Category Archives: Highlight
Czech Her Out – Stefania Czech Envisions A Greener Toledo
Stefania Czech is bringing newfound energy to the Green Party and the City of Toledo; as she takes on President Matt Cherry for his city council seat in District 2. Czech has plenty of enthusiasm for representing the residents of Toledo and is campaigning on a platform to rejuvenate her community and protect Lake Erie. Her vision of a cleaner and greener future for Toledo resounds powerfully as we catch up with her for a question and answer session.
CCC: What made you decide to run for city council?
SC: For starters, I felt it was my duty as a mother, a Toledo citizen, and as a human.
Not enough action is being taken at the local level to protect the environment and Lake Erie, including Toledo’s drinking water, which is drawn straight from the lake.
In 2014, Toledo residents were told not to drink from the tap or use it to cook or bathe for three days due to high levels of toxic mycrosystin found in the water supply from algae blooms near the water intake.
Nothing has been done to prevent these yearly algae blooms except adding more chemicals during the water treatment process.
This is not a permanent fix and is costing taxpayers financially and health-wise. This was a hardship for myself as a single mother with a young baby in the home.
My family had to drive into Michigan just to find a case of water that was not priced over $40 or to even find one on the shelf. It was a nightmare.
My biggest fear is Toledo, Ohio turning into another Flint, Michigan. I want to help prevent and fight to protect our drinking water and Lake Erie.
In 2016, I became involved in a local Toledo grassroots organization, Toledoans for Safe Water, who worked to establish a “Bill Of Rights for Lake Erie,” called The Lake Erie Bill of Rights or LEBOR.
This group was working on a bill that would grant Lake Erie the same rights as corporations, personhood, to be represented by the people of Toledo, and with the right to thrive and evolve naturally, and any harm caused the people would be able to hold polluters accountable.
I helped petition to get this bill on the ballot, and attended press conferences, and spoke openly of the need for rights of nature legislation for Lake Erie.
After much hardship, our group was able to get the LEBOR on the ballot and during our campaign, the current city council person of my district, Matt Cherry, and who is also the Toledo City Council President came out publicly against the LEBOR in a letter to the editor in Toledo’s paper, The Blade.
I was floored, I was frustrated, I was disappointed, as a parent and human who drinks from the tap, I felt I was not being protected from harm by my elected representative nor the other 10,000 people who signed the LEBOR petition or countless others who were harmed in 2014 water crisis.
I responded to councilman Cherry’s letter with my own letter to the editor in support of LEBOR, and started that enacting rights of nature laws is a major way we can act on climate protection on a local level, because the federal government will not protect us.
We have to be our own superheroes, no more waiting for the government to save us. We are on our own, and I decided to step up. “If not me, then who?” I asked myself.
This decision was cemented for me in March 2019, during the Democracy Day hearing with Toledo City Council. Members of Toledoans for Safe Water attended and called out BP’s involvement with a smear campaign against the LEBOR and Matt Cherry’s voiced opposition and the lack of support from city council with this citizens’ initiative.
That is when Matt Cherry walked out of the meeting without hearing from his constituents, including myself. I spoke and made it clear that it was unacceptable for council members to leave Democracy Day meetings when being held accountable.
That was that defining moment I made the decision to run. It is my duty to hold my elected officials accountable, offer a better solution, and protect my children and my city’s drinking water. It is time for green solutions in Toledo. I am stepping up to be the hero I had been waiting on.
CCC: What are the three greatest challenges facing the city of Toledo right now?
SC: Water quality is a huge one. As of right now, not much is being done to protect our drinking water other than adding more chemicals like alum and chorine.
Many are sensitive or even allergic to chlorine and cannot even drink from the tap any longer.
While campaigning and knocking doors, mother after mother, especially black women with children are not drinking from the tap or even cooking with tap water.
People are waking up to the fact that the government is working to protect corporations and not the people. Toledoans are rightfully worried our city will be the next Flint. Not on my watch!
Racism in our city police force is also a huge issue. It has been investigated that white supremacy groups have infiltrated the Toledo police force over a decade ago.
