Creating Space for Women in the Political System
In an era of sexist Twitter rants and powerful Political Action Committees, Tiff Piko is disrupting the political system. This 22-year-old sustainable businesswoman and 2019 Parsons School of Design grad is running for mayor of her hometown in Lancaster, Ohio. With a zero-cost campaign, she hopes to become both the first woman and the first person of color to hold the position. Coven sat down with Tiffany to learn about her goals, advice, and reflections on women in politics.
What motivated you to run for mayor?
In 2015, there was a jail being built in Lancaster, and the decision-making process disregarded public opinion, so it proceeded despite community pushback. That was a catalyst moment that made me realize I wanted to be a part of this decision-making, but it wasn’t the right time yet because I wanted to progress with higher education.
Reflecting on Lancaster’s political process, one thing that particularly stands out to me is that Lancaster is roughly 40,000 people, but fewer than 4,000 people turn out to vote. Decisions are not representative, and political figures have been in the same seats for decades. I believe people should move in and out to keep ideas fresh.
Your campaign became your senior thesis. Can you describe how you arrived there and the process of designing a campaign as a thesis?
At Parsons, I majored in systems design and urban planning. Towards the end of my college studies, I went through a program focused on systems broadly and studied political systems, but I started out more in sustainable fashion with a focus on making fashion more ethical and less wasteful. Parsons has a really unique curriculum, so how you apply fashion is up to you. Fashion can be used to create movements, such as with the pussy hat movement or the yellow vest movement in France, and so much of fashion drives influence. However, fashion can be so wasteful sometimes, and the same process happens in the political system.
Political campaigns are incredibly wasteful, and a lot are really dated. Candidates are expected to have a ton of money in order to have a valid run. My thesis was about redesigning how campaigns are run so that they are not so wasteful. I broke down who could run for office and how to redesign the system with the guiding question: how do you get an under-40 woman of color to run for office? I’ve found that it’s a lot about selling a story. The more compelling your story, the easier it is to just run as a person. It’s about utilizing narratives.
I was also really lucky to have a supportive thesis advisor who told us to always work on things you either love or believe in. During our first meeting, we talked about things we believed in, and that conversation shaped my thesis because I was motivated to work towards a specific goal.
What drove you to run a non-traditional campaign?
One of the things I’ve learned growing up in a low-income family is that the more constraints you have, the more creative you have to become. I’ve put the constraint on myself to run a zero-cost campaign. With more constraints, I’ve found that you collaborate more and figure out how to do things in an original way.
Can you break down what it means to run a zero-cost campaign and the strategies you use in order to do so?
The definition of “zero cost” for this campaign is the idea of refusing monetary donations and relying solely on donated goods or time. While these things have a monetary value, the campaign is not directly receiving cash. This was a decision I made to take a stance against traditional political systems that ensure only those with money can run or win. This means I have to utilize every part of my support network in order to get things that the campaign needs. It begins with thinking about the skills and products that already exist in the world and seeing how they could fit into the needs of the campaign. For example, from my studies in sustainable fashion, I knew thrift stores often throw away unsellable donations and thought that maybe local stores could help. I needed campaign t-shirts, so I reached out to our local St. Vincent de Paul store, and they donated to me plain t-shirts that could not have otherwise been sold in stores. Those “unsellable” shirts became my printed campaign shirts.
How did you balance running a political campaign remotely while also finishing your senior year of college? How do you manage everything?
It was a really crazy year with finishing school and preparing to deliver my thesis in front of a panel. I designed my school schedule in order to go back home to campaign. Luckily, I had taken enough credits in high school that I could have a bit lighter semester, and I was also able to use some of the time from my thesis class to go back to Ohio.
I organized the campaign into different phases, and we can view the whole campaign process as a marathon. In the beginning of the marathon, people were excited to see a new face running. We’ve included people who have never been included before, so that’s helped a lot.
In the middle, there was more of a lull, and people started to feel more hopeless, so I had to try to keep hope up. The last three months, where we are now, is when things kick into high gear in terms of time and movement. You have to be so on top of everything, including managing the team. I have a lot of people helping, and a lot of it is about being extremely organized.
