Welcome to FAIR!FAIR! Endorses At-Large Candidate Mike Wright for City CouncilFAIR! endorses at-large Iowa City council candidate Mike Wright for the November 6th election. Wright, leader of the Northside Neighborhood Association and vice-chair of the Iowa City Board of Adjustment was selected based on his informed responses to FAIR! on important community issues such as affordable housing and for his commitment to FAIR!'s statement of purpose which includes working to build a sustainable,livable, and humane community. Garry Klein, chairperson of the organization said, "Mike Wright is the kind of candidate FAIR! enthusiastically supports. He understands that Iowa City residents want accountable and open government and will work to make decisions based on his understanding the core values of our community. We look forward to having Mike Wright serve on the council and leading on the issues we believe are vitally important for the well-being of our community such as equitable use of tax increment financing, and affordable housing for all Iowa Citians." In past elections, FAIR! has endorsed Amy Correia, Regenia Bailey, Rod Sullivan, Janet Lyness, and Larry Meyers. FAIR! values fairness, justice, equity, and open government. FAIR! seeks to mobilize the community through education, public policy debate, and local electoral politics by focusing on issues such as: equitable use of tax increment financing (TIF), affordable housing, a living wage, and expanded public transit. For more information about the candidates and the referendum issues, see below.
City Council Candidates
District A (Choose 1)
District C (Choose 1)
At-Large (Choose up to 2) Wright's Responses to FAIR! Questionnaire Ballot Issues
Public Measure C (Bar admission age)
Now, therefore, be it resolved, that Article 4, Chapter 5, Section 8 of the City Code of Iowa City – entitled Persons Under 19 Years of Age in Licensed or Permitted Establishments – shall be modified to replace "nineteen (19) years of age" wherever and however it appears within such Section 8 with "the legal age".
Vote Yes Proponents:
Student Health Initiative Task Force FAIR!'S POSITION FAIR! Supports a "No" vote for 21-only Ordinance FAIR! endorses a "no" vote for the November 6th referendum item concerning admitting persons under the legal age into bars after 10 pm at night. The membership, in a close vote, narrowly endorsed a "no" vote based on the concern for public safety both in terms of strains on the police department and unregulated house parties. Additionally members of the group were concerned that an unintended consequence of the change to the ordinance would be a marked decline in work opportunities for local musicians and students. Garry Klein, chairperson of the organization said, "This is clearly a divisive issue in the community and the FAIR! membership's vote reflected that. While we believe that a `no' vote is appropriate, we continue to have grave concerns about how best to address the culture of alcohol abuse our community apparently embraces."
That Article V (Boards, Commissions and Committees), Subsection 5.01
(Establishment) of the Home Rule Charter of Iowa City, Iowa be
amended by adding the following underlined words:
Vote Yes Proponents: FAIR! Supports "Yes" vote for beefed up PCRB FAIR! endorses a "yes" vote for the November 6th referendum item to strengthen the Iowa City Police Citizen Review Board. The measure was endorsed by the membership based on the requirement to hold an annual open meeting to discuss issues of importance to the community regarding public safety and policy. Garry Klein, chairperson of the organization said, "As an organization that values open government, we see the importance of strengthening the PCRB by affording it subpoena authority and providing the public an annual opportunity to comment on public safety issues and policy."
At the last general membership meeting FAIR! members voted to endorse Sally Stutsman and Larry Meyers for Johnson County Board of Supervisors. For the position of County Attorney, we co-endorsed Janet Lyness and Nick Maybanks. FAIR! members are urged to donate their time, talents, and resources to support these well-qualified FAIR! candidates. County Attorney Candidates
Board of Supervisors
Johnson County Candidate ForumsSponsored by DFA and FAIR!County Attorney Race
County Supervisor Race
Remember to register and vote in the June 6th Primary Election. The deadline for voter registration is May 27th, and the first day of early voting is April 27th, at the County Auditor's Office. FAIR! Candidate Amy Correia wins seat on IC City Council!Many thanks to our other endorsed candidate, Garry Klein, who ran a strong race. Congratulations to the other winners: Mike O'Donnell and Connie Champion. Meeting Notes from October 19thWe elected a new steering committee: Chair - Mike Carberry ([email protected]), Vice Chair - Mary Vasey, Secretary - Dale Shultz, Treasurer - Karen Kubby, and At Large Members - Gail Ardery, Garry Klein, Perry Lenz, Carol Spaziani, and Shel Stromquist. Congratulations to everyone. We also reaffirmed our endorsements of Amy Correia and Garry Klein for Iowa City Council. FAIR!s Candidates Win IC School Board RaceCongratulations to Liz Crooks and Patti Fields for winning election to the Iowa City School Board. We endorsed both of them at the last meeting, and they would like to hear from you:
See the Auditor's School Election web page for results. Sept. 7th Meeting ReportWe endorsed two candidates for Iowa City School Board (see above), and approved changes to the bylaws. We planned our participation in the PeaceFest this Sunday at Hubbard Park. We also started accepting nominations for next year's officers. If you would like to nominate yourself, please send an email to David Redlawsk at [email protected], and include your name and phone number. During last year's presidential election, several Iowa TV stations that are owned by Sinclair Communications behaved in a blatantly partisan way. A local group called Iowans for Better Local TV has organized an FCC hearing on their licence renewal for October 5, 2005. FAIR! discussed coordinating with them for a preparatory workshop to be held the week before the hearing. Picnic Meeting Report - a busy summer aheadCongratulations to Neil Daniels on joining the Steering Committee! FAIR voted to endorse the Citizens for Public Power referendum this November. FAIR will also make an endorsement in the Iowa City Council race. Two other projects are under way this summer:
Iowa City IdeopolisIowa City and Johnson county can encourage growth by encouraging the creative class. Kirk Watson, the former mayor of Austin, Texas, explained how he used these ideas to build his city at a recent speech to the Rotary Club. Also see the article on "Up and Coming Cities" in the June 2004 issue of Money magazine. Who Pays for TIFs?FAIR member Colin Gordon shows the hidden impact of Tax Increment Financing districts on Johnson County residents. Word Document (450kb) FAIR HistoryFor those of you wondering just what we've managed to do over the last couple years, Jim Throgmorton put together a list of FAIR!'s contributions/ involvement/ events: click here. Several FAIR members or FAIR-endorsed candidates hold elected office in Johnson County. Here is a list of current and former office holders. FAIR! Statement of Purpose
FAIR! is a progressive voice on local issues of importance to Johnson
County residents. We work to build a sustainable, livable, and humane
community. We value fairness, justice, equity, and open government.
FAIR! seeks to mobilize the community through education, public policy
debate, and local electoral politics by focusing on issues such as:
With your help, we can build a FAIR community. To join FAIR, or to get more information, please write to
FAIR!
PO Box 1812
Iowa City, IA 52244-1812
or print out and mail in this form or email [email protected] There are two ways to join FAIR. Members may either pay $25/year plus 8 hours of volunteer time, or commit to 12 hours volunteer time. Upcoming Events Steering Committee and Elected Officials Local Government Links Send Email to FAIR |
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