Bmore Connected

This past summer i got pretty excited about local politics. But then like many in Baltimore with a yearning for something new in the electoral realm I found myself disappointed when I realized that 15% of democrats had decided that pretty much everything was ok.

That tapped into an anger that following local politics had soothed for the summer, but has always been there. The question that has been burning in my mind since i arrived in baltimore has been “Why is the public so absent from public policy in Baltimore”

We could really have something here if we figured out how to make government work for us. All of us. But we keep settling for candidates who will settle for 50 percent of the democratic primary off-year turnout as a mandate, and it has left us in a deplorable political state.

We functionally live in a colony of Maryland, with a one party election, that determines who will lead us as long as it agrees with Annapolis. And it is killing us.

We need to form an alternative means of political power and I have chosen Hula Hoops.

Hula Hoops have an amazing ability to bring diverse sections of baltimore together, they are good exercise, they are social, they give you something to get good at, they make great use of public space and most importantly they are fun.

Politics can not only learn from hula hoop parties but can emerge from them. Discussion and debate that ensue in public space inform each of us of the things we may not know about each other. This is hard to describe and organic.

So the Hula Hoop Man and I have decided to form a Political Action Committee. We consider achieving our goal of “A hula hoop for every man woman and child in the city of Baltimore” a political objective, and aim to use available means to achieve that goal.

This is in one sense surely a joke. Just as Colbert’s Superpac is in some senses an obvious joke. But like Colbert’s PAC it will also aim to exert the maximum electoral and political impact available under law.

So in another sense it is not a Joke. It will be a statewide effort to support our goal. Candidates may be endorsed, events may be held, hula hoops may become campaign materials. You will have to wait and see.

As a final answer to the are you serious question..I am…our willingness to admit the whimsy of our political objectives puts us well above most of the registered PACS in this state. We are not primarily a means of funneling money to campaigns, though we will do that if we can and the situation is right. We want a new kind of political influence. We want fun to be a big part of that equation.

We are taking this step because we are VERY serious about this.

Stay Tuned.

Andy

For the past few weeks I have been helping Catalina Byrd in her campaign to become the Mayor of Baltimore. Mostly I have just listened to her ideas and shared my thoughts. I know Catalina from a class she and I taught together, what I recognized then was a passionate young educator, entrepreneur, and political thinker.

What I did not know a month ago was what made Catalina think she would be a good mayor. So over the last month I have listened to her ideas, her reasons, and her visions for a Baltimore where everybody can grow with the city. I like what I have heard and I am excited to hear her tell everybody.

In order for that to happen, she needs to get on the General Election Ballot. To make that happen an unaffiliated candidate must get a lot of signatures (nearly 5000). To make that happen in a one party state like Baltimore is even more difficult (to be sure 10,000 would be good). This needs to happen by August 1st.

I want each person in Baltimore to hear Catalina’s vision for the city, and I want you to hear it between now and the November Election (yes the election is in November). If the democratic establishment proves why it is the establishment, and why it keeps getting elected, and ends up winning, then so be it. But democrats are at their strongest when they are tested and when they have to explain why they are right.

Democracy requires multiple voices. Democracy should utilize the process fully. I think Catalina would be a good mayor, but that is for you to decide, on the ballot in November.

Follow Catalina on @byrd4baltimore.

If you See a Petition Sign It.

If You would like to help get signatures contact me at s.andrew.ellis@gmail.com or let Catalina know on twitter. 

Test

If you were the Mayor of Baltimore City for a month what would you do? What problems would you address? How would you do it?

While most of us will never get to be Mayor of anything that is not on Foursquare, many of the people of this city have great ideas about ways to innovate, inspire, and implement.

So what is your idea for a better Baltimore?

So I am one of those people whose work week does not go from Monday-Friday. I work a Tuesday-Saturday second shift noon-9pm job so i miss a lot of the tings that go on in the city on evenings during the week. But one of the benefits is that my weekend includes a day where most people are working (Monday). This summer I want to use that day to its fullest and see different parts of the city, one way i am going to do that is by going to a different neighborhood and a different lunch spot every monday. I am leaving much of the choice up to you, my tumblr and twitter readers…tell me a place i should go and if i like it i will go there…I am also open to lunch companions, if you have a good idea, an interesting story, or are just a person who likes to meet new people let me know…again i am crowdsourcing this part of my life so your suggestions are appreciated. Today I started at Golden West Cafe in Hampden with an amazing Chorizo Burrito. Where should I go next week? what neighborhood? what should i eat? with whom? give me ideas and i will do my best to get to all of them!