Now that we no longer have community-based policing. it is even easier for some police officers to be disconnected from the people they serve.
When a Toledo citizen calls the police, you have no idea who will come or when they will arrive. There have even been reports from my neighbors of the police not even showing up.
Crime is also a huge issue as well, especially in inner city areas which I have been campaigning.
At times, police escalate situations when they need to be deescalating situations. These issues need to be addressed, especially in our black communities.
All these issues tend to run together. There is also the growing blight of abandoned and run-down homes, and absent landlords who live in another state or even other countries.
Poverty is a big issue here in Toledo. Not enough jobs that pay a living wage. Many have to work two or three minimum wage jobs just to get by.
Toledo is being left behind by the corporate state and it has taken enough from us.
CCC: What specific actions will you take to make changes for Toledo residents?
SC: The biggest action I will take is to actually listen to what Toledo citizens want from leadership in their elected official.
I have thoughts that community policing and de-escalation training may be a solution, but I also want to know what the community wants and feels is the solution to bad policing in Toledo.
More community events were the police can meet with members of the community and host public speaking events with the police I think is also a good step.
A similar event was held a few months ago hosted the Community Solidarity Response Network if Toledo run by local black activists, I feel more events like this need to happen and often.
I also want to be an active voice on City Council in support of the Lake Erie Bill of Rights and all citizen brought initiatives. I want to make sure that when environmental protections are put in place or when funds are taken away, it is done in the best interest of Toledo citizens and not industry or corporations.
I want to be a voice that LEBOR is now the law as written into the Toledo charter and will be honored.
I support and will voice restoring local wetlands and riparian buffer zones along waterways that filter and clean our water.
I also want to be a voice to protest outdated dirty or dangerous energy sources like coal and nuclear.
I recently protested HB6, which is a bailout for Davis Bessie nuclear plant and removes subsidies for Green Energy.
Toledo needs to be investing in the future and sustainable jobs with Green Energy, like wind and solar. This is another way Toledo can act locally on minimizing climate disaster while bring in good jobs and innovation.
I am also in support of a composting and recycling center that will be a solution to curbside leaves that do not often get picked up.
This compost can go to city community gardens. I also support urban and community gardens which would address the food desert issue.
Just last year, both the Aldi’s food store and Kroger’s food store closed off Glendale Ave. who population is predominantly minority and low income.
At this time the city pays Republic, which is an out-of-town company, to take our recycling. I want to see a recycling services and center here inside Toledo to bring in income and create jobs.
We could also take other cities’ recycling as a source of revenue. Better yet, we can also invest in industry here in Toledo that will manufacture goods from these recyclables.
We need to invest and train the people of Toledo for these jobs. It’s a win for everyone and for the future of Toledo.
CCC: How can voters learn more about your campaign?
SC: Feel free to contact me to ask any questions.
I would love to hear from Toledoans and Greens about what they feel is needed to improve Toledo, and what they love and want more of in Toledo.
I also have a Facebook page, twitter, Instagram, and webpage. Feel free to send me an email as well.
Consider donating through my webpage and help me build a Green Toledo!
