Green Party Watch

State Green Parties in New York, New Mexico, Hawai’i, Maryland, Michigan, Maine, and California are holding meetings in coming weeks to nominate candidates, discuss strategy, and get to know new members. If you are near one of these upcoming state meetings, we hope you will attend.

The Green Party of New York State convention will be held in Troy on May 17th. More information is available here on the party’s website.

The Green Party of New Mexico is also holding its state convention on May 17th. Click here for more information. Read the rest of this entry »

Citizen Activist Joins Race to Fill Flint Area Vacancy, Offers Principled Alternative to Political Musical Chairs

The Green Party of Michigan (GPMI) has nominated Bobby Jones to be the Green candidate on the ballot for the May 7 special election for 27th District State Senator.

The vacancy in the Flint area seat arose after incumbent John Gleason was elected Genesee County Clerk and Register of Deeds last November.

Jones has long been an active member of Flint Area Greens, and was a strong supporter of last year’s special-election campaign by fellow Green Cary Justice in the 51st State House District. Read the rest of this entry »

Cheri Honkala, the Green Party’s Vice Presidential candidate, is in the midst of a campaign swing through the heart of America, the “Rust Belt” from Appalachia to stops this week in Milwaukee, Minneapolis and Detroit.

From the Stein/Honkala Campaign:

Green Party Vice Presidential nominee Cheri Honkala has begun a tour of the Rust Belt during which she has seen first-hand the effects of the failed economic policies advanced by the two corporately owned parties. This tour has highlighted the plight of impoverished communities in the Upper Great Lakes and Appalachia.

Honkala began the tour in Eastern Kentucky and West Virginia and witnessed the horrors of mountaintop removal mining. The environmentally unsound and shortsighted energy policies of both the Republicans and Democrats have left this area dependent on the harvest of coal. The local population now faces abject poverty, contaminated water sources, and the continued degradation of one of the U.S.’s most ecologically significant natural areas.

According to Honkala, “What the Great Lakes and Appalachia need is the Green New Deal. Dr. Jill Stein and I offer commonsense, time-tested solutions to the ongoing cycle of pollution and poverty in the central Appalachian mountains. We would redirect research funds from fossil fuels and other dead-end industries toward research in wind, solar and geothermal energy. We will invest in research in sustainable, non-toxic materials, closed-loop cycles that eliminate waste and pollution, as well as organic agriculture, permaculture, and sustainable forestry. We offer a transition away from dirty coal and an escape from poisoned air and water as well as the destruction of these mountains.”

Honkala then continued to Louisville, Kentucky, Columbus, Ohio, where she witnessed the dismantling of public housing and met with displaced families and community leaders. “People in Kentucky and Ohio are suffering. The austerity programs offered by President Obama and Governor Romney offer no relief. We must end the demolition of public housing which serves to only raise homelessness rates. My number one priority, if elected, is ending homelessness in the U.S. by ending foreclosures, and placing families in abandoned housing units and creating employment by fixing them up. There are more abandoned homes than there are homeless people in this country. We just have to put the two together.”

Honkala then traveled to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and met with leaders on the World Court of Women East which will take place in Philadelphia in October of 2013. This Court will address poverty in the U.S. using the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. “The Republicans and Democrats both violate the Universal Declaration on Human Rights by continuing to allow homelessness and poverty in one of the world’s richest nations. A Green presidency will end homelessness, end unemployment, and provide a living wage for all workers, which would bring the U.S. into compliance with international human rights norms.”

The Rust Belt tour continues with stops in Milwaukee on October 24, the Twin Cities October 25-27, and Detroit October 28-29. Honkala will continue to advocate for the Green New Deal which will allow these ailing economies an escape from the continued downward trend offered by President Obama and Governor Romney.

The Green Party of Michigan this last weekend nominated 22 candidates for office across the state, from US Senate to local County Commissioner seats. Harley Mikkelson, who had thrown his hat into the Presidential Race, was nominated to run for US Senate. There are also seven candidates for US House of Representative seats.

