Hawkins to run against Seals for 4th District council seat

Syracuse Post-Standard
Meghan Rubado
2009 July 17th

Syracuse, NY -- Howie Hawkins announced today he will run on the Green Party line against Democratic incumbent Tom Seals for the 4th District Common Council seat.

This will be Hawkins' 15th campaign for office.

Hawkins, 56, has run for city, county, state and federal offices. He won 5 percent of the mayoral vote in 2005. Last year he took 3 percent of the vote for Congress.

He said he decided this time to run for a seat he believed he could win so that Green Party issues can be kept in the discussion.

"We can be much more effective if we have someone on the council to keep the foot on the pedal," he said.

Hawkins outlined his top six issues:

1. A stronger living wage law
2. Public power
3. Creation of a municipal development bank
4. Development of municipal broadband for cable television, internet and phone
5. Neighborhood-based planning
6. Progressive tax reform, including a new graduated city income and commuter tax

Hawkins said he knows defeating three-term incumbent Seals presents a challenge. He daid he will focus on door-to-door campaigning in hopes of convincing 4th District residents to vote Green.

Howie Hawkins' Web site: www.howiehawkins.org