Aimee Allison aims for Oakland City Hall
By Susan King
Green Party of California

Following her energetic bid for Oakland's City Council District 2 seat in a May 2005 special election, Aimee Allison has announced plans to seek this same seat during the June 6 general election this year.

	Aimee Alison, Green Party candidate for Oakland, CA City Council

In 2005, Allison came in fourth in a field of nine candidates, with several progressives splitting the left-of-center vote and the winner being seated with a mere 28 percent. This time, the field and election are different. 

First, Allison is not only the sole progressive this time among the three announced candidates, but with former U.S. Congress member Ron Dellums running for Mayor, there is a city-wide race that will increase progressive turnout at the same time. Second, the election will not be a month-long, mail-in ballot process, as it was in 2005. Instead, it will feature a regular general election with people going to the polls on June 6. This means Allison's door-to-door campaign will reach far more voters before they vote than they did last time.

Already picking up momentum, Allison has become the first Green to win the endorsement of the Alameda County Central Labor Council, which represents 125,000 union families and more that 135 unions. She's also been endorsed by the Service Employees International Union (SEIU), Oakland Education Association and Keith Carson, President, Alameda County Board of Supervisors.

These endorsements speak to Allison's platform focusing on: Oakland families, jobs and opportunities for youth, economic development that creates living wage jobs and affordable housing, support for small businesses and responsive, open government. 

"We must leverage our tax dollars, public property and other city resources to support policies that will improve Oakland. I will work to add revenue for city services and jobs through fair taxation measures, including assessment on the Port of Oakland" states Allison on the campaign trail. 

Unlike the West Coast's other major ports, Seattle and Long Beach/ Los Angeles, Oakland receives little revenue from its port. Allison argues that from a regional economic development perspective, the port is a resource and should be treated as such, especially since Oakland's Mayor appoints the Port's Board of Directors. Increased revenue, she says, can be used to fund schools and needed social programs. 

"We need a city hall that puts the needs of Oakland's working families and individuals first. A better world begins in Oakland." 

A Stanford graduate, Allison made national news in 1991 when as a medic in an Army Reserve unit that was redeployed to Saudi Arabia, she took a public stand against the Persian Gulf War and forced the Army to award her an honorable discharge as a conscientious objector. 

Today her platform on crime -a major issue in Oakland-focuses on implementing community-based prevention and police accountability, rather than simply putting more police on the street. 

For more information, see
www.aimeeallison.org
and
www.gp.org/greenpages/content/volume9/issue2/elections2.php 

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