|
Comment on this article |
View comments |
Email this Feature
|
|
Hidden with code "Other" () |
|
News :: Elections & Legislation |
|
Prairie Greens Lose Suit Against Champaign County Clerk |
Current rating: 0 |
by Ken Urban
Email: kenurban (nospam) kenurban.com (verified) |
25 Jan 2004
|
|
In a press conference Friday, January 23, Ken Urban, plaintiff and Green Party member, stated, "We respectfully disagree with this decision. We are determined to pursue this matter and will be speaking with our legal team about our options." Dale Strough commented, "Our government is sending troops into Iraq to establish democracy, but we can't even get on the ballot in Champaign County." |
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Saturday, January 24
Prairie Greens Lose Suit Against Champaign County Clerk
Contact: Ken Urban, phone: 217-356-7987, e-mail: kenurban (at) kenurban.com
Dale Strough, phone 815-432-4821
In a summary of his decision, Judge Leonhard stated Champaign County Clerk Mark Shelden was within his rights as County Clerk to reject the Green Party Petitions and that the Green Party was not an established party in Champaign County. Judge Leonhard will release his full decision on Monday, January 26, at 9am. The Greens will then make the decision on how to proceed.
In a press conference Friday, January 23, Ken Urban, plaintiff and Green Party member, stated, "We respectfully disagree with this decision. We are determined to pursue this matter and will be speaking with our legal team about our options." Dale Strough commented, "Our government is sending troops into Iraq to establish democracy, but we can't even get on the ballot in Champaign County."
The Green Party is committed and determined to be on the ballot for Champaign County in 2004. If that requires collecting signatures, the Greens will do it. In addition to our legal options, the Greens are preparing a for an extended signature campaign.
Local Greens will be required to collect over 2700 signatures from Champaign county, and will need well over 4000 to withstand challenges. As a way of comparison, Dr. David Gill, running for United States Congress collected 1100 signatures from 22 counties. If Champaign County were in Wisconsin or Minesota, we'd need only 500 signatures. In Kentucky or Indiana, we'd need 1100 signatures.
With the creation of gerrymandered districts, there is no competition between parties for seats. With no third parties and no competition, government does not change, ideas are not challenged and people become disillusioned. People may vote, but it has no effect on who is running government. The creators and enforcers of these rules are the people who have benefited from them.
The Prairie Green Party plans to continue its political agenda of advocating Citizen Police Review Boards in Champaign-Urbana, opposing a second reactor at Clinton, advocating and studying municipal power options in Champaign-Urbana, protesting the war and occupation of Iraq, and supporting local Green candidates.
The Prairie Greens are a local affiliate of the Illinois Green Party, an accredited state party of the Green Party of the United States. For more information on the Prairie Greens, visit http://www.prairiegreens.org.
### |
See also:
http://www.prairiegreens.org
http://www.kenurban.com
|
This work is in the public domain. |
Comments
|
Re: Prairie Greens Lose Suit Against Champaign County Clerk |
by Ed
frozenthought (nospam) hotmail.com (unverified) |
Current rating: 0
25 Jan 2004
|
|
I recommend you not appeal the decision & that you focus your attention on getting the petition for 4000 names completed. It would be time better spent towards a goal that is more easily attainable. Technically, Mark Shelden is correct--even Carl Estabrook himself admits he only received 4% of the votes in the final election results. Good luck in your effort.--ED (a conservative who is convinced Howard Dean's "I had a scream" speech honestly expressed his party's actual chance of winning in November) |
|
Re: Prairie Greens Lose Suit Against Champaign County Clerk |
by FDR
(No verified email address) |
Current rating: 0
27 Jan 2004
|
The leaders of the local Green movement seem intentionally ignorant of what's actually going on in local politics! They claim that there's "no competition between parties for seats" meaning "government does not change, ideas are not challenged and people become disillusioned. People may vote, but it has no effect on who is running government."
Huh?
