Circus-like coverage could boost turnout
by Robert Franklin, Green Party of Texas†

Wed 10/01/03†
GreenPages, Vol 7, No.3

California Greens voted overwhelmingly to endorse Peter Camejo for governor in that state’s recall election, which is set for Oct. 7. How the party will come down on the recall itself is less clear.

A vote of county representatives of the Green Party of California Aug. 14-15 found 90 percent support Camejo. In last November’s election, Camejo ran for governor, polling 5.3 percent of the vote.

Green hopes are running high in the 135-candidate election that is commonly called a circus. Most importantly, Camejo will have appeared in a series of at least three televised debates that other major candidates. That exposure is key to the Camejo campaign, which has to date raised only $20,000 and intends to rely on free media to win.

“Peter is so good in these debates,” Santa Monica Mayor pro tem Kevin McKeown said, “he may just blow them away.”

“Our visibility is great and our credibility is great,” said Camejo campaign manager Tyler Snortum-Phelps. “We are moving beyond the view of the Green Party as a marginal party.”

In a race in which media exposure is vital, Schwarzenegger’s presence could hurt Camejo.

“Media coverage is all Arnold, all the time, so far,” said Peggy Lewis, co-coordinator of the Green Party of California.†

Party strategist Ross Mirkarimi cautioned, “Media attention alone won’t bring voters to the polls. If you don’t have a good field operation, you may lose whatever benefit the media gave you.”

One unknown factor in the race is voter turnout. Because of the circus-like atmosphere, there is a strong sense among Green Party activists that turnout will be high, a big plus for Camejo.

“Everybody is talking about this,” said McKeown. “The level of awareness here is extraordinarily high.”

Lewis concurred. “There’s been a big surge in voter registration,” she said. “A lot of people will vote who don’t usually.”

And that brings up one of the biggest wild cards in the race: the Latino vote. People of Latino heritage account for about one-third of California’s population but only 16 percent of its electorate. Historically, they favor Democrats over Republicans by a 3 to 1 margin. But about 36 percent of Latino voters remain undecided, according to the Public Policy Institute of California.†

Camejo is counting on his exposure in the debates both to encourage those Latinos who seldom vote to make it to the polls and to redirect votes from Bustamante among annual voters.

Another question in the election is whether Latino and labor leaders can deliver the votes of their grassroots constituencies. Bustamante has lined up an impressive array of labor and Latino endorsements. But, McKeown argued, “Peter appeals to grassroots voters. If these organizations [labor and Latino] get out the vote, will the rank and file follow the leaders? It’s a huge unknown.”

Complicating the recall picture still further is the polling, which may be uniquely unreliable because of increased turnout.

“Polling organizations poll likely voters,” explained Snortum-Phelps, “and that’s not an accurate representation of who’s going to vote this time.” He added that Camejo’s polls are “all over the place. Anywhere from 2 to 8 percent, and that’s before the debates.”

Snortum-Phelps summed up what he sees as necessary for a Camejo win in October. Debate exposure is one key, but disenchantment with Schwarzenegger’s lack of experience and unwillingness to address issues are also important. Finally, if Bustamante is seen to be “Gray Davis lite,” the Camejo campaign may reap the reward.

All of this assumes that the election will actually take place this October; it may not. Looming over the entire process is a lawsuit by civil rights groups challenging the recall’s validity under the federal Voting Rights Act. At press time, a three-judge federal appellate panel had yet to rule on the plaintiffs’ application for an injunction delaying the election until March of next year.

And the recall itself? The Green Party of California won’t decide to support or oppose the election until its plenary on September 12-13. Party rules require a vote of 80 percent of delegates for consensus, and no one interviewed thought there would be that much support for or opposition to the recall election itself.

“I don’t see consensus either way on the recall,” said Susan King of the Green Party of San Francisco County Council.

But all made clear that that could change in the remarkably unstable atmosphere of California politics at present.

“This issue has really polarized Greens in this state,” said McKeown. He added that many California Greens oppose the recall as an attempted coup by a narrow sliver of monied interests, while others see it as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to boost the party’s image and visibility.

Green seeks governor’s post in Nov.
by Landon W. Huey, Green Party of Mississippi†

Wed 10/01/03†
GreenPages, Vol 7, No.3

While the rest of the nation is largely unaware and most of Mississippi has ignored it, the Green Party of Mississippi, soon to be affiliated with the Green Party of the United States, has presented its first candidate for any office, Sherman Lee Dillon.

Back in January, Dillon commented at a Hinds County Green Party meeting that he might be interested in running for governor.†

Those in attendance perked up and made assurances; some even pledged time and money. At the next meeting, Dillon said he was going to run. Vice-chair for the state party and former Nader organizer Landon W. Huey volunteered to head up the campaign.

News quickly spread, and the party soon endorsed Dillon as their candidate. Along with the party, Dillon is supported in his efforts to become governor by his wife Louise and their seven children: Polly Thornhill, Daniel, Katie Coates, Anna, Margaret, Andrew and Jesse.

Dillon, a lifelong Mississippian who describes himself as a blues musician, discovered the Green Party more than a decade ago while on tour in Germany.

He recalled in an interview with a local alternative paper in Jackson, the Planet Weekly, “I was on tour in Germany, I guess it was ë91. We were on our way to a show and somebody was going to throw a cigarette butt out the car window. Our driver said, ëNo, you don’t do that here. In Germany, we don’t do that. The Green Party is real strong here and you’ll get in big trouble.’

“I thought that was so interesting. Then he said, ëNow, you can go down there and drink out of that stream if you want to. We take care of our environment. It’s the only one we’ve got.’

“I thought that was such a good idea. I came back to America and started looking it up, and I registered as a member of the national party.

“For four or five years, I think I was the only Mississippian in the party. Finally, there were enough of us to organize here.

“We’re registered with the Secretary of State’s office. We’re an official party. We’ve been through all the hoops. It’s not just a fad. From now on there will be a Green candidate for governor.”

Greens across the state are energized by Dillon’s candidacy. They feel that this local musician and teacher is the best choice the state has had in years.

Meagan Jourdan, a college student, wrote to the campaign saying, “Today I registered for the first time as a Mississippi voter. Sherman Lee Dillon is the first candidate who, honestly, has given me the willpower to do so.”†

State chair Janet Rafferty said in a speech that “members of the Green Party of Mississippi are proud to have as their first candidate for governor, a modest and honest man who advocates and lives in light of Green values: Sherman Lee Dillon.”

Dillon is campaigning on a five-plank platform. His number one issue is campaign finance reform. Dillon believes that “special interests have only one thing in mind ó their own welfare, not that of the people. If we change the way elections are funded more citizens would be elected, not politicians.”

If elected, Dillon pledges to present an Arizona style “Citizen’s Clean Election Act” to the Mississippi legislature.†

To demonstrate his resolve, he declared in his candidacy announcement speech, “Personally, I have set a limit on my campaign contributions of $200, and I do not accept donations from corporations.†

“Considering that this race will go down in the history of our state as the most expensive to date, I think that is saying a lot.

“I want this to serve as a message to the people of Mississippi, to let them know that if elected Governor I will be listening to them, not the dollars that propel my competitors into office.”

The four other planks in Dillon’s platform are the Four Pillars of the international Green Party.

Dillon stated in an open letter to the people of Mississippi, on his campaign Web site (www. dillon4gov.com), that “the Democratic and Republican parties have become so reactionary that their goals seem more determined by the other’s actions rather than by any underlying principle or philosophy. The Green Party’s principles, on the other hand, are clear.†

“There are four pillars to the party. The first is social justice ó all people should be treated fairly. The second is grassroots democracy ó everyone should get an equal voice.†

“Thirdly, we are committed to environmental responsibility. We want to give our children the same world that we were given. Lastly, we are dedicated to nonviolence ó to find peaceful means to accomplish our goals and resolve our conflicts.”

Until the California recall, Dillon was the only Green gubernatorial candiate in the nation.

It is his hope that Greens across the nation will lend support to his campaign. Mr. Dillon has promised to campaign in all eighty-two of Mississippi’s counties and to visit every public college and university.

Greens Morton Alexander and Paige Kenney recently traveled to Washington, D.C. to speak to the Executive Board of their union, the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME).
by Morton Alexander†

Wed 10/01/03†
GreenPages, Vol 7, No.3

Spokane, Wash. Greens Morton Alexander and Paige Kenney recently traveled to Washington, D.C. to speak to the Executive Board of their union, the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME).

They presented a resolution passed by their union, the Washington Federation of State Employees, as well as the Washington State Labor Council, the King and Spokane County Labor Councils and Pride At Work (the national Gay/Lesbian caucus of the AFL-CIO)

The resolution calls on the AFL-CIO to eliminate language it had inserted into the bylaws of all labor councils in 2000.

The clause bans members from becoming officers, employees, or leadership of a labor council if they’ve been involved in activities supporting “authoritarianism, totalitarianism, terrorism and other forces that suppress individual liberties and freedom of association.”

Many of the above groups, which believe that labor should model the democracy it demands, condemned the clause for “being vague, being a relic of the anti-communist McCarthyite witch hunts, and for having the potential to chill robust debate and to be used in a discriminatory manner against delegates or employees.”

The AFSCME Executive Board was largely receptive to the resolution. They shared the increasing concern that such a clause panders to the worst of the present atmosphere of repression, exploiting fear of some unknown “enemy” in order to squelch dissent and democratic discourse.

Many of these union leaders from across the country also expressed frustration with a seemingly authoritarian edict handed down to their labor councils by the national AFL-CIO leadership.

The issue was tabled, and AFSCME President Gerald McEntee appointed a committee of Executive Board members to bring to their next quarterly meeting a draft of their own resolution to the AFL-CIO.†

The resolution will probably ask for such language to no longer be mandatory for labor councils around the nation.

The 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals largely upheld a lower court ruling Sept. 11.
by Eric Prindle†

Wed 10/01/03†
GreenPages, Vol 7, No.3

The 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals largely upheld a lower court ruling Sept. 11 when it ruled that the state of Pennsylvania cannot require candidates to pay filing fees to get on the ballot if doing so would constitute a financial hardship.

The suit was brought in 2000 on behalf of candidates John Stith for state representative, Thomas Linzey for attorney general, the Green Party of Pennsylvania, Green voter Will Donovan and several other candidates who later dropped themselves from the suit when they could not demonstrate inability to pay the filing fee.

The National Voting Rights Institute (NVRI), which brought the case to court, seeks to “challenge the wealth primary” by establishing the right of candidates and voters to participate in the political process regardless of financial resources.

“Any financial hurdle placed in the way of people who want to run for office, or support people for office, violates the equal protection provisions of the constitution,” said Pennsylvania attorney Jordan Yeager, who joined NVRI in bringing the suit. “Money plays a big enough role in the electoral process as it is.”

In this case at least, the court agreed.

“If a ballot access scheme, such as the one here, imposes a mandatory filing fee but fails to provide an alternative means of ballot access, such as signature collection, that scheme constitutes a severe burden on the rights of indigent candidates and their supporters,” Judge Jane Roth said in her opinion on behalf of a three-judge panel.

Pennsylvania election law provides no alternative to the filing fee. (In addition to the fee, all candidates must collect signatures.) Roth suggested that the state legislature change the law so that individual cases do not have to be repeatedly considered by the courts.

Greens run for large, small elected offices.
by Eric Prindle†

Wed 10/01/03†
GreenPages, Vol 7, No.3

Following up on a string of electoral victories this spring, at least 164 Green candidates are running for office in at least 16 states Nov. 4.

From major cities to small villages, Greens are working to convince voters they can win.

The city of San Fransisco got a last-minute surprise from its Green president of the Board of Supervisors, Matt Gonzalez, when he decided to run for mayor.

Although some Greens had already pledged support to progressive Democratic supervisor Tom Ammiano, the party got behind Gonzalez after a second endorsement meeting Sept. 11. He is considered a major contender for the position.

The Minnesota Green Party got an early dose of Election Day excitement Sept. 9 when former teacher, counselor, Yoga teacher and professional actor Elizabeth Dickinson ran in the primary for a seat on the St. Paul city council.

Although Dickinson did not advance to the general election, she came in a close third, right behind former councilmember Dave Thune. Dickinson was endorsed by the National Organization for Women and the St. Paul Federation of Teachers.

Several current Green officeholders are running for re-election this year. Most prominent are Boston city councilmember Chuck Turner, who is running as a Green for the first time after his Rainbow Coalition Party merged into the Green-Rainbow Party of Massachusetts; Hartford, Conn. city councilmember Elizabeth Horton Sheff; and New Haven, Conn. city councilmember Joyce Chen.

