[Iowa-dx] Local vs. Statewide
Jim O'Loughlin
jim.oloughlin@uni.edu
Fri, 17 Nov 2006 09:49:28 -0600
I'd like to put a plug in for an approach that is both local and
statewide. Greens have been successful in winning Soil and Water
Commission positions in the past. There's a lot of room for people
to do some positive environmental work in those posts. I believe
that as long as the Green Party doesn't provide money to SWC
candidates, it would be legitimate to come up with a statewide SWC
platform and then have candidates run in these non-partisan races.
The question is whether or not we can put together a significant
slate of candidates. There are some funny residency requirements for
these positions (which strike me as unconstitutional, but what are
you going to do?) so that board members need to be from different
townships or something like that.
Can I put in a plug for county contact people to at least contact
their election offices to find out what seats will be coming up for
election next cycle? I will be the first to make a call.
Jim
On Nov 16, 2006, at 6:54 PM, Kelley Putman wrote:
> For those who live in a rural area, Township Clerk and Township
> Trustee
> positions can be won with as few as two write-in votes sometimes.
>
> Kelley
>
>
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Richard Johnson" <seiowagreen@fastmail.fm>
> To: "IAGP Discussion" <iowa-dx@lists.gp-us.org>
> Sent: Wednesday, November 15, 2006 2:46 PM
> Subject: [Iowa-dx] Local vs. Statewide
>
>
> OK...Iowa is now firmly in the control of the Democrats. While
> that may
> only be a slight improvement over the previous situation, it is
> still an
> improvement. As with any long journey, one must start with the first,
> small step away from the starting point. Our starting point was a
> corporate dominated government that was out of touch with the common
> Iowan and dominated by far too many conservative legislators. That
> was
> our origin point on the journey.
>
> Where are we now? We will still have a legislature that is far too
> friendly with the corporate interests of this state, and still out of
> touch for the most part with the needs of the average citizens of the
> state. However, even if only marginally, it is an improvement, and it
> builds a small bit of momentum for future changes.
>
> The question that is now before us is how do we build on that small
> bit
> of momentum.
>
> For the past three election cycles the IAGP has run candidates for the
> top of the ticket. After Ralph Nader's results in the 2000
> campaign we
> benefitted by having access to the ballot as an official party AND by
> having the check-off for our party added to the income tax forms.
> I do
> not have the figures in front of me, but as I recall the check-off
> brought in around $3000 for us (Holly please correct me if I am
> wrong).
>
> Since then we have seen the following:
>
> 2002 - Governor/Lt. Governor: Jay Robinson/Holly Hart - 1.4%
> 2004 - President/Vice President: David Cobb/Patricia La Marche -
> 0.076%
> 2006 - Governor/Lt. Governor: Wendy Barth/Richard Johnson - 0.74%
> (Unofficial)
>
> For a variety of reasons we have not been able to repeat the
> results of
> 2000, in spite of the hard work and money we have put into our
> efforts.
> The best showing of any state-wide candidate under our banner was in
> 2002, when Brian Depew pulled in 2.18% of the vote.
>
> I believe it is time for us to re-examine our approach to building the
> party in the state. Specifically I would suggest that we turn our
> attention away from the top-of-the-ticket races and focus on putting
> candidates into down-the-ballot races. I know that these races do not
> draw the attention that those at the top of the ticket do, but I
> believe
> that we have the people and the infrastructure in a few counties to
> have
> some success with this approach.
>
> Each county will have its own unique situation. For example, Johnson
> County might well not run anyone against Joe Bolcom for several good
> reasons. However they may have good openings on the city council,
> county board, conservation board, or community college board of
> trustees
> that would be excellent places to run candidates. Here in Des Moines
> County we have a representative that may be vulnerable, and running
> someone from the Green Party might be a good move. Under this
> approach
> there will be no "one size fits all" solution. Each county will
> have to
> work as they see fit from their vantage points.
>
> Yes, this will dilute our money, and possibly our strength in some
> areas. However, I believe the chance for success is greater with this
> approach. Success under the state-wide approach has been defined as
> getting the 2% needed to obtain ballot status. Success under the
> local
> approach might well be better defined as winning the seat. And if our
> goal as a party is to see candidates who run under our banner win
> elections, it is the local approach that I feel offers the greatest
> opportunity for success.
>
> But more importantly for the future of our party, a local approach
> gives
> us an opportunity to connect with and mobilize Greens in our counties.
> Johnson, Linn, and a handful of other counties are doing a great
> job (at
> least from where I sit) in connecting with their local voters.
> However
> other counties have a hard time making such connections when there
> is no
> local candidate to drive interest. They also have a hard time keeping
> folks involved if there is nothing locally to hold their interest
> (refer
> to my earlier e-mail for thoughts on this).
>
> We've been doing the big picture for several years now. We've fielded
> good candidates. We've campaigned well. We've all worked hard to
> support the candidates. We've made new contacts and tried to hold
> their
> interest. But in the end has our party shown growth?
>
> Should we take a breather from the top of the ticket races and focus
> during the next cycle on local races, local party-building activites,
> and connecting with other progressive groups in our communities?
>
> Rick Johnson
>
> --
> http://www.fastmail.fm - And now for something completely different.
>
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