Robbins for Mayor of Corning
Darin Robbins for Mayor, City of Corning 2015
10 POINT PLATFORM OF DEMOCRACY AND RESILIENCY
The city of Corning is a wonderful community, a place that one can truly
call home. But our community can be subjected to various changes and
events on a statewide, national, and global scale. We feel the effects
of economic decline, climate change, and failures of infrastructure.
Across the world we have also seen momentous change and movements
of people for freedom and equality.
There is a deep connection between
our local self-determination and the larger global issues. The problems
that lay before us are: worker debt and corporate wealth, unsustainable
energy, agriculture, and manufacturing, and people feeling political
and economic alienation. The time is now for new ideas and a vision
to match these worldwide events. I am running for mayor of Corning
as
the Green Party candidate to give our community a new direction.
The first step in this direction is to acknowledge that the residents
of Corning are co-owners of this city, each person who lives here
is a
stakeholder that has the right to participate fully in the public
life of our city, and any new policy must reflect this basic premise.
The
two themes of my campaign are Democracy and Resiliency, and how
these two themes interact with each other. This includes expansion of
the
direct democratic process, local energy and food production, and
the formation of common resources with open access for all residents.
1. Anti-Fracking: A community Bill Of Rights that supports local sovereignty
under New York state Home Rule and includes the right to clean land,
air, and water which in turn sets the foundation for a local ban
on fracking.
2. Bill of Rights Defense Resolution: The affirmation
and protection of civil liberties from such legislation as the USA PATRIOT
Act,
Homeland Security Act of 2002, Military Commissions Act of 2006, Foreign
Intelligence
Surveillance Act Amendments, and National Defense Authorization
Act of
2012.
3. Community Land Trust: The public purchase of foreclosed homes,
which will allow for rental negotiations with the original tenants,
and rental
payments distributed to all city residents as co-owners.
4. Cooperatives: The requirement that the city’s economic fund can
only give startup loans to worker owned businesses, followed by a city
hiring hall that will be an employment office helping the unemployed into
job positions with those cooperatives.
5. Fab Lab: A community workshop offering opportunities for
personal fabrication through computer controlled tools and
flexible manufacturing
equipment
that is freely accessible to all residents and serving as
a common resource.
6. Living Wage Ordinance: A local minimum wage calculated
to the cost of living so that residents will be able to
earn a
living
without having to go into private debt or rely on welfare
to supplement wages.
7. Local Currency: A community based currency for local
purchases, distributed as a basic income to all residents,
acting as
a supplement to wages
and a stimulation to local businesses.
8. Net-metering: A revolving loan fund that will help
homeowners install solar panels and small wind turbines
while connected
to the city grid,
where any surplus energy is shared by all residents.
9. Participatory Budgeting: The ability of residents
to choose where 30% of their local tax payment will
go in
the city budget,
encouraging
democratic
participation and reflecting the priorities of residents.
10. Referendum: The ability of residents to place
proposals on the ballot so that all residents can
vote on them,
increasing the direct
democratic
process for the community.
For campaign updates, visit the Robbin's
campaign Facebook page.
MODEL LEGISLATION FOR CORNING
Bill of Rights Defense Resolution
City Referendum
Community Bill of Rights
Cooperative Business Act
Participatory Budgeting
ABOUT DARIN
I am a lifelong resident of Corning New York, living in the 8th and
9th wards before redistricting and in the 7th and 6th wards after redistricting.
I attended St. Vincent’s elementary school, All Saints Academy
middle school, and Notre Dame high school in Elmira. I have a Bachelor’s
degree in Political Science from American University in Washington D.C.
and currently volunteer at the Southeast Steuben County Library. I have
been a member of the Green Party since November of 2000 and a member
of Occupy since November of 2011. In 2004, I was a delegate from New
York to the Green Party presidential convention in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
I have written for my own e-zine called “Public Uproar” from
2000 to 2004 and contributed to the Green Party Of New York State theory
blog called “A Green State Of Mind” from 2007 to present.
I am currently a member of the State Committee of the Green Party Of
New York State. In regards to my personal political beliefs, I consider
myself a postanarchist and mutualist which I think is complementary to
my membership in the Green Party. My four main personal heroes are Gilles
Deleuze, Ralph Nader, Terence McKenna, and Murray Bookchin.
CONTACT:
Darin Robbins for Mayor
78 Sterling Street
Corning, New York 14830
dcr420dcr at hotmail.com
(607)-936-3294
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