In a number of other large cities, Greens are hoping to take council seats. In New York, second-time candidates Gerald Kann and Gloria Mattera are the party’s standard-bearers. Mattera, who received 10 percent of the vote in 2001, is running on a “Green/No to War” ticket and aiming to qualify for public funding for a second time.

In Philadelphia, former party chair Tom Hutt is running against councilmember Donna Reed Miller, who received a minority of the vote in a three-way Democratic primary.

In Albuquerque, Bob Anderson, a longtime peace activist and prominent former Green candidate for U.S. Representative, is seeking a council seat. Anderson is well known in the area, both as a popular professor at the University of New Mexico and as a peace and labor organizer.

Dominating the Green field nationally with 50 candidates is the Green Party of New Jersey. After state assemblymember Matt Ahearn (Grn-38) made a historic switch from the Democratic Party this spring, the party resolved to run as complete as possible a slate of candidates alongside his vigorous re-election campaign.

In five districts, the party is running a full slate of one candidate for senate and two for assembly.

Also running a large slate is Pennsylvania, with 40 candidates for a wide variety of positions. Many Greens are taking advantage of the fact that a large number of minor but potentially useful offices like auditor often go uncontested.

At least 15 candidates are running unopposed (including several for borough council), and the party is encouraging additional write-in campaigns for uncontested positions.

New Jersey is not the only state running state-level candidates. Although most states hold these races during even-numbered years, Louisiana, Mississippi, New Jersey and Virginia are the exceptions, and Greens are running in all four.

In Mississippi, Sherman Lee Dillon is running for governor. (See story, Page 2.) In Virginia, Sharon Bivens is running for delegate. And in Louisiana, where Green candidates must run as independents, Jason Neville for senate and Dan Thompson for representative represent the Greens.

Although the Green Party of New York State lost ballot status in 2002, it got 23 candidates on the ballot. Among those who have attracted notice is Paul Glover, who is running for mayor of Ithaca while seeking the party’s 2004 presidential nomination.

Connecticut is another Green-heavy state this fall, with 17 candidates. In New Haven, Chen is joined on the council ballot by Vic Edgerton, who is running for the seat being vacated by Green councilmember John Halle, and Charles Pillsbury, who is well-known for his Green run for U.S. Representative in 2002.

Although off-year elections don’t choose high-level officials, they have proven to be important for the Green Party, as high-profile victories have boosted the party’s image. The Green candidates who have stepped forward hope to continue that trend.

Mike Feinstein and Rick Lass contributed to this report.

Greens are encouraged to win races.
by Paula Reynolds-Eblacas, Green Party of Washington State†

Wed 10/01/03†
GreenPages, Vol 7, No.3

Always tell the truth, know everything about yourself, your opponent, the issues, and the voters and “Run to Win.”

This advice and other words of experience were received by 106 Greens attending the Pacific Northwest Campaign School Sept. 6-7 in Portland, Ore.

Offered as a joint project of the Pacific Green Party of Oregon, the Green Party of Washington State and the Green Party of the United States (GP-US), the first-ever regional Green campaign school brought together current and prospective candidates and campaign staffers for training from experienced staffers and winning candidates.

Being able to define yourself and to “control your message” are key to a successful campaign, Matt Gonzalez said.

Gonzalez, president of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors and a candidate for mayor, told prospective candidates they need to be able to answer some basic questions before stepping into the political arena: “Why are you running? What are your qualifications? Why are you better than the other candidate? What will you achieve?”

“Who is going to support you?” is another question Gonzalez said candidates need to be able to answer as he advised prospective candidates to become involved in community groups.

David Cobb, general counsel for the GP-US and a candidate for the party’s presidential nomination, wrote “Run to Win” across the blackboard to start his portion of the “winning campaign” presentation.

He told participants that winning may not necessarily mean taking office and listed three typical campaign goals of Green candidates as winning office, building party infrastructure and raising issues.†

“For statewide races, this may be your win,” Cobb said about building party infrastructure. He also pointed out the necessity of raising issues even. “Third parties have been behind every major social justice reform in U.S. history,” he said.

