Contents: Welcome | What's New | Community-building Opportunities

Welcome

Political party platforms and candidates' position statements on issues are read by few but maligned by many. Political parties themselves are widely held in contempt by many citizens. But political parties perform a useful public service as institutions and forums for citizens to educate one another and to learn the skills and habits of self-government, leadership and service. Though seldom regarded as voluntary associations, parties rely on public-spirited volunteers acting out of personal convictions as much as any non- profit organzation. Parties help build community by allowing relationships of respect, common purpose, and trust to develop among diverse individuals. Participation in political parties enables ordinary citizens to exercise more influence over their government and their own lives. Rights we now regard as inalienable were once regarded as radical political ideas; they became mainstream because political leaders and ordinary citizens participated in politics.

Everyone of voting age should take advantage of the opportunities political parties present to learn about and participate in electoral politics on every level, and most especially locally. Learn more about the issues and how your neighbors feel about them and help find solutions to problems and lead public debate toward what you believe is important. If you don't participate, you are missing the opportunity to have a real say in selection of candidates and issues, and thereby deferring to the wealthy donors to political campaigns and to the increasingly superficial and sensationalist news media. And you're missing the fun of neighborly political activism: getting to know, enjoy, learn from and serve your neighbors. See the names of some who have served in the section, What's New below.

As Chair for Precinct 259 of the Travis County Democratic Party, I hope everyone living in Precinct 259 will consider becoming active in the Democratic Party and take advantage of many other great opportunities for community-building leadership and service. Visit the Travis County Democratic Party homepage at http://tcdp.home.texas.net/. And check out these ideas for non-partisan, non-sectarian community service in Milwood in the section, Community-building Opportunities.

What's New

Milwood Neighborhood Association General Meeting on April 27 will include City Council Candidate Forum. The semi-annual general meeting of the Milwood Neighborhood Association will be Tuesday April 27 at 6:45 PM until 9:00 PM at Summit Elementary, 12207 Brigadoon Lane. Association business will be conducted until 7:00. Then Place 3 candidates will speak, followed by Place 4 candidates at 7:15 and finally Place 1 candidates at 8:15. Everyone is welcome.

Boundary of precinct to remain unchanged. County Commissioners heard testimony on April 20 about a proposed change in the boundary between precincts 259 and 263. Later in the week, county staff indicated that no change is likely at this time, but that change will be considered at the time of legislative redistricting. During the hearing, the November 1998 general election experience was cited by Bob Hyde as a reason to change the boundary. Bob correctly noted that some voters whose precinct changed from 259 to 263 several years ago were surprised to learn on election day that Summitt Elementary was no longer their polling place. Bob also correctly noted that there was a long line of voters at the end of the day. But he was wrong when he said the polling place ran out of ballots, and he was wrong to imply that the long line had anything to do with the precinct boundary change. There were many bond issues and contested races on the ballot so it took voters several minutes to vote, and as my unpublished letter to the Austin American-Statesman noted at the time, voters got few reminders and little help finding early voting locations from our city's daily newspaper, so many voted on election day rather than early for the first time in a while. A better solution to voter confusion caused by precinct boundary change than changing precinct boundaries yet again, as I testified, would be to combine the polling places (for the elections where that is permitted) so that both precincts 259 and 263 vote together at Summitt Elementary, for voter convenience and lower election costs.

The Travis County Democratic Party webpage at http://tcdp.home.texas.net, thanks to webmaster Steven Polunsky, is a great new resource. The links to "Elected Officials", "Calendar" and "Issues" on this precinct webpage point directly to the special sections on of the county party's webpage. Keep that page bookmarked and check it frequently for information city, county, state and national issues and events. Meeting notices, issues, and an elected officials list specifically for our precinct will be added soon to this page. Please call or e-mail about meetings and issues you would like to have listed here.

Thank you, Precinct 259 Volunteers! Precinct 259 Democratic volunteers made a big difference in the 1998 general election: Gloria Sue Downe, Marsha Mitchell, Tomas Aleman, Laketch Enkoselassie, Ginger Stuart, Jean Cox, Richard Cox, Julia Brown, Marshall Tanner, Ambrose Gonzales, Jill Mayfield, Donna Pauler, H. Lee, Melody Barber, Lela Wilson, Martha Rand, Elizabeth James, Tamarra Maxwell, and Rajen Hingorani. By helping with the cards, calls, canvassing, and signs, these volunteers informed and encouraged voters throughout Milwood to vote Democratic.

