Report on Green Policy Conference, Madison, Wisconsin

June 24-26, 2005
[1]

The Green Institute, the Liberty Tree Foundation
for the Democratic Revolution and the Havens Center sponsored a
conference or retreat on the University of Wisconsin in Madison to
discuss officeholder coordination, education and assistance. The
meeting was attended by 13 officeholders, seven from Wisconsin, two
from California, and one each from Illinois, Oregon, Washington, DC,
and Wyoming. A number of attendees received financial support for their
travel expenses. Also attending were representatives of the sponsoring
organizations: Dean Myerson for the Green Institute, Ben Manski and
Juscha Robinson for Liberty Tree, and Patrick Barrett for Liberty Tree
and the Havens Center.

The first day started off with an extended round of
introductions where officeholders described their local governance
models and challenges. After approving an agenda, the attendees
discussed such issues as how to govern when in a minority on their
elected council and how to communicate with constituents. Also
discussed were focus areas, key issues and tools that would be useful
to do a better job of implementing progressive policy. Conference
participants prioritized strategies to get more people involved in
politics and how to build citizen support networks and frame issues to
communicate effectively.

Photo by: Ben Manski

The discussion on the second day focused more on
issues and specifics. The list of priority issues from the previous day
was further developed and addressed, as were tools that officeholders
felt were most needed. National/International vs. Local issues were
particularly examined, with some participants contending that national
and international issues have an important local impact, though some
described how difficult it is to address such issues on their councils.

The day closed with discussion of specific actions
that would follow the meeting. From the list of desired tools, three
were most clearly identified as action items for the Green Institute to
proceed on. These are: a database of progressive officeholders that can
be used for outreach on key policies that officeholders want to refer
to and coordinate; a database of implemented ordinances and policies as
well as proposed model ordinances that officeholders can use; and a
series of governance seminars in which less experienced officeholders
can learn how to govern more effectively, achieve more politically and
draw on and encourage grassroots participation.

Such seminars will be local or regional in scale,
not large-scale conferences. Seminar subject matter and topics to
include: How to work with media (soundbites, strategy, press releases);
local party(s); public interest and citizen groups; getting votes (of
fellow electeds); getting constituents to work with you; impact of
getting elected; diversity of officeholder types; time management;
using office to create system change; using office to bolster democracy
movement; and balance between practical and systemic change/reform
agendas.

Interest was also expressed in coordinated action
on up to three issues, though only one was adopted for short term
action: resolutions calling for an immediate withdrawal from Iraq.
Attendees expressed that this is not just a national/international
issue, but that it has significant local, financial and
social/political impacts. It was acknowledged that not all
officeholders could move on such a resolution quickly, but it was
pointed out that there are some that can do so, and this can provide
the political space for more cities and counties to adopt such a
resolution. Some form of out of Iraq month to jump-start the
resolutions may be chosen for later this year as this project develops.

Other issues on which interest was expressed for
coordination include challenging corporate power and how it undermines
local democracy and electoral reform, particularly including Instant
Runoff Voting and proportional representation. Global warming and undue
corporate influence on national policy was focused on as one example
among many. It was felt that more preparation and education was needed
on the corporate power issue before moving to coordinated action on
councils and that moving to adopt IRV is more specific to the political
environment in different cities.

Read the conference invitation [2] and agenda [3].