Nathalie Paravicini, Portland, OR
Running for: Secretary of State
Name of incumbent: Open seat
Why do you want to run for that office, vision/goals, how do you define winning:
Why: To form a network and act as the electoral arm of the many grassroots movements in the state. We need to redefine what our economic order looks like, as was made apparent from local to international levels by the Covid-19 pandemic. We need a non-corporate or plutocratic alternative with radical proposals - radical as in addressing "the root (radix)" of the problem - alternatives that serve the essential needs and aspirations of We The People, not the forces of the market.
I define winning by:
1) Engaging with a wide variety of folk on what corporations have claimed to be their "rights as persons," challenging the distortions of our judicial system. We want to establish 4-5 active locals across the state, particularly in Eastern and Southern Oregon and universities - with an active base that is aware of issues pertaining to usurpation by corporations of our constitutional rights.
In a perversion of the law, Corporations have been defined as "persons". They claim our constitutional rights to shield themselves from responsibility for their actions, and from their duty to inform the public of the harm from their products. Corporations are externalizing their costs (eg consequences of climate change or pesticides) for the benefit of the few. Corporations have also perverted our Democracy by claiming money is "free speech" and buying influence, from lobbyists, to ads to manipulation of social media. Money is not speech; money is property and we can regulate its influence in elections.
With the results of the 2020 census, the Secretary of State will have a critical role: if the Oregon Legislative Assembly cannot come to agreement over changes to legislative redistricting, the duty falls to the Secretary of State.
Additionally, the Secretary of State serves on the Oregon State Land Board and chairs the Oregon Sustainability Board. This provides an opportunity to ascert the rights of nature, challenging those who only look at their short-term interests instead of the common good. Our actions must make sense for the seventh generation; the Secretary of State in Oregon has a unique opportunity to integrate the wisdom of indigenous and working people, from loggers to farmers to healthcare workers.
2) Consolidating a network of allied organizations who are unafraid to challenge the status quo such as Causa Oregon, Oregon Community Rights Network, Rural Organizing Project, Latino Network, Apano, Portland Rising Tide, NAACP and others - by supporting people's initiatives to place them on the ballot and get them passed
- Psilocybin Therapy Oregon, IP34
- Universal Preschool Now (Multnomah county)
3) Mobilizing Oregon to institute campaign finance reform and Ranked Choice Voting
Three key policies, messages:
1) Electoral reform in the form of an Ranked Choice Voting (Instant Run Off Voting) system
2) Corporate personhood and the Rights of Nature
3) Focus on local economies; revisioning our economic order
What is your plan, benchmarks:
To be seen, being Green
Establishing a group of like-minded people across the state who want to work together on a SOS-Oregon Listening Tour.
Pre-Covid-19 the plan was to visit a different location in Oregon each month; hosting and participating at local events to collect signatures. I am a doctor by trade, so my focus has had to shift to my patients: fast-track learning about this new virus and holding the space for common-sense public health discourses.
We are now shifting the campaign to the virtual sphere.
Resources you anticipate needing, treasure mapping:
Current needs:
1) Website developer, graphic artists and social media leads - I have the content; not the technical savvy
2) Fundraising and coordinating virtual gatherings
3) Printing and mailing supplies
4) Policy support resources, a group of savvy advisors and researchers
Potential obstacles:
Balancing personal, professional and community involvement. I am a single parent and want to model a healthy lifestyle
How much money do you plan to spend? How will you raise the funds?
Maximum $1000 personal funds as seed money.
I'll start with support from my close group and request a few larger personal donations.
Merchandising, identifying in-kind donations.
Relevant experience and/or other
Key organizer of the 2000 campaign to put Texas (and OK) on the ballot, ran for Lieutenant Governor of TX, helped radical county and city-level electoral campaigns, former Secretary of the GP US, involved in Healthcare Coalitions and Healthcare Advisory Committees in Texas. I took a ten-year leave of absence from community involvement to take care of my family, but I am back.