The Green Party of Michigan also polled its members for Presidential Preference, the results of which will guide the Michigan delegation to the Presidential Nominating Convention. The results of that process translates to 9 of Michigan’s 16 Delegates for Jill Stein, three for Roseanne Barr, and two each for Kent Mesplay and Michigan Green Harley Mikkelson.

See below (or here) for the full report on the Michigan Convention.

Read the rest of this entry »

Last weekend, three more state Green Parties determined their Delegate support for the Presidential Nominating Convention:

• The Iowa Green Party has four Delegates, and the results of their presidential preference ballot was a slight lead for Jill Stein, resulting in two Delegates each for Jill Stein and Roseanne Barr.
• The Green Party of Florida has eight Delegates. The proportional distribution of their ranked choice ballot gave Jill Stein 5 Delegates, Roseanne Barr two Delegates, and Kent Mesplay one.
• The Green Party of Washington State’s ballots led to Jill Stein winning all four of their Delegates.

According to our *Unofficial Delegate Count*, Jill Stein now has 149 Delegates of the 201 determined thus far, Roseanne Barr is in second with 36 Delegates, Kent Mesplay is at 7.5 Delegates, and Harley Mikkelson is at 1.5. There are 7 Delegates that are “uncommitted”.

This weekend (June 2-3), the Green Parties in Michigan and Georgia will be holding state conventions to determine their Presidential Delegates. Georgia has 4 Delegates, Michigan has 16.

• The Green Party of Michigan is meeting at Central Michigan University in Mt. Pleasant, and besides the Presidential Preference process they will be nominating candidates for Congress and State Legislative races. the GP of Michigan has a long history of running a strong slate of candidates.
• The Georgia Green Party is meeting at the Tucker-Reid H. Cofer Public Library in Tucker, GA on Saturday June 2. Despite having one of the worst ballot access laws in the Nation, the Georgia Greens will be looking to run candidates nonetheless.

Also of note, this last week Kent Mesplay officially became (re-)recognized as a Presidential Candidate for the Green Party after raising over $5,000 for his campaign. This is Dr. Mesplay’s third run for the Presidential nomination, and thus far he is significantly behind in Delegates.

And finally, there is some action in South Dakota, North Dakota and Kentucky to meet and send Delegates to the Green Party PNC. None of the three states have currently accredited State Green Parties, but there is a process by which this can happen. The Green Party has not been on the ballot in the Dakotas since 2000.

Jill Stein continues her campaigning through the Midwest after meeting with the Wisconsin Green Party on Saturday morning and launching her National Campaign Headquarters with a great party on Saturday night in Madison, Wisconsin across the street from the State Capital Building.

On Sunday, Jill Stein visited Indiana’s 2nd congressional district to support the Green U.S. House candidate Andrew Straw, holding a fund raiser in South Bend, Indiana, where she also supported the petition drive for ballot access in Indiana.

Today (Monday), Jill Stein campaigns in Michigan, first at a Meet & Greet in Ann Arbor, Michigan at Amer’s Delicatessen at 4:30, followed by a Detroit area Meet & Greet at AJ’s Music Cafe in Ferndale, Michigan.

On Tuesday, Jill Stein is on the ballot in her home state of Massachusetts’ Primary, along with Harley Mikkelson (MI) and Kent Mesplay (CA). Roseanne Barr had not qualified for the Massachusetts Primary due to State Board of Elections established deadlines, however Barr has been successful in securing significant numbers of write-in votes in Illinois and could repeat that in Massachusetts.

Michigan Green Party candidate Cary Neuville-Justice received 803 votes for 4% in a special election for Michigan State Representative 51st District. See the results at clickondetroit.com.

MLive reports:

The Green Party of Michigan has scheduled its state membership meeting this weekend in Bay City, and several public panel discussions are on the agenda.

The party is one of only five in the state with guaranteed ballot access. Anyone who might be interested in running for office as a Green is encouraged to attend Saturday’s session, which is geared toward party business. Read the rest of this entry »

Green Party of Michigan has distributed their December 6 State Update, pasted in its entirety below.

Note that Michigan Green Harley Mikkelson is listed as a Green Party candidate for President, along with Jill Stein (MA) and Kent Mesplay (CA).

