I never intended to pay much attention to local politics. All I wanted to do was live quietly on my property, growing vegetables and caring for my backyard animals. However, I learned -- very quickly -- that local politics (and local politicians) have an incredible amount of influence over my plans for my property. All of the good intentions in the world don't matter if you're not allowed to do what you hope to do. If your seedling hoophouse, your front-yard garden, or your backyard chickens or dwarf goats are forbidden under your city's rules, then local politics become very relevant.
With that in mind, I want to pass along my endorsements for our upcoming election. While I believe that all of the candidates below show exceptional leadership skills and the knowledge base to make great decisions, ultimately my endorsements are based on their sustainability platforms (particularly as they relate to food issues). Please mail in your ballot before May 3rd. Let's get some pro-food, pro-sustainability leadership in Denver!
Mayor:
James Mejia
City Council At-Large:
Robin Kniech
City Council District 1:
Katherine Cornwell
2 comments:
While I appreciate what Katherine Cornwell could bring to City Council you do your readers a disservice by not mentioning the only other very strong candidate in this race who also has a long and strong history in representing the local food movement and the proposed Animal Food Producing Ordinance currently considered by Denver City Council—Susan Shepherd. As you know, Susan had the guts to run for the special election last spring (against a person who was pretty much an incumbent having been State Senator for the previous eight years), placed a very strong second in that race and who you spoke very highly of in a post leading-up to that election (which post seems now to be missing?). Susan sits on the Sustainable Food Policy Council, has her own business selling food she grows and helped define and is seeking funds with local neighbors for a community wellness program. We are lucky to have two such good candidates with the potential of representing our interests!
Hi Marshall,
Thank you for your comment. To address one thing right off the bat -- I have not taken anything down from my blog. Every post I've ever written (including the one I wrote during last year's election, when I was supporting Susan) should still be available.
I absolutely agree that Susan is a strong candidate, and she has been a champion for local food. She knows how much I admire and respect her. To be honest, if Susan ends up as our City Councilperson, I will be very pleased.
However, just like everyone else who votes, I have to make a decision as to where my vote lands. In this election, with this field of candidates, I have chosen to support Katherine Cornwell. If you look at Katherine's website, you'll notice that "local food economy" is one of the five key issues of her platform. While other candidates may care deeply about local food, I don't see "local food" as a platform issue on anyone else's campaign page. However, I do believe that we are lucky to have such a wealth of wonderful candidates to choose from in District 1.
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