County Platform - Draft

Our Expectations for the Municipal and County Government

Housing & Public Lands

Encourage cooperatives, non-profits, land trusts, co-housing, and other forms of communal and public interest management of land. Advance housing policy to promote affordable property ownership and/or rental. Take back the Commons from privatization and expand the public space. Employ smart development practices to avoid sprawl and reclaim lands left distressed by corporate abuse.

Food & Health

Provide for free clinical health care to support preventative and basic medical services. Prepare the way for a Health Care For All nationalized medical system. Support a locally owned and operated food industry that uses sustainable crops and regenerative agricultural practices. Ban CAFOs and mono-culture agriculture. Ensure a no-cost meal is available to public school students. Develop public kitchens and food banking programs.

Jobs & Commerce

Enact a $15 minimum wage today and transition to a $20 minimum wage over five years for all public employees. Use prevailing wage rates for all subcontracted municipal contracts. Create a job programs with paid re-training that focuses on public investment such as education, trade-work and sciences necessary for improvement of public infrastructure. Require outside contractors to gather a minimum of 75% of their workforce from the regional community. Establish trade networks where demand is fulfilled by local producers. Increase mutual aid services at public libraries and post offices providing for tool libraries, gardens, and time banks. End tax breaks that encourage the development of our community by singular large corporate entities.

Energy & Resources

Migrate to 100% clean and renewable energy use in all public spaces. Incentivize personal investments in clean and renewable energy through grants and low interest loans. Municipalize water, sewer and electric utilities. Allow for decentralized and cooperative power generation using clean and renewable energy. Provide for public ownership of water and mineral rights, managed through municipal authorities, using conservation and best management practices.

Environmental Rights

Adopt in local resolution, the so-called “Green Amendment”, PA Constitution Article 1 Section 17.

Criminal Justice Reform and Non-violence

Establish civilian police review boards with accountability powers. Demilitarize our police force and provide them with weapons of service not weapons of war. Place a permanent ban on for-profit prisons. Avoid prison sentences except for the most egregious crimes. Employ restorative justice principles in our prisons, courts, and schools. Decriminalize the use of all drugs. Prohibit military manufacturing within the county.

Democracy

Pass resolution and codify in law local community rights that protect our right to local self-governance. Utilize participatory budgeting allowing community members to design, propose, and vote on where spending of portions of public funds are done. Enact ranked choice voting in county and municipal governments. Establish local campaign finance regulation including restrictions on corporate donations, super PACs, and spending limits.

Our Expectations for the State and National Government

Single Payer Healthcare System covering all peoples (State)

Free education for trade-schools and four year degrees to state school systems (National)

Job guarantee program (National)

Reparations paid to people of color (National)

Ban on fracking (State and National)

Elimination of subsidies to the fossil fuels industry (State and National)

Reduce the military by 50% (National)

Ensure the PA National Guard is only deployed for local missions; no oversees operations (State)

Reign in the CIA and end nation building (National)

End corporate personhood (State and National)

Transition to 100% clean and renewable energy sources (State and National)