Harley 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. We will do a profile on him on Green Party Watch soon.

Also note upcoming Local Green Party meeting times in Detroit, Flint, Hillsdale County, and the Traverse Bay Watershed Greens.

Read the rest of this entry »

The Green Party of Michigan’s State Membership meeting is being held this weekend in St. Ignace, Michigan.

The agenda includes Officer reports, National, Regional and Local Reports including Fracking, and Occupy Wall St., and
planning for the Election Year.

See the full announcement and meeting details here:
http://www.migreens.org/convention/smm1110.php

Monday Feb 14, the San Fernando Valley (CA) Greens met in Northridge, CA.

Tuesday Feb 15, the Logan Square Green Party in Chicago Illinois are meeting at the Green Party office on Fullerton Ave.

Wednesday Feb. 16 the Los Angeles Greens in California meet at 7 PM at the Peace Center on W. Third St.

Thursday Feb. 17 the Detroit Greeens are meeting with the Tri-County Greens at the Phoenix Cafe in Hazel Park, MI.

Do you know of local or state Green Party meetings or other Green Events that we should add to our Events Calendar? Post them here as a comment or send by email to GPW@GreenPartyWatch.org

From the GPMI Newsletter, upcoming State & Local Party meetings and events:

Detroit Greens are teaming up with Greens in the tri-county area for Metro Detroit Greens Meetings. These meetings give us an opportunity to build on the networking, connections and solidarity we developed in the 2010 elections.

WHAT: Detroit Metro Greens Meeting
WHO: Open to all Greens and friends – replaces Detroit Greens monthly meetings for January – March.
WHEN: Third Thursday of each month – January 20, February 17 & March 17, 6–8pm
WHERE: Phoenix Café. 24918 John R. Hazel Park, Mi 48030. 248-667-8817

Agendas will include discussions of the developing political situation and plans for actions. More detailed agendas will be sent out to the same lists before the meetings.
Please email to anyone you think should be there.

# Detroit Greens – http://www.detroitgreens.org

The Detroit Greens meetings are held monthly. on the third Thursday of the month at 6:30 -8:00pm.
info@detroitgreens.org or 313-623-4709 for more info.

# Flint Greens – http://www.flintgreens.org/

Flint Greens will be meeting at Good Beans Cafe, from 6p.m. to 8p.m., on the second Thursday of the month. Good Beans Cafe is located at 328 N. Grand Traverse, at the corner of First Avenue, in Flint.
All Flint Greens meetings are open to newcomers, visitors are welcome!

# Hillsdale County Greens http://www.hillsdalecountygreens.org

Hillsdale County Greens meet the third Monday of each month, at 6:00 p.m. at Volume I Books, 98 N. Broad Street in Hillsdale.
Store phone is: (517)437-2228.
For more information, people can visit our website.

# Huron Valley Greens – http://www.hvgreens.org

Huron Valley Greens meet every 2nd and 4th Monday from 7:30-9:00 pm at the Washtenaw Rainbow Action Project, 319 Braun Court (an unmarked pedestrian walkway), next door to Common Language Bookstore and near the intersection of Catherine St. and Fourth Ave. in Ann Arbor. for more info contact: Aimee Smith, alsmith@hvgreens.org

# Traverse Bay Watershed Greens & Northwestern Michigan College Greens – http://www.nrec.org/greens/

Meet on the third Tuesday of every month at 6:30 P.M. at the Horizon Shine Cafe, 243 East Front Street, Traverse City – public welcome

There are 59 candidates running for the United States House of Representatives on November 2.

This is the third of three posts on Green Party House candidates, continuing with the Central portion of the United States.

Eastern US GP House Candidates
Western US GP House Candidates
GP US Senate Candidates
GP Governor Candidates

There are Green Party candidates running for US House in Arkansas, Illinois, Michigan, Missouri, Ohio and Tennessee.

