[candidate-development] Fwd: municipal strategy
Nat Fortune
nfortune at mac.com
Mon Aug 28 21:27:32 EDT 2006
Begin forwarded message:
> From: Nat Fortune <mail at natfortune.org>
> Date: August 28, 2006 8:09:48 PM EDT
>
>> Hi Ron,
>>
>> I have so many messages and so many folders that I would prefer
>> not to spend the time searching for your proposal. Would you be
>> willing to send it again to CDLC and I'll hold onto it for our
>> first meeting.
>
>
>> Mike -- Sounds like your folders aren't doing you much good!
>> Here's what I have from Ron -- Nat
>
>
> Hi folks,
>
> Bill suggested that we have a general talk about strategy in
> response to
> the propsal that I have submitted regarding using GRP funds to make a
> phonecalling effor to find cnadidates for municipal office in 2007.
>
> Statecom-discuss will be the forum for the discussion.
>
> I'll kick the ball off by saying that I believe:
>
> 1) the GRP needs to figure out ways to build it's local organizing
> capacity if we are going to become an electoral force for change.
> There are
> many ways to do this including running for high non-local office.
>
> 2) We need to communicate more with members by phone in general, for a
> lot of reasons, and this is beginning to happen in the party
>
> 3) There are many GRP members out there who would like to run for
> office
> but really have never been asked. These folks are the seeds for
> building
> local organizing.
>
> 4) We need to start now in developing platforms for local races in
> 2007
> in different localities, especially for town elections which are
> sometimes
> in March. (Actually it might be a little late to go for town
> offices...I
> don't know but I trust CDLC, peole that have run local campaigns,
> and folks
> like Dave England to analyze these matters.)
>
> 5) We need to develop a generic platform that works for each city and
> town so that these local efforst have some coherence. For example,
> each
> city and town candidate should be encouraged to have a support a
> generic
> municipal platform: a living wage bill for the city, a call for local
> governemnt to issue a statement to withdraw US troops from Iraq, a
> call for
> local governemnt to issue a statement opposing the Patriot Act,
> divestment
> of city funds tied to "Israel's" human rights violations, a call
> for local
> governemnt to issue a statement in support for equal marriage
> rights and
> perhaps also asking that the city be a sanctuary for equal marriage
> rights,
> a call for local government to issue a statement in favor of single
> payer, a
> call for local governemnt to issue a statement dealing with the
> criminalization of marijuana use. We would thus be developing a GRP
> municipal platform.
>
> Note that candidates can obviously choose to emphasize the issues that
> they think are most important for the general local, but they
> should be
> encouraged to include teh ones mentined above.
>
> 6) We should aim to have 50 such races in 2007. With the generic
> platform, candidates should be able run more easily as we will
> develop some
> ecomnomies of scale with the "municipal platform" idea. The municipal
> platform would be included as part of each candidates platform and
> would
> also be in Spanish.
>
> 7) To do this we need to identify candidates yesterday and set up
> meetings for them. However I think that having 3 simultaneous
> meetings, one
> for each part of the state (eastern, Central and Western) would be
> the way
> to do it. I would offer it on two different dates - maybe early and
> late
> September.
>
> 8) Phonecalling would be used to bring candidates forward but also
> several aggressive posts to the general anouncement list would be
> good and a
> newsletter advertisement. Our statewide candidates will be asked to
> foment
> an upsurge in people who want to run for local office by making
> that part of
> their basic message and also help the party identify people that
> they run
> into who are potential candidates.
>
> 9) Given the level of disgust in the country for government at this
> point, for a variety of reasons, I think that we can actually run
> 25 to 50
> candidates. Maine did something like this. We just need to decide
> basically that we want to do it. This is actually within our budget of
> resources and people power.
>
> 10) One nice thing about local campaigns is that it forces each local
> candidate to draw resources and volunteers from each local so that
> we should
> view each candidate as a seed that draws new energy into the party
> campaign.
>
> 11) As we run we need to try to highlight clear areas where we
> disagree
> with progressive Dems and paint progressive Dems as the "spoilers",
> or if
> you don't like the term spoiler, then phrase it like this: The GRP
> is the
> people's anti-corporate party, and the Demopublicans are the corporate
> parties that voted for the Iraq war and support lobbyists in
> Congress having
> access....
