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Greens Advance Dramatically in Pennsylvania, Maine, California, and Other Races for County, Municipal, and School Board Seats. |
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Thursday, November 6, 2003 Contacts: Elected Greens in Pennsylvania increase from 9 to 25.
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Pennsylvania Greens increased their number of local elected officials from nine to 25, leading an advance of Greens in several local races around the U.S. on November 4. Pennsylvania, California, Connecticut, Maine, Washington Greens celebrated several local victories, with California Greens especially buoyed by San Francisco mayoral candidate Matt Gonzalez's second place showing, which allows him to compete in a December 9 runoff election. (A list of Pennsylvania victories is appended below.) Altogether, 56 Green candidates were elected in 2003. "Even though we gain the most public attention from presidential, gubernatorial, and congressional campaigns, Greens advance most dramatically in city, county, and school board races," said Juscha Robinson, co-chair of the Coordinated Campaign Committee of the Green Party of the United States. "That's how we're building our grassroots base, ensuring that the Green Party will continue to grow as a permanent progressive ecological political party." Greens noted that Democratic and Republican candidates overwhelmingly outspent them throughout the U.S. Green candidate Tom Hutt, who lost his bid for Philadelphia City Council, was outspent 160 to 1 by his Democratic and Republican opponents. In California, Bill Meyers won his reelection for school board in Point Arena. Green Fairfax Councilmember and former Mayor Lew Tremaine finished first in the two seat race for Fairfax Cirty Council and fellow Green Party Menber Larry Bragman finished second. Tremaine and Bragman beat a pro-development slate backed by the Fairfax Civic League, a conservative group attempting to wrest Fairfax Council away from its progressive majority. Unofficial results from Maine give Stephen Spring a 54.71% win in his Portland School Committee, District 2 campaign. In another Maine Green victory, Erek Gaines won his campaign for Water District seat. Gaines, at 20, is the youngest Green winner in 2003; he served as a student intern for Maine state legislator John Eder, also a Green. Corrections and updates: (1) Greg Allen, elected Soil & Water Conservation Director in Virginia Beach, is not the first Green ever elected in Virginia, as stated in a Green Party press release issued November 5. Previous Green victories for local office in Virginia occurred in 1997, 2000, and 2001. (2) David Juarez, who with Don Cooney won their races for Kalamazoo, Michigan, city commission, was not an incumbent candidate and has never been registered Democrat; this is his first term and Green is his first party affiliation. (Juarez is also the first Latino ever elected to the Kalamazoo City Commission.) Pennsylvania victories: MORE INFORMATION search:
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