Arkansas
Ken Adler (CD 1) - Adler was born and raised in Arkansas and served with the US Navy. He works in academic computing and is an avid bagpipe player. This is his first run for office.
Lewis Kennedy (CD 2) – Kennedy is a retired postal worker and veteran of the national guard, army, and army reserves. This is his first run for office.
Joshua Drake (CD 4) – Drake is an Arkansas lawyer specializing in family and consumer law. He ran for this same seat in 2008, finishing with 32,603 votes (13.8%).

Illinois
Jeff Adams (CD 1) – Adams is the Green Party candidate for Congress in the 1st District. He is a resident of the mid-South Side. This is his first run for office.
Anthony Williams (CD 2) – Williams is a husband, father, minister and activist. This is his first run for office.
Laurel Lambert Schmidt (CD 3) – Schmidt is a former insurance underwriter and free lance writer, co-founded and chair the Near West Citizens for Peace and Justice and was co-Director of the Peace Justice and Environment Project. This is her first run for office.
Robert Burns (CD 4) – Burns is an economist and did his PhD studies in Marxian Economics. He served as President of the South Loop Neighbors Association and was active on the board of Friends of Downtown. This is his first run for office.
Matt Reichel (CD 5) – Reichel is a Chicago native who has spent most of his adult life working on political or issue campaigns. He worked with Illinois Peace Action, organized on campus for divestment from corporations that fund nukes for Israel and organized against the wars in the middle east. He was also active with the 2008 Kucinich campaign. Reichel ran for this seat in 2009 in a special election after Rahm Emmanuel resigned, finishing with 2,911 votes (6.6%).
Bill Scheurer (CD 8) – Scheurer has worked as a lawyer, lay minister, and technology entrepreneur. He started another new business this year, after devoting 8 years as a fulltime volunteer for various nonprofit causes. This is his first run for office.
Simon Ribeiro (CD 9) – Ribeiro is a teacher, swimming instructor, and private tutor. He ran for Congress in 2006 but not as a Green. In 2009 he sought the Green Party nomination in the special election in the 5th District but lost in the primary to Matt Reichel.
Rodger Jennings (CD 12) - Jennings is a professional project manager in the private business sector with over 30 years of experience in Information Technology (IT) and in banking business practices. He was laid off in 2008, and ran for Congress that same year in opposition to NAFTA and other economic policies that cost him and others their jobs. In 2008 he finished with 10,931 votes (3.6%).
Daniel Kairis (CD 14) – Kairis is a teacher and former small business owner. He ran for State legislature in 2008, finishing with 2,108 (4.6%). In 2009 he ran for Elgin Township Supervisor, finishing with 631 votes (8.17%).
Terry Campbell (CD 16) – Campbell is the Illinois Green Party’s candidate for US House in the 16th District. This is his first run for office.
Roger Davis (CD 17) – Davis has been a prison guard, a laborer in the construction industry, a truck driver, a brick layer, and a tuck pointer. He has seven children. This is his first run for office.
Sheldon Schafer (CD 18) – Schafer is an educator and scientist and long time resident of the 18th congressional district. He ran for this same seat in 2008, finishing with 9,857 votes (3.2%).

