John Anthony La Pietra For the People Calhoun County Clerk-Register Working For the People as the Year Turns: Read John's year-end letter to editors -- thanking his supporters, reviewing what the campaign accomplished, and talking about getting together to do what needs doing (PDF file, 1 page) -- and his request to city/township/village/school/library governing boards to subscribe to their meeting agendas (PDF file, 2 pages). OR -- go to John's personal Webspace to follow how this story has been developing in 2009! A Month After the Election, and He's Still Working For the People: John has again reported more than the required bare minimum about his campaign finances -- and again filed early.  And again, he's posted the report on his Website (all and parts) as PDF files, a more widely-read format than the Clerk's office uses. And he's not actively campaigning, but he hasn't dissolved his committee -- because there's still something to watch over. Curious?  Read John's latest news release (in PDF or HTML). Still Working For the People: John's renewed his pre-Election Day invitation to his competitors to join him in asking for a county-wide recount . . . not with the expectation of changing the winner, but for the purpose of giving Calhoun County voters an extra check on their election equipment, processes, and systems.  (Click here for a PDF file, here for HTML -- 2 pages either way.) Now re-issued and updated (PDF and HTML) to give John's rivals one last chance to stand for voters before the Monday, November 24 deadline for recount petitions! NEWS FINAL: John's signed a "Standing for Voters" pledge to "advance the preservation of democracy" -- even if it takes challenging announced results because conditions and incidents call official announced vote counts into question.  He is taking this step, and announcing it in public, after receiving no response from his opponents  to his invitation for a mutual recount. John is issuing a final reminder to all Calhoun County voters (and media serving the area) on his voting-conditions survey. And he's proposing another step to give voters more assurance that their votes are being properly handled and counted: a mutual recount of the Clerk's race -- *if* his rivals agree. Come to the Marshall City Council meeting 7pm Monday 11/3, and you can hear John make these announcements . . . and touch on some other campaign news. And it's getting to be virtually the last chance to see John's one sign. . . . John's posting more public information about voting. Read about it here (PDF) or here (HTML).  But . . . if information never officially falls out of the forest, is it really public? Another reason not to vote for Norlander for Clerk -- she's already running for Secretary of State.  (Again.) And when and how did she go from $852 cash in hand to almost $30,000 without a posted campaign-finance report? (3-page release now updated to include one missing link -- and there is now also a page-long listing of all links in the release. Above links to PDF; matching HTML documents here and here.) Click here for all the campaign news! (And ask your newspapers to print it soon. And it better be soon -- only 4 days left until we see our voting conditions . . . can you read the signs?) NEWS of the weekend: Another small "first step" on the road to John's goals of non-partisanship and non-promotion in the Clerk's office.  But will there be a second step this time?  Read, then watch! (Note:  This news from Oct. 26 has been updated Oct. 31 based on information requested and now received from the Bureau of Elections.) John's first campaign-finance report is in -- and up! Posted on this Website in PDF format. To see it, go here (HTML) or here (PDF). Or here for all the campaign news! Read John's statement (PDF) on things he wants do to manage public records better For the People. Election-related letters are due to the editor of the Battle Creek Enquirer by Friday, Oct. 24.  For the Marshall Chronicle, the deadline is Monday, Oct. 27 at 5pm.  Other papers' deadlines are coming up, too.  So if you have some of the write stuff to share, now's the time! (Or if you have some time to share helping get out John's written stuff, speak now!) It's also time again for "Dark Earth Hour" . . . 9-10pm Thursday, October 16!  And this time we can go farther -- by traveling less. Click here for the latest campaign news! (And here for three short amateur/homemade videos in the "News & Politics" category at YouTube . . . and now, via cable, maybe on your tube!) Want to help with the survey of voting conditions November 4?  Here's a reminder -- for you or for friends and neighbors . . . 4 to a page -- or 2 to a page with some room for taking notes. If you're here looking for Bedford Township's 2007 audit, somebody else found it already posted -- on a state-government Website. (Note:  it's 43 pages long and in PDF format.) The Senior Times invited candidates to send in up to 200 words on how their offices could affect issues related to seniors. Here are John's 200 words. John Anthony La Pietra (on the flyer) See all three "candidates" for the photo posted with the answers to John's third candidate survey, from Gannett Newspapers/Broadcast Group . . . Qs & As here or here!  (Links to all three at the bottom of each.) Read John's Constitution Day statement (PDF) on things he wants do to protect voting rights. John's second candidate survey was from the Battle Creek Area Chamber of Commerce . . . see the questions and answers here -- or here! A message for anyone who still has an alternative-voting-methods ballot from Marshall Home Tour and wants to vote for their favorite architectural styles! John's first candidate survey was from the Marshall Area Chamber of Commerce . . . see the questions and answers here -- or here! John will be back at KCC Mon & Tue 9/8-9, and again Mon 9/22, for more "Rock the Vote" events.  More chances to register to vote -- and to try out different ways to pick favorite pizza toppings. The citizens' survey of voting processes & conditions goes on! For more details, click here.   printable flyer (PDF) Green Party of Michigan Green Party of the United States Global Greens   Green Campaign Links New Menu For Democracy Green Values Grassroots Democracy Social Justice Ecological Wisdom Non-Violence Decentralization Community-Based Economics Feminism Diversity Responsibility Future Focus   Menu Links Campaign News Issues and Ideas:       Running Elections (9/18/08 statement)       Managing Public Records (10/19/08 statement)       . . . & More How to Donate How to Help the Campaign About John John Anthony La Pietra  For the People    J.D. cum laude from Cooley; concentration in public law   10 years’ experience in local, county, & state government   20 years in Calhoun County working for our community   a lifetime of acting on my belief in government for the people  County Clerk-Register Running Public Records For the People . . . do a non-partisan job, avoid big-party influence & infighting fair treatment for all people... of any party – or no party Managing Public Records For the People . . . focus on service & staff, not name-recognition or piling up fees bring technology & information to Calhoun County communities  Making Government Work For the People . . . translate legalese & bureaucratese into plain English encourage citizen input, and pay attention to the people’s ideas   John Anthony La Pietra   For the People  County Clerk-Register         A County Clerk-Register runs elections, manages records, and does a lot of different things to make county government work for the people.  Doing a job like that takes someone who’s fluent in Legalese, Red Tape, and plain English.  Someone who cares more about doing the work than getting the credit.         My parents raised me to play fair and care about others.  And they taught me to live on what they called the “bohemian easy-payment plan”:  100% down and nothing a month.  I’ll bring those values to this campaign . . . and to the County Building – if you help.  I’ll take 100% of anyone’s vote – and I won’t take more than $100 of anyone’s money.  But if we work together, that’ll be enough to win government for the people.  Green Values Are Your Values!          Grassroots democracy is one of the Green Party’s Ten Key Values.  Greens believe all people deserve a say in the political, economic, and environmental decisions that affect their lives.  We make decisions based on consensus, Instant-Runoff Voting, and other ways to value many contributions of individual ideas and energy more than a few fat checks from a few fat cats.         Greens in Michigan joined in a lawsuit that protected voter privacy from the “Big Two” parties.  Greens nationwide have worked to make sure all votes are counted, and all voters count.  We know that democracy demands citizenship:  government of the people must be by the people, or it won’t be for the people.         Find out how many more of the Ten Key Values are your values – contact: Green Party of Michigan   548 S Main; Ann Arbor, MI  48104  *  734-663-3555  *  MIGreens.org   Grassroots Democracy Social Justice Ecological Wisdom Non-Violence