Tuesday, May 16, 2006
Compelled to run
For some Greens, just seeing those politicians run without any opposition drives them to insanity. Well, ask any Democratic or Republican fund raiser if there is any reason to run for an office you don't think you have a shot at and s/he will tell you not to "waste your time". Running for offices to raise awareness of issues or to build a party base is "insane" by that thinking.
That's why there are so many uncontested races for office, and part of why Greens win in such high percentages. When Greens do run for offices we are qualified for and willing to run all out for, we win more often than not, regardless of who we are running against.
Think about it. Was Mike Feinstein supposed to be Mayor of Santa Monica? Was Matt Gonzalez supposed to be President of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors? Was Natalie Johnson Lee supposed to get elected to the Minneapolis City Council? Was Gray Newman supposed to get elected to the Mecklenburg County Soil and Water Conservation Commission in Charlotte, NC? No, of course not. But all of them did win, and in large part running with determination for a seat they were qualified for made the margin of victory.
Well, now comes Jill Bussiere of Pierce, Wisconsin, running for the State Senate. Her reason? "There are so many candidates who aren't being challenged," Bussiere
said. "I just felt compelled (to run)." Read more about her and her campaign behind the "Read More!" link...
*Green Party candidate makes bid for Lasee's seat in Senate* *
Post-Crescent Madison bureau *
MADISON: A Kewaunee County woman says a lack competition for state legislative seats prompted her to throw her hat in the ring.
Jill Bussiere, 51, of the Town of Pierce, a therapist who works with autistic children, has taken out papers to run for state Senate District 1, which includes all of Door and Kewaunee counties and parts of Brown, Manitowoc, Calumet and Outagamie counties.
Republican Alan Lasee of rural De Pere has held the seat since 1977.
Bussiere, a former co-chairwoman of the Wisconsin Green Party, is running as a Green.
"There are so many candidates who aren't being challenged," Bussiere said. "I just felt compelled (to run)."
In a statement announcing her candidacy, Bussiere said the state needs to clean up its election system. She mentioned the Legislature's failure to pass Senate Bill 1, which would have merged the state ethics and elections boards into a new agency with greater enforcement power.
She noted Lasee voted against the bill.
"The need to clean up our Wisconsin election system is a large motivation behind my candidacy and is a top priority for the Green Party," she said.
Bussiere said that issues won't be adequately addressed until state government is cleaned up.
"Health care, the issue that people are most concerned about, is barely being addressed by our current legislators," she said. "We have some real environmental and economic challenges ahead of us in Wisconsin, and there are opportunities that open up as we address these challenges."
*Bussiere of Green Party to challenge Lasee*
Jill Bussiere, former co-chair of the Wisconsin Green Party, has declared her candidacy for the Wisconsin Senate District 1 seat held by Sen. Alan Lasee, R-Rockland.
District 1 includes all of Door and Kewaunee counties and parts of Brown, Manitowoc, Calumet and Outagamie counties.
Bussiere, a member of the Ahnapee River Green Party, will run as a Green. She said she decided to run because of a lack of competition for state legislative seats. "There are so many candidates who aren't being challenged," she said.
Bussiere, a therapist who works with autistic children, lives in the Kewaunee County town of Pierce.
Lasee has represented District 1 for more than 30 years.
That's why there are so many uncontested races for office, and part of why Greens win in such high percentages. When Greens do run for offices we are qualified for and willing to run all out for, we win more often than not, regardless of who we are running against.
Think about it. Was Mike Feinstein supposed to be Mayor of Santa Monica? Was Matt Gonzalez supposed to be President of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors? Was Natalie Johnson Lee supposed to get elected to the Minneapolis City Council? Was Gray Newman supposed to get elected to the Mecklenburg County Soil and Water Conservation Commission in Charlotte, NC? No, of course not. But all of them did win, and in large part running with determination for a seat they were qualified for made the margin of victory.
Well, now comes Jill Bussiere of Pierce, Wisconsin, running for the State Senate. Her reason? "There are so many candidates who aren't being challenged," Bussiere
said. "I just felt compelled (to run)." Read more about her and her campaign behind the "Read More!" link...
*Green Party candidate makes bid for Lasee's seat in Senate* *
Post-Crescent Madison bureau *
MADISON: A Kewaunee County woman says a lack competition for state legislative seats prompted her to throw her hat in the ring.
Jill Bussiere, 51, of the Town of Pierce, a therapist who works with autistic children, has taken out papers to run for state Senate District 1, which includes all of Door and Kewaunee counties and parts of Brown, Manitowoc, Calumet and Outagamie counties.
Republican Alan Lasee of rural De Pere has held the seat since 1977.
Bussiere, a former co-chairwoman of the Wisconsin Green Party, is running as a Green.
"There are so many candidates who aren't being challenged," Bussiere said. "I just felt compelled (to run)."
In a statement announcing her candidacy, Bussiere said the state needs to clean up its election system. She mentioned the Legislature's failure to pass Senate Bill 1, which would have merged the state ethics and elections boards into a new agency with greater enforcement power.
She noted Lasee voted against the bill.
"The need to clean up our Wisconsin election system is a large motivation behind my candidacy and is a top priority for the Green Party," she said.
Bussiere said that issues won't be adequately addressed until state government is cleaned up.
"Health care, the issue that people are most concerned about, is barely being addressed by our current legislators," she said. "We have some real environmental and economic challenges ahead of us in Wisconsin, and there are opportunities that open up as we address these challenges."
*Bussiere of Green Party to challenge Lasee*
Jill Bussiere, former co-chair of the Wisconsin Green Party, has declared her candidacy for the Wisconsin Senate District 1 seat held by Sen. Alan Lasee, R-Rockland.
District 1 includes all of Door and Kewaunee counties and parts of Brown, Manitowoc, Calumet and Outagamie counties.
Bussiere, a member of the Ahnapee River Green Party, will run as a Green. She said she decided to run because of a lack of competition for state legislative seats. "There are so many candidates who aren't being challenged," she said.
Bussiere, a therapist who works with autistic children, lives in the Kewaunee County town of Pierce.
Lasee has represented District 1 for more than 30 years.
// posted by Gregg Jocoy @ 6:07 PM 
