Lee Ware’s Communication Breakdown

( – promoted by lowkell)

Lee Ware sure has dropped the ball when it comes to communicating with his constituents.

And that’s why today, William Quarles, Democratic candidate for the House of Delegates in the 65th district, called for his opponent to answer for it.

But answer for what, exactly?

Let’s begin with his website: Ware’s is woefully out-of-date; there are absolutely zero significant legislative updates to the News section during the entire four year period between October 2009 and May 2013. That means that four years’ worth of votes, legislation, debate, and outreach didn’t warrant so much as a cursory mention on his website.

Which is why it was so curious that just a few weeks ago, Ware released an extensive email detailing his his involvement in the 2013 legislative session, which he then posted to his website.

“I don’t think it’s a coincidence that after four years, updates began appearing on Mr. Ware’s site once it was clear he was going to have an opponent in 2013,” William Quarles said in a statement.

Besides the aforementioned email and an invitation on the homepage to follow Ware on the campaign trail, there have only been four updates to the “News and Photos” section this year.

Unfortunately, there were even fewer updates in 2010, 2011 or 2012.

And by fewer, we mean “zero.”

To be fair, six old links do remain at the bottom of the section from 2009, but as of this writing, none of them are functional.

What’s more, the “On the Issues” section of Ware’s website makes no mention of any legislative accomplishments past 2009. While it discusses in vague terms the stances the Delegate embraces, the only specific legislative accomplishments the page mentions are from four years ago. So if you’re a constituent looking for information on recent bills, votes, policy positions, or achievements between 2009 and 2013, you’re out of luck.

Finally, in a twenty-first century campaign, where public servants are more than capable of keeping voters up-to-date and in the loop, Mr. Ware hasn’t bothered to create an official Facebook profile or a Twitter page. (Of course, it may also behoove a delegate to update his or her constituent assistance page to reflect the correct names of those serving in the United States Senate, but I digress).

But our qualms with Mr. Ware’s lack of communications is about more than just a forgotten website or a lack of social media presence.

Indeed, these issues are indicative of a much larger problem.

Put simply, Mr. Ware has grown so comfortable in his position that he’s dropped the ball on the all-important task of communicating with his constituents. His efforts (or lack thereof) reveal a politician who has grown complacent during his thirteen years in office; they reveal a political philosophy that puts expediency above information.

At the end of the day, communication is about staying in touch with more than just a few well-connected groups or individuals. Ware states on his website that he meets “regularly with individual citizens, civic associations, local officials and employees, and educators.” But his poorly-maintained website and zero social media presence are clear signs that even after thirteen years in the House of Delegates, Mr. Ware still isn’t encouraging open lines of communication with all the people he claims to represent.

“Communication is about more than just posting a few updates every two years around election time,” Quarles’ statement continued. “It’s about providing the people with the information they need to make informed decisions. Mr. Ware has dropped the ball, and it’s time for the people of the 65th to pick it up.”