For more information about Stefania Czech and her campaign for a greener Toledo:
Email czech4toledo@gmail.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Czech-For-Toledo-1043151895889168/
Webpage: www.czechfortoledo.com
Indiana Green Party Fields Most Candidates Ever
| From the Indiana Green Party —
We are excited to report that the Indiana Green Party will field more candidates in 2019 than we have in total since 2002! Among the candidates is our State Chair, Monica James, who is the first African-American Green Party candidate to run for office in the state. The candidates include the following:
Prior to 2019, only three Indiana Green Party candidates had achieved ballot access:
The INGP is surging, doubling our previous number of candidates who achieved ballot access. “Thanks to everyone on the State Coordinating Committee and all of the local organizations who have helped our state field an excellent and exciting group of candidates,” INGP Chair Monica James stated. Six Indiana Green Party candidates have achieved ballot access in 2019, a first for our party. “We are making history together, but we still have a lot of hard work ahead of us. I know our candidates are committed to doing this work and, ultimately, they are fully prepared to represent voters in their cities. I would like to officially congratulate everyone today and to say thank you to Indiana Green Party members for their hard work and dedication in moving our great state forward!” Election day is November 5, 2019. If you are interested in helping with any of these campaigns, send us a message or get connected with your local group! Indiana Green Party Co-chair, Monica James, and all other listed candidates are currently available for interview. To schedule an interview, please contact Elliott Crow, Communications Director, at media@greenpartyin.com. The 2019 Indiana Green Party State Congress will be held on Saturday, July 13th, at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Muncie from 1:30 PM – 6:00 PM EST. Come and meet fellow Greens, help us shape our platform, discuss future candidacies, and more. Click here to learn more and register for the event. The INGP strives to live by the values of the Green movement. Everything the Party does is based on the four pillars: Democracy, Ecological Wisdom, Nonviolence, and Social Justice. Thanks for your continued support. Indiana Green Party Follow the Indiana Green Party on: |
Indiana Green Party
Aidan Hill Seeks Solutions To Berkeley Housing Crisis
Former City Council candidate eyes Berkeley, CA Mayoral run
(BERKELEY, CA – June 12th, 2019)
Nestled on the east shore of the San Francisco Bay, Berkeley, California is a place that many would consider almost paradise. However, mild weather, bay-side views and swaying palms equate to skyrocketing housing costs, and those costs have put the city in a serious housing crisis. The lack of affordable housing in Berkeley has left struggling residents of the city with no place to call home.
The homelessness crisis in Berkeley is growing. As of April of this year, the city now estimates its homeless population to be around 2,000 individuals. Although the city’s median income has increased dramatically over the last decade, much of the job market resides in the management and professional sectors. Housing units are available, but these homes are generally out of reach for those suffering on the streets of the city. According to Census figures, 3,000 of the city’s 50,000 housing units are currently left unoccupied.
Non-binary Berkeley resident and Green Party member Aidan Hill is earnest about tackling the issue of homelessness in their community. Recently, Hill was appointed to the Berkeley Homeless Commission, seeking to address the situation assertively and develop real solutions for the dispossessed among the city’s population.
Hill feels that he can make a difference in resolving the homeless issues the city faces. “I believe and take great attention to the perspectives and needs of those who are marginalized and disproportionately affected, above all else,” they said.
Becoming a member of the commission has given the young upstart an opportunity to get hands-on in the process and work directly to affect policy and outcomes.
“As a member of the Homeless Commission, I’ve had the opportunity to work with staff in providing infrastructure that will help our most vulnerable residents. We have been working on projects such as installing port-a-potties, increasing sanitation services, increasing transportation options and developing guidelines to support existing homeless encampments in the city,” they remarked.
Concerned about proposed development in People’s Park, Hill points out that they want to guarantee a space for the homeless population will remain accessible.
“The only open space in one of our council districts which provides a recovery zone for an emergency or natural disaster is at risk of being built upon for development as dormitories, intended for student housing.” Hill stated. “This will displace the existing homeless population as well as increase costs for the Berkeley community.”
Following his 2018 run for a Berkeley City Council seat, the youthful politician is prepared to take on an even bigger challenge – planning to run for mayor of the city.
Hill displays an unassuming confidence in his readiness to handle the tough work of administrating the municipal operations of the city, saying, “The preparedness comes because I firmly believe that if we do not act now, in the future, we will not have the opportunity to fight against corporate interests who are putting profit ahead of the people.”
As Mayor, Hill would seek big changes in the way the city currently operates. Involving residents in decision-making is high on his list of priorities for the city.
“I will be in a unique position to leverage my platform to give others access to media and other channels of communication such as town halls and public forums” they said. “A mayor needs to make sure public forums are fair and that every item on the agenda is seen transparent to the public.”
Management of public funding is another priority for the young candidate. “I will plan to introduce participatory budgeting into Berkeley politics—creating a strategy for community members to have greater say in how public funds are spent in efficient and tangible ways.” Hill stated.
