There's the old story about how Jimmy Carter got the attention of voters when he first ran for the White House. The little-known ex-governor walked up to strangers on the street, extended a hand and drawled, "Hi, I'm Jimmy Carter, and I'm going to be your next president."
Landon Fichtner, a first-time candidate for Huntington Beach City Council, has a similar approach to campaigning – although, in his case, it's closer to "Hi, I'm Landon Fichtner, and I recommend that movie."
The five-year Huntington Beach resident isn't among the candidates funneling tens of thousands of dollars into his campaign. In fact, he's running essentially on no money at all, which means that word of mouth and personal connections with voters are his main strategies. So while names like Boardman, Carchio and Shaw line street corners around town, Fichtner has opted for one-on-one interaction.
Often, that simply means striking up conversations with residents and then, after a minute or two, letting them know about his campaign. On a few occasions, Fichtner said, he's spotted strangers at the local minimart checking out a movie from the Redbox and moseyed over to offer rental recommendations. Then, once he's established a rapport, he'll note casually that he's running for office.
