!

This is the best possible messaging Odom could use, although there’s no question it’s a little late. Jefferson County’s credit rating was, in fact, upgraded by Moody’s and the county was given high marks by an external auditor.

John Odom isn’t solely responsible for Jeffco’s financial health — nor is any single commissioner, though all three claimed credit for it during a telephone town hall last week. That said, voters are willing to attribute a region’s economic outlook, good or bad, to those in office. This is one area where incumbency helps.

The “I helped strengthen our economy” talking point also enables Odom to campaign against President Obama. The commissioner can now piggy-back on Mitt Romney’s assertion that Republicans are better for the economy, and in Odom’s case, there’s at least anecdotal evidence to back that up. Most people have no idea who the commissioners are or what they do, so the more Odom can tie his star to the national campaign, the better. The same goes for Democrat Casey Tighe, but because he’s not an incumbent, he won’t be selected to introduce his party’s nominee, to use a recent example.

Odom’s now given good reason for voters to re-elect him, aside from the ol’ “I’m an incumbent Republican” line, and that’s a start.

It’s just odd that such a simple argument has taken so long to craft.  

Jefferson County Commissioner John Odom has been invisible on the campaign trail this year, raising pittance for his re-election bid and spending little of the $20,000 he loaned his own campaign. And, aside from the spirited introduction he gave to Mitt Romney when the Republican swung by Jefferson County in early August, Odom hasn’t done much in line with traditional political strategy: No speeches, no fundraisers, and no field effort to speak of.

Even when given a free opportunity to define his candidacy and connect with voters, Odom couldn’t find the time.

From the Columbine Courier:

The economy and the climate for Jeffco businesses were discussed by 11 political hopefuls from across the county last Friday morning at a candidates forum sponsored by the Jefferson County Economic Development Corp.

The forum, at the Holiday Inn at Wadsworth Boulevard and U.S. 285, was attended by about 50 people.

As might be expected, the discussion focused largely on what the candidates have accomplished in the business world and how much they are committed to improving conditions in the business sector.

John Odom, who is running for Jefferson County commissioner in District 2, was not able to attend, but he sent a stand-in [Pols Emphasis], Ben Engen, who described himself as a friend who was also on the vacancy committee that interviewed Odom for the commissioner vacancy after Kevin McCasky resigned to become president of the EDC.

A Jefferson County native, Odom is a businessman who years ago opened a coffee shop in China and has high regard for personal property rights, his stand-in said [Pols Emphasis]. Odom believes that what sets America apart are its strong legal protections for property and contracts, he said. “Here’s a man who says your property should be yours to develop as you see fit.”

He described Odom as a business booster who once purchased airtime at a charity auction and used it to run an advertising campaign encouraging businesses to move to Jefferson County. “That’s the kind of guy John is, always looking for creative ways to improve life in Jefferson County.”

There’s nothing necessarily wrong with candidates occasionally sending surrogates to public events — sometimes day-to-day life gets in the way of campaigning. With Odom, though, sending a Republican operative to this particular community forum is endemic of a larger problem with his strategy: Nobody has seen or heard from him in months. This would’ve been the perfect opportunity for Odom to discuss his diverse experience in the business world. If John Odom has such a high regard for property rights, why couldn’t he show up to a forum to discuss that regard?

In a campaign, it’s not good enough to have a few friends awkwardly telling voters what “kind of guy you are” or discussing your beliefs. You have to show them yourself.

John Odom has run his entire election bid thus far assuming that, because he’s an incumbent Republican, he doesn’t have to work very hard to win another term.

Although Democratic challenger Casey Tighe has been doing a remarkable job for a first-time candidate — he has the wherewithal to attend community events, after all — it’s an unfortunate reality that Odom might just be right.