Community-building Opportunities

Help with voter registration, voter turnout, voter education or conducting elections. Become a deputy voter registrar and help others do the same. Ask to be appointed as an election worker or judge. Contact your county voter registrar, county clerk or the state Secretary of State (SOS) Election Division. In Texas the SOS # 1-800-252-8683 or http://www.sos.state.tx.us/function/elec1/. Or join the respected, non-partisan public service organization, the League of Women Voters. The LOWV in Austin is at http://www.main.org/lwv-aa/. Become informed, help inform others, and keep candidates, elected leaders, and the press focused on issues that matter to you and your community, not just what matters to wealthy campaign contributors and owners of newspapers and radio and television stations and networks.

Join your neighborhood's civic associations. In Milwood, the main one is the Milwood Neighborhood Association (MNA), an organization based on households (renting or owning doesn’t matter) with memberships of $12 per year (see http://www.milwoodna.com). There are also others, including a few smaller than MNA and a couple that include other associations as institutional members: the Austin Neighborhoods Council and the Northwest Austin Neighborhoods Association. The City of Austin maintains a listing of others that register to receive zoning and other notices (see http://www.ci.austin.tx.us). MNA and similar organzations are not the government; they are voluntary associations. They vary in purpose (political, social, environmental, etc.), membership restrictions (property owners only, or anyone resident or business, etc.), dues, formality, visibility, and organization. They also vary a lot in terms of representativeness. Usually those that require dues have memberships of 10% or less of the households in the area they represent. Those that are registered with the City of Austin receive notices about proposed zoning changes in their areas, and that’s about all that’s uniform and official. Anyone can form an association representing any or all parts of the city. Some neighborhoods have several with overlapping boundaries, which confuses neighbors and officials. However, spokespersons for associations usually get the attention of city staff and elected officials because associations mediate between government and residents and keep regular forums going (in meetings and newsletters) to identify and resolve concerns. Volunteers who keep these non-partisan but inherently political institutions going deserve thanks and support from everyone. To keep the organizations vital and spread the leadership and service opportunities, everyone should also consider taking a turn at serving on a board, committee, or project.

Celebrate Public Service Recognition Week the first week of May every year to inform citizens about the quality of people in government and the value of services they provide as well as to enhance excellence and esprit de corps in government, and encourage interest in public service careers. Public Employees Roundtable, a consortium of public-spirited organizations, offers free posters and guidebooks. Write to PER at P.O. Box 14270, Washington DC 20044-4270, call (202) 927-5000, or (202) 927-5001 FAX, or see http://www.theroundtable.org. Locally, the CenTex Chapter of the American Society for Public Administration sponsors collaborative planning of events (see http://www.main.org/aspa).

Promote the Earned income Tax Credit to help working, low-income families with children get the benefit that encourages work and helps millions escape poverty. Help provide transportation to, advertise or conduct a Volunteer Income Tax Assistance workshop. For more information, contact the U.S. Internal Revenue Service 1-800 829-1040 or the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities 202 408-1080 or http://epn.org/cbpp.

Organize a Neighborhood Watch and observe National Night Out every year on the first Tuesday in August. Contact your local law enforcement agency, in Austin call 416-5551 or 416-5552 or the National Association for Town Watch 1-800-648-3688 to register for a visit by law enforcement staff and to receive free promotional items (posters, flyers, and more). See also http://www.nationaltownwatch.org.

Join WALK Austin, a new non-profit 501(c)(3) community organization devoted to building community in the city by improving Austin's pedestrian infrastructure and promoting the idea that sidewalks both symbolize and concretely help create community in cities by allowing safe transportation and providing meeting places for people on foot, in strollers and wheelchairs, which build a civic presence that makes streets livlier and safer. WALK Austin has twice been honored by Keep Austin Beautiful for its education efforts, including free help to businesses, engineers, architects, planners, and ordinary citizens wishing to learn the complex transