<div> <font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Dear Hank, <br>
<br>
Thanks for posting this. I just finished checking out Allan Brison in New Haven, Connecticut. His story should be an inpiration to all of us "inner-city" Greens. <br>
<br>
= = = = = = = = = <br>
<br>
http://www.ctgreens.org/candidates/brison2007/<br>
</font><h3>Why I Ra<font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">n</font></h3><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">by Allan Brison </font><br>
<br>
<div>New Haven needs choices. There is no
electoral democracy where, in the vast majority of New Haven's 30
wards, there will be only one candidate facing the voters on Election
Day. Is this the way our democracy should work? <font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><br>
</font></div>
<div><br>
<font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"></font></div>
<div>In particular, New Haven needs a Board of Alders strong
enough to perform its mandated role as the legislative check on the
executive branch of City government. The Board must be independent of
the Mayor, capable of challenging mayoral proposals concerning the many
important issues of the day. <font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><br>
</font></div>
<div><br>
<font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"></font></div>
<div>Those issues include the budget and ever-rising taxes,
patronage and mismanagement at the Board of Education, and major
development projects such as downtown and the Route 34 corridor. <font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><br>
</font></div>
<div><br>
<font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"></fon t></div>
<div>The Board of Alders has to cease being a rubber stamp.
<font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><br>
</font></div>
<div><br>
<font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"></font></div>
<div>To
achieve this objective we need alders who are independent of both the
Mayor and of the Democratic Town Committee, two of the principle
centers of power in New Haven. <font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><br>
</font></div>
<div><br>
<font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"></font></div>
<div>If I am elected, I pledge to be that Independent Voice. I
will never forget that an Alder's main responsibility is to his
constituents, not to political power brokers. <font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><br>
</font></div>
<div><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><br>
</font></div>
<div><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">. . .</font></div>
<div><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><br>
</font></div>
<div><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Sounds a lot like One-Party Democratic Los Angeles, San Jose, and Oakland, California. New Haven, home of Yale University, is one of those pain-in-the-ass "liberal" college towns like Henry Louis Gates' beloved Cambridge, Massacusetts. "Liberal" New Haven, like "Liberal" Oakland, has a police department that had been under investigation for allegedly planting drugs, and then falsely arresting someone who subsequently went to jail for many years, as well as falsifying overtime pay. Brison had the guts to recommend more oversight on the Police Department. <br>
</font></div>
<div><font face="Ari al, Helvetica, sans-serif"><br>
</font></div>
<div><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">In 2008, Allan shocked the hell out of the "liberal" Establishment by "whupping" a 6-year incumbent under a Green landslide: <br>
</font></div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">= = = = = = = = = <br>
</font></div>
<div><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><br>
</font></div>
<div><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">From Green Pages: <br>
</font></div>
<div><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><br>
</font></div>
<div><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">http://greenpages.wordpress.com/2008/03/22/allan-brison-upsets-incumbent-in-new-haven/</font></div>
<div><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><br>
</font></div>
<div><b><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Allan Brison Upsets Incumbent in New Haven </font><br>
</b></div>
<b><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">by Mike DeRosa and Mike Feinstein,</font><br>
</b><br>
<div><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">I</font>n the November 6th election, Brison trounced incumbent Democrat
Edward Mattison in a two-way race 386 votes to 283 (57.7%). Mattison
had been Ward 10 Alderman for 6 years and on election night was
observed by supporters to be shocked as the numbers from the precincts
came in.
</div>
<div><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><br>
</font></div>
<div><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"></font>Brison told the Green Party of Connecticut’s Green Times that he had
“beat a well entrenched political insider who has never voted against a
signi
ficant piece of legislation proposed by long-time Democratic Mayor
John DeStefano.” New Haven Greens have long apposed the city’s strong
mayor/weak council system of government, which they feel overly
concentrates power in the hands of the mayor and by extension, the
Democratic Town Committee chair.</div>
<div><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><br>
</font></div>
<div><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"></font>Not only was Brison’s victory the first for a Green in four years,
but it was the first against an incumbent alderman in a regular
election. The last Greens to be elected were John Halle (Ward 9) and
Joyce Chen (Ward 2) and both were elected to open seatsHalle in a July
2001 special election and Chen in a November 2001 regular election.</div>
<div><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><br>
</font></div>
<div><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"></font>Brison’s lively campaign included participating in two debates,
along with an active door-to-door campaign in Ward 10 in both the more
affluent area of the ward and in the lower income Cedar Hill section
near State Street.</div>
<div><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"></font></div>
<font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><br>
. . .<br>
</font><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><br>
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<div> <br>
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<div> <br>
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-----Original Message-----<br>
From: Hank Chapot <hchapot@igc.org><br>
To: GPCA Media comm comm <gpca-mediawg@marla.cagreens.org><br>
Cc: gpca forum <cal-forum@cagreens.org><br>
Sent: Mon, Aug
24, 2009 12:50 pm<br>
Subject: Re: [GPCA-MediaComm] RECORD NUMBER OF GREENS RUNNING FOR OFFICE<br>
<br>
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<pre style="font-size: 9pt;"><tt>I forgot to credit the source. Sam Smith, the Progressive Review, <br>
prorev.com<br>
<br>
<br>
hc<br>
<br>
<br>
On Aug 23, 2009, at 10:37 AM, Erika McDonald wrote:<br>
<br>
> This is great news! Thanks Hank! I am still not doing much politics<br>
> these days...just paying enough attention to know WE were right all<br>
> along! Obama and Pelosi suck! They are letting the elites run<br>
> everything, just like the RE-thugs.<br>
><br>
> Best, Erika<br>
><br>
> On Fri, 2009-08-21 at 20:46 -0700, Hank Chapot wrote:<br>
>><br>
>> RECORD NUMBER OF GREENS RUNNING FOR OFFICE<br>
>><br>
>> Across the country a record number of Green Party candidates are<br>
>> running for office. There are currently 144 Green Party candidates<br>
>> running in local and state races, nearly ten more than at this point<br>
>> in 2005 and nearly 50 more than at this point in 2007. . . . Among<br>
>> them: Allan Brison is running for re-election as Alderman of New<br>
>> Haven, Connecticut. . . Cam Gordon is seeking re-election to the<br>
>> Minneaspolis, Minnesota City Council. Cam has received the <br>
>> endorsement<br>
>> of his loca
l Green Party, a local Sierra Club chapter, the Minnesota<br>
>> Nurses Association, and several other area unions. Also: artist and<br>
>> anti-corporate activist Reverend Billy Talen is running for mayor of<br>
>> New York City. Earlier this week Billy's volunteers turned in over<br>
>> 18,000 signatures to get the Green Party on the ballot. And Lynne<br>
>> Serpe, New York City Council 22.<br>
>> _______________________________________________<br>
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><br>
<br>
Hank Chapot<br>
<a __removedlink__1907063626__href="mailto:hchapot@igc.org">hchapot@igc.org</a><br>
510.654.5311<br>
<br>
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