Platform

Michael Oatman’s Tucson City Council Campaign Platform

Please reload this page in a few days.  More of Michael’s platform will be posted soon!  You may also want to look at Michael’s OurRevolution Questionnaire Answers, Michael’s Presidential Platform, the 2016 Voting Rights Bill Of Rights, or the seven seasons of Michael’s TV show, Illegal Knowledge.  You may also want to check out the 10 Key Values of the Green Party (http://www.gp.org/ten_key_values_2016), which I agree with and do and will adhere to when in office.

Governance

The Tucson City government should be prudent and cost-effective, but not to the detriment of the people of Tucson.  Civic involvement is the heart of democracy, particularly during non-presidential election years, and City Council should encourage empathy and not apathy from its citizens.  City Council should focus on listening to the people of Tucson much more, and try to internally steer policy less.

City Council
The Tucson City Council should be more of an active participant in the creation of legislation.  The Mayor and Council need not only be a rubber stamp for the work of the city manager and others on staff.

Sanctuary City Status
Tucson could become more of a sanctuary city.  While Tucson does go a little way toward ending rampant deportations by ICE, we do not meet the current standard to be qualified as a sanctuary city.  We would not sacrifice any federal funding, since Trump’s policy was overturned.

Tucson Water and Trash
Conservation of water on all city properties can actually help lower water rates for the citizens of Tucson.  We can always use more recycled water, out here in the desert.  We need to encourage more catchments and less runoff, particularly with the use of widely distributed curb cuts and recharge basins.

We need to close the loop and fully recycle.  We could implement a “pay-as-you-throw” system which encourages recycling and reuse, and discourages refuse.

Divestment and Investment
The City should divest in any and all corporations which support Trump’s border wall or border militarization, which are not carbon neutral or are in support of carbon positive policies and technologies, or which support more police militarization and corporate control of prisons.

Tucson City may then be free to invest in corporations and organizations which actually do improve the economy, peoples’ lives and the environment.

Tucson Police Department
The Tucson City Council should require TPD to become less militarized, and not more, like Prop 101 has authorized.

Furthermore, TPD officers need to live near where they work, so that the officers have a stake in the well being of their own neighborhoods, and not be seen as an occupying force.

Tucson needs more foot patrols, and more community policing.  All TPD officers need to wear body cameras, and any footage collected needs to be reviewed and overseen by a citizen task force.

City Developments
Tucson must plan its developments more intentionally, require that water sources exist prior to development of an outlying area, favor more infill development, and charge on a higher order of magnitude those developers who wish to not comply.  All other infill should be converted to community gardens.

Tucson must use money from developments to entice industries with higher pay to relocate to Tucson.

Campaign Finance Reform
A campaign contribution system which demarcates only the lowest of the common contributions to all candidates seeking any particular office shall be held as that standard for those contributions for those seeking that office.  It is the lowest common contribution standard which illuminates those contributions which are outside of any established norm, and all contributions and contributors are publicly visible.

I am trying for our Clean Elections funding.  To qualify, my campaign must receive at least 200 contributions of $10 or more from people residing within the City of Tucson prior to 21 August 2017.

You really ought to read my 12-point “Voting Rights Bill Of Rights” (https://michaeloatman.wordpress.com/2015/08/04/the-voting-rights-bill-of-rights-of-2016/).  Thanks!

Comments

Please feel free to comment on my platform!  I am completely open to adding any of your ideas and concerns to my core platform, since it takes all of us to make a democracy!  Please leave your phone number or email if you would like a reply.