Local elections: They're more important than ever! Golden Valley information.

"The GOP began its takeover of this country at the school board level"

– A wise activist I met once

We're all anxiously awaiting 2018 and the chance to change the course of this Titanic, but one thing we MUST get in the habit of is participating in the local elections as well as the biggies. In fact, local elections matter more than ever because local government can protect against 45's agenda. We saw this with our City Council members who amended policing policy. These local city council and school board members have a lot of power, and many years ago the GOP realized that, and started to gain inroads. We must do the same!

Drum-roll please! Our recommendations for Golden Valley!

City Council: Progressive We Stand happily endorses Gillian Rosenquist and Larry Fonnest.

Gillian Rosenquist is smart, down-to-earth, and has served on the open space & recreation commission for Golden Valley. She is trained as an attorney, which will be an asset to the council, and has a track record of effectiveness. We also like that she worked at Legal Corps, running their Inventor's Assistance Program. This innovative program helps people with language or income barriers obtain legal assistance to move their inventions to the next level. Her experience with new immigrants and a wide range of Americans will help her understand the needs of everyone in our community. If you'd like to put up a lawn sign, hand out literature or volunteer, please contact Gillian through her website.

Larry Fonnest is an incumbent City Council member and candidate. He is a long-time resident of Golden Valley, and has proven himself to be thoughtful and approachable with concerns from citizens. He was supportive and attentive in our concerns for the constitutional right of immigrants in Golden Valley, and worked to understand this issue and the impact on policing policy. Larry was featured in a City Pages article about Golden Valley ("Finding Gay Suburbia Heaven") with his partner. Love it! To put up a lawn sign, hand out literature or volunteer, contact Larry through his website here.

School board elections

Find out what precinct you're in using the image at the bottom (click here for a larger PDF if the image is too small). Look for the thick RED lines and District info for school districts (the thick BLUE lines are for legislative district).

District 281: Robinsdale had elections last year. No election this year. Here is the current school board.

District 270: Hopkins School Board is filling three seats. There are five candidates.

Fartun Ahmed

Kevin Bennett

Jen Westmoreland Bouchard

Chris LaTondresse

Steve Semler

We are supporting Fartun Ahmed, Jen Westmoreland Bouchard, and Chris LaTondresse. One supporter writes, "These candidates are exemplary citizen leaders with deep roots in our community. They have judgment, values, and experience the Hopkins School District needs."

PLEASE spread the word! Every vote counts a lot in these tiny elections, we have a real chance to make a big difference! If you'd like to put a sign up or help out, please contact the candidates here:

Fartun Ahmed: Facebook link. Email: fartunforhopkinsschools@gmail.com

Jen Westmoreland Bouchard: Facebook link. Email: jenforhopkinsschoolboard@gmail.com

Chris LaTondresse: Facebook link. Website. Email or call to volunteer here.