Workshop offerings included sessions on developing a Green message, media strategy, field campaigns, fundraising, writing a campaign plan, volunteer coordination and how to “get out the vote.”†

“The workshops were very helpful and efficient and comprehensive,” said Andrew Cottonwood, chair of the Kittitas County (Wash.) Green Party and a candidate for Ellensburg city council.

“I have already begun putting the lessons to use,” Cottonwood said, “especially the practice of speaking about my campaign, fundraising techniques and developing a Green message.”

Richard Wright, an Idaho Green Party member from Boise, said he was unsure what to expect before he arrived.

“All that I had to go on were the brief descriptions in the registration form, but once I arrived I gained invaluable knowledge,” Wright said. “Our upcoming battle in Idaho is ballot access … I feel much better prepared.”†

Participants named the networking opportunity the school provided as another asset. “This was a great chance to get together with Greens from all over the area, learn important things, and be able to pass them on,” said Linde Knighton of Seattle.

Wright added, “We are isolated in Idaho, and it was an awesome experience to hear what the other chapters are doing and what they consider as the issues of the day.”†

Marnie Glickman, a GP-US co-chair, offered several pieces of advice. “Be yourself,” Glickman said. “Hold onto your values, who you are and your life experiences. Maintain and cultivate your family during the campaign and make sure they are ready to go on the journey with you … Reach out to Green office holders with offices similar to the one you are seeking and ask questions and get advice.”

Ross Mirkarimi, who ran California operations of the Nader 2000 campaign, suggested the first piece to a winning campaign plan is to make sure before the election is over that there is a process in place for “venting” after the campaign. “If you lose,” he said, “learn from your mistakes.”

Mirkarimi told workshop participants that honesty among campaign staff and the candidate was critical.

“Managers, do not tell the candidate what they want to hear,” he said. “A candidate and manager have to be able to be honest with each other, to have the hard talks. Candidates, do not look the other way if the campaign management is bad.”

Mirkarimi also suggested candidates avoid running on issues that “the rest of the public is not worried about. You will promote those issues but lose votes.”†

Gonzalez suggested Greens need to become more knowledgeable and comfortable in talking about business and key voter issues such as economic development.

Being able to gain coverage from the news media and honest but skillful use of language was one overlapping theme among workshops, as was the general emphasis on honesty, on aligning Green values with the best conservative values and on having fun.

Gary Ruskin, executive director of Commercial Alert, led the media strategy workshops, in which he told participants the only steadfast rule was, “Always tell the truth.”

“Once you lie,” Ruskin said, “you’re toast forever.”

He noted that reporters do talk with each other about the honesty and integrity of their sources.

One significant difference between reporters and most ordinary people, Ruskin explained, is that “every day they deal with the most dishonest, callous, pompous jerks around. As a Green, be honest and fair; acknowledge when your opponent is right. You will be the breath of fresh air.”

In building positive relationships with reporters, Ruskin suggested Greens can gain more and better media coverage and eventually find themselves in the position of having reporters call them to ask advice on whether or not to pursue a story.†

Cropp said organizers will use the evaluation and feedback from participants to make a proposed second school even more effective, possibly adding public speaking training and other advanced topics.

Organizers, presenters, and participants echoed each other in describing the school as a necessary step forward.

“It was a unique event and tremendous success,” Cropp said. “It will likely set the mold for future campaign trainings organized by the Green Party.”

“We are getting larger, stronger and better organized with every election cycle,” Cobb said. “This campaign school is yet another indication of the growing sophistication and maturity of the Green Party.”

Portland Green Heather Drake offered a pragmatic assessment. “People were really energized by being together with Greens from so many different places,” she said. “In the end, of course, the best measure of our success will come in 2004 when we find out how many candidates in the Northwest run for office and win.”

With the Ballot Access Working Group (BAWG)’s meeting at the 2003 national Green Party conference in Washington, D.C., came many new member states and increased participation.
by Deirdre Helfferich, Green Party of Alaska†

Wed 10/01/03†
GreenPages, Vol 7, No.3

With the Ballot Access Working Group (BAWG)’s meeting at the 2003 national Green Party conference in Washington, D.C., came many new member states and increased participation.

The BAWG is comparing state ballot access strategies, working in two informal halves: those who have succeded in gaining ballot access or have experience in the task and those who are seeking access.

