[Iowa-dx] Local vs. Statewide
hhart@blue.weeg.uiowa.edu
hhart@blue.weeg.uiowa.edu
Fri, 17 Nov 2006 12:34:29 -0600
Sorry, I got cut off before I was finished...
Last year, we vowed to look into this in Iowa City, but never got off =20
the ground. Nonetheless, it's something we can try again. I really =20
recommend getting a list of board/commission vacancies from your city =20
or county government office and see if there is something that =20
interests your members. One nice aspect is that funds are not =20
required for a campaign, and you can get on without necessarily having =20
any expertise in an area. A few months ago, I got on the housing and =20
community development commissions here, mostly by whining a lot.
Regarding running for high-level vs local/low-level offices, I think =20
our state wide races have been very positive, but I don't see the real =20
goal as bringing in high vote percentages. If you start looking at =20
other returns from high office Green candidates across the country, =20
you'll see similar numbers to what we get here.* Imo, these races =20
give us a good chance to address issues that are addressed at that =20
level and offer some credible and articulate candidates to get our =20
message out. It seems the best of all situations is when you have a =20
local candidate, plus one or more state-level candidates.
*With the exception of Illinois, which I don't believe is duplicatable =20
in most other states. In other races, some with a lot of energy and =20
expense involved, candidates got aound 1-3 % on average. Results =20
convince me that the place to "invest" is at the local level. I hope =20
this will be the year we can run *several* candidates for S&W, county, =20
city and maybe some state legislative positions. IAGP could perhaps =20
provide some coordinated effort in terms of media distribution, GOTV =20
efforts, mnaterials and fundraising.....
Holly
Quoting hhart@blue.weeg.uiowa.edu:
> Another place Greens should look to get involved is appointed boards
> and commissions. These positions offer another They also offer
> excellent education and experience in how governments and communities
> really work, and another avenue for Greens to help make a positive
> difference. For those interested in running for an elected position,
> serving on a board is a way to gain valuable experience.
> \
>
>
>
>
>
> Quoting Jim Paprocki <jpaprocki@mchsi.com>:
>
>> As a former Cedar Township trustee, I would agree it is fairly easy =20
>> to be elected as a Green. However, these township positions are =20
>> really unnecessary. The townships in Black Hawk county easily =20
>> could be replaced by a county commission that would have the =20
>> same responsibilities.
>>
>> I think Jim O'Loughlin makes a good point with regard to the Soil & =20
>> Water Conservation Boards. We want to emphasize environmental =20
>> and social concerns while also stressing greater efficiency and =20
>> cost effectiveness. There are a number of layers of government =20
>> that could be streamlined for greater efficiency and cost saving
>>
>> Jim Paprocki
>>
>> ----- Original Message -----
>> From: "Richard Johnson" <seiowagreen@fastmail.fm>
>> To: "Kelley Putman" <kputman@mchsi.com>; "IAGP Discussion" =20
>> <iowa-dx@lists.gp-us.org>
>> Sent: Thursday, November 16, 2006 10:30 PM
>> Subject: Re: [Iowa-dx] Local vs. Statewide
>>
>>
>> That was certainly the case in some townships in Louisa County this =20
>> year. Even a few Greens in a county like Louisa could make a =20
>> HUGE difference in those races.
>>
>> Rick
>>
>>
>> On Thu, 16 Nov 2006 18:54:27 -0600, "Kelley Putman" <kputman@mchsi.com>
>> said:
>> 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 =20
>> that may only be a slight improvement over the previous =20
>> situation, it is still an improvement. As with any long journey, =20
>> one must start with the first, small step away from the starting =20
>> point. Our starting point was a corporate dominated government =20
>> that was out of touch with the common Iowan and dominated by far =20
>> too many conservative legislators. That was our origin point on =20
>> the journey.
>>
>> Where are we now? We will still have a legislature that is far too =20
>> friendly with the corporate interests of this state, and still =20
>> out of touch for the most part with the needs of the average =20
>> citizens of the state. However, even if only marginally, it is =20
>> an improvement, and it builds a small bit of momentum for future =20
>> changes.
>>
>> The question that is now before us is how do we build on that small =20
>> bit of momentum.
>>
>> For the past three election cycles the IAGP has run candidates for =20
>> the top of the ticket. After Ralph Nader's results in the 2000 =20
>> campaign we benefitted by having access to the ballot as an =20
>> official party AND by having the check-off for our party added to =20
>> the income tax forms. I do not have the figures in front of me, =20
>> but as I recall the check-off brought in around $3000 for us =20
>> (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% =20
>> (Unofficial)
>>
>> For a variety of reasons we have not been able to repeat the =20
>> results of 2000, in spite of the hard work and money we have put =20
>> into our efforts. The best showing of any state-wide candidate =20
>> under our banner was in 2002, when Brian Depew pulled in 2.18% of =20
>> the vote.
>>
>> I believe it is time for us to re-examine our approach to building =20
>> the party in the state. Specifically I would suggest that we =20
>> turn our attention away from the top-of-the-ticket races and =20
>> focus on putting candidates into down-the-ballot races. I know =20
>> that these races do not draw the attention that those at the top =20
>> of the ticket do, but I believe that we have the people and the =20
>> infrastructure in a few counties to have some success with this =20
>> approach.
>>
>> Each county will have its own unique situation. For example, =20
>> Johnson County might well not run anyone against Joe Bolcom for =20
>> several good reasons. However they may have good openings on the =20
>> city council, county board, conservation board, or community =20
>> college board of trustees that would be excellent places to run =20
>> candidates. Here in Des Moines County we have a representative =20
>> that may be vulnerable, and running someone from the Green Party =20
>> might be a good move. Under this approach
>> there will be no "one size fits all" solution. Each county will =20
>> have to work as they see fit from their vantage points.
>>
>> Yes, this will dilute our money, and possibly our strength in some =20
>> areas. However, I believe the chance for success is greater with =20
>> this approach. Success under the state-wide approach has been =20
>> defined as getting the 2% needed to obtain ballot status. Success =20
>> under the local approach might well be better defined as winning =20
>> the seat. And if our goal as a party is to see candidates who =20
>> run under our banner win elections, it is the local approach that =20
>> I feel offers the greatest opportunity for success.
>>
>> But more importantly for the future of our party, a local approach =20
>> gives us an opportunity to connect with and mobilize Greens in =20
>> our counties. Johnson, Linn, and a handful of other counties are =20
>> doing a great job (at least from where I sit) in connecting with =20
>> their local voters. However other counties have a hard time =20
>> making such connections when there is no local candidate to drive =20
>> interest. They also have a hard time keeping folks involved if =20
>> 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 =20
>> fielded good candidates. We've campaigned well. We've all worked =20
>> hard to support the candidates. We've made new contacts and =20
>> tried to hold their interest. But in the end has our party =20
>> shown growth?
>>
>> Should we take a breather from the top of the ticket races and =20
>> focus during the next cycle on local races, local party-building =20
>> activites, and connecting with other progressive groups in our =20
>> communities?
>>
>> Rick Johnson
>>
>>
>> http://www.fastmail.fm - And now for something completely different.
>>
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