Green Party Watch

Better late than never, we’ve put together the following Top 10 Green Party stories, taken from a combination of hits on Green Party Watch and other criteria to build a summary of the year. We have modeled this after our Top 10 Green Party Stories for 2010. We are well aware that there were many other stories we could have included here, feel welcome to include your own in the comments. We sincerely hope that 2012 will have plenty of Green Party to Watch!

March 2011 – German Greens Historic Victory

German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s coalition was defeated in Baden-Württemberg as support for the Greens surged to a record, putting the anti-nuclear party within reach of leading the state government. The opposition Greens took a record 24.2 percent, while the Social Democrats, which said they’ll rule with the Greens, won 23.1 percent. “There won’t just be a changing of the guard in Baden- Wuerttemberg, there will be a change of politics,” Greens national co-leader Claudia Roth told reporters in Berlin. Winfried Kretschmann was later named the new governor of Baden-Württemberg.

March 2011 – Alex White for Mayor of Rochester, NY

Small business owner Alex White ran a spirited campaign in a special election for Mayor of Rochester, NY, challenging the status quo of local politics. White ran on a “Platform of Hope“, which he says “…grows Rochester through jobs for all, more community involvement, greater transparency, community policing, and a public utility.” Ultimately White finished with 9% of the vote.

Later in the year Alex White ran for City Council, finishing with 11% of the vote.

April 2011 – Ed Shadid wins seat on Oklahoma City Council

After a long and particularly nasty campaign, Ed Shadid survived the negative smear campaign against him and won a seat on the Oklahoma City Council with over 60% of the vote. Shadid, a spinal surgeon, who ran as an Independent candidate for State Assembly last year with the backing of the Green Party, defeated Charles Swinton, a banker, and the PAC “Committee for Oklahoma City Momentum”, which spent over $100,000 in ads opposing Shadid, accusing him of being a socialist who wanted to legalize marijuana. Check out some of the negative attack ads here.

May 2011 – Elizabeth May First Green Party Member of Parliament in Canada

In the May 2 Federal Elections in Canada, Elizabeth May became the first Green Party candidate elected as a Member of Parliament. Preliminary results show that Elizabeth May won the May 2, 2011 election with 48.13% of the vote, defeating Conservative MP Gary Lunn (33.73%) and NDP candidate Edith Loring-Kuhanga (12.28%). Elizabeth May, 56, has been the leader of the Green Party of Canada since 2006, vowing to raise the Green Party’s profile in Canada, particularly in the nationally televised debates. Although she was included in a debate several years ago, this election she was barred from the debate, which she used as a campaign issue in her campaign for MP representing Saanich-Gulf Islands on Vancouver Island.

July 2011 – Annual National Meeting in Alfred NY

The Green Party (US) Annual National Meeting was held in rural Alfred, NY, in conjunction with the biennial GreenFest. Among the speakers were leaders in the campaign to ban hydrofracking (hydraulic fracturing), an environmentally destructive and dangerous technique for accessing gas in the Marcellus Shale beneath Pennsylvania, New York, and other states. Also 2004 Presidential Candidate David Cobb, Philadelphia Sheriff candidate Cheri Honkala, Canadian MP Elizabeth May, and author David Korten addressed the Meeting.

September 2011 – Strong special elections showings by Mark Miller (MA) and Farheen Hakeem (MN)

In Massachusetts, Mark Miller ran a strong campaign for a vacancy in the State Legislature, finishing in second place of four candidates, just several hundred votes short of victory. Miller was endorsed by Planned Parenthood, Mass Alliance, and the UAW.

In Minnesota, Green Party (US) Steering Committee co-chair Farheen Hakeem ran for an open State Senate seat. Hakeem finished second with 22% to 68% for Democrat Jeff Hayden. Hakeem outpolled a Republican and an independent in the race.

November 2011 – “Poor Peoples Advocate” Cheri Honkala’s campaign for Sheriff of Philadelphia

Cheri Honkala announced her candidacy for Sheriff of Philadelphia on February 17, 2011, and ran a high-profile campaign that brought issues to the table that would never had been brought forward otherwise. She got good media, interviewed in Yes! & endorsed by NOW, interviewed on Press TV, the campaign made effective use of Youtube in promoting the campaign. Ultimately, in the 3-way race for sheriff, Cheri Honkala finished 3rd with over 10,000 votes for 6.6%.