Projects in the works are a ballot access manual, a BAWG Web site, strategic planning and focus on current access drives. Such drives include those in Alaska, Arizona, Georgia, Idaho, Kansas, Nebraska, North Carolina, and South Carolina.†

Alaska is pressing two lawsuits and conducting a registration drive. One lawsuit challenges the state’s closed primary, and the other challenges the requirement that, to be a certified party in the state, the number of registered party members must equal 3 percent of the votes cast in the most recent gubenatorial race.

The Green Party of Alaska is suing to show that the “modicum of support” required by state law is shown by Green voter participation in any statewide race. (In the most recent election, Greens had more than twice the minimum requirement in each of the other two statewide races).

The history of candidate participation in elections has been consistent since achieving ballot status in 1990. Alaska still needs to register approximately 1,900 more Greens to achieve the requirement.

The Kansas Green Party was founded in September of 2000 after a successful petition drive to get Ralph Nader on the ballot. Although struggling to grow in this largely rural and very Republican state, they are proud of their†perseverance.

This is Kansas’ second attempt at ballot status; the first attempt resulted in an unsuccessful petition drive in winter of 2000-2001. The current ballot drive started mid-April 2003 and is slated to run through mid-October 2003. Kansas law requires all valid signatures to be collected in a 6-month period but doesn’t state when that period has to be.

Needing 21,000 signatures and having only 5,000, Kansas is considering the possibility of extending signature collection past mid-October, but this would not be optimal. In the first week of the drive, petitioners gathered almost 2,000 signatures, so those signatures would be lost if the drive were extended into late October or November.

Kansas does not have the resources for a full-time coordinator, so the petition drive is being coordinated by two members who work full time at regular jobs: Ryan Gregg and Jim Carpenter, both of Lawrence.

The Kansas Green Party Web site has a complete listing of petitioning events around the state at http://kansas.greens.org.

In South Carolina, the party has gathered over 1,000 signatures on their way to 10,000. “We have a lot to do, and we plan to finish by election day of 2003.” said Gregg Jocoy. “We are putting together a plan which will involve the entire party membership across the state in a weekend long signature gathering blitz.” he said. A primary goal of the ballot access drive, beyond getting on the ballot, is outreach to under represented communities.

More information on various access drives and the BAWG is available from Juscha Robinson at juscha@greens.org.

Green alder runs on 2-year record.
by Rebecca L. Weber, D.C. Statehood Green Party†

Wed 10/01/03†
GreenPages, Vol 7, No.3

At age 24, Joyce Chen is completing her first term as city alder in New Haven, Connecticut.

A native of New York City, Chen moved to New Haven to study chemistry at Yale. While a student, she was active in community service projects, but did not envision holding public office until a friend suggested she run in her district.

“My main motivation for running,” she explains, “was to get to know the people in my neighborhood. Even if I didn’t win, I would get to talk to all these people. For me, it was a win-win situation.”

Indeed, Chen knocked on many a door in Dwight to find out what her future constituents thought their alder should be dealing with ó and to get to know them as individuals.†

Shortly before the election, Chen was at a Block Watch meeting when she heard a machine gun attack that left half a dozen youth injured or dead. A television news interview after the incident allowed Chen to speak about the need to focus on the problems the young people involved face ó both the perpetrators and the victims.

Her call for outreach for those who are sometimes perceived just as “criminals” struck a chord with a number of people from her neighborhood, and Chen defeated an appointed incumbent in the 2001 election.

More recently, several gang-related shootings ó including the suicide of a teenager who felt he would die soon ó shook the community deeply. Again, Chen spoke out through local media venues.

Directly after one of the funerals, she organized a brainstorming session to address violence in the neighborhood, with an expressed agenda not to just talk, but to make things happen. Before long, a bereavement group meeting was initiated.

Many young people who typically “stand on the corner,” rather than participate in civic activities, repeatedly attended the meetings to discuss their grief.

Chen speaks passionately about the multiple dimensions people in her neighborhood face in the midst of loss: “People are currently grieving, but we also need to help ex-cons find jobs, and figure out how to reach out to young people. Kids here can buy guns from anyone on the street.”

One of two elected Greens in a sea of Democrats, Chen authored a resolution to examine opportunities for reparations (renamed the New Haven Slavery Task Force to make it more politically palatable) and was elected as a board member to the Charter Commission, which convenes every ten years to make decisions about the length of term for city alders. (She voted to keep terms at two rather than four years to ensure better representation.)

