Scott Van Voorhis’ Post

Here is the info on Bill 52 Recall Act - https://lnkd.in/gncscam2

Ballotpedia's founder & CEO, Leslie Graves, shares monthly insights on PBS's "Preserving Democracy." This month's column is on ballot measures. Ballot measures have been a staple of our civic life since at least the 17th century. Living up to our identity as the Encyclopedia of American Politics, Ballotpedia is undertaking a massive research effort to assemble a complete historical record of every ballot measure that has been on every state’s ballot. This body of work will provide an unparalleled resource for researchers, reporters, and the voting public on how ballot measures have evolved. In this column, Leslie details the way ballot measures serve as a marker for voters' attitudes and preferences. Read the full column here, and let us know what you think! https://lnkd.in/eWjtfgRQ

This is a great example of how chaotic the City of San Francisco is. An unbiased mayoral debate cannot even be held! Again, none of these articles report that there are now over 50 candidates running! In the article, Farrell says "I am willing to debate my opponents anytime, anywhere" but again this is a lie. I previously posted the email I received from TogetherSF Action that said I would not be considered in the debate because I am not a politician and/or have not raised money from enough people. Two slots have now opened up and yet myself and the other candidates are not being considered as substitutes. The second debate happening at Mannys with Breed and Peskin is also not considering me or the other candidates to participate. I sent a message to the private firm that is conducting the political polls mentioned in the article below to see what they say. I know for a fact that there are not 50+ names listed on the polls, but just waiting to see how they respond. Right now the "polls" are saying Breed will win reelection, but I know that is not true as I have polled thousands of people over the last 7 months at numerous events and only met a handful of people that want her back in office. The definition of insanity is doing the exact same thing over and over expecting different results. If Farrell, Breed, Safai, Peskin or Lurie win, we will get the same results because they are backed by the bias media and the rich donors. We as a society need to break free from this cycle and I encourage everyone to do research on the candidates. It will take a little bit of effort but it will ensure that change comes to the city! I also encourage people to contact their local news and ask them to write articles and review other candidates. Thank you! https://lnkd.in/dHFKucc6 https://lnkd.in/dRmXrven

"Understandably, election campaigns focus on the short-term. But narrative change is a long-term project. Building narrative power for our movements requires a healthy ecosystem that combines leadership development, relevant tools and technology, substantial and sustained financial resources, and containers for collaboration and coordination. Our opposition has had decades to build their organizing and narrative infrastructure; our strategy needs to be similarly long-term and similarly wide-ranging."

Birmingham, AL and Mayor Randall Woodfin. *** A great interview - I'm really feeling the 'Stimulus Command Center' concept - but I have to take issue as I always do with the "triumphal urbanist" framing... Next City's clickbaity headline for the (otherwise interesting and seemingly unrelated) interview is "The Most Influential Role in Politics Isn’t the One You’re Thinking About." It's possible they stole this line from the book they're excerpting, but I couldn't tell you since my order for that book was mysteriously canceled without warning a couple of weeks ago. Either way, the headline is a sample of the the longstanding "OMG Golly I *love* cities! So mayors should/do matter more than Presidents!" chatter I've seen from too many American urbanists in the last long while I'm a big booster of the mayoralty as an institution. But a little realism is always important. I'd want you to spend a little time with "democratically elected" puppet mayors in Russia, or with mayors who've been arbitrarily dismissed by Presidents in Colombia (legally, that can happen), or the mayors who got kidnapped, shot and/or tortured on the order of Russia's Nazi President in Ukraine, or mayors who got arrested for being in the wrong party in Venezuela, or the mayors in Mexico or Italy who got gunned down by organized crime cartels because mayors have little or no security, or the mayors in occupied Europe who were required by their own national laws (!) to collaborate with the Germans and then got vilified or persecuted if they did comply, once liberated. I could go on and on with several less brutal examples to reinforce the point: mayors who saw voting rules changed to push them out, or saw their cities simply wiped off the map through legislation to accomplish the same result, or mayors who saw a great initiative of theirs get vaporized by a few lines of pre-emptive state legislation, and so on, et cetera. Think of them, and then think to the potential outcomes of the US Election in November 2024 and tell me with a straight face that mayors are "more influential than the one we're thinking about right now." Mayoring is the second-toughest job in politics - but one reason it's so tough is because of the limits on a mayor's authority rather than any surplus of influence, relative to a president's or a governor's or a premier's job, even accounting for the differences in scope of responsibility. Enough of the "cities rule the world" stuff, please, God. Not in this century, they don't. Nor in the last, either. *** Back to Mayor Woodfin, in Birmingham...

