Protest the Exclusion of Green, Progressive Candidates from the Portland City Club
Join Pacific Green Party nominee for Secretary of State Seth Woolley in a protest against the exclusion of progressive candidates from the state's most important City Club debate.
Where: The Governor Hotel 614 SW 11th Ave.
Date: Friday, October 26, 2012.
When: Start time of 11:15, to catch participants on their way in
More: Noon march 1.5 blocks, to the offices of Winning Mark
Date: Friday, October 26, 2012.
When: Start time of 11:15, to catch participants on their way in
More: Noon march 1.5 blocks, to the offices of Winning Mark
Despite a statewide campaign by bicycle that covered most of the state's population and mentions in editorial endorsements as a "whip smart government wonk" (Willamette Week) and somebody that should be engaged with for election reform (Bend Bulletin), the Portland City Club has refused to allow the Green and Progressive candidates to participate in Friday's debate with duopoly candidates Knute Buehler (R) and Kate Brown (D).
After the City Club Debate, we will march 1.5 blocks to the office of Mark Weiner of Winning Mark, a political consultant with a long track record of negative campaigns.
- Mark Weiner's clients include the big money backers of water fluoridation in Portland, where he got the council to announce supportive votes before a public hearing with a threat to implement it faster than a petition could gather signatures to overturn it. As a result of the threat, Portlanders for Safe Drinking Water with environmentalist and anti-toxics volunteers collected signatures for a referendum faster than any campaign in Portland history, gathering 43,000 signatures, more than twice the number needed to place the referendum on the ballot.
- Mark Weiner is also responsible for the irrationally negative campaign of big money insider candidate Mary Nolan against grassroots-supported councilor Amanda Fritz, the only city council candidate elected using public funding who has been a strong voice for sanity against the status quo. Weiner has used Nolan's big money donations to run misleading and inaccurate attack ads while Fritz continues to advocate for smart solutions and community involvement.
- Mark Weiner client Kate Brown is the single-office record holder for campaign spending in Oregon history, outside the Governor's race -- $1.2 million in her 2008 election. Now Kate Brown has lost the endorsement of most major newspapers in Oregon, including Willamette Week.
It's time to move past the two-party stranglehold on ideas and democracy and the disproportionate influence of big money. Our protest will be joined by:
- Green Party Candidate for Secretary of State Seth Woolley and his supporters.
- Progressive Party candidate for Secretary of State Robert Wolfe and his supporters.
- All public citizens who are tired of battling against special interest Big Money donors while Campaign Finance Reform continues unenforced by Brown despite the affirmative approval of all Oregonians in 2006 ballot Measure 47 and no court determination against its constitutionality.
- Oregonians for Law Reform, a progressive PAC that will participate because access to a robust initiative system is vital to citizens who want to fix serious issues of social justice when elected officials refuse to act - and because Kate Brown is suppressing citizen participation in the initiative system.
Route of the March - 1.5 blocks