November 2011 – Fall Elections

In November’s elections, Greens won local races in California, Colorado, and Connecticut. Tanya Ishikawa was elected to the Federal Heights City Council (Colorado) with 67.5% of the vote. Larry Bragman took first place in his race for City Council, receiving 43.88% of the vote. This will be Bragman’s third term as a Council Member. Additionally, Ryan O’Neil won his first term on the City Council, helping maintain a healthy Green Party presence in the Northern California City.

In other races of interest, Portland City Councilor David Marshall finished with 7.74% in Portland, Maine’s first IRV election for Mayor. In Philadelphia, Cheri Honkala received 6.56% of the vote in her effort to be elected Sheriff of Philadelphia. She ran on a “No Evictions” platform. Brian Rudnick, running for City Council, received 11.8% of the vote. In Syracuse, NY, Howie Hawkins received 48.15% of the vote, narrowly losing to Democrat Khalid Bey. In Toledo, Ohio, Anita Rios finished with 26% of the vote in her campaign for City Council, and in St. Paul, Bee Xiong received 42% in the first round of voting for a City Council seat, not enough to win.

December 2011 – Presidential Candidate field set

The Green Party field of Presidential Candidates fluctuated throughout 2011. Roseanne Barr jumped in and then out, Socialist Stewart Alexander jumped in and then out, but by the end of the year, three candidates are seeking the Green Party Nomination for President. Kent Mesplay (G-CA) was the first to officially declare his candidacy in June. Jill Stein (G-MA) officially entered the race in October. Harley Mikkelson (G-MI) entered the race in November.

Harley Mikkelson is retired from a 26 year career with the Michigan Departments of Community Health, Education, and Human Services. Mikkelson was the Michigan Green Party candidate for the U.S. House of Representatives in 2002 and 2004, for the U.S. Senate in 2008, and Governor in 2010.

Kent Mesplay is an air quality inspector in San Diego, California. He sought the Green Party Presidential nomination in 2004 and 2008.

Jill Stein is a physician and community health advocate who ran as the Green-Rainbow Party candidate governor of Massachusetts in 2002 and 2010.

The 2012 Green Party Presidential Race will be followed closely right here at Green Party Watch.

December 2011 – 2011 Election Recap

With over 100 candidates across the United States, the Green Party candidates won 22 races, or 21% of the races they were in. The Green Party starts 2012 with 125 elected officeholders, 21 of which are partisan offices. A recap of the 2011 Election by former Green Party (US) Executive Director Brent McMillan.

From the National Post:

A pair of democratic rights groups are teaming up in a legal battle that is urging the nation’s top court to strike down Canada’s first-past-the-post electoral system on the grounds that it doesn’t protect guarantees under the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. The case would argue that the Constitution protects the right of Canadians to have “effective representation,” which goes beyond having the right to cast a ballot.The two groups, the Association for the Advancement of Democratic Rights and Fair Vote Canada, have also earned an endorsement from Green Party leader Elizabeth May. “The key issue is not that it’s unfair to the Green Party,” May said Tuesday at a news conference with representatives from the two groups. “It’s unfair to democracy. It’s unfair to voters, and I think it’s a big reason for the decline in voter turnout.”

May noted that more than 80% of people vote in Scandinavian countries and some other European nations, but she said the lowest voter turnouts in the world occur in countries with first-past-the-post systems, such as Canada, the United States and the United Kingdom, where governments can be elected with majorities despite having received less than 50% of the ballots cast in elections.

Read the full article at the National Post.

In May 2 Federal Elections in Canada, Elizabeth May became the first Green Party candidate elected as a Member of Parliament.

Elizabeth May, 56, has been the leader of the Green Party of Canada since 2006, vowing to raise the Green Party’s profile in Canada, particularly in the nationally televised debates. Although she was included in a debate several years ago, this election she was barred from the debate, which she used as a campaign issue in her campaign for MP representing Saanich-Gulf Islands on Vancouver Island.

