Green Party officially in DeKalb
By ELENA GRIMM egrimm@daily-chronicle.com
DeKALB – Jim Dusing lost the 70th District state representative race in November, but he pulled in more votes than he was expecting – a quarter of the total.
This optimism spurred Dusing, of Sycamore, and other Green Party members to get serious about organizing a local chapter.
In a 4-0 vote, the DeKalb County chapter of the Green Party became official at a meeting last Tuesday when members accepted the bylaws – "four short paragraphs" that lay out the name, purpose and membership requirements, secretary and public relations representative Jack Reich said. The state party requires a minimum of three members to pass the bylaws.
Eight people were at an initial organizational meeting in April, but the party's focus now will be on recruiting more members.
"We're very optimistic," said Dusing, who was elected chairman of the DeKalb County Green Party. "We need a lot of people to accomplish our goals."
The formation of a local chapter was also spurred by the national political climate.
"The thing that threw us together is the belief that the two major parties have let people down," Reich said.
Reich pointed to the 10 key values of the Green Party, one being a belief in grassroots democracy.
"What can we do locally? I think we can do a lot," he said. "A party who builds itself from the grassroots up has to explain itself to its people."
"It's been a difficult year," Dusing added. "A lot of people are unhappy or concerned, and that's one reason the Green Party is trying to build in DeKalb."
DeKalb County broke away from a larger chapter called the Northwestern Illinois Greens, comprised of Boone, Carroll, DeKalb, Jo Daviess, Lee, Ogle, Stephenson, Whiteside and Winnebago counties.
The county chapter wants to make its presence known by attending community events, like the Fourth of July celebration at Hopkins Park, Reich said.
And DeKalb County is a strategic standpoint for the party itself.
Treasurer AJ Segneri, who is also membership director for the state party, plans to move to DeKalb this summer to help grow the party.
As a "crossroads between urban and rural," the county allows candidates running for office to reach out to a wide segment of voters, he said.
The DeKalb County Green Party was welcomed to the ranks of the county’s political organizations.
"I think all our candidates will be thinking green," DeKalb County Democratic Party Chairwoman Eileen Dubin said. "I welcome the competition and hope it brings more people out to express their points of view."
“I wish them all the best,” said Andrew Nelms, vice-chairman of the DeKalb County Republican Party.
Nelms said he doesn't know what effect an additional party could have on local politics, but he did point to state and national political issues.
“Between the Washington bailouts and gridlock in Springfield, people are recognizing more and more the need for Republican leadership,” Nelms said.
If You Go
What: DeKalb County Green Party meeting
When: 6:30 p.m. July 7
Where: American National Bank multipurpose room, 1985 DeKalb Ave. in Sycamore