>
> Well,
>
> There's a plan.
>
> I welcome feedback.
>
> For 2008 I like the idea of a GRP sponsored ballot question on some
> concrete issue involving abolishing poverty that coheres an effort
> to run
> for a few legislative races where we have done well at teh municipal
> level. It should be a question that clearly separated us from the
> progressive Dems.
>
> ron
>
> On Aug 28, 2006, at 7:08 PM, Mike Heichman wrote:
>
>> Hi Ron,
>>
>> I have so many messages and so many folders that I would prefer
>> not to spend the time searching for your proposal. Would you be
>> willing to send it again to CDLC and I'll hold onto it for our
>> first meeting.
>>
>> Do you favor a physical meeting? If so, what would be good dates
>> for you?
>>
>> Would you be willing to participate in a phone conference? If yes,
>> what would be good dates for you?
>>
>> Thanks,
>>
>> Mike
>>
>>
>> Ron Francis wrote:
>>
>>> Hi Mike,
>>> I submitted a proposal to have a municipal candidate search as in
>>> the Maine style (call all members) and I would like to see that
>>> discussed... electronically or telephonically.
>>> I would be willing to come to a meeting but cannot commit to
>>> ongoing physical meetings.
>>> thanks for your overarchring reflective note on where we have
>>> come from since June 2005 and where we might be going....
>>> */Mike Heichman <mikeheichman at verizon.net>/* wrote:
>>>
>>> 8-27-06
>>>
>>> Hi CDLC,
>>>
>>> I don’t remember when I sent the letter below calling on the
>>> CDLC to
>>> have a meeting of some kind. Since that time, I have either been
>>> busy on
>>> the campaign trail or on vacation with my family.
>>>
>>> The GRP is having a convention on September 16. I propose
>>> that we
>>> have
>>> at least one phone meeting before then, so we can have
>>> something to
>>> report at the convention and be in a stronger position to
>>> recruit new
>>> members. Dave England sent me an e-mail giving me the CDLC phone
>>> number
>>> for our conference call. (401-694-1600 access code 1066787#)
>>>
>>> I am making an assumption here that a phone conference would
>>> be more
>>> inclusive and easier to arrange than a physical meeting
>>> somewhere
>>> in the
>>> state. However, I am willing to go to a physical meeting. Do any
>>> of you
>>> want to advocate for a physical meeting?
>>>
>>> The best time for me to meet is evenings during the week.
>>> However,
>>> it is
>>> not essential that I attend. I suggest that we spend this week
>>> coming up
>>> with the best time for most of us to have a meeting.
>>>
>>> As of now (and things will change), I am free to meet in
>>> September
>>> (before the 9-16 convention) on September 7, 8, and 12-15.
>>>
>>> I suggest that at our first meeting, we do the following:
>>>
>>> 1. Come up with an agenda for the work of CDLC. (see below
>>> for the
>>> ideas
>>> which were expressed earlier)
>>> 2. Prepare to make either a written or oral report to the
>>> convention.
>>> 3. Set up some future meeting dates.
>>>
>>> What do you think? Does this seem like a realistic plan?
>>>
>>> Mike Heichman
>>> 617-265-8143
>>>
>>>
>>> earlier letter and responses
>>>
>>> RESURRECTING CDLC
>>> Hi CDLC:
>>>
>>> I'm initiating this discussion and request that people respond.
>>>
>>> Should we have a meeting sometime soon? If so, what kind?
>>>
>>> I have never gone to a physical meeting of the CDLC. I did
>>> participate
>>> in a small number of phone meetings, which were facilitated
>>> by Dave
>>> England, after the June convention established the Exploratory
>>> Committee.
>>>
>>> Well, the Exploratory Committee has accomplished its mission
>>> and has
>>> "retired". I believe that it is time to resurrect the CDLC.
>>> It has
>>> done
>>> some very important work in the past and there is a powerful
>>> need
>>> for it
>>> to continue.
>>>
>>> Would you be willing to participate in a meeting? (If yes,
>>> physical
>>> and/or phone)? (Please respond.)
>>>
>>> What should be our agenda?