Preliminary results show that Elizabeth May won the May 2, 2011 election with 48.13% of the vote, defeating Conservative MP Gary Lunn (33.73%) and NDP candidate Edith Loring-Kuhanga (12.28%).

In an Election Day message, Elizabeth May wrote: “Voting Green sends a clear message. It sends a message of hope. It sends a message that demands something better. It’s time. Vote Green.”

We will update this story as it happens.

Sadly, the hour is late…if you have news to report, please take advantage of the comments to let us know what’s going on. Of course, and of the writers here can add directly to the front page, so please do.

The Green MP candidate is Elizabeth May, and her riding, or district, is Saanich – Gulf Islands ahead by better than 2000 votes, 9659 to 7557. Reports can be watched at the CBC and reports specifically for May can be found this CBC link.

UPDATE…CBC Announces that Elizabeth May HAS been elected!

From the Green Party of Canada:

The Green Party of Canada released polling today that shows Leader Elizabeth May in the lead to win the riding of Saanich Gulf-Islands (SGI). 45% of decided voters in SGI stated they would vote for Elizabeth May, compared with 38% for the Conservatives. The Liberal and NDP candidates each polled at 9%, with 16% undecided. 13% of respondents named Elizabeth May as their second choice, while only 6% gave Gary Lunn as their second choice.

“The polling results confirm the positive feeling we’re getting on the ground and motivates us to keep working hard until every Elizabeth May supporter casts their ballot next Monday, May 2nd,” said May’s Campaign Manager Jonathan Dickie. “We know that the only poll that really counts is the one on May 2nd.”

“It is still a neck-and-neck race,” said Dickie. “We know that we have the best candidate for Saanich-Gulf Islands and we need every supporter to know that every single vote counts.”

“I want to thank all the volunteers who are working so hard for Elizabeth May, knocking on doors, driving voters to polls, and answering phones. There is a real feeling that we have a chance to make history,” said Dickie.

“We are very proud of our positive election campaign. We’ve focused on the sharing of ideas and responsible debate of the issues. That’s what the voters of this riding want, that’s what we have worked to give them, and that’s why they’re supporting Elizabeth May,” said Dickie.

The poll was conducted April 18-19. 389 respondents in Saanich-Gulf Islands were asked how they intended to vote for local candidates. The margin of error is plus or minus 4.9%, 19 times out of 20

The Green Party of Canada and Elizabeth May are going to court to challenge her exclusion from the televised party leader’s debates that occur in Canada during each election. The debates are organized by a consortium of the television networks.

May was in the debate in 2008.

The Ombudsman of Canada’s public broadcaster the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation is backing May in his new blog post. As well some of the non-teleivsion media are also supporting May.

The party’s own petition has over 100,000 signatures. More info. It is expected ousted nuclear watchdog Linda Keen will endorse Elizabeth May.

So Canada is off to the polls for the 41st federal election.

Green Party of Canada Leader Elizabeth May is running against Conservative Gary Lunn for his seat in Saanich Gulf Islands.

So the Green Party of Canada has been in the media lately lamenting attack ads and how they affect democracy. Today the party came out with its own attack ad — attacking attack ads, LOL. Check it out.

Related articles

• Green party unveils ‘attack on attack ads’ (canada.com)
• Have attack-ad touting Greens gone ‘cynical’? (theglobeandmail.com)
• Attack ads blatantly take Ignatieff out of context (soarmarc.wordpress.com)

So my name is Peter Tretter, I’m new to Green Party Watch. I’m here in Canada, involved with the Green Party of Canada and the Green Party of Ontario. I’m the President & CEO of the local electoral district riding association in Barrie, Ontario.

Image via Wikipedia

Some items of interest:

* Federal Leader Elizabeth May’s election office in Saanich got driven into by a truck! She is also saying that US-style attack ads hurt democracy.

* Green Party of Ontario Leader Mike Schreiner recently announced his shadow cabinet in prepation of a provincial election to occur October 6th, 2011.

* Green Party of British Columbia Leader Jane Sterk recently addressed Tofino City Council in a precedent setting move.

The Green Party of Canada has recruited recently retired Montreal Canadiens hockey player Georges Laraque to be Deputy Leader, replacing the recently departed Jacques Rivard.

