Mayoral Candidate Speech

Hello Middelton! Wow, look at all of you. I am so grateful that you’re all here. All praise and glory to God for bringing us together! To our neighbors who are watching online or on TV whom I’ve never met, my name is Amanda Moore and tonight I’m here to launch my campaign to become the next mayor of Middleton.

Speaking of TV, on the way here my husband told me CNN is here tonight. Can you believe it? CNN. But I have to admit, it’s a good thing our local media is here too. I mean, if it was only CNN, then no one would see us.

What an amazing town we are. It’s very humbling to be with you all, so I need to begin by expressing my gratitude to those of you who have joined me here tonight. Among the families of our community here are members of the City Council and Chamber of Commerce. I’m so grateful to you, not only for your passion to increase opportunity for everyone, but for the sincere heart you have for the City of Middleton. Our business leaders: small-business owners, Fortune 500 leaders, and everyone in between. Every day you show us how your calling is not just about the bottom line but about serving our community. Thank you. And of course, I have to say hello to our Neonatal ICU nurses. Sisters, take a look around you: because of your steadfast conviction that every life is precious, many of those you’ve helped bring into the world are standing with us here in solidarity tonight.

We’re all on our own separate journeys, yet we all ended up right here, in this moment together. And I believe we’re in this moment because we all know what Middleton can be. So, if I may, I’d like to take a minute and tell you about what started me on my journey and why I ended up here tonight.

Thirty-three years ago, I was a brand-new nurse working the night shift in the NICU. One of my first patients, a young mother, had just given birth to a little boy so prematurely that there was nothing we could do to save his life. She was remarkably stoic, but honestly, I had never felt so utterly helpless before in all my life. All I knew to do was stay next to her and wait for the inevitable to happen. Suddenly, she told me she wanted to have her baby baptized before he was gone. Feeling thankful that I could do something, I ran to the phone and called the chaplain. But he didn’t answer. So, I called the next one. He didn’t answer either. I went down the list, trying every chaplain we knew only to finally realize that there was no one to be found in the middle of the night. So now, I had to go back and tell this grieving mother even more bad news. And what she said next has stayed with me every day of my life since. She looked at me and said, “I guess you’re going to have to do it because you’re the nurse.”

I’ve never felt so unprepared in my life. I reluctantly took a small baby bottle of sterile water in one hand and held this tiny, precious infant in the other. I asked his name and poured a few drops of water on his tiny forehead. I then prayed the only prayer I could remember at the time; the Benediction Prayer we recited so many times at Middleton Christian Academy. I dried him off, handed him back to his mother, and she held him for a little while. Eventually she placed him back on the bed, and she hugged me. We both cried.

That experience taught me three things. Number one: try as we might, there are some things we cannot control. Number two, life is unfair. And three, even in the darkest moments, God will give you an opportunity. An opportunity to become more than what you are. An opportunity to become more than what you ever expected to be. Ladies and gentlemen, that night I learned that even in the darkest moments, God will give you the opportunity to become a part of something much, much higher.

Ultimately, I believe that’s why we’ve been called here tonight: to be a part of something higher. We all know Middleton is not immune to the unfair challenges of this world. But we also know what Middleton can be. And we know that with every challenge, God promises an opportunity. So, tonight I’m here to talk with you about some of the opportunities before us. And to say that I believe together, we can make it more than we ever thought it could be. In fact, ladies and gentlemen, I came here to boldly declare that if we fulfill our commitment to God and each other, I believe we can make Middleton part of something much, much higher.

Now, of course, there are some people out there who call this crazy. They’ve called me quaint, my ideas outdated. I find that interesting, because we’ve been following their kind of advice at the federal level for decades and look where we are.

We’ve all seen the headlines. Bailout after bailout. Tariffs roiling the markets. Economists revising their forecasts for growth and inflation. And the unfair lesson we learn every time is that what they do at the federal level eventually lands on our doorstep.

We’re dealing with 9% inflation. The price of gas and groceries? Still up. Our unemployment rate is higher than the national average, and since 2020, we’ve seen our fair share of store closures. Party City, Macy’s, Kohls… who would have thought we’d see the end them?

But with every challenge, God promises an opportunity. And believe me, Middleton is up to the challenge. You know how I know?