As a candidate for public office, Hill has found that building community has been one of the highlights of his experience.
”The most enriching experience of my political career is becoming a part of my community” they remarked. “Regardless of whether or not I win public office, I have had the opportunity to brighten people’s days—give them hope, inform them about their civil and political rights as well as enhance their economic, social and cultural experience in this city.”
Hill looks toward the future and remains committed to finding alternative solutions that will abate the city’s current housing crisis, saying, “As the next mayor of Berkeley, I will build a pathway to public and alternative housing accommodations that are rent-controlled and will lead to all people having agency and a direct say in their shelter accommodations.”
With caring leaders such as Hill working to solve problems in the community, hope remains for the city’s many desperate homeless residents.
CCC Workshops at Annual National Meeting
The Coordinated Campaign Committee will host a pair of workshops as well as delivering a repeating Plenary session on the GPUS electoral Strategic Plan at the Annual National Meeting in Salem, MA.
On Thursday, July 25th at 2:45pm, the committee will host an “Introduction to the CCC,” designed to provide important information about the committee, its mission and its services.
Friday the 26th, the Committee will conduct a workshop geared toward helping member states conduct campaign schools in their own states. “Train The Trainer — How To Set Up A Campaign School In Your State” gets underway at 3:00pm.
Finally, the CCC will conduct a pair of plenary workshops on the electoral portion of the National Strategic Plan on Saturday, July 27th. Attendees will learn about how to implement important parts of the strategic plan, with presenters Holly Hart, Robert Edward Smith, Erin Fox and Hillary Kane.
We hope that you will join us! For more information about the annual meeting visit here for more information.
Power Up Green With The CCC!
You can power up to hit the campaign trail with the CCC at the Green Party of the United States’ Annual National Meeting!
From the official Green Party website:
Change Comes from the Roots
Green Party Annual Meeting
Salem State University
July 25-28, 2019
The deadline to submit workshop proposals is March 30, 2019. We have a great opportunity to share our knowledge, skills, experience and expertise at the meeting. Here’s a sneak peek at some of the proposals already submitted for the meeting.
• Colonialism in Hawai’i and Puerto Rico and across Latin America
• National Committee Legislative Sessions
• Experiencing & Promoting Peace
• Resolution H2O
• Community Organizing 101
• Sovereignty, Stewardship, and Solidarity
• Resolving Ideological Confusion
Do you have good presentation skills? Do you have a workshop you have presented somewhere else that might be good for the meeting? There is still time to submit your proposal. We are especially are looking for proposals related to the theme – Change Comes from the Roots.
Here are some of the topics we would like to see presented at the meeting:
• Social Media basics including livestreaming, creating groups and pages, tweeting and more
• Organizing Around Issues
• Media topics including interviewing as a candidate or spokesperson, creating an “elevator pitch”, press conferences
• Forming locals including success stories
• Connecting with and supporting local social movements
• Database management for locals and states, generating walk lists, etc
• Ranked Choice Voting
• Green New Deal
To submit your proposal, visit http://salem.gp.org/ and click the “Workshop Submissions” tab, which will take you to the workshop proposal submission form. You don’t have to have your entire presentation ready.
The deadline to apply for travel and lodging subsidies is also March 30. We have a small amount of money to give to caucus-eligible persons. You can get information and the application here.
To register for the meeting: https://www.gp.org/2019_anm_registration
To register for lodging and/or meals: https://store11450281.ecwid.com/
Can’t make the meeting? You can help someone attend by donating here: https://www.gp.org/donate_anm
See you in Salem. Check out pictures of the facility and Salem here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/18IHIfbf_yhcA5tOdZ5B1smMI3LZ-r6lz/view
Check out pictures from the 2018 meeting in Salt Lake City here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/17xkdP85nYynH_Yn5iBAxFUzSuWs3JJt0/view
Green Party Annual National Committee
website: http://salem.gp.org/
email: anm_info@gp.org
phone: 202-319-7191
