The pit works in mysterious ways

Canvassing

As the Park and recreation subdivision sat outside in the common area for their first meeting about the abandoned pit on lot 48. Tom, Mark, Ann, and the Knope sister all sat around a metal wire table with a gavel in the center.

"Okay. So, everybody's here. Let's get started." Leslie announced as she reached the center of the table to grab the gavel. And subsequently bang it on the metal table causing a loud and unpleasant noise the assault the committee's ears'.

And in direct response to the loud noise everyone covered their ears.

"Ow." Mark said as the only one to voice discomfort with the noise.

Olivia was not too keen on having him there in the first place. Actually that's a huge understatement, Olivia loathes him. And it pains her to the core of her being to admit that he might be in the slightest bit helpful to the committee. The only reason she was somewhat ok with it was because of Leslie.

Earlier that morning Leslie asked Olivia if they wanted to go ask their mother to be at the first park meeting that was happening later that night. Olivia in a not mutual disdain for their mother absolutely refused. Leslie made Olivia an offer: either Mark was on the committee or she would ask their mother to be on the committee. As Leslie was tired of her sister driving away useful help to their fight for a park. And those were two people Olivia didn't like at all. But she could put up with Mark. Most days she pretends that their town building did not have a second floor to ignore the fact that their mother was right up there. Not that Olivia's mom came out of her office at all anyway. They don't call her 'the iron cock shredder of Pawnee' for nothing.

"Sorry. Oh, I'm sorry. Metal. Sorry. That's really loud." Leslie apologizes, breaking Olivia out of thought and now focused on her sister's meeting.

"Subcommittee members. Are we prepared for tomorrow night? Tom, have you booked the hall yet?"

"Yes sir." Tom answered enthusiastically.

"Olivia wrote up all the cost projections and possible cases?"

"Yes, captain." Olivia said in her normal sarcastic tone that Leslie was oblivious to.

"Ann, did you clear your schedule?"

"Yes I did, I changed my shift."

"Good-" Before Leslie can finish her though Mark interrupts her.

"I think you might be taking this to the public a little bit too soon. It literally doesn't matter what you propose to the public. They might call for a vote, and if they vote you down, then you're done." He cautions.

"You know I hate to agree with," Olivia looked over from Leslie to Mark and made a barfing noise and then continued. "But there's some truth in what he's saying."

"I don't care if there's gonna be a vote. I have a secret weapon, canvassing." Lesie reveals which causes everyone at the table besides Ann to groan and put their heads down. Ann was nodding trying to get behind Leslies idea, even though she knew it was most likely a lost cause. "Nothing better than good old-fashioned door-to-door campaigning."

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I'm not above using my expertise to change hearts and minds if the cause is just. And my 'expertise' is Olivia. I don't always agree with her methods but she does get the job done. She is a lot like mom in that way." Leslie smiles at the camera at the comparison she made. Thinking it a complement to Olivia, even though to Olivia the comparison was anything but. "When I was in sixth grade, I was voted Best Dressed by 87 votes. And there were only 63 people in my class. It was because she made a bunch of fake votes for me."