Green Party Watch

From the New York Green Party:

Dear Howie Hawkins and Green Party supporters,

The Green Party State committee has established an issues committee to help coordinate state level work around issues critical to the green agenda in NY. We are looking for volunteers.

Please contact Mark Dunlea (dunleamark [at] aol [dot] com) or Gloria Mattera (gmattera [at] gmail [dot] com) if you would like to be on the issues committee. Please let us know what role you would like to play (e.g., work on a particular issue, receive action alerts).

Most green work on issues takes place on the local level, so we can put you in contact as well with local Green Party groups across the state.

Our success in getting back our ballot line means we will get a little more attention from the mainstream media than before. There is a critical need for a strong progressive voice at the state level, especially with Governor elect Cuomo joining in the bi-partisan effort to respond to the Great Recession with an austerity program of protecting tax cuts for the wealthy, attacking benefits for public employee unions, and slashing funding for essential public services.

Some of the key Green issues being looked at for 2011 include: a ban on hydrofracking for natural gas; education; state budget / progressive revenue options; single payer health care; climate change; and peace/ cut the military budget. read more »

From the NY Daily News:

If magazine exec Cathie Black can become schools chancellor without experience in education, why can’t a group of education experts run a publishing empire?

Green Party members put that theory to the test yesterday by dusting off their résumés and trying to apply for Black’s former gig as chairwoman of Hearst Magazines.

“I’m absolutely unqualified to run a public company, which is exactly what Cathie Black is to run the New York City public school system,” quipped Gloria Mattera, who has two graduate degrees in education and a son in the public school system.

The five job candidates vented about Black’s appointment by Mayor Bloomberg, and one of the protesters, Tom Siracuse, was armed with the “Guide to Successful Publishing” to show his eagerness to learn.

The group didn’t get far.

The candidates waltzed through the glass doors to Hearst headquarters and were greeted in the lobby by the deputy director of corporate security, Ted Lotti. He took their résumés and sent them a way.

From New York Green Party gubernatorial candidate Howie Hawkins:

Few people know that gubernatorial Green Party candidate Howie Hawkins once worked on Wyoming Senator Clifford Hansen’s ranch. “Back then I was baling hay. Now we’re talking about bailing out the people. But the people of New York need to round up these state revenue rustlers on Wall Street!” thundered Hawkins, announcing a “Wall Street Rodeo” for Wednesday, October 27th at Bowling Green Park’s Charging Bull sculpture. Watch Howie and the NY Greens rope in the stock transfer tax:

Hawkins has used the 2010 election to raise awareness of the $16 billion dollars in Stock Transfer Tax revenue rebated back to Wall Street firms every year. “Cuomo and Paladino claim our budget is hog-tied, but if New York would just hold onto the money it’s already collecting, we’d have $7 billion dollars extra for a badly needed, Green New Deal jobs program.” Unemployment reaches 30% in communities across New York State, while underemployment tops out at 50%. read more »

In New York, the ongoing petition drive to put a Green slate of candidates for Governor, Lt. Gov., Comptroller, and US Senate on the ballot is about to ratchet up for the “Weekend of 5000 signatures”:

With about three weeks left before filing our 2010 ballot petition, we need your help to get the signatures needed to deter a challenge from those who would deprive New York voters of real choices. So we’re calling for a statewide push to collect 5000 signatures this weekend. If 50 Greens gather 100 signatures each then we can make that goal — will you be one of those Greens?

The New York Greens’ petition drive is crucial because the NYGP can regain ballot status for the next four years only by getting at least 50,000 votes for Howie Hawkins for Governor in November. Regaining ballot access in the third most-populous state would be a big victory for Greens, in New York and nationwide. The New York Green Party is running a rock-solid slate of candidates this year, including Howie Hawkins and Gloria Mattera for Governor and Lt. Gov., Colia Clark and Cecile Lawrence for US Senate, and Julia Willebrand for Comptroller.

Meanwhile, the Connecticut Greens also need some extra hands on deck:

We need two hours of your time! Rae Johnson is very close on the petition drive but we need more signatures as a buffer. It is critical that we get one hundred more signatures by next tuesday! call Rae at 860-613-0501 if you can spare just a little time this weekend!

Dave Olszta also needs your help in Milford. In the middle of his petitioning as a Green for a state rep seat in the Devon section of Milford (Jim Amann’s old district), his mother died. He would appreciate any help anyone can give him in the next few days. His email address is: daveolszta [at] earthlink [dot] net; and his phone number is: 203-407-9124.

If you know of other places where Greens need help gathering signatures to get on the ballot (or raising money to get on the ballot, as with Jesse Johnson in WV last week) please let us know in the comments.

From the Green Party of New York State:

Petitioning for our statewide slate starts on Tuesday, July 6 and goes until Friday, August 13. We need to get 30,000 signatures over the course of six weeks in order to succeed in placing the slate, including our gubernatorial candidate, Howie Hawkins, on the ballot – the first step towards getting the 50,000 votes we need in order to get our permanent ballot line back.