What does your support system look like?
I have support networks in both Lancaster and New York, which is really nice, and I would say they’re equal now.
In New York, I mostly worked for preservation and cultural heritage nonprofits, which have to do with community planning as well. From my internships and networks there, I’ve received a lot of support. I’m also still in communication with professors and with my thesis professor, who is involved with the campaign. Additionally, a lot of students donated print credits so that I could print political materials because the school gives everyone a number of print credits, but a lot go unused.
In Lancaster, I became friends with a lot of businesspeople when I was younger because I was interested in what they do, and they’re the ones who build me up. My friends and family are also very supportive and want to help a lot.
What type of community feedback have you received? How do you handle criticism, particularly as a female candidate of color?
People act and react differently in different spheres. I break responses down into two:
In the physical sphere, the feedback has been really great. A lot of people are also really skeptical about the ability of a person running as a Democrat in a majority Republican city but wish me the best. My biggest motivation is that I’ve bumped into a lot of young women that I don’t know but follow me on social media, and they tell me how excited they are to see a young woman run for office.
On the internet, people are more negative. Sometimes it can be really hard to take. This kind of negativity happens often to many people online, but one thing I came up with to deal with the negativity is to look at their voting records. A lot of the individuals who had something bad to say didn’t vote, weren’t registered to vote, or couldn’t vote in Lancaster, so they’re really only being negative online. I’ve gotten used to it. This isn’t unique for women and people of color working in a very public sphere, which is unfortunate, but I take stride and try to honor those going through the same thing.
Who are your role models or inspirational female political figures?
In terms of politics and how to shape a political campaign, my role model is Alexandria Ocasio Cortez. She did so many new, creative things that worked for her. In addition, I would say Victoria Woodhull. She was the first woman to run for U.S. President and was also from Ohio.
In terms of people from the community, I always try to emulate my old track coach named Coach O. and his way of living humbly.
As one of few female candidates, what are your thoughts on the representation of women in politics? How can we go about creating change?
According to the National Mayor Census, only around 20% of mayors of cities with populations over 30,000 are women. Part of it is that in so many places, because there are no women in office, people think that a woman can’t do it or shouldn’t be at the position of mayor. It’s 2019, and for Lancaster, I am the first woman to run for mayor. But this is not a unique situation. Many cities do not have equal gender representation.
The number one method for creating change in politics is standing up for what you believe in and running. In Ohio, a lot of people stay in political seats for many years because no one is willing to challenge them. We really need more people to run for office, and I try to make resources as available as possible when other people voice their interest in running for office. Particularly at the local level, there’s an opportunity for women to create change.
I think organizations are great at fostering female mentorship and helping women running for office. So many people I was bumping into in the community were with organizations interested in seeing more women run for office. One thing I noticed is that several female-run organizations reached out to me without me having to reach out first. The networks are there; we just have to get more people to run.
Any advice for women interested in running?
Always stick to what you believe in and keep going. Even when things look ugly, don’t take it personally. Just stick to what you’re doing and stay true to your morals and beliefs.
As a 20-year-old political science student, I was drawn to Tiffany’s campaign as a refreshing model within a system where older, male politicians elevated by finances and connections heavily dominate decision-making. While creating widespread impact appears challenging because influence often requires substantial resources, understanding complex rules and norms, and overcoming barriers based on one’s identity, Tiffany’s zero cost campaign proves many models are outdated. Unafraid to challenge preconceived expectations of politicians, Tiffany’s drive for community inclusion materializes in her innovative strategies and attempts to connect with every member of Lancaster. Instead of ignoring the news or dismissing local politics, we can regain energy by listening to Tiffany’s podcast or checking out her free clothing resale workshops. We can learn about the sustainable and political power of fashion from her Instagram or the issues facing Lancaster, Ohio that extend across many small cities. Elections don’t have to remain the repetitive, hate-fueled fights they’ve become, but can rather serve as platforms for creativity and systemic change. Let’s continue redefining what a campaign looks like and who it serves. Hopefully, more college-aged women will follow Tiffany’s lead.
Happy election season to all.
-Julia
Photography by Tiffany Piko