>>>
>>> I suggest the following:
>>>
>>> 1. What roles could we play for this year's elections?
>>>
>>> 2. We need to come up with a plan for continued electoral
>>> work in the
>>> future? Hopefully, we will have a plan (or at least a
>>> beginning of a
>>> plan to submit to the next convention (tentatively planned
>>> for late
>>> August or early September)
>>>
>>> 3. Do you have any other ideas?
>>>
>>>
>>> Mike Heichman
>>> 617-265-8143
>>>
>>> PS While I am initiating this discussion, I do NOT see myself
>>> as the
>>> chair/leader of this committee. No one has appointed or elected
>>> me. And
>>> further, I am far too busy with this campaign to take this
>>> role on. It
>>> would be great if 1 or more would step forward to "lead".
>>> However,
>>> there
>>> is another option--collective/shared leadership.
>>>
>>> _______________________________________________
>>> 2. GARY HICKS
>>>
>>> to the agenda, add: where we've been/ are at now [ the
>>> history piece]
>>>
>>> yeah, we should have a meeting soon. would suggest that we
>>> characterize
>>> it as a reestablishment meeting of the cdlc.
>>>
>>> are jamie o'keefe and dave england in on this. it's important
>>> that
>>> they
>>> at least be present at this first meeting.
>>>
>>>
>>> 3. JAMIE O’KEEFE
>>> dave is out of state and i am busy. if someone puts an agenda
>>> out,
>>> iam
>>> happy to offer suggestions.
>>>
>>> 4. Dave England
>>> I am in Maine until late October, but would like to keep
>>> informed of
>>> your progress. I appears the petition drive and the respective
>>> campaigns
>>> are well underway. CDLC would probably be most useful in
>>> planning the
>>> aftermath, which would include:
>>>
>>> During the campaigns:
>>> Identifying those towns that have representative town meeting
>>> (a list
>>> can be found in the front of the Secretary of the Commonwealth's
>>> election results book) and identifying, during the campaigns,
>>> active,
>>> well-informed campaign workers who might run for TMM, or
>>> selectman
>>> next
>>> spring Also, those who live in cities who might make good
>>> candidates for
>>> City Council. It's not too early to begin thinking about
>>> these races,
>>> and identifying these people will be easiest during a campaign.
>>> Identifying such people, and planting the seed of running for
>>> public
>>> office, should be a major goal of each statewide campaign.
>>>
>>> As the campaigns disband, approach those identified and discuss
>>> the idea
>>> of running.
>>>
>>> After the November election
>>> Arrange to debrief all candidates, including Legislative, on how
>>> their
>>> races went and what they learned that would be useful to the
>>> party
>>> and
>>> its future candidates as they look ahead.
>>>
>>> Write a report, for the record, beginning with the planning
>>> after the
>>> last election cycle, an analysis of what happened, what went
>>> right, and
>>> wrong, and what were the lessons learned.
>>>
>>> If CDLC accomplishes those three items this year, it will
>>> have been a
>>> productive committee.
>>>
>>>
>>> In a message dated 06/17/06 8:45:51 A.M. Eastern Daylight Time,
>>> mikeheichman at verizon.net writes:
>>>
>>> However, would you be willing to participate in phone
>>> conferences and/or e-mail discussions?
>>>
>>> As my schedule allows.
>>>
>>> Dave England
>>> 617-277-2827
>>>
>>> 5. Ralph Walton
>>>
>>> here are some business which comes to mind:
>>>
>>> the national party had a questioner out to gain information
>>> on to how
>>> one goes about getting the presidential candidate on the State
>>> Ballot. I
>>> think they need someone to look up the technical details of our
>>> commonwealth's procedures plus let them know that
>>> everything will be different if we don't have a statewide
>>> candidate who
>>> makes 3%.
>>>
>>> recruit someone for their committee. (I think its pcsc or
>>> someting
>>> like
>>> that)
>>>
>>> receive a report from our candidate recruitment committee and
>>> turn it
>>> over to the party.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> _______________________________________________
>>> candidate-development mailing list
>>> candidate-development at green-rainbow.org
>>> http://www.green-rainbow.org/mailman/listinfo/candidate-
>>> development
>>>
>>>
>>
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>>
>
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