Howie Hawkins to Announce Candidacy

2009 July 16th

Green Party of Onondaga County
P.O. Box 562, 2617 S. Salina St., Syracuse NY 13205
474-7055

Media Advisory / Notice of News Conference

For More Information: Howie Hawkins, 315-425-1019, hhawkins@igc.org
Date: Thursday, July 16
Location: City Hall Steps, 233 E. Washington St., Syracuse
Time: 1:00 pm

Howie Hawkins to Announce Candidacy

Campaign to Focus on a Stronger Living Wage Law,
Municipal Development Bank to Create New Businesses and Jobs, Neighborhood-Based Planning for a Sustainable Green Economy, and Tax Reform to Stabilize City Finances

Note: This release does not say WHICH OFFICE Howie Hawkins will run for. That will be announced at the news conference.

(Syracuse) Howie Hawkins will hold a news conference at 1 pm on Thursday, July 16 on the front steps of City Hall (233 E. Washington St.) to present the Green Party's platform for the Syracuse city elections and to announce his candidacy.

Hawkins was the Green Party's candidate for mayor of Syracuse in 2005 in a campaign that succeeded in putting the issue of a municipally owned power utility on the city's agenda.

"The Green Party has been observing the mayoral and council campaigns. We are gratified to see every candidate now paying homage to 'green jobs,' 'the green economy,' and 'sustainability.' But it will take more than just saying these phrases as if they were magic. What we are not hearing are the concrete policies and reforms needed to make them happen," Hawkins said.

"So the Green Party is entering this election, first of all, to follow through on the full implementation of living wages and public power, two reforms that we first raised in city elections and placed on the city's agenda. We also intend to put new reforms on the city's agenda, reforms that are critical to the economic viability, environmental sustainability, and fiscal health of the city," he said.

Hawkins outlined four new initiatives:

Municipal Development Bank – An aggressive city-led program of job creation and business development through a municipal development bank that would plan, finance, develop, and advise new businesses, with a priority on worker and consumer cooperatives. Hawkins noted the longstanding need for grocery stores downtown and in the neighborhoods as businesses the bank should develop.

Municipal Broadband – A municipal broadband system for cable TV, internet, and phone services. Hawkins said that rates for municipally owned broadband systems in the US are on average 30 percent lower than for private franchises like Time-Warner. He said the service is better because communities have control over the programming and technology. Time-Warner's franchise with the city is currently up for renewal.

Neighborhood-based Planning – Neighborhood Assemblies, with expert assistance by a City Planning Department, would give residents a direct say in neighborhood development, the city's Comprehensive Plan, and building a sustainable green economy. "Different neighborhoods have different priorities, but whether it is youth programs, community policing, community gardens, bikeways, public transit, or revitalized business districts, we need to organize and empower the neighborhoods to meet their needs, with the city assisting them, not ignoring or obstructing them," Hawkins said

Progressive Tax Reform – A more progressive local tax structure to make taxes fair and sufficient to fund the city, schools, and youth programs at a time when Syracuse faces significant recurring structural budget deficits. The Greens propose a graduated city income tax, including the incomes of the over 40,000 commuters to Syracuse. The income tax would be coupled to reductions and reforms to the more regressive property tax.

"This campaign will be different from the past campaigns I have run. In previous races, I have been able raise issues without a realistic expectation of winning the office. This time I have a realistic chance of winning. I will not just raise the issues in the campaign for the office, but I intend to be in the office after the election to put these reforms on the table," Hawkins declared.

Hawkins, 56, has been active in movements for peace, justice, the environment, and independent politics since the late 1960s. A former Marine, he helped organize opposition to the Vietnam War. He was a co-founder of the anti-nuclear Clamshell Alliance in 1976 and a leader in the anti-apartheid movement for divestment from South Africa in the 1970s and 1980s. He helped found the national Green Party in the early 1980s.

Hawkins has lived on the South Side of Syracuse since moving here in 1991. He is a Teamster who works at UPS unloading trucks. Before coming to Syracuse, he worked in construction and helped start up a workers cooperative that specialized in energy audits, efficiency retrofits, and wind and solar installations.

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