Calhoun County Green Party |
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news
1/25/09:
County Co-ordinator John Anthony La Pietra has posted a list (HTML, PDF)
of governing boards, meeting times & places, and details on
how to get
agendas and other information to help citizens play a more useful part
in local decision-making. Please contact John to help keep it
updated -- and help add
other information which should be there.
links
Green Campaign Links Grassroots
Democracy
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Green Values Are Your Values! Grassroots democracy is one of the Green Party’s Ten Key Values. Greens believe all people deserve a say in the political, economic, and environmental decisions that affect their lives. We make decisions based on consensus, Instant-Runoff Voting, and other ways to value many contributions of individual ideas and energy more than a few fat checks from a few fat cats. Greens in Michigan joined in a lawsuit that protected voter privacy from the “Big Two” parties. Greens nationwide have worked to make sure all votes are counted, and all voters count. We know that democracy demands citizenship: government of the people must be by the people, or it won’t be for the people.
Find out how many more of the Ten Key Values are your
values – contact:
386
Boyer Court
Marshall, MI 49068 December 31, 2008 To the editor: My billboard’s finally gone. So is 2008. It’s time to thank the 2,500-odd supporters who voted for me as Calhoun County Clerk-Register. (And anyone else who would have made me an exception to their straight-ticket voting, but got scared off by false instructions that counting machines would reject split-ticket ballots. Who misinformed you? Let me know.) Through my campaign, I went to dozens of meetings, met thousands of people, visited thousands of households. It introduced Calhoun County to me – and to the Green Party of Michigan, a party that runs on principle. The environmental wisdom of GPMI’s energy-conserving third-Thursday 9pm to 10pm Dark Earth Hour drew attention. But I also showed how other Green Party “Key Values” – grassroots democracy, social justice, sustainability, future focus, decentralization – would help a properly non-partisan Clerk-Register’s office run better . . . for the people. And I uncovered some questionable performance by the incumbent. Self-promotion. Imprudent management of public information. Running for re-election and Secretary of State simultaneously. (And missing a campaign-finance reporting deadline.) Big-bucks fundraising left out of the public spotlight shined on other candidates. Numerous other official decisions that just happened to favor the incumbent, her party, and “major”-party domination. Unfortunately, the media didn’t report these stories before November 4. But I’ll keep investigating. Who’ll join me as watchdogs of Calhoun County public record-keeping, election supervision and voting conditions, and the 2010 Secretary of State race? Can you find time in your 2009 schedule to attend some local-government meetings? If so, please e-mail jalp@triton.net or call 269-781-9478. Let’s make a New Year’s resolution to meet ourselves – and organize the Calhoun County Green Party. John Anthony La Pietra jalp@triton.net 386 Boyer Court 269-781-9478 Marshall, MI 49068 2008 Green Party of Michigan candidate for Calhoun County Clerk & Register of Deeds John Anthony La Pietra For the People http://www.jalpForThePeople.org If you’d like to volunteer as a watchdog for one or more local governing boards – or if you have ideas or suggestions for something to do – or if you see something about this project or on this site that needs correcting – please contact John Anthony La Pietra via: e-mail: jalp@triton.net phone: (269) 781-9478 mail: 386 Boyer Ct / Marshall, MI 49068 to jalp’s home page last updated: January 25, 2009 (Dark Earth Hour link added 12/15/2009)
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Social Justice