Archive for WNC for Change
Join us at our monthly meeting tonight!
Posted by: | CommentsJoin WNC for Change at our monthly meeting tonight at 6:30 p.m. at First Congregational Church, Room 101, 20 Oak Street, Asheville. City Council member Gordon Smith and Patsy Keever campaign manager Drew Reisinger will be joining us to update us on their activities on behalf of our community. Hope to see you there!
Support publicly-financed elections in Asheville!
Posted by: | CommentsAs you are no doubt aware, big money currently plays an enormous role in our elections. From city council races to the election of the President of the United States, PACs, lobbyists, corporations and wealthy individuals threaten the concept of “one person, one vote” merely because they have deep pockets.
Here in Western North Carolina, we now have an opportunity to reclaim our power from the special interests. We have a chance to take a step toward publicly-financed campaigns in Asheville. And we need your support.
Bothwell to offer resolution to Asheville City Council
At the Tuesday, June 8 Asheville City Council meeting, Council member Cecil Bothwell will offer a resolution in support of local campaign finance reform. If passed by the Council, this resolution will call upon the North Carolina General Assembly to enact legislation that gives larger towns the authority to sponsor a public financing program for their local elections.
Bothwell’s resolution does not mandate implementation of public financing for our municipal elections; it merely puts Asheville on record as supporting the legislation that would allow our city to choose whether or not it wishes to implement public financing of local elections. By doing so, it becomes more likely that Asheville will be included as a pilot city in the legislation before the General Assembly.
Let your voice be heard
Whether or not you live within the Asheville city limits, this is a matter of concern for all of us. It appears that some members of the Asheville City Council and some members of our North Carolina legislative delegation have been reluctant to support publicly-financed elections for Asheville. So it’s time once again for grassroots action to let our elected officials know where we stand, to let them know we want a community that works for all of us, to let them know that we want big money out of our political process.
Actions you can take right now!
Call or email Sen. Martin Nesbitt requesting that Asheville be included in proposed legislation that would give our city the authority to choose whether or not it wishes to implement public financing of municipal elections: (919) 715-3001 or (828) 252-0490, Martin.Nesbitt@ncleg.net. Contacting Sen. Nesbitt is probably the most important action you can take since he is the NC Senate Majority Leader and, thus, has a great deal of authority in determining what transpires in the General Assembly.
Email all of the members of the Asheville City Council expressing your support for Cecil Bothwell’s resolution for local campaign finance reform options. To reach all City Council members, send your message to AshevilleNCCouncil@ashevillenc.gov.
Email our state legislators expressing your desire that Asheville be included in proposed legislation that would give Asheville the authority to choose whether or not the city wishes to implement public financing of municipal elections: Jane.Whilden@ncleg.net; Susan.Fisher@ncleg.net; pjkeever33@bellsouth.net
Write a letter to the editor of the Asheville Citizen-Times (letters@citizen-times.com) and/or the Mountain Xpress (letters@mountainx.com) expressing your support for Councilperson Bothwell’s resolution and publicly-financed municipal elections in Asheville.
Post this content on your blog/website and Facebook.
Forward this email and ask your friends and neighbors to take these actions too.
Suggestions for your emails, calls and letters
Here are some suggestions for making your communications with our elected officials as effective as possible. You may also want to keep these suggestions in mind when writing a letter to the editor.
- Always be respectful in your content and tone.
- Put your message in your own words rather than repeating someone else’s.
- Use an email subject line that will grab the attention of the reader.
- Make your point briefly and clearly.
- Remember that the Asheville Citizen-Times limits letters to the editor to 200 words while the Mountain Xpress has a 300-word limit.
- Call or write today!
If you have any questions or want assistance with any of this, merely reply to this email.
Let’s join other North Carolina cities!
Raleigh, Durham, Winston-Salem, Cary, Wilmington and Greenville have already passed resolutions similar to the one that is being offered on May 25, and the Chapel Hill pilot public financing program worked well last fall. Let’s join these cities in the march toward a more democratic society.
Please take action today!
* * *
Read Cecil Bothwell’s draft resolution by clicking here.