We need your help to do this. The load is always lighter when many help carry it – and your 25, 50, 100, 500 signatures collected from friends and community members will help us move that much closer to the ballot line.

You can download the petition from the state web site at or click here. The petitioning guidelines download is here. read more »

From the Green Party of New York State facebook page:

It’s our mission to provide a progressive Green alternative to the corporate agenda of the Democrats and Republicans, and build support for a different world. To that end, we have nominated an exciting slate of candidates for statewide office, including Howie Hawkins for Governor, Gloria Mattera for Lt. Governor, Colia Clark and Cecile Lawrence for US Senate, and Julia Willebrand for Comptroller.

This is the time to regain our ballot status — to do that we need 50,000 votes for Governor. It’s the perfect year, with voters across New York fed up with the corruption in Albany and the pro-corporate bailout, pro-war agenda in DC. They ache to see candidates stand strong for peace, renewable energy, sustainable agriculture, single payer-universal health care, and an aggressive program to create living wage jobs.

The first step is to get on the ballot, which means 30,000 signatures from NY State registered voters. Of that 30,000 we need at least 100 signatures from half of the congressional districts across the state. read more »

From Marnie Glickman at GreenChange.org:

I’m excited to introduce you to 6 Green women candidates who are running hard to bring our values into the halls of power: Laura Wells (CA), Anita Rios (OH), Annie Young (MN), Gloria Mattera (NY), Julia Willebrand (NY) and Jill Stein (MA).

With your help, we will elect these outstanding leaders who reflect – and respect – the diversity of America.

Laura Wells of California is a citizen activist with a background in finance and management. Laura is running for Governor to work for single-payer health care, sustainable water policy, democratic reforms, fixing the budget crisis with fair taxation and a state bank, and more. Her message should resonate with voters unimpressed with political insider Jerry Brown and billionaire businesswoman Meg Whitman. California is mired in a fiscal crisis, and Laura is the only candidate offering ecologically wise, far-sighted economic solutions.

Anita Rios in Ohio is the daughter of migrant farm workers, a passionate social justice activist and President of Toledo’s National Organization for Women. Anita is running for Lt. Governor of Ohio to work for single-payer health care, progressive taxation, quality public education, replacing coal and nuclear plants with renewable energy, and more. With Ohioans tiring of incumbent governor Ted Strickland, Anita Rios and running mate Dennis Spisak offer a forward-thinking alternative to voters. I’ve known Anita for many years.  She has the focused strength and vision necessary to lead the State of Ohio.

Annie Young is a six-term elected member of the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board with an extensive background in environmental, health and justice advocacy. Annie is running for Minnesota State Auditor, an office charged with overseeing more than $20 billion in annual spending, to advocate for sustainability, life cycle cost accounting, and more holistic economic indicators. Among supporters of Annie’s campaign is renowned economic and environmental justice activist Winona LaDuke. With many voters ready to toss out political insiders, Annie Young should do well against incumbent auditor Rebecca Otto and former auditor Pat Anderson. I volunteered with Annie on a national campaign in 2004 and was impressed with her attention to detail and kind spirit.  She is ready for the next step in her political journey.

Gloria Mattera is a public health worker and activist for peace, universal health care and community-based development. Gloria is running for Lt. Governor of New York to work for renewable energy, green jobs, mass transit, single-payer health care, and more. With heir apparent Andrew Cuomo leading Wall Street favorite Rick Lazio by a huge margin, Gloria Mattera and running mate Howie Hawkins should do well among New Yorkers looking for fresh ideas. I volunteered with Gloria on Reverend Billy’s campaign last year.  She’s a dynamo.

Julia Willebrand is long-time activist for peace, social justice, the environment and political reform. Julia is running for New York Comptroller, the state’s chief fiscal office to advocate for sustainable, socially responsible investment and address issues such as affordable housing. She is likely to build on her performance in her 2006 campaign for comptroller, when she earned well over 100,000 votes. Over the past 10 years, Julia has impressed me with her relentless commitment to transforming our world.

Jill Stein of Massachusetts is a pioneering environmental health advocate and community leader. Her record of public service and passionate advocacy for healthy communities makes her an exceptional candidate for Governor of Massachusetts.  Jill is the sole challenger to three candidates widely considered business-as-usual insiders, meaning that she could win with as little as 26% of the vote.  Jill is eligible to receive public matching funds when her campaign raises at least $125,000.

Read Green Change’s endorsement of Jill Stein for more about her race and why she will be a transformational governor. read more »

James Lane at All New York News reports:

The Green Party of New York State kicked off its 2010 statewide campaign by evoking the legacy of Eleanor Roosevelt by calling for a “Big Green New Deal” that emphasizes human rights, living wage jobs for all, single payer health care, immigration reform, peace, and the right to education.

US Senate candidates Colia Clark and Dr. Cecile Lawrence joined with state comptroller candidate Dr. Julia Willebrand and Lt. Governor candidate Gloria Mattera to officially announce their campaigns in front of the Eleanor Roosevelt Monument in Manhattan. They were accompanied by Green Party gubernatorial nominee Howie Hawkins, who officially launched his campaign in early May.