A one-time Democrat herself, Chen found an easy transition to the Green Party: “I liked the politics, but also the people in the party.”

She acknowledges it is hard to be a minority party member when trying to submit resolutions, but her commitment to Green values runs deep.

Chen is running for re-election this November. Her campaign strategy? Rather than going out to tell people what she’s going to do ó “there’s so much to do now,” she emphasizes ó she offers up what she has been doing for the past few years. The people she represents know who and what she stands for.

Quotes and contact information.
by Deirdre Helfferich†

Wed 10/01/03†
GreenPages, Vol 7, No.3

David Cobb, Texas
cobbweb@greens.org, http://www.gwu.edu/~action/2004/cobb.html

“The Green Party is the electoral arm of a growing worldwide movement for peace, social justice, ecology and democracy. The fundamental question facing us is one of sovereignty. Who shall rule: ëWe the People,’ by shared public decision-making, or unelected and unaccountable corporate executives in private boardrooms?”

†

Paul Glover, New York

http://www.ithacanews.org/greenpresident.html

“While Greens are horrified at corporate and consumer destruction of planet and society, our message is primarily confident and affirmative. Greens foster grassroots nonprofit and worker-managed enterprises that repair nature. Greens can govern to rebuild America’s cities, such that neighborhoods become energy-efficient; productive of food and fuel; respectful of water; safe and fun to live in. We can restore regional agriculture, rural economies, and habitat.”

†

Carol Miller, New Mexico
carolmiller@newmexico.com

“Carol Miller, well-known GP activist from New Mexico, has kicked off a favorite daughter campaign for presidential delegates in the N.M. presidential primary. Favorite son campaigns used to be very common in the days when presidential conventions actually nominated the candidates. Miller is working to bring both a sense of history to the GP presidential nomination process and her very important issues to the forefront.”

†

Christina Rosetti, New York
Rosetti2004@hotmail.com,

http://www.chrisrosetti.com/

“My goal is to help build the Green Party by helping the party reach its ideals through the practice of those ideals, in the economic, social and political world.”

†

Lorna Salzman, New York
lsalzman@rcn.com,

http://www.lornasalzman.com/

“The future of our planet lies in the hands of several hundred elected representatives in the U.S. Congress. Most of them are men, and most of them are beholden to corporate interests whose objectives clash with the preservation of our natural environment as well with social and economic justice … What happens in Washington DC will decide the fate of the earth. The Green Party must become the uncompromising voice for all of nature and the survival of the planet.”

†

Draft Efforts Underway

Cynthia McKinney, Georgia

http://www.votemckinney.org/

Ralph Nader, Connecticut

http://www.draftnader2004.com/

Michael Moore, Michigan

http://www.cgmn.org/moore04/

The Media Committee of the Green Party of the United States has instituted a new weekly update of Green activity called Greensweek.

Wed 10/01/03†
GreenPages, Vol 7, No.3

The Media Committee of the Green Party of the United States has instituted a new weekly update of Green activity called Greensweek. Greens are welcome to submit events and state party information to Scott McLarty at 202-518-5624 or mclarty@greens.org†

Anyone can subscribe to Greensweek by sending their e-mail addresses to greensweek@hotmail.com.

The Media Committee encourages all Greens to use the information below and paste it somewhere visible.

Useful Web sites:

U.S. House of Representatives:†http://www.house.gov/

U.S. Senate:†http://www.senate.gov

Green Party press releases:†http://www.gp.org/press.html

Election information:†http://www.greens.org/elections

Green officeholders:

http://www.feinstein.org/greenparty/electeds.html

http://www.feinstein.org/greenparty/youngestgreenselected.html

http://www.feinstein.org/greenparty/greenmayors.html

Green voter registrations and ballot status (current and historical):

http://web.greens.org/ stats

Green Party platform:†http://www.gp.org/platform.html

Greens in the media:†http://web.greens.org/news

Index of state Green Party web sites:†http://www.gp.org/states.html

The Media Committee has put out 73 press releases since January.

The Media Committee welcomes contact through the co-chairs:
Nancy Allen: 207-326-4576, nallen@ acadia.net
Scott McLarty: 202-518-5624, mclarty@ greens.org