“It’s because he has just a tremendous following,” she [Elizabeth May] said by phone from Vancouver. “People know him as an NHL player and people who ordinarily wouldn’t think they might vote Green might just give a listen to things Georges has to say.”

Rivard has been active in numerous social causes, most recently animal rights and development work in Haiti.

I have this project in Haiti that I’m working on. I’m rebuilding the Grace Children’s Hospital. I work for TerraSphere now, which is a reason why I retired from the NHL. It’s a vertical farming company, which is really important to me, because their green technology will be implemented all over the world to solve world hunger. I will also be promoting other green technology to help improve our environment.

Appointing Laraque adds a popular personality across Canada to the Green Party’s leadership, as well as boosts the Party’s presence in Quebec where it has struggled of late.

Read more:
CTV News: “New Role for ex-Hab Laraque: Greens’ deputy leader”
National Post: “Georges Laraque: From hockey heavyweight to Green party draft pick”

(Thanks to Peter with Barrie Greens for stories)

The Tyee in British Columbia reports on the Canadian Green Party’s quest to elect its leader, Elizabeth May, as the party’s first member of parliament elected as a Green:

A year ago an internal Green Party poll suggested leader Elizabeth May would have a good shot at winning a seat in Saanich-Gulf Islands in the next federal election. It would be a major breakthrough for the party, which is yet to elect a member of parliament in Canada.

But 12 months later there are questions about whether she’s doing everything she can to make it to Ottawa.

“I think I’m going to be either first or second, in terms of polling,” May said in a recent interview. “I like first.”

She decided to run in Saanich-Gulf Islands, across the country from the Central Nova riding where she took on cabinet minister Peter MacKay in the last election, after a party poll put her even with Conservative Minister of State Gary Lunn.

“Part of it was polling and part of it was listening to people, and there was no question far and away it was voters of Saanich-Gulf Islands that said their values were most in tune with Green values, they were most interested in making a change,” she said. read more »

From the Green Party of Canada:

OTTAWA — Federal Justice Minister Rob Nicholson yesterday confirmed that marijuana activist Marc Emery will be extradited to the United States, a move that the Green Party of Canada condemns.  The decision was made shortly after Marc Emery turned himself in to the authorities as his bail expired May 10, 2010.

Marc was arrested in 2005 as a result of an undercover investigation of his online marijuana seed-selling business.  Last summer, Emery entered into a plea bargain with American authorities that will likely see him thrown in a U.S. jail for at least five years for distributing marijuana seeds.  The extradition ends his 5 year battle to avoid the US drug charges.

“It is wrong that Marc is being sent to a US prison for an offense for which there is almost no penalty in Canada,” said Green Leader Elizabeth May. “We ask the Justice Minister to reconsider. At the very least, Marc should serve his term in a Canadian prison.” read more »

The Irish Times is reporting that the Irish Green Party has forced the governing party, Fianna Fáil, to hold a vote on ending the hunting of male deer, or stags. The article says that the Green Party forced a vote on the issue by negotiating it with Fianna Fáil during talks aimed at preventing a government collapse. Apparently now some Fianna Fáil members of the Teachta Dála, the lower chamber of the Irish Parliament, want to be free to vote to retain the stag hunt; in essence saying that they want to ignore the terms their leaders committed to earlier.

Meanwhile, in Canada, the Prime Minister has suspended parliament for two months, and The Star is quoting Green Party leader Elizabeth May saying

“We need to kick and scream at this insult to democracy – because that is what it is. We need to support each other, efforts by other parties, non-political leadership,”

This move by the Harper government will kill a committee probing the transfer of Afghan prisoners by Canadian troops. The closing of parliament also shuts down vocal opposition to his conservative read more »

From the Western Standard Shotgun blog:

Reports of the detention of an American journalist trying to cross into Canada for a speaking engagement have prompted outrage within the Green Party of Canada. Amy Goodman was kept at a British Columbia border crossing for over an hour, apparently because officials wanted to be sure she wasn’t coming to Canada to make negative comments about the Olympics. read more »

The below is a promotional film for the New Democratic Party in Canada. While the Canadian Greens and the NDP are different parties with different agendas, and we are Green Party supporters, the video is meaningful and enjoyable. H/T to Michael Cavlan and Richard Kuszmar