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On the heels of Commissioner John Odom’s first television ad this cycle, Democratic challenger Casey Tighe has released a commercial of his very own.

From Tighe:

The Jefferson County Commissioner race in District 2 has taken to the airwaves. Challenger Casey Tighe has released an ad touting his his long career in government accountability as a CDOT auditor.  The ad also points out the main themes of his campaign; Jefferson County the perfect place for the live, work, play lifestyle, and Casey has worked for years to ensure the financial stability of the county as the Chair of the Audit committee until it was disbanded in 2011. Casey wants to bring accountability back into county government.  

The incumbent Commissioner John Odom also released his own commercial and announced that he will be airing it during Monday Night Football and throughout the rest of the month until election day.  The ad emphasizes the financial stability of the county by explaining that the county’s credit rating has been upheld by Moody’s and also quotes Fitch Ratings saying “extensive financial planning has contributed to the county’s solid financial operations.”  

Odom, who was appointed two years ago to replace former Commissioner Kevin McCaskey after he resigned, had been in office less than a year when the Moody’s assessment was made, and when Tighe was asked about the commercial his response was “It’s cute, I’m glad to see the county has been benefitting from the years of hard work my team did on the Audit Committee before it was dissolved, and I’m excited to see what we can accomplish when I am commissioner.”

It’s not perfect, but Tighe should be particularly proud of this television spot. Although the Democrat has consistently outpaced his opponent in fundraising this campaign, August finance reports didn’t show that Tighe had raised enough money to air television ads at all, even on cable. And, unlike Odom, Tighe doesn’t have deep enough pockets to self-finance his entire candidacy.

That the Tighe campaign produced and is airing anything on television indicates that the Democrat has raised enough to stay competitive against an incumbent Republican. That’s particularly impressive for a first time candidate.

Unlike Odom’s quirky harmonica melody, Tighe tacked to the conventional in his spot, complete with upbeat praise of Jefferson County and newspaper clippings highlighting Odom’s shortcomings as commissioner. There’s even a shot of Tighe working diligently behind a desk! And meeting and smiling with voters!

The conventional approach carries with it both risks and rewards. Unlike Odom’s spot, this commercial paints Tighe as someone with a substantive record in government. His tenure as CDOT’s audit director features prominently. Although that desk shot may come off as a little trite to voters inundated with political commercials, it at least communicates that Tighe has the experience necessary to responsibly seize the reigns of fiscal management and government as a whole. Neither John Odom nor Casey Tighe have ever appeared on a county-wide ballot before. The more Tighe looks like a seasoned incumbent, then, the more voters will assume that he’s the one who belongs in the administration building.

Tighe’s ad is, however, easy to tune out. Whereas Odom’s harmonica talents are intriguing enough to invite viewers to listen to and then look at their television when the commercial plays, Tighe’s commercial runs the risk of being drowned out by the hundreds of other political spots on television right now. Because it’s just like every other single political ad, voters probably won’t remember if Tighe is running for Congress, commissioner, or some other office that vaguely relates to budgets and the economy. Odom’s that “harmonica guy.” Tighe? Just another white guy with grey hair running for office in 2012.

That whole “nerdy job” line doesn’t really fit, either. Adding levity to a commercial can help voters remember names, but there’s no such humor anywhere else in the spot. Tighe makes a poignant case that he’s better suited to serve during the first part of the ad, then he goes and proclaims himself a “nerd” when he could’ve closed strong. If you’re going to run such a standard political ad, don’t try to lighten it up at the very end. It looks like an afterthought. Voters may perceive “nerdy” to mean “responsible,” but they probably prefer “leaders” to “nerds” at the end of the day.

For all its faults, though, Tighe’s ad serves as an effective counterpoint to Odom’s messaging. For a Democrat running for a countywide seat, that exposure alone helps enormously. One television ad alone isn’t enough to win Tighe the election, of course, but unlike John Odom, Tighe’s been campaigning hard from the start.  

After months of conspicuous silence on the campaign trail, Jefferson County Commissioner John Odom has not only perfected his messaging heading into election day, he’s also taking that message to the airwaves with his first major TV buy this cycle.

While Odom has effectively ceded the ground game to Democratic challenger Casey Tighe, it may not make a difference. That’s because television is the most cost-effective way to connect with voters in expansive Jefferson County. Because so few people are paying attention to this race, steady and well-placed TV ads enable Odom and other similarly-situated downballot candidates to introduce themselves to thousands of voters. Few people make a truly “informed” vote for commissioner, so all Odom needs to do is remind a few thousand Jeffco residents that he’s someone they’re able to vote for.

Make no mistake: Television ads alone aren’t enough to win an election. They can’t utterly replace other electoral efforts, as John Odom would do well to remember. He aired a strikingly similar ad against Democrat Cheri Jahn in his 2010 bid for the State Senate and still lost that race by four percentage points. There were, of course, different dynamics at play in 2010. Jahn spent years in the state house before making the jump to the Senate, and she was running to represent a district with a not insignificant Democratic tilt. And, while it may have showcased Odom’s talents with the harmonica, that TV buy didn’t really say anything other than the economy was bad and that Odom had a “new direction.”

This ad, however, paints a much more compelling portrait. Odom showcases Jefferson County’s recent economic gains and, though he shouldn’t necessarily get that much credit for it, he can get away with linking Jeffco’s success with his own efforts. The 2010 harmonica ad made the Republican appear like a quirky challenger with no real platform. As an incumbent, though, that same harmonica (and a similar tune) might just be the best way to get voters talking about an office they didn’t even know they could cast a vote for.

Still, the venue for Odom’s harmonic performance should raise a few eyebrows. He and his guitar accompaniment are grooving out next to a statue of Thomas Jefferson prominently located in the main atrium of the Taj Mahal. Although Odom isn’t expressly forbidden — to our knowledge — from using Jefferson County property for political purposes, his current position as an elected official invites a few questions: Were county funds used in the production of the video? Was Odom “on-the-clock” as commissioner when he went down to the lobby and filmed this video?

Those questions alone won’t negate the effectiveness of the commercial, but if turns out Odom erred in filming this where he did, he’ll have to grapple with the fallout from making such an asinine mistake.

That fallout wouldn’t cost Odom the election. But if it did, Odom at least has a future as a bald Bob Dylan tribute artist.

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.