• "Write-in Weiss" palm cards

At this month's Prairie Greens general membership meeting, we decided to run a write in candidate for Mayor of Urbana. As Greens, we were extremely discouraged by the current mayor's treatment of progressive candidates and causes in Urbana and we felt that we could not wait another four years before challenging his hold on this important office. To help achieve this goal, I came forward to be the Green candidate for mayor of Urbana and received the endorsement of the Party on March 13th.

With the help of many people in the Prairie Greens, I have put together a strong platform that addresses problems of growth, energy, the environment, and human rights that we face right now in Urbana. Based on this platform I am engaged in a vigorous grass-roots campaign to make Urbana city hall a progressive city hall. I am extraordinarily grateful for all the help and goodwill from the many people who have helped make this campaign for positive change in Urbana possible.

We still have a long way to go, however, and to see this candidacy succeed, I need to ask all of you for your help in getting the word out. Tell your friends and neighbors to "Write-in-Weiss" when they go to the polls on April 3rd to take back Urbana for the people of Urbana. When they do, we'll be on our way to a Greener future.

Sincerely,
Alfred Weiss, Green Candidate for Mayor of Urbana

For more information about Al's campaign visit the Prairie Green's Website at http://prairienet.org/greens, email Al at awweiss@uiuc.edu, or call him at 344-3372. If you would like to volunteer contact his campaign manager Zach Miller at wolfgang@imsa.edu or 390-1865.

The "Write-in Weiss" Platform

I will also encourage the creation of pedestrian friendly neighborhoods, the expansion of bike paths where they are needed-particularly along the Green St. and Lincoln Avenue corridors, and more green spaces in place of parking lots.

It is time to pull the plug on Illinois Power. The callous disregard Illinois Power has shown for the citizens of Urbana in their tree cutting policy is only the most recent in a long line of policies that harm individuals, local businesses, and the environment. As mayor, I will work with the city council to create a publicly owned municipal power utility directly accountable to our citizens that will provide for Urbana's energy needs. Springfield, Rantoul, and other Central Illinois communities have had great success with similar programs. It is time for us to join them. In so doing, we will not only distribute municipal gas and electricity more cheaply and efficiently to the citizens of Urbana, but we can begin working towards developing our considerable renewable energy assets of wind and biomass for a cleaner more sustainable energy future.

The current mayor does not support a Living Wage. I do. As a union member I strongly endorse the creation of a "living wage" ordinance for Urbana--a law requiring all businesses receiving a contract or other benefit from the city to pay a wage that is at least equal to the federal poverty level for a family of four (currently $8.23/hour), plus health benefits. A number of cities across the United States, from Detroit and Minneapolis/St. Paul to college towns like Madison, Wisconsin and Columbus, Ohio, have adopted such laws. I support such measures as one way in which government can help combat the problems of the "working poor." Today, over one-third of the U.S. workforce makes less than $10 per hour and the majority of workers make less today, in inflation-adjusted dollars, and work 160 hours more per year, than workers did in 1973. Although city governments cannot solve this problem alone, they can help move businesses in the right direction. When a city gives benefits to a business, it should ensure that the business returns the favor to the community by providing decent, family-supporting jobs.

We also need to ensure that city employees have access to spousal benefits for same sex domestic partners. As mayor, I would sponsor legislation that would guarantee that lesbian or gay city employees in a committed relationship would enjoy the same benefits that other married employees receive.

The University of Illinois continues to expand, shrinking the tax base of the city of Urbana while using its services for free. I support opening a dialogue with Springfield and the Board of Trustees to have the University provide or support some public services in exchange for its tax free use of city infrastructure and services.

Finally, we need a civilian police review board to oversee the activities of our law enforcement officials. While our police do an excellent job overall, there are no avenues for citizens to lodge complaints about police behavior outside the department when they feel their rights have not been honored. This needs to change. I support the creation of a civilian review board that would not only be able to hear and investigate citizen complaints about police behavior but which have the necessary power to mandate change in the police department when needed.

To see this candidacy succeed, I need to ask all of you for your help. Tell your friends and neighbors to "Write-in-Weiss" when they go to the polls on April 3rd to take back Urbana for the people of Urbana. When they do, we'll be on our way to a Greener future.

Write In? Right On!

Write In Alfred Weiss for Mayor of Urbana on Tuesday April 3, 2001.

If a voter wishes to vote for a person whose name is not on the ballot, the voter may write in the name of the candidate in the space provided on the inside of the ballot card envelope. Write in votes are counted only for those candidates who have filed a Declaration of Intent to be a write-in candidate at the County Clerk's Office. This must be done no later than the last Tuesday at 5 pm prior to an election. If you are planning on conducting a Write-In Campaign, please properly instruct your family and friends on the correct procedures for doing a Write-In:

1. Write the title of the elective office in a manner that will differentiate that office from other offices being voted upon;
2. Write the name of the candidate below the office;
3. Make a square to the left of and opposite the name;
4. Mark a cross (X) inside the square.

[Note: to avoid over-voting, do not select any other candidate for Mayor on the ballot form itself]