Looking Back, Looking Forward

By paulgibson51 on April 2, 2018 • ( 1 )

Many missed Saturday’s important post about how the PRC operates and why the 2018 PRC primaries are so important, also in today’s post you can find out more about Austin’s inspiring model for addressing chronic homelessness and about four important actions this coming week.

It was a week of inspiring moments. Just reading about the Austin approach to chronic homelessness and imagining Santa Fe, Albuquerque and other cities in New Mexico adopting elements in their efforts to generate very low-income housing and strategies for reducing homelessness left me with hope and motivation for continuing our research of innovation across the country. Hearing how the Local Action Team members were eagerly accepting research roles to find out more about how progressive policies could help achieve equity also boded well for our local activism. But perhaps the most inspiring of all was hearing Bill McCamley talk passionately of the role of the State Auditor and how he would use his position to advocate for tax reform, early childhood, and a transition to renewables. What a potential ally. And there is much to do over the next two weeks and this post will fill you in. Hope you had a restful Easter or a yummy seder.

Actions & Events

Important Action. First District Court ,225 Montezuma Ave, Santa Fe, 8:30am, Monday, April 2. Judge David Thomson (our hero from Ranked Choice Voting) will hear a challenge to Steve Fischmann’s qualifications brought by the Jones campaign. Likely sensing they will lose at the ballot box, they are challenging Fischmann’s qualification. I don’t know what they will claim, but perhaps his integrity and years of commitment to transparent government and preserving the environment disqualify him from PRC service.

Retake Our Democracy Potluck Community Conversation: Discuss & Prioritize Our 24 Policy People’s Platform: A Path to Equity in Santa Fe. Thursday April 5, 5:30-7:30pm at El Museo Cultural de Santa Fe, 555 Camino de la Familia, Santa Fe, NM 87501. Enter from the backside (not facing the railroad tracks. Click here to RSVP via Facebook or write to me at Paul@RetakeOurDemocracy.org.

It took almost a year to develop, but now we have a 24-policy People’s Platform (developed in collaboration with a host of local and state ally agencies). It translated into Mayoral and City Council voters guide that was used by over 800 readers. Now, an action team is planning for how best to use the platform as a framework for advocacy. We are holding a potluck, Community Conversation to hear what you think of the policies and to share with you how we plan to build support for the most important of these policies. El Museo will be encircled with butcher sheets for each policy. You can nibble and nosh while touring the room and reviewing our platform. After we’ve had a chance to mingle and mull the policies, we will allow 1-2 minutes for everyone who wishes to speak about any one of the policies or to point out something we have missed. After all have spoken, you will be given colored stickies with which to vote for the policies that resonate most with you. We’ll leave time for the group to ruminate upon the priorities identified. Roxanne and I can’t tell you how many times we’ve had folks tell us that they want more events where attendees do most of the talking and where we share food and have time to cultivate relationships and an activist community. So, if you haven’t RSVP’d, please do so (not many have so far) and we’ll have a nice evening figuring out how to make the City Different, the City Better. Click here to RSVP via Facebook or write to me at Paul@RetakeOurDemocracy.org.

A Path to a Progressive Public Regulation Commission: Really!

Meet Two Tremendous Candidates for Public Regulation Commission and Find Out How You Can Support Their Campaigns. April 9, 5:30-7pm. Santa Fe Modern, 1222 Flagman Way C, Santa Fe, NM 87505, map provided to make it oh-so-easy. A reception and Q&A with Janene Yazzie and Steve Fischmann, two very eco-friendly candidates for PRC Commissioner who are running against two Commissioners who almost always vote with PNM and over the recommendations of the PRC Hearing Examiners: Sandy Jones and Linda Lovejoy. Retake feels that these races are almost as important as the race for Governor. The PRC plays such a pivotal role in determining our energy policy and it has been ‘owned’ by PNM for years. Electing Yazzie and Fischmann would flip a switch in ways that are almost unimaginable. Instead of PNM getting its way on every energy decision, suddenly they would be strongly opposed and pushed to completely reverse course. We are providing food and drink and so we need a pretty good head count, so please click here to RSVP on Facebook or write to me at paul@RetakeOurDemocracy.org.

Roundhouse Advocacy Team. Thursday, April 12 and 26, 4:30-6:30pm at New Energy Economy, 343 E. Alameda. The Roundhouse Advocacy Team (or the Rat Pack) has been meeting for a year to develop a 2018-2019 Election and Legislative Strategy. We meet the 2nd and 4th Thursdays of each month, same time, same location. This month, members are starting to reach out to the 35 people who signed up to be Response Network Coordinators in their community and then in our meetings, we will continue developing the roles and responsibilities involved in launching the Rapid Response Network. With hundreds of people signed up to be a part of it from all parts of the state, there is plenty to do. This week we will also spend a good deal of time discussing our plans to support primary candidates for the Roundhouse and the PRC. And if you can’t make it to these meetings, please just write to me, as there is PLENTY you can do from home and at your own pace. Write to me at Paul@RetakeOurDemocracy.org. This is where the action is, my friends. A tremendous team doing amazing work and a testimony to what a small group of committed folks can do.

Looking Back at the Public Regulation Commission, the Election & the Austin Tiny Houses

What is the Public Regulation Commission & Why are the Two PRC Commissioner Races So Important?

Do You Want to Put New Mexico’s Transition to a Sustainable Economy in High Gear?

Austin’s Small Homes, Community Gardens, Mental Health Supports in one 29 Acre Site: A Model for SF University Art & Design?

Donate to Retake Today! Just as soon as we got out of the black, we began incurring significant expenses: a few hundred dollars on soft drinks and food for the PRC Reception next Monday, space rental for the Community Conversations potluck next Thursday, flyers promoting both events, and to activate our Rapid Response Network $230 a month for NationBuilder, a data base that allows us to target emails to the 3500 folks in the network. We really don’t waste money here and we are 100% volunteers, so we do depend on you to cover these costs. And Thank You…..At least we don’t tell you about the quarterly filing deadline and how far behind we are on our quarterly goal and if we want the earth to survive, please send us money today. Can’t wait for the campaigns to be over!!

If you haven’t taken the Speak Up New Mexico! Legislative Priorities survey, please do so today to tell your legislators what bills you want to see become law. Click the blue button at left to take the survey. And if you want to get involved with our 2018-2018 Roundhouse Advocacy Team, we meet on the second and fourth Thursday of every month from 4:30-6:30pm at New Energy Economy, 343 E. Alameda. To RSVP, just write to me at paul@RetakeOurDemocracy.org. If you want to read about our 2018-2019 Election and Legislative Strategy, click here. We are quickly approaching 1000 survey completions!

In solidarity,

Paul & Roxanne