You better be ready to prove it with measurable, quantifiable proof, or at very least, a professional reference or endorsement by your peers outside of social media

Last Monday, something IL-16 Republican candidate Jack Lombardi (R, Manhatten) tweeted jumped out at me which I have to vet.

Lombardi’s digital marketing business, Chicago Website Design SEO Company would qualify as expertise in the digital space.

That being said, it appears Lombardi is trying to be opportunistic, or in my honest opinion right at the line of embellishment in his campaign by claiming his expertise could be of use to reform Section 230, with Lombardi trying to position himself as an industry expert in this field, in light of the recent revelations by the Facebook whistleblower that has been in the news since last Sunday night.

For discernment, is Lombardi an industry expert to make such a claim he’ll reform Section 230 with his technical experience?

If I were interviewing someone who made such a claim, I’d begin questioning the applicant for proof they’re really an expert.

Given we’re talking someone trying to leverage their work experience into election to Congress, I’d search for:

• books written
• articles published in professional trade journals
• industry white papers
• TEDx (Technology, Entertainment, Design) seminar videos
• Gartner Magic Quadrant articles
• Media recognition, like from Crain’s Chicago Business or other mainstream media source
• etc.

For Lombardi, I found no external resource publications to prove he’s an expert.

Fellow IL-16 candidate James Marter (R, Oswego) has been running his own information technology consulting business for 19 years, and to my knowledge, he’s made no such claim of being an industry expert, apart from being a true small business owner.

Please, read Lombardi’s bio from his company website, and while how he got into his current digital marketing business, with help of his mixed martial arts sensei, is interesting, there are no external references for Lombardi’s expertise.

A reference/endorsement from a recognized expert in the digital marketing space for Lombardi would also be proof a real industry expert willing to put their name behind Lombardi’s in a place outside of a LinkedIn, or comparable social media endorsement.

Just something else to think about when vetting candidates with discernment.