Nature Runs For Mayor In Clearwater, Florida

Guest Blog by Elizabeth Drayer

A SEA TURTLE FOR MAYOR? WHY NOT!

            Six months ago, I donned a turtle suit and marched into the city clerk’s office in Clearwater, Florida. My mission: to enter a sea turtle in the mayor’s race. The clerk and her staff exchanged smiles, then puzzled looks. Was this turtle serious? They accepted my filing, but called me back to city hall the next day. The city attorney had determined non-humans couldn’t appear on the ballot. Would I agree to run as Elizabeth “Sea Turtle” Drayer instead? Challenge accepted.

So began my quest to give nature political representation in government. As a lawyer and environmental advocate, I realized years ago that our current laws can’t stop ecosystem decline. As long as sprawl and pollution generate profit, nature won’t stand a chance. We must change the system, and legal personhood for nature is step one.

Step two is political representation -- electing guardians to legislate in the best interests of nature. Natural resources sustain human life, so why don’t they rate representation in Congress and state legislatures? When I saw two pro-development candidates file to run for mayor in my town, I decided it was time to put nature on the ballot.

            Announcing my campaign in a turtle suit invited laughter but also significant interest. Local news outlets interviewed me, as did The Hill, a national publication. The point of the costume was to convey a clear message: nature needs a voice in government. As mayor, I’d act as guardian for ecosystems, voting in the best interests of air, water, wildlife and plants. This wasn’t the usual environmental campaign pushing recycling and plastic straw bans. This was a real effort to change the game.

FIRST THEY IGNORE YOU, THEN THEY LAUGH AT YOU, THEN THEY FIGHT YOU…

            Predictably, many tried to trivialize my campaign, including other candidates. One suggested I drop out of the race because I’d steal votes from his “serious” run. Community leaders declined to meet with me; no consultants or campaign manager types wanted to help me. Even liberals were a hard sell. “Clearwater’s an aging, conservative town and they’ll never buy what you’re selling” I was told again and again.

When I took my message to residents, nature rights drew raised eyebrows. Most listened politely to my pitch before sharing their own concerns. “Will you raise taxes?” “Our neighborhood park has no bathroom.” “We need a left turn lane in front of the mall.” The issue of greatest concern was the dominance of the Church of Scientology, whose adherents have bought up a large swath of property in downtown Clearwater. The fact that our beach community will be swamped by a few feet of sea level rise didn’t worry most people, nor did the wholesale paving of our natural areas. Many cared about environment in a general way, but were resigned to the wall of concrete on the beach as the sad consequence of “progress.”

For the next six months I pressed on, determined that nature rights get a real hearing. I fielded questions at forums, gave speeches to neighborhood groups, knocked on thousands of doors. I accepted no campaign contributions because turtles and trees can’t write checks. Nature was a huge underdog compared to my three well-connected opponents, two of whom served multiple terms on the city council, including a two-time mayor with a six-figure campaign fund.

Still, little by little, I garnered support. From residents in a mobile home park where the owner had razed dozens of old oaks. From neighborhoods fighting commercial rezoning alongside their quaint streets. From people fed up with nightmare traffic in a city with little public transport. Volunteers stepped up to knock on doors, make phone calls and wave signs. Leaders of bird and native plant groups endorsed me. Sierra Club and the National Organization for Women got behind my campaign. The more I talked, the more people listened.

ELECTION NIGHT - WOW!

Though I lacked connections and big money, Elizabeth “Sea Turtle” Drayer won 24% of the vote, placing second in a four-way race. I was baffled yet thrilled, never expecting this kind of showing. My goal was to put nature rights on the ballot and use the platform to spread the word. People actually voted for nature! Who knew?

LESSONS LEARNED

            Though I felt compelled to stand up when I saw pro-development candidates running for mayor, I should have started a year in advance laying the groundwork for a campaign. Through preparation, I could have mastered the technical side of campaigning and made important connections. Of course, experience is often the best teacher, and walking the walk was itself an education. Trying to spread the word about nature rights beyond Clearwater was a big task which I should have asked someone else to take on.

            The biggest challenge, though, was broadcasting the nature rights message while addressing non-nature issues. People would say, okay, you care about wildlife, but what about pensions for police and rising rents? What about humans? We need to convince voters nature protection is about humans -- these resources are vital to our survival and require representation by guardians committed to their well-being.

All these lessons can help other candidates who want to run in the future. Oh, I forgot the most important one -- don’t sprain your ankle six weeks before Election Day. That really takes the spring out of your step.

WHAT IS NEXT?

            Nature rights made a splash in one Florida city.  Now the challenge will be to get other candidates running in other towns, especially progressive ones where they can win. I’m ready to help anyone who wants to take on this challenge, and have high hopes we can pave the way for real change. Don’t let this experiment end with me! Let’s ride this wave and take nature rights to voters everywhere.