So, Arlen, thank you for being a part of the Uproar. We know you have a very interesting story about running for Marshall Town Supervisor. The supervisor, who votes on municipal matters on a committee, is an often overlooked but important local position. To get us started, how would you define your political stance?

I would define myself as being left-leaning.

Who do you look up to politically?

I look up to Teddy Roosevelt. He always fought for what he believed in, and even before wilderness conservation was an actual issue on people’s agenda, he saw what was going to happen to nature and took steps preemptively to protect it. I also look up to Bernie Sanders. I don’t agree with him on everything, but I admire his integrity. I think he’s a lot more truthful about his own beliefs than many other people in Congress today.

So you are clearly involved in local government. What inspired you to learn more about it?

It started in seventh grade for me. I was just curious about the government and got in touch with the Marshall Township Office about job statistics and election processes. I got a nice response and kept it in the back of my mind for four years until I was old enough to run. I always told myself I was going to run the moment I was old enough, so that time came around, and I went for it.

Take me through the timeline of your campaign for Town Supervisor.

“I ran a silent campaign, so that means there was no campaigning. It started in January of 2017, and I made a few phone calls to the Allegheny County Board of Elections to ask if I was eligible to run for certain things. I knew you had to be 18 to be Town Supervisor, but I also knew that you don’t take the job until January of the year following the election. So, I wouldn’t be 18 by the time election day came around, but I would be by the time I would take office. I figured that was okay, and called them; they said it was fine. At that point, I had to choose if I were to run with a party or as an independent. I figured that, if I was serious about getting elected, I would run with a party, because independents don’t generally get elected in Marshall Township. I went through all of the available online records for Marshall and didn’t see an independent run. One problem with running with a party is that you have to be 18 to register with a political party, so I had to call the Board of Elections again and ask if I could run with a party, even if I’m not a member of that party. They said that I could, but that got kind of complicated because, in order to get on a primary ballot with a party in Pennsylvania, you have to get a petition circulated. You have to pass around a piece of paper and get your neighbors who are members of that party to sign it. The requirement for Marshall Township is ten signatures.

Only ten people?

“Yeah, only ten signatures for the specific office. I was able to get more than that, but, technically, I wasn’t able to get any of those. Even though I could run with that party, I couldn’t circulate my own petition. Most people are their own official circulator when they run for office, but the rules in PA are that only a member of the party can circulate a petition. I was able to get one of my parents to circulate my petition and get enough signatures. In addition, I had to get a bunch of forms signed, like ethical statements. I also had to do a campaign finance waiver because I didn’t plan on using any money to campaign.”

So it sounds like you were pretty prepared. What happened next?

With some help from school faculty, I was able to turn in the forms I needed, and I thought that I was set. Next, the ballot order had to be determined. What I found was the most interesting part of the process was the literal rolling of the dice. At the county office building, they roll dice to officially determine who gets what place on the ballot. It’s kind of funny because if a candidate doesn’t show up, someone from the office has to pretend to be them.

So if no one showed up, two people would have to pretend to be the candidates?

Essentially, yes.

Sounds like classic local government. So, what happened after you got your name on the ballot?

Well, I turned in all the forms I needed to, so I thought. One day, I got a call from the a Marshall Township committee member who told me that I “made a fatal error” in my petition. He said it in such a friendly tone, I almost didn’t register what he was saying. He explained that I hadn’t turned in my ethics statement to the township, which I did not know I needed to do. I turned my statement in to the county, just not the township. I scoured resources provided by the county government and never saw that that was a requirement. While that didn’t automatically disqualify my petition, it left it open for someone to legally object and have me removed from the primary ballot. I asked him what the likelihood of that happening was and he said it was almost definite. It was really just unfortunate because I was inexperienced; it’s difficult to be under 18 and running for office. For the next couple weeks I just waited, not knowing if the day of the election would come before my name was removed from the ballot. Eventually, I got a knock on my door from a messenger that said someone objected to my petition and the only options were to go to court or remove myself. While I feel bad for being removed on a technicality, I understand that there’s a good reason for those rules and I respect them, so I decided to withdraw my candidacy for the primary race.

What do you think NA students can learn from your experience in local government?

I don’t know if they can learn from my experience, but I think more students should get involved and care about local government. It’s an important aspect to our daily lives that we often take for granted. My best advice is to learn more about your community and not be scared away by bureaucracy.