Harmony in Arcata
Q & A with California's youngest newly elected Green

By Mike Feinstein
Green Party of California

Harmony Groves, new Arcata City Council member.

Photo Credit: Bill Burton

Harmony Groves was educated at American University of Paris in France, Santa Monica City College in California, Hunter College in New York City and graduated from Humboldt State University with a bachelor's degree in Political Science and a minor in French.

Interspersed among these studies has been a flurry of political activism, including working against fast food companies as a board member of Fit4Free, and working for Arcata Library Bikes as a statewide bicycle lobbyist, Redwood Peace & Justice Center as a fundraiser and newsletter editor, the anti-corporate Democracy Unlimited as a volunteer, and Students to Save Campus Recycling at Humboldt State as a lead organizer -- and all of this by age 26, while also earning a living as a solar salesperson for Six Rivers Solar in nearby Eureka.

We caught up with Harmony after her recent election to the Arcata City Council. Combined with the election of fellow Green Paul Pitino and sitting Green City Councilmember Dave Meserve, Arcata now has a Green City Council majority for the second time in eight years.

What do you do in your spare time, assuming with all of your activism that you have any?

Yoga, backpacking, singing/ songwriting, bicycling, and art.

You probably get asked this all of the time, but is Harmony Groves really your real name?

Harmony Groves is my real name. My mother gave me the name Harmony at birth because she really liked the Elton John song entitled Harmony. My father's last name was Groves, and so with his father before him, etc.

How did a relatively inexperienced 26-year-old like you win elected office in her first try?

I believe I won because I ran a professional and positive campaign. At first I was not well known politically and was seen as somewhat young and therefore possibly inexperienced. However, I did my homework on the issues and came across as a strong, articulate and precise debater. With 10 candidates running, I made it a point to never repeat ideals that were already espoused, nor to use another candidate's name and agree with them. Instead I would introduce new elements for debate and this helped me stand out among the candidates.

I also chose to conduct my campaign without attacking or slandering other candidates in order to prove that we can have civil political discourse locally.

Groves' campaign bumper sticker

I began my campaign by getting a stamp with my slogan that I developed: "Harmony in Arcata," and used the yin yang symbol. I registered a P.O. box and began printing contribution envelopes that I handed out throughout the campaign. As a first-time candidate, I raised the most money of anyone, over $3,000. With that money, I did creative advertising in the local Northcoast Environmental Center Journal, the Times Standard "women in business" section, and on local radio.

I also went to every event around town and was like a political butterfly, meeting with everyone. But perhaps most importantly, I walked as much as possible and went up hills and down streets other candidates did not hit. Incredibly, even with Humboldt State University in town, many candidates did not seek representation with the students, while I had a team of volunteers on campus from the beginning handing out literature.

What were some of your key campaign issues?

Affordable housing.  A combination of inclusionary zoning and incentives in order to produce more affordable housing units in multi-unit developments. 

Infill instead of annexation.  We want to protect the outerlying green spaces around Arcata. So instead of annexing and expanding agricultural land and open space, I support inclusion of residential uses in commercial zones and developing underutilized/vacated lots.

Bicycle Network. would rather see a fluid network of bike lanes than a several story car garage. We live in paradise and hope to preserve it, not pave it.

Recycling.  We already have a very progressive recycling system. I will encourage "zero waste" events and city functions by composting, using dishes instead of plastic and paper, and trying out the new corn starch-type forks.

Did you receive any interesting endorsements?

Even though some may have only seen me as an environmentalist, I also had strong labor support, including the Operating Engineers Local Union 003, the Humboldt and Del Norte Counties Building and Trades Council, and the Central Labor Council.

I also received the endorsement of the conservative to moderate Eureka Times-Standard, which said, "Harmony Groves is among the youngest candidates, but has devoted more effort to her community in her 26 years than some people do in 60. She helped lead a student effort to save HSU's recycling program from budget cuts, marshaling dozens of students to meet with administrators the busy week before finals. By working with administration officials instead of casting them as her antagonist, she demonstrated open-mindedness and a commitment to solving problems rather than complaining about them...A Green Party member, she is respected by moderates and liberals alike. Groves is intelligent, articulate and passionate about her community. City government should benefit from her energy and gusto."

For more information, see www.harmonyinarcata.com