Politicians can often be seen as untouchable; separate from ordinary citizens. Even the most down-to-earth are still either heralded by their supporters or mocked by their detractors; it’s easy to forget that many of them, even the millionaire campaigners, are real people with lives outside of politics.
Since 2016, Democrat Mike Dasher has served as Chatham County’s District 2 Commissioner. When running for re-election, Dasher’s campaign focused on the community: affordable housing, school funding, and protecting Chatham’s “environment and rural character” according to a questionnaire conducted by The Chatham News & Record. Dasher’s child, Abilene, is currently a sophomore at Northwood. The Northwood Omniscient reached out to talk to them about their experience being the child of a local politician.
“I’m not sure many other students know that my dad is a local politician,” Dasher said. “If they do know that he is, and have a bad opinion of him, I don’t think they know that I’m his daughter. I’d say I’m pretty lucky to never have been targeted by students because of my dad’s career.”
Abilene feels that their parents have provided a good support structure for them to pursue interests and progress in their education.
“I personally do not intend to follow my dad’s career path,” Dasher said. “In the future, I would like to become a professional actor or perhaps a social worker. I think that politics are super interesting, but I don’t think that career is for me! While my parents do, of course, want the best for me, they have never pressured me to succeed in any way that would be detrimental to me, and they have always let me take a couple days off per year for my mental health. I’m really grateful that they have always been so helpful and supportive in my schooling.”
With social media bringing a new wave of political literacy to high schoolers, it’s no surprise that Abilene engages herself in current politics.
“I would definitely consider myself a political person,” Dasher said, “I have very strong beliefs and my parents always encouraged me to voice those beliefs. While my father has influenced some of my political thinking, I definitely have formed some of my thoughts and ideas on politics by myself and without his influence, and he has stated that he’s very proud of me for doing so.”
Photo courtesy of Abilene Dasher.