Michigan
Ellis Boal (CD 1) – Boal is a Michigan lawyer specializing in labor and employment law. He has plenty of campaign experience. In 2004 he ran for County Board of Elections, finishing with 2,054 votes (18.4%). In 2006 he ran for County Commissioner, finishing with 43 votes (6.4%). In 2008 he ran for University of Michigan Board of Regents, finishing 7th with 102,158 votes (1.23%).
Lloyd Clarke (CD 2) – Clarke is a seasoned political activist and candidate, having participated in successful grassroots actions and candidacies since the 1960′s. He ran for County Commissioner in 2006, in 2008 he ran for State Senate, finishing with 2,326 votes (2%).
Charlie Shick (CD 3) – Shick is a single father working a blue-collar job. Michigan’s 3rd CD is an open seat, and Shick is clearly the most progressive and liberal option of the five candidates seeking the office. This is his first run for office.
J. Matthew de Heus (CD 5) – de Heus has a successful history in manufacturing, business, marketing, strategic planning and education. He currently serves on the board of two Michigan non-profits and is a member of groups as varied as the ACLU and the Mid-Michigan Songwriter’s Guild. This is his first run for office.
Pat Foster (CD 6) – Foster is a former Democrat with strong concerns about election integrity and voter rights. This is her first campaign as a Green Party candidate.
Richard Wunsch (CD 7) – Wunch, 70, is the owner of Volume I books in Hillsdale. Wunch last ran in 2003 for State House, finishing with 82 votes (1.27%).
Douglas Campbell (CD 9) - Campbell was a field coordinator for the 2000 Nader Campaign. Following that he ran for Governor of Michigan in 2002, finishing with 25,236 votes (1%). He ran for Governor again in 2006, then ran for the US House in 2008, finishing with 4,737 votes (1.35%).
Candace Caveny (CD 10) – Caveny is a volunteer with Planned Parenthood of Eastern Michigan ,and a member of the Lapeer County Equal Rights Alliance (LCERA) and the American Public Health Association. She ran for this same seat in 2008, finishing with 4,146 votes (1.19%).
Julia Williams (CD 12) – Williams is a “citizen-politician.” A mom, a wife, a nurse, a universal health care advocate, a person of conscience. This is her first run for office.
George Corsetti (CD 13) – Corsetti is a Michigan lawyer specializing in consumer law, free speech/political spying issues and criminal defense. He is also a film maker and local advocate for housing issues in Detroit. He ran for this same office in 2008, finishing with 9,579 votes (4.24%).
Aimee Smith (CD 15) – Smith has a PhD from MIT, member of the Huron Valley Greens and the New England Committee to Defend Palestine. Her first run for office was in 2003 running for City Council in Cambridge, MA, finishing with 465 votes (2.4%). She has run for this congressional seat in Michigan in 2006 (9,447, 4.6%) and 2008 (7,080, 2%).

Missouri
Nicholas Ladendorf (CD 7) – Ladendorf is a cartoonist and political activist. This is his first run for office. Ladendorf, in my opinion, has one of the most original and creative campaign websites I have ever seen.

Ohio
Rich Stevenson (CD 1) – Stevenson worked for the Ross Perot campaign in the 1990s, ran for Congress in 2000 as a Natural Law Party candidate, then ran for Congress in 2002, 2004, 2006, and 2008 as an Independent.

Tennessee
John Miglietta (CD 5) – Miglietta is a Political Science Professor at Tennessee State, a member of Middle East Peace Coalition, Nashville Peace and Justice Center, and the Tennessee Alliance for Progress. He is also on the Tennessee Green Party State Coordinating Committee. He ran for this US House seat in 2008.

Detroit – Wayne County Board of Elections did not place Green Party candidates Dianne Feeley for County Commissioner, 5th district and Louis Novak, County Commissioner 6th district on ballots already distributed to absentee voters.

The Green Party will hold a press conference, Monday, 11 am, in front of the City-County Building, to discuss further steps and to offer our Green program for jobs and economic recovery.

On August 2, per state law, the Green Party submitted the names of five candidates wholly within Wayne County for the November 2 election ballot. They were George Corsetti, US Congress 13th district, Fred Vitale, State Representative, 3rd district, Derek Grigsby, State Representative 7th district, and County Commissioner candidates Feeley and Novak. The candidates discovered the error when they received the sample ballot in the mail last week.
Read the rest of this entry »

The Michigan Green Party recently nominated a number of candidates, including several for statewide office and Congress, bringing the total number of Greens running in Michigan this year to 34. The candidates include Harley Mikkelson for Governor and Lynn Meadows for Lt. Governor, John Anthony La Pietra for Secretary of State, and 7 candidates running for various statewide education-related offices. Among 11 nominees for US House of Representatives, 6 already have websites up: Ellis Boal in MI-1, Charlie Shick in MI-3, J. Matthew de Heus in MI-5, Candace Caveny in MI-10, Julia Williams in MI-12, and George Corsetti in MI-13. The Michigan Greens also have 5 candidates for state legislature and 8 for local office. The full list of candidates can be found at GPW’s 2010 Green candidate page or at gp.org’s elections database.