We’re eight months into 2024 and into the terms of three new council members plus a new mayor. So far we’ve seen some popular ideas surfaced and passed into policy, like the Safe Streets Now! Resolution to commit to low-cost adaptive street design to make Spokane safer for pedestrians and bicyclists. We’ve also seen not-so-popular ideas surfaced, like Mayor Lisa Brown’s Community Safety Levy ballot measure, which got pushed from the August election to November and transformed to a cheaper sales tax. What do these have in common? In both cases, we saw what happens when many people speak up to influence public officials’ actions. Council President Betsy Wilkerson cited the “voices of the community” and lack of input and information as the reason the council voted to postpone the levy ballot measure. So how can we, the people, hold the politicians we elect to office accountable to our collective will? We spoke to 13 community leaders and every city elected to ask how regular folks can hold their elected officials accountable to the needs of the people beyond voting on election day (though we still all absolutely need to vote). What we found serves as a reminder that more voices can equal more power and can lead to real change. For the full story on how to hold our elected officials accountable, click here: https://lnkd.in/ePK5yu5u

Swing Left's 2024 political priorities: 👉 Reelect President Joe Biden 👉 Elect a Democratic majority in the U.S. House 👉 Hold the Democratic majority in the U.S. Senate 👉 Build Democratic power in the states Join us: swingleft.org/strategy

A fascinating democratic experiment is currently ongoing in Limerick, where voters will decide the nation’s first democratically elected mayor in June. Anyone who knows me knows that I have challenges with the political system as it stands. The lack of accountability, a focus on policies rather than process and implementation, the positioning of “I know what’s best” as opposed to “we’ll test and implement iteratively” are all bugbears of mine. So too are career politicians, who are experts at talking a good game rather than building something. That’s why I find this particular election in Limerick so fascinating. For the first time, someone will be elected at a local level that actually has the position and administrative power to make changes. To me, a non-party mayor is essential. The interests of one particular city may not always be in the interest of the party line. They can’t be seen to be giving favouritism to one particular county over another. An independent candidate is there for the good of the locality, not to simply promote themselves in prominence within their own party. Given that context, I’ve been watching John A Moran’s campaign with interest. John is someone I’ve respected for his business acumen, and given the significant public funds that will be under management, this is something very few other candidates have experience in. He has also proven he can get things done in government without being a politician. Finally, and perhaps most importantly, he has been a passionate advocate of all things Limerick for decades now, and genuinely wants to see an improvement in the city and county. It seems to me that he’s running for the right reasons and could well set the scene for a whole new landscape of local politics in Ireland. Tomorrow evening John is launching his plan to deliver a more prosperous Limerick, exploring how startups and SME’s have a significant role to play in the county’s future. I’ve RSVP’ed at https://lnkd.in/gXh9bF4T to go along to see what he has to say. If you’re in the Limerick area, it would be great to see you there.

ICYMI: This Duluth News Tribune editorial gets it right, we ain't no fools: "In a traditional bonding year for the Minnesota Legislature, with a $3.7 billion state budget surplus, and with the eager-to-invest DFL still in charge of the state House, state Senate, and governor’s office, Duluth and Northeastern Minnesota would be foolish not to be lobbying hard in St. Paul this legislative session. Well, we ain’t no fools." It was a very effective and productive few days in Saint Paul last week, with record attendance for the Duluth Area Chamber's 27th annual Duluth & St. Louis County at the Capitol Days. The event may be over, but the work continues. The Duluth Area Chamber and Chamber Foundation will continue to work with dozens of key stakeholders throughout the region, as well as a variety of elected officials on both sides of the aisle, to advocate for key legislative priorities. Top priorities this legislative session include housing, economic development, child care, workforce development, tax and permitting reform, and bonding requests. More specifically, state funding is being sought to help pay for the replacement of the aging air traffic control tower at Duluth International Airport, for the Duluth Entertainment Convention Center, to help with the rehabilitation of the old Duluth Armory on London Road, and for upkeep work at the St. Louis County Depot downtown, and other projects. The chamber and the Northland’s citizen lobbyists are also advocating this week for a tax-credit bill that would support development. “There’s a lot at stake this legislative session, and it feels like we are well-positioned to help deliver for our region, said Daniel Fanning, VP of Policy at the Duluth Area Chamber. "We can’t take anything for granted, which is why we’ll continue to do all we can to support these priorities, our members, and the local and regional business community.” Chamber leaders have already been lobbying ahead of the citizens-fueled event and are reporting early-on progress. This includes state funds to go toward “much-needed” hangars at the 148th Fighter Wing Air National Guard base. Full editorial: https://lnkd.in/dj7ZASKQ