Matt Gitchell – 2017 Candidate for Tech Officer

Bio

I’m a 20-year tech industry veteran, having built projects for anything from museums to large corporations to small businesses with a lot in between. Having worked in the marketing sector the majority of my career, I have experience in the tools that a modern political organization should use to maximize its message. I’ve applied this in direct experience coding and managing large teams. Philosophically, this is the approach I would bring to this role: The way this country succeeds in the world is to bring its mighty citizenry to bear on its problems. The more of our citizenry we have in this fight, the better. The more of our people we as a county and as a country assist and encourage to succeed, the better. Equality makes us all stronger; ensuring access for those underserved means that America has a larger and stronger pool of people to draw from to propel it forward. The most effective way to spread ideas like that is through digital tools, through social media and a website and email campaigns. The main challenge we face in this realm is to convert something that people click on into something that people act on. The events and initiatives that we as a party undertake need to be reinforced by the way we represent them in the digital realm, something I feel isn’t necessarily happening with the party’s digital assets right now. I’d be honored to work for you in the party to more effectively represent our goals and enthusiasm in the digital realm.

Political Experience

Limited to canvassing, phone banking, and assorted nonprofit development work.

Vision for the Multnomah County Democratic Party

As the most dense and populous county in the state, I feel Multnomah County Democrats have a particular obligation to run the best party apparatus. Not only does that mean accomplishing our primary mission, serving those in our county, but providing leadership and resources to the rest of Oregon and Southwest Washington. The talent and vibrancy of this community should be reflected in the way the party represents itself online. As the steward of the digital presence, this would mean providing a useful and modern website with minimal barrier to entry, effective management of relevant lists and social media assets, all with a high level of attention to security and privacy concerns.

About Multco Dems

The Multco Dems comms and web team is made up of volunteers who work to make our message heard online. We welcome you to join us! Sign up through our volunteer link.