NEW YORK, NY – Alison Duncan, the Green Party of New York State’s 2006 candidate for Lieutenant Governor, put forth 25 Green Party challenges today for Governor-elect Eliot Spitzer in his first year in office.
"This year 42,166 New Yorkers chose a Green Party Governor and
Lieutenant Governor," said Duncan. "Over 250,000 votes were cast for
Green Party candidates in New York. Sustainability is a core value of
the Green Party and these challenges encompass environmental,
educational, healthcare, economic and political goals that will build a
sustainable future for New York State. I congratulate Governor Spitzer
on his new office with the hope that he will listen to these voters
through the next four years and take our challenges seriously."
25 Green Party Challenges for Spitzer:
I. War in Iraq:
-- bring New York State's National Guard troops home as soon as possible
by using his veto power
II. Civil Rights:
-- marry same-sex couples at the Empire State Plaza by the end of 2007
-- repeal the New York State version of the PATRIOT Act that he drafted
with Pataki,
which rescinded constitutional due process and probable cause
protections
III. Health Care:
-- actively promote the Legislative Commission on Health Care Coverage
Act of 2005 (A.6575) sponsored by Assembly Member Richard Gottfried as a
first step toward implementing universal, single-payer health care
-- increase funding for public health research and programming with an
emphasis on prevention, especially prevention of blood-borne diseases
such as AIDS
-- keep hospitals open that have been targeted by Pataki's hospital
closure commission
IV. Education:
-- immediately follow through on his promise to invest $4 to $6 billion
in New York City’s schools, commit to investing $8.5 billion statewide,
and commit an additional 500 million yearly to fund after-school
programs in every district
V. Energy Policy:
-- increase the percentage of electricity produced with renewable energy
sources (not nuclear) to 25% in the first year, with a goal of 40% by
the end of his term
-- promote energy conservation and research to create 25,000 new jobs
for each year of his term
VI. Criminal Justice Reform:
-- submit a bill to the NYS legislature to restore sentencing control to
judges -- no mandatory minimums and use of alternative sentencing with a
focus on restorative justice to prevent recidivism
-- submit a bill to the NYS legislature to legalize marijuana and repeal
the Rockefeller Drug Laws
VII. Death Penalty:
-- advocate against the death penalty and refuse to sign any bill to
reinstate it
-- commit $40 million per year for the permanent funding of legal
services programs
VIII. Housing:
-- build 250,000 units of affordable housing each year of his term --
the criteria “affordable” being that all New Yorkers are able to find
housing near their work for no more than 30% of their family income
-- repeal the Urstadt Law that bars New York City from adopting rent
limitations and tenant protections that are more restrictive than those
allowed by the state
IX. Agriculture:
-- submit a bill for labeling laws that identify food by origin
(defining "family farm," "small farm), and whether genetically
engineered
-- submit a bill to require every public school cafeteria to serve
locally grown food -- with a priority on small, organic farms
X. Labor:
-- repeal the Taylor Law to give public unions negotiating tools that
are as powerful as management's while protecting public safety
-- give union organizers full access to organize workfare workers and
prisoners in New York State
XI. Electoral Reform:
-- promote conversion to hand-counted paper ballots
-- institute instant runoff voting by actively promoting A03509 and
A03510 sponsored by Assembly Member Fred Thiele to establish an instant
runoff voting method for certain primary and local elections
XII. Multiparty Democracy:
-- introduce legislation to more fairly define ballot status of
political parties by either enrollment or the vote totals of any
statewide or federal office
-- introduce clean election legislation that doesn’t penalize third
parties
-- introduce legislation to provide for proportional representation of
political parties on the county and state boards of elections
XIII. Public Authorities:
-- spearhead a public review of public authorities including their
mandates, governing structures and budgets; and implement a
comprehensive reform with a focus on transparency and accountability
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