Well, let's start with the Champaign County Board. For over 100 years, it was dominated by rural, conservative, Republican interests. In 2000, progressive Democrats staged a political coup and won control of the board for the first time in County history. Under Democratic control, the County Board has adopted a Living Wage, prevented privatization of the County Nursing Home, appointed environmentalists to key positions, supported public health programs that have (among other things) provided dental care to over 1000 children in our county whose parents otherwise couldn't have afforded it, and more.
You would think this all would be a great victory for local progressives. You would think so-called progressives like Ken Urban would heap praise on Democrats like Jan Anderson, who have actually done the work to make these victories possible.
But you'd be wrong.
No, Ken wants to unseat Jan. Local Green Party leaders aren't interested in progressive victories, or in changing governmental policies. Their only interest is in having their little club, with their little job titles, so they can run hopelessly doomed (yet oh-so-romantic) campaigns. There'd be no harm in this self-indulgence, except that they aren't just wasting their own time -- they risk throwing each and every election they enter to the Republican Party. Contrary to the Green Party Line, we do have very competitive elections here in Champaign County, where the differences between local Democrats and Republicans is often striking.
I sure wish the local Greens would stop wasting time and energy on building up their own little club, and start focusing on winning progressive victories. There's a real battle going on in this County between a very right-wing Christian Coalition-type of Republican Party and a socially progressive Democratic Party. At best, working to form an established Green Party is sitting on the sidelines of that battle; at worst, you're just helping Republicans. |
|
Re: Prairie Greens Lose Suit Against Champaign County Clerk |
by Sonya Rossel
(No verified email address) |
Current rating: 0
27 Jan 2004
|
FDR is wrong to lump all local Greens together as being politically impractical. Although I strongly advocate a viable third party in this country on the national level, I have noticed improvements on the county board. I think that we should concentrate our efforts on races where there is little difference between Democrats and Republicans or in districts where Democrats have a virtual monopoly and are not using it for progressive causes.
I find FDR's tone condescending and her/his generalizations simplistic, so I only reluctantly concur with the suggestion that we not pursue a seat on the County Board.
Ken ran a great race for Champaign City Council and I encourage him to build on his strength and run again in 2005. We also need to work on the Urbana City Council members who invited Wal-Mart into our community. |
|
Re: Prairie Greens Lose Suit Against Champaign County Clerk |
by Ed
frozenthought (nospam) hotmail.com (unverified) |
Current rating: 0
27 Jan 2004
|
|
When is it the "right time" for a third party to establish itself? If Ross Perot had run his campaign in 1984 & Ralph Nader had run his campaign in 1996, both major parties would have agreed that that was the right time. In other words, during election years when the third parties impact on the election outcome is harmless & establishing any impact on the discussion of their perception of the issues irrelevant. So third parties are permanently relegated to sitting on the sidelines. ---ED |
|
Re: Prairie Greens Lose Suit Against Champaign County Clerk |
by FDR
(No verified email address) |
Current rating: 0
29 Jan 2004
|
When is the right time? Well, that depends on what's important to you. If all you care about is having more than 2 political parties on the ballot, and you don't care who wins elections and actually governs, then anytime is the right time for a third party.
Personally, I care about furthering progressive values in our government and society. I really don't care how many other parties are on the ballot, as long as good people who support progressive values are the ones elected and actually put their programs into practice.
Was 2000 the right time for Nader to run? Well, if you don't mind Bush in the White House, you like corporations writing consumer and environmental protections, and you think the Iraq War is a good idea, then sure, 2000 was a GREAT time for Nader to run.
Is 2004 the right time for a third party? I would say yes -- assuming it's some right-wing party that will sap votes away from Bush and his thugs. Heck, if you're forming parties on the right, don't stop with just two, go for three or four! Having several right-wing parties for conservatives to choose from wouldn't be doing those conservatives any favors -- it would guarantee people who think like them would never hold power in this country again.
Why do Greens want to condemn progressives to that same fate? Baffling.... |
|
