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John --
There’s a
well-worn saying that all politics are local. In recent years, that
old saw has been challenged, as American politics have been
effectively nationalized by the two-party system, with ample help from
the media.
That’s a
big shame.
Governance—the end goal of all political activity—is still very
local. Unfortunately, our collective hyperfocus on Washington has left
state and local offices neglected or battling culture wars in which no
one wins.
Michigan State Sen. Mallory
McMorrow said it best: “We
gotta stop looking at Washington as the only thing that matters.”
Indeed.
For an
extreme example of what can happen right under our noses at home while
we’re distracted by the partisan fights emanating from D.C., take a
look at Ottawa County, Michigan…
The eight
new members of the Ottawa County Board of Commissioners had run for
office promising to “thwart tyranny” in their Michigan community of
300,000 people. Once sworn in last January, the firings began. They
dismissed the county administrator who oversaw a staff of 1,800, the
head of the health department, and the lawyer who had represented
Ottawa County for 40 years.
Taking
over at the health department is a service manager from a local HVAC
company whose only apparent “qualification” for the job is being a
prominent critic of mask mandates. The Board has even changed the
county’s former motto, “Where You Belong,” because they claim it
“promotes the divisive Marxist ideology of the race equity
movement.”
Instead
of focusing on paving roads, building parks, maintaining property
records, and collecting taxes—some of the most basic and least
partisan functions of local democracy—Ottawa County has become “a case
study in what happens when one of the building blocks of American
democracy is consumed by ideological battles over race, religion, and
American history,” conclude journalists Greg Jaffe and Patrick
Marley.
Forward
is about real governance, not
partisan politics pretending to be
governance (and poorly at that, we might add). We’re working at the
local level because we believe that’s where functional democracy
begins. If you’re sick of seeing culture war BS, like what’s happening
in Ottawa County, replace reasonable people acting in the public
interest, you’re in the right place.
Forwardist Photo of the
Week
 An
enthusiastic crowd turned out for our Forward Together with the Common
Sense Party event in Los Angeles last weekend. This amazing group of
Forwardists, as well as a second outstanding group in San Francisco,
were ready to listen, share, inspire, and be inspired. Thank you,
California!
Forward in the News
OTHER NEWS &
VIEWS
Ohio Senate passes measure to
make amending the state’s constitution more
difficult
In Ohio,
lawmakers in the state Senate just advanced legislation that would
raise the threshold to pass amendments to the state constitution from
50% to 60% of the vote, making it more difficult for Ohio voters to
amend the state constitution via ballot initiatives. The measure is
primarily an effort by the Republican supermajority to thwart a
citizen-led effort to put a constitutional amendment on the ballot
that would prohibit banning abortion before fetal viability. But the
upshot is that it will make all
citizen-initiated reform efforts (including for ranked-choice voting)
more difficult. —Ballotpedia News
More Ohio Senate decision
news:
Alaska Supreme Court says no to
gerrymandering
“In a
landmark decision, the Alaska Supreme Court ruled Friday that partisan
gerrymandering is unconstitutional under the Alaska Constitution’s
equal protection doctrine. The opinion described ‘secretive
procedures’ used to draw two Eagle River Senate districts to benefit
Republicans behind closed doors, which the justices said was a
violation of the state constitution’s equal protection doctrine.
Racial gerrymandering and drawing districts to penalize an incumbent
lawmaker would likely already have been struck down by state courts
before Friday’s decision, attorneys said. But the Alaska Supreme Court
had not explicitly made a ruling that drawing maps for political
purposes was illegal.” —Anchorage Daily News
More redistricting
news:
Open primaries give independent
voters a voice
“The
exclusion of independent voters from public elections is abhorrent and
erodes faith in our election system and government. Our measure will
ensure that in every state election, independent voters would have
equal opportunities to vote.” —Michael Calcagno on The
Fahey Q&A
More open primaries news:
Democracy can thrive with
RCV
“Ranked-choice voting
offers greater competition and helps elect a consensus candidate who
is incentivized to work in a bipartisan manner and solve real problems
without the fear of getting primaried or punished by his or her party.
The people who fight this the most are the Democratic Party,
Republican Party, and lobbyists. It's time for the people to speak up,
to demand change, and to work hard to make change happen. It will not
be an easy task, but it has been accomplished in several states, and
it works. If we want to keep our democracy thriving for future
generations, change must happen.” —J. Doug Pruitt in Duluth
News Tribune
More ranked-choice voting news:
Forwardists are out there making their mark. Are you one of
them? Share your story with us! Looking for a Forward event in your area?
Check out our upcoming events.
Thanks
for reading the Forwardist. If you enjoyed this issue, please share it
with a friend. See you next week.
All the
best,
The Forward Party Team
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