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Town Board with Nick Hunter pulls back the curtain on what it really takes to run for local office in Webster, NY. Follow first‑time candidate, dad of three, and lifelong creative Nick Hunter as he chronicles each step—from party endorsements and petition drives to door‑knocking blunders, policy deep‑dives, and the inevitable curveballs of small‑town politics. Whether you’re a civic‑curious neighbor, an aspiring candidate, or just love a behind‑the‑scenes story, you’ll get candid reflections, actionable tips, and the occasional musical‑theater cameo—all in under 20 minutes an episode. Hit follow, join the journey, and see how grassroots democracy really works.
Back in December, I got an email from a lady named Ginny. She's the secretary of the local Democratic committee, and she asked me if I'd ever consider running for local office. In our town of Webster, New York, there was gonna be two open seats on the town board, a position open for town supervisor and town justice. Now this email wasn't totally out of the blue. Ginny's been knocking on my door for the last ten years, whether it's petitioning or just asking me to vote.
Speaker 1:And every time she came to my door, I said, you know what, Ginny? One of these days, I'm gonna get involved. And it is something that I've been thinking about for the last decade. Like a lot of people, I started paying attention to politics back in 2015 when Donald Trump launched his campaign, and that was a pretty big turning point for me. It changed my entire media diet.
Speaker 1:I went from being a casual headline checker to somebody who regularly reads the New York Times and consumes every podcast like Pod Save America, NPR Politics Podcast, The Axe Files with David Axelrod. Anything that was talking about governance, I was in. But in all reality, I'm a dad, a husband, we have three little kids at home, I worked full time, and I didn't have a lot of time. And to be honest, I was scared. Scared of the commitment and scared of doing something that I wasn't even sure I was qualified for.
Speaker 1:But when this email came up, this opportunity came, I said, yes. Please. I'd love to get involved. And this podcast, this is about what happened after that. This is my story of running for office.
Speaker 1:My name is Nick Hunter. Welcome to Town Board. Before we get into the messy complicated parts, and there are a few, I think it makes sense to step back and talk a little bit about who I am. Am I qualified to run for office? Is this something that an everyday person can do?
Speaker 1:So who am I? I'm a 35 year old husband, been married for ten years, a father of three, two amazing daughters, six and eight, and a 10 old son. My girls go to our local public elementary school, which conveniently is located right across the street from our house, and we are in every sense invested in this community. Professionally, I spent the last twelve years working in insurance and finance, claims handling, litigation, risk management, compliance, sales leadership. I've led teams, built systems, managed agencies.
Speaker 1:On paper, I'm a business guy. I hold a degree in business administration from a small school here in the Rochester area, Roberts Wesleyan University, and a master's degree in business analytics from the University of Rochester. But I say on paper because that's not all that I am. I'm also intensely curious. And for most of my life, I've lived in the tension between the logical, analytical side of my brain and the creative, expressive one.
Speaker 1:I actually started college as a music performance major. Music theater was my love, and that world really shaped me. The rehearsal process, the emotional storytelling, the connection with audiences, And honestly, that part of me never really left the stage. Yeah. That was me.
Speaker 1:I share this because I think running for office is a little like standing on stage. It's vulnerable. You have to know your material. You have to listen to the room. You have to be honest even when it's uncomfortable.
Speaker 1:So I say yes. What comes next? I needed to meet with the local leadership of the Democratic Committee. We sat down for about an hour and talked through my background, my experience, and what I was hoping to bring to the table. I also asked a lot of questions, trying to get a sense of what the committee and the town were really looking for and whether I would be a good fit.
Speaker 1:Unlike Parks and Rec, they weren't actively recruiting or pushing anyone forward. This is more like a fact finding mission, and they were staying neutral. Still, they let me know that I felt like my qualifications could line up with a run for town board or even a town supervisor. Before moving forward, they asked me to submit a formal letter of intent along with my resume to confirm my interest. I then needed to talk to my wife.
Speaker 2:Hey. Hi. So
Speaker 3:what do you think about me running for office? Well,
Speaker 2:I I think it's going to be a journey and experience to start.
Speaker 3:Time commitment.
Speaker 2:A time commitment. I think that there's a lot of factors that we take into consideration with this decision. We have three children. Mhmm. And I work a full time job also.
Speaker 2:Mhmm. So we're busy. But that doesn't mean that it's not doable. Sure. And that it's not important.
Speaker 4:I do think it's important.
Speaker 2:I do too.
Speaker 3:I think it's right up my alley.
Speaker 2:I do too.
Speaker 3:Something I've literally been talking to you about forever.
Speaker 2:The most of the time that I've known you, you've been talking about this. I think it's a great thing, not just for you, but for our town.
Speaker 4:I think you could do a lot of a lot of good.
Speaker 3:I'd like to. So you're in?
Speaker 2:I'm in.
Speaker 3:Okay. Anything town board makes sense?
Speaker 2:It does make sense.
Speaker 3:Yeah.
Speaker 2:It's a good good spot for you to get a feel for what's needed and find your your niche. Sure.
Speaker 3:Alright.
Speaker 2:I think you have good ideas. I think you care.
Speaker 3:Of course, I do.
Speaker 2:But I mean, more than more than most, one of the reasons I fell in love with you is because you're you're passionate, and you really care about what you're involved in. You put your heart and soul into it.
Speaker 3:I try to.
Speaker 2:And I think you'll do it for this as well.
Speaker 3:That's really sweet.
Speaker 2:I love you.
Speaker 3:I love you. So I guess I'm running for office.
Speaker 2:I think you can do
Speaker 3:it. Alright. You gonna help me?
Speaker 2:Absolutely.
Speaker 3:I'm gonna need that.
Speaker 1:So Colleen was my first yes. And the next step was to make it official. So I sent over my resume and my letter of intent to the committee. And it was the first time that I had really put into words why I wanted to run, to see a local government that was much more transparent, to have more residents at the table, and I wanted to feel like the town board actually reflected the people who lived here. Soon after, I was invited to the committee's designation meeting.
Speaker 1:This is where each candidate has a chance to introduce themselves, kinda sell themselves before the committee who then votes if they wanna support you. I was nervous. This was my first real audition for public service. I was kinda up in the front of the room with four other candidates, each one running for their own perspective spots, two of us for town board, one for town supervisor, and one for town justice. They gave me five minutes to speak, and I told them who I am, a husband of 10, father of three, professional with a decade and of experience in finance and compliance, a public school parent, and a guy who's passionate about policy and tired of political theater.
Speaker 1:And then they voted. All but one voted to approve me, which is pretty cool. And that was the moment that it got real. This thing that I had quietly been thinking about for years suddenly had weight and responsibility. I wasn't just interested anymore.
Speaker 1:I was in. Well, sort of. I still needed to petition to confirm my name was on the ballot. So that's where we start. This podcast is for anyone who's ever thought about maybe I could run for office someday.
Speaker 1:It's for people who care about their towns. It's for voters who deserve to hear more than sound bites, and it's for me, a place to process this wild ride in real time. Thank you so much for listening. If this resonated with you, if you wanna see a different kind of leadership, I hope you follow my journey. Subscribe and share this episode.
Speaker 1:This is TownBoard, and we're just getting started.