Now, I’m not a political consultant, but if I had to guess, I’d say sending out invitations to your campaign kickoff party just hours before the party began is not the best way to go about things.

This went out about an hour ago:

(The person who forwarded the invite noted the acronym after her name—AICP “means American Institute of Certified Planners.” Hmm… obviously not a party planner.)

I caught Ridder briefly this afternoon—she couldn’t talk long, because she’s rushing to arrange her party.

“I signed up Friday, and they only gave us 21 days to get 1,000 forms for public campaign financing dollars,” she explains. “Even though I offered amending language to appoint somebody” while candidates for the newly vacant seat get more time to solicit contributions. “It makes no sense to have something called public campaign financing when it’s unattainable,” she says. “I’m trying, that’s why I’m doing this. It’s only fair, what’s good for the goose is good for the gander.”