Because despite all this, we’re making progress. I’ve worked late hours with our City Council and the Chamber of Commerce, who are actually willing to listen to me and my crazy, outdated ideas. Ideas like lowering taxes, on-the-job training, and cutting the bureaucracy that restricts trade and discourages entry into the market. Believe it or not, they were even willing to follow the advice of a certain Mr. Laffer.

And lo and behold, not only did we lower taxes and balance the budget, but we brought in two - TWO Fortune 500 companies who now employ hundreds of our friends and neighbors with new, good paying jobs as we speak.

It’s almost like the American Founders knew what they were doing when they empowered local government. But trust me, everyone: this is only a glimpse of what Middleton can be.

For twenty years I’ve developed incredible friendships with job seekers and local business owners alike. I’ve witnessed first-hand our healthcare non-profits in action. And I’m here to tell you, these folks understand the true meaning of community. Because of their devotion to this city, I’ve seen thousands of people placed in jobs, hundreds of businesses grow, and those struggling to stay above water get the healthcare they need. Believe me when I say the people of our city are just waiting to be given the opportunity to make Middleton part of something higher. And tonight is our chance. Now.

A moment ago, I talked about the power of local government. How essential community is. It’s all part of what the American Founders called “federalism.” But federalism doesn’t only pertain to “the government”. It comes from the Latin word “Fedis,” which means “covenant.” A covenant is a morally informed agreement in which we hold ourselves accountable to God and to each other in a long-term, mutually affirming relationship. And if we keep up our end of the bargain, God will not only keep His promises but go above and beyond to bless His people.

That’s why this campaign is not about me. It’s about us. It’s about realizing a future where Middelton takes its rightful place in the Kingdom order.

Where not only are the streets safe and the schools superior. Where we not only create great jobs and grow in prosperity. Where we not only make good on the promises of America. It’s a place where we make good on the promises of God. 

I’d like to close with a quick lesson I’ve learned from someone who has been volunteering for my campaign. She was actually among the first residents to move into our Better Tomorrow Today community. Unfortunately, like so many others, she is also an abuse survivor, and her abuse started when she was just a little girl.

Sometimes life is unfair. Somethings are out of our control.

As a teenager, she ran away from home and for years got swept into the darkness of drug and alcohol abuse. Eventually came the day where she came face to face with death and had to look her own mortality in the eye. Had a neighbor not called the police in time, she might not still be with us today.

Night after night in the hospital, she told me she found herself asking, “Who am I? What am I coming to? If I’m I just broken, aimless drug addict, then what am I?”

Well, one night a police officer who happened to be in the ward decided to step into her room and pay her a visit. It turned out that he was the one who responded to the call and brought her there. She said that when she recognized him, she started feeling ashamed. And that’s when he leaned into her and said, “I just came in to tell you that you are worthy of God’s love. And if you’re worthy of God’s love, shouldn’t you be worthy of your own?” Later that night, while she lay awake thinking about what he said, something dawned on her: that day was her birthday.

So, she made a promise that she would invest in herself. She always liked being creative, she loved making arts and crafts. And for some reason, she loved making dolls in particular. She said maybe it’s because a doll can always bring joy to a little girl’s heart. A joy she never had while she was growing up. 

Now, she had no idea how she could turn this into a living. Then one day, the police heard about what she was doing. So, believe it or not, they asked her to make dolls for them. You see, sometimes when the police respond to domestic violence calls, there are little girls that are caught in the middle of it. And with her help, the officers could now have some dolls on hand to give to a little girl to occupy her and bring a little joy while they sort the situation out.

This is what happens when we keep God’s covenant. When we hold ourselves accountable to each other. No matter how unfair life is, God creates an opportunity. No matter how much seems out of our control, God will create an opportunity. No matter how uncertain the future seems, God creates opportunity.

So tonight, join me in this covenant. Join me in solving our homelessness. Join me in solving our unemployment. Join me in taking back local control of our schools, our businesses, our city.  Join me in turning Middleton not just into a beacon of freedom and liberty, but into something much, much higher.

Now, like I’ve said, my opponents will call this crazy. They will call this quaint and outdated. Some of them will even call this unrealistic.

Well, I’d like to remind them that I come from Middleton. And here, we simply call this being American. Thank you.