Green Party candidate Mary DeCamp, who is seeking a City Council seat in Ward 3, has sent us her campaign platform. Check it out:

Global situation: Peak oil & Global warming. Petroleum reserves are shrinking & are harder to access while the planet is heating up and climate patterns are changing.

Local response: Retrofit Tucson's aging housing inventory. Install energy-efficient windows & doors, weather-strip, paint roofs white, & blow insulation into attics.

How? Hire mentors to work with neighborhood volunteers interested in upgrading their properties. Form work teams & visit each member's home on a rotating basis to perform upgrades.

Benefits:
• Creates local jobs Enhances skills or trains novices in trades
• Saves on utility bills Improves quality of life
• Adds value to property Enhances neighborhood safety
• Generates local sales in material Builds up Tucson communities
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Global situation: Police and citizens adopt an “us/them” mentality that undercuts effectiveness, satisfaction, and true safety.

Local response: Return to the community-based policing policies that were recommended by Citizen- Police Advisory Committee and adopted by the City Council.

How? City Council directs police supervisors to work with elected neighborhood councils to identify, combat, and solve crimes. Redirect resources from specific tactical units with centralized hierarchy to beat cops on bikes or walking in neighborhoods.

Benefits:
• Connects communities and police in mutually supportive & stabilizing roles
• Police officers build relationships with appreciative neighbors
• Residents feel safer
• Saves money when crime is dealt with pro-actively instead of re-actively
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Global situation: The federal economy is crumbling.

Local response: Shop locally & join Tucson Life Cache, a local currency (www.tucsonlocalcurrency.org).

How? Local currencies cater to those who are cash-strapped. It gives people an opportunity to barter their skills, products, or services with others without requiring federal dollars to do it. Shopping locally keeps $$ in Tucson rather than sending profits out of our region.

Benefits:
• Keeps currency circulating locally
• Taps into dormant resources
• Supplements the dollar, doesn't replace it
• Enriches the day-to-day lives of members who can now afford their wanted or needed products & services
• Introduces you to a wonderful group of talented & interesting people