On Feb 1, we should have access to all candidates’ Campaign Finance Reports. We’ll have another opportunity on Feb. 12 to see how much money was raised, and where it was spent.
Because I began my campaign for office before Mike D’Amato stepped down, I’ve thought a lot about campaign money. At the last report, he had close to $150K in his campaign chest.
At that time, I had people tell me either that I couldn’t win against an incumbent (based on my time at the doors, I think that was far from true, and people’s votes count more than money) or that I needed to raise $75,000 to beat him (money shows how strong you are. Money allows you to do massive mailings).
I don’t believe that.
I’ve raised my fair share of money, from $1 through the maximum individual donation of $417. But I’m also concerned about our local political climate. Something’s very wrong when we allow money to dictate representation.
I think we need clean and fair elections and meaningful campaign finance reform. I think a limit on how much can be raised, not from any given individual, but in total donations, would force candidates to actually go out and meet people, not just court the people with money. Or better yet, a limit on how much can be spent, so that independently wealthy candidates can’t buy their way in.
After all, this is about public service, right?
I hope all the other candidates agree with me on this.
But until there are clean elections, take heed and follow the money.
30 Jan 2008 | 10:54 am | Representation, 3rd District | No comments yet - Add your comments
Let’s just say that Milwaukee has some overzealous developers. Especially in the 3rd District.
I’m proud to be the candidate these developers worry about. They know I can’t be bought off. (Please see what kind of development I will work for here.)
Watch the video on this page
or read the story:
The Chicago Tribune did an investigation of development and zoning in Chicago, and found an amazing 5,700 zoning changes approved by the City Council over the last 10 years, with only 15 zoning requests denied. ½ of them were concentrated in 1/5 of the city.
“It’s a city where the council rubber stamps aldermen’s wishes.”
Developers “pay for play,” getting zoning variances by giving campaign contributions, like developer Cornel Moldoveanu,* who donated $250 to the campaign fund for Ald. Rey Colon* after Colon introduced an ordinance to change the zoning on a property Moldoveanu developed. Millions of dollars in donations to aldermen have “remade the face of neighborhoods, changing the feel of the streets where people live and work.”
Money trumps the public planning process, and zoning changes are decided long before being discussed publicly.
Read the whole article.
* Feel free to comment on Milwaukee developers who have donated to Alderman’s campaign accounts.
27 Jan 2008 | 9:36 pm | Development, 3rd District | No comments yet - Add your comments
I understand that you are accepting comments on the freeway expansion that will cost taxpayers $1.9 billion.
I and most (all?) of my community is strongly opposed to this.
Expanding the freeways is backwards, wasteful, environmentally irresponsible and a full-out slap in the face to forward thinking for our future.
It will cost us far too much money in order to keep a dying system as “king,” when instead we should be looking at greater public/mass transit options. A recent report Public Transportation’s Contribution to Greenhouse Gas Reduction stated, “One of the most significant actions that household members can take to reduce their carbon footprint is to use public transportation where it is available…. Reducing the daily use of one low occupancy vehicle and using public transit can reduce a household’s carbon footprint between 25-30%.”
If we are to build and maintain an infrastructure that will serve not only our future–but present–needs, surely public transportation is the way to go. The City of Milwaukee is #2 in the nation for unemployment, is lagging behind in environmental leadership, and is known nationally for its hyper-segregation. As Wisconsin’s largest city, one would hope that the State DOT is considering the impact of its decision on its largest population.
Please do not expand the freeways. Invest in our future - public transportation.
Sura Faraj
27 Jan 2008 | 7:04 pm | Public Transportation, Health, Streets, Bicycles, Pedestrians | No comments yet - Add your comments
From www.politicalcompass.org:
There’s abundant evidence for the need of it. The old one-dimensional categories of ‘right’ and ‘left’, established for the seating arrangement of the French National Assembly of 1789, are overly simplistic for today’s complex political landscape. For example, who are the ‘conservatives’ in today’s Russia? Are they the unreconstructed Stalinists, or the reformers who have adopted the right-wing views of conservatives like Margaret Thatcher ?
On the standard left-right scale, how do you distinguish leftists like Stalin and Gandhi? It’s not sufficient to say that Stalin was simply more left than Gandhi. There are fundamental political differences between them that the old categories on their own can’t explain. Similarly, we generally describe social reactionaries as ‘right-wingers’, yet that leaves left-wing reactionaries like Robert Mugabe and Pol Pot off the hook.
Read more here: Political Compass. Or, take the test and find out where you rank. You might be surprised.
5 Jan 2008 | 8:06 pm | Questions for Constituents | No comments yet - Add your comments
