Wellington’s campaign manager: Devon is the real deal & here’s why

Letters to the Editor do not reflect the opinions of The Reporter, its publisher or its staff. You can submit your own Letter to the Editor by email to News@ReadTheReporter.com. Please include your phone number and city of residence. The Reporter will publish one letter per person per week.

Dear Editor:

Up front: I’m Devon Wellington’s Campaign Manager, so let me tell you where I stand.

I never, and I do mean never, believe any party or system should outweigh the person. A party, a system, a government is only as strong as the people who make it up. My chosen party happens to be “blue,” but I always look at the person when voting.

Our community has far more love and compassion than hate, even when the voices screaming hate can ring loudest. We talk about belonging but struggle to embrace ideas considered “new.” And our everyday citizens are tired: tired of fear mongering, resource gutting, and doing more with less.

I’ve heard it from kids, teens, Democrats, Republicans, Independents, and people who couldn’t care less about politics. On golf courses, in parking lots, hotel lobbies, and playgrounds. No one wants to canvass, phone bank, or live in the political sphere, but they feel they must if things will ever be “different” or “normal.” I hear those words constantly, along with “reasonable,” “balanced,” and “how it used to be.”

I didn’t seek out this gig, and I don’t trust easily, especially when it comes to politics. I verify and verify again. I ask tough questions and observe constantly. Few people make the cut to actual trust, and no one has faced my scrutiny like Devon. She has had every opportunity to show me she’s too ambitious, too political, too callous. I’ve seen her tired, angry, and heartbroken.

She is the real deal. Not a flashy politician chasing the perfect news clip, or someone who promises the world. I’ve watched her do things no one knows about: hug domestic violence survivors, walk away from a group of “somebodies” to talk with a “nobody,” and play with and listen to kids who can’t vote for years. I’ve seen her stand with teachers and our schools before any endorsement, support small businesses authentically without a photo op, and stay put while people yelled at her.

During the flood, I was by her side as she worked across the aisle and listened to the families impacted. Not for campaign “points,” but because there was nowhere else we would have been. I saw her mosquito-bitten arms as she walked the hardest-hit paths and mucked out houses. I also saw her devastated and frustrated when she couldn’t do more for a family in need. I have seen her genuinely show up for those communities since the devastation. Her selflessness, especially during the flood, will stay with me long after this election.

Okay, she’s a good person. But will she represent us? Unequivocally, yes. She will make all of us mad at some point, me included, because when you listen to people instead of interest groups, people react. I’ve seen her stand up to her own party on many levels. Devon isn’t loyal to party or her own ambitions. She wants to hear your needs, check the data, and go to bat for the truth. This has never been about what Devon wants, but about what the community needs.

I know I’m biased. Some will call this a campaign ploy. To that I say: she doesn’t know I’m writing this. She hates attention. It’s probably not “advisable” to write it, but I’m writing it anyway for two reasons. First, I’ve asked others to do this all season, and I never ask anyone to do something I won’t. Second, it deserves to be said, and I’m uniquely positioned to say it.

There are “meh” candidates in every party (Democrats, breathe, it’s true), people running for a title or power. But there are others, like Devon, on both sides, who are genuine public servants. Someone will represent us and have the power to make daily life harder or better. Devon will make it better. She will use all her power and any prestige to ease our daily struggles. She will carry our burdens with us, not add to them. And I promise my community this: if she ever fails to represent us, I’ll be the first to call her out. She knows it, the party knows it, and now you do.

Devon is as real and as dedicated as they come. Advocating for her has been a great honor, because trusting authentically good people, and being trusted by them, is a rare gift. I can think of no better way to serve than helping them as they help others. It is because of all of this and so much more that I proudly endorse Devon Wellington for District 29 State Representative.

Nocona Canady-Flatt
Noblesville