The candidates talked about the need to speak for the average New Yorker, just as Eleanor Roosevelt did on behalf of her disabled husband by traveling across the country to meet with everyday Americans during the Great Depression. read more »

From Independent Political Report:

-Clark, Lawrence, Willebrand, and Mattera to Hold News Conference on Sun. June 6th at 1 PM AM to Launch Campaign for US Senate, Comptroller and Lt. Governor

-Event at Eleanor Roosevel Monument at W. 72nd St and Riverside Drive (NY) to highlight women candidates, need for a Green New Deal

The Green Party of New York State will hold a news conference at the Eleanor Roosevelt monument on Sunday, June 6th at 1 PM to announce its statewide slate of women candidates: Colia Clark and Cecile Lawrence for US Senate; Julia Willebrand for State Comptroller; and Gloria Mattera for Lt. Governor.

Howie, Hawkins, the Green Party nominee for Governor, will also participate.

The candidates will talk about opposition to war, support for immigrants, and the need for a Green New Deal to respond to the economic depression, the growing attacks on workers, and the climate, energy, and environmental crises.. The Greens will also highlight their opposition to hydrofracking of natural gas deposits. read more »

Channel 34 in Binghamton has a detailed profile of candidates nominated for statewide office at the New York Green Party’s convention, including Colia Clark and Cecile Lawrence for US Senate, Gloria Mattera for Lt. Governor as Howie Hawkins‘ running mate, and Julia Willebrand for Comptroller:

The Green Party state convention in Albany last weekend nominated a full slate of candidates for statewide office in New York this November.

Gloria Mattera, a long time peace activist from Brooklyn was nominated to run for Lt. Governor on a ticket with Syracuse labor activist Howie Hawkins (www.howiehawkins.org). Colia Clark was nominated to run for the US Senate seat presently held by Chuck Schumer, while Cecile Lawrence was picked to fill out the Senate seat previously held by Hillary Clinton. Julia Willebrand, a long time environmental activist from Manhattan who received more than 117,000 votes for Comptroller four years ago, was chosen to run for that seat again.

Video of the nominating speeches of the candidates are at www.gpnys.org.

At the national level, the Green Party has opposed from the start the US wars in Afghanistan and Iraq and supports the immediate withdrawal of American troops. It advocates for a massive cut in the military budget to free up funds to help local and state governments resolve their budget crisis and to invest in domestic programs such as child nutrition, renewable energy, education, affordable housing and job creation. The Greens opposed the recent Democratic health insurance mandate bill as a huge public subsidy for private health insurance companies and continue to call to make health care a right through a single payer expanded and improved Medicare for All type program. The Greens have long called for an end to the war on drugs and to curtail the prison industrial complex that now imprisons more than 2 million Americas, overwhelmingly low-income individuals and people of color.

Colia Clark is a veteran of the civil rights movement. Her work has included activism in the fields of women’s rights and workers’ rights, as well as activism and advocacy for homeless people and youth. Most recently, she has worked with the Cynthia McKinney for President campaign with “Power to the People”. Clark is a chair of Grandmothers for the Release of Mumia Abu Jamal. read more »

The New York Green Party will hold a virtual phone bank on Sunday 23 May to raise money and support for the GPNY 2010 slate of candidates, including Howie Hawkins for Governor, Gloria Mattera for Lieutenant Governor, Julia Willebrand for Comptroller, and Colia Clark and Cecile Lawrence for US Senate. Details:

Join Greens from around New York State as we make phone calls from wherever we are, to Greens and Green supporters to raise money for our 2010 candidates. Some small groups will gather at peoples’ homes, and all will be joined via live chat and the web.

To get involved, email Karen Young at karenyoung521 [at] yahoo [dot] com.

The Green Party of New York this weekend nominated a slate of state wide candidates, topped by Howie Hawkins for Governor.

“The people of New York need someone in Albany who will stand up for Main Street and Martin Luther King Blvd., rather than someone bought and controlled by Wall Street. A million New Yorkers need a living wage jobs now. My campaign will show how we can fast track their creation,” said Hawkins, a member of the Teamsters Local 317 who unloads trailers at UPS in Syracuse.

Gloria Mattera, a Brooklyn peace activist and universal health care advocate, was nominated for Lt. Governor.

New York has two U.S. Senate races up for election this year, one a special election to fill out the remaining term of Hillary Clinton. Colia Clark, a long time social justice activist from Harlem who is presently working on self-determination for the Haitian people, was nominated to run for the US Senate for the seat presently held by Schumer. Cecile Lawrence, a resident of Apalachin in Tioga County who has been active in the movement against hydrofracking and other health issues, will run for the Senate seat to fill out the term of Hillary Clinton.

Julia Willibrand, a long time environmental leader from Manhattan, was nominated to run for State Comptroller, a position she received 117,908 votes for 4 years ago. The Green Party needs 50,000 votes for Governor to regain its status as an official ballot access qualified party.

Candidate acceptance speeches are below:
read more »