For more information on publicly-financed elections in North Carolina, visit the following websites:
WNC for Change endorses Patsy Keever in District 115 race
Posted by: | CommentsWNC for Change has officially endorsed Patsy Keever for the Democratic nomination in the NC House District 115 race.
An online poll of the WNC for Change membership revealed that 90 percent of respondents supported endorsing Patsy Keever in this race. Members indicated that they believe Patsy represents real change for our community and that her progressive values and positions are closely aligned with those of WNC for Change.
Early voting in the Democratic primary voting has now begun, and if you live in District 115, we encourage you to vote for Patsy at your earliest convenience. Find voting locations, voter registration info and more at the Buncombe County Election Services website. http://www.buncombecounty.org/governing/depts/Election/
Regardless of where you live, you can volunteer to work for Patsy at the polls, make phone calls or knock on doors during the next few weeks. Find out more at www.patsykeever.com. And while you’re there, feel free to make a contribution to her campaign.
Members responding to the WNC for Change poll stated some of their reasons for supporting Keever:
- Keever’s values and positions are most aligned with those of WNC for Change.
- She is more in tune with the people of our area.
- She takes a stand for the environment and wants to prevent more steep slopes tragedies.
- The primary is an opportunity to vote for real change in leadership, a choice between a truly progressive candidate and a member of the old guard of the party.
- Patsy sees a broader vision of equality for all, and she advocates for strong environmental controls, better education for our children and the right ideas to revitalize our economy.
- She is not a developer nor a person willing to build away our mountains, but rather preserve them.
- Patsy doesn’t take the big money in running her campaigns and her progressive positions on education , environment, green jobs, etc. are more in line with the change we all worked for in 2008.
- She’s a hard-working, ethical progressive.
- I especially like that she was a teacher, mom and grandmother. . . . I wholeheartedly think we need more women in government. They bring a built in tendency to nurture and “take care of”, whether it’s children or constituents.
- She is clearly the candidate that represents the core values of the Democratic Party. She is particularly better on environmental issues than Goforth. It is particularly important that we demonstrate that grass roots efforts can defeat the hardball tactics being used by the house leadership in Raleigh.
- Progressive, environmentalist, social liberal, voted for Obama and I have strong doubts on that score per Goforth.
- I wholeheartedly support Patsy Keever, due to her definite progressive values and courage to stand up for what she believes in. I feel she would make a truly honest and independently minded member of the NC House.
If you’d like to add your thoughts regarding this race, please do so in the comments section of this post. Thanks!
OFA National Week of Action
Posted by: | CommentsORGANIZING FOR AMERICA
NATIONAL WEEK OF ACTION
FOR HEALTH CARE REFORM!
JULY 18 – 25
GOALS:
1. 3000 SIGNED DECLARATIONS
2. 1000 PHONE CALLS
3. THOUSANDS AND THOUSANDS OF REAL ONE-ON-ONE CONTACTS ABOUT WHY HEALTH CARE REFORM IS SO IMPORTANT
4. CHANGE THE WORLD!
SIGN UP TODAY!
Public Option, Nothing Less
Posted by: | CommentsStep One:
Memorize the following: “I support a STRONG PUBLIC OPTION for health care reform!”
Step Two:
Contact Congress right now, EVERY DAY!
Scroll down and all contact info is on the right >>>
Step Three:
Repeat. Repeat. Repeat until this fight’s won.
Our Health Care Campaign Office NOW OPEN!
Posted by: | CommentsWNC for Change will have a Health Care campaign office open to the public.
Visit us to sign up for events, get information, make some calls, knock on doors, and learn how you can fight for health care reform.
LOCATION:
Mountain Java Coffeehouse
870 Merrimon Ave.
Asheville, NC 28804
Located in North Asheville. From I-240, take the Merrimon Ave. exit and turn right on Merrimon Ave. Proceed north for 2 miles. The coffeehouse is on the left after BB&T Bank.
HOURS:
Mon – Sat
2pm to 8pm
Read More→
Contact Congress Everyday!
Posted by: | CommentsContact our elected officials and tell them you want health care reform! Scroll down to see contact info on the right >>>
Public Protest Rally for Health Care Reform NOW!
Posted by: | Comments
Join local Obama supporters and special guest speakers for a public protest rally for Health Care reform. Read More→
