Citizens Resolution (Task Force)/01-21-2012 breakoutsession notes: Difference between revisions
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This group is about how to pass local resolutions, or before the voters | This group is about how to pass local resolutions, or before the voters | ||
Pam Wilmot is executive director of Common Cause | |||
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Yi, join the impact MA boston back bay | Yi, join the impact MA boston back bay | ||
Patrick, Occupy Boston | Patrick, Occupy Boston (?) | ||
Pam, (JP) | Pam, (JP) | ||
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7 towns on Cape Cod have passed resolutions | |||
Amherst | Amherst | ||
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Move to Amend and Common Cause has a model | Move to Amend and Common Cause has a model | ||
Free Speech for | Free Speech for People has a model | ||
Berkley language was passed around, good because it mentions corporate personhood and money is not speech | Berkley language was passed around, good because it mentions corporate personhood and money is not speech | ||
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No clearinghouse for all information - but all info between two-three websites (Free Speech for | No clearinghouse for all information - but all info between two-three websites (Free Speech for People has all of MA ones) | ||
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In particular, power mapping can be very easy or it can be very hard | In particular, power mapping can be very easy or it can be very hard | ||
Like any lobbying campaign, what are your deadlines, who are your targets, | Like any lobbying campaign, what are your deadlines, who are your targets, what's your end game, how do you promote this issue, and it can be a really easy lift, boston will be challenging | ||
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One of the reasons to do these, is that it provides an opportunity to build a large coalition in your town, to some degree if you do it too fast-- what did you really build for the future? | One of the reasons to do these, is that it provides an opportunity to build a large coalition in your town, to some degree if you do it too fast-- what did you really build for the future? | ||
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What's happened to Move to Amend is that city councilors have taken the ball and have the control of the language. Think of it as an organizing tool! | What's happened to Move to Amend is that city councilors have taken the ball and have the control of the language. That's part of the danger of moving too fast. Think of it as an organizing tool! Building a coalition gives more momentum, influence. | ||
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Whether the voters support amending the constitution? | Whether the voters support amending the constitution? | ||
First deadline: April 24th, 200 signatures for each representative district (or senate district), for each state representative district. Easier in Western | First deadline: April 24th, 200 signatures for each representative district (or senate district), for each state representative district. Easier in Western Mass because each is set of towns, whereas Boston has a ton and you have to get signatures specifically from residents in each district | ||
Statewide to get the whole state to vote on the same question | Statewide to get the whole state to vote on the same question | ||
Latest revision as of 11:32, 24 January 2012
Breakout Meeting at Citizen’s United Summit on Saturday, January 21, 2012
Advisory ballot questions and local resolutions
This group is about how to pass local resolutions, or before the voters
Pam Wilmot is executive director of Common Cause
Attendees:
John Stewart, Boston (JP)
Ellenaore Forte, (JP)
Nancy, Malden
Sarah, Boston
Fred Rames, Occupy St Louis
Don Rames, Allston
Julie, Bridgewater
Dick, Milford
Benjamin, Medford
Jen, Somerville
Taylor, Chelsea
Lee Kettleson, Acton
Andy, Cape Ann lives in Boston
Sarah, Weston MA
Dan, Beverly
Yi, join the impact MA boston back bay
Patrick, Occupy Boston (?)
Pam, (JP)
7 towns on Cape Cod have passed resolutions
Amherst
12 ma municipalities
One of the first things you have to do:
What kind of language?
Move to Amend and Common Cause has a model
Free Speech for People has a model
Berkley language was passed around, good because it mentions corporate personhood and money is not speech
What are you pushing for?
It's great if there is some synergy around the language, people speaking with the same voice
No clearinghouse for all information - but all info between two-three websites (Free Speech for People has all of MA ones)
How much variance between the different resolutions?
It's a lobbying campaign, sometimes initiating by a city council member or a local activist and they might have their own ideas. It's a diverse movement.
In particular, power mapping can be very easy or it can be very hard
Like any lobbying campaign, what are your deadlines, who are your targets, what's your end game, how do you promote this issue, and it can be a really easy lift, boston will be challenging
The deadlines for the town meetings are really, really soon
(Feb 10 in Needham and you have to have signatures)
One of the reasons to do these, is that it provides an opportunity to build a large coalition in your town, to some degree if you do it too fast-- what did you really build for the future?
What's happened to Move to Amend is that city councilors have taken the ball and have the control of the language. That's part of the danger of moving too fast. Think of it as an organizing tool! Building a coalition gives more momentum, influence.
One of the initiatives that the ballot initiative piece is Common Cause's favorite
Whether the voters support amending the constitution?
First deadline: April 24th, 200 signatures for each representative district (or senate district), for each state representative district. Easier in Western Mass because each is set of towns, whereas Boston has a ton and you have to get signatures specifically from residents in each district
Statewide to get the whole state to vote on the same question
36,000 certified signatures
Both of these things don't get you a constitutional amendment, the goal is education
In MA, McGovern
A senate district needs 1,000 per district and are 4 times as large as house districts
Secretary of State has good how to
mass.gov/sec look in elections
You gotta do forums, gotta do door to door, literature, for an election campaign, you gotta have signs, a lot of steps
At some point, corporations will create their own efforts to defeat these.
Are they competing?
Different time frames
Complementing one another
A ballot initiative is the people voting, it's not the people's leaders voting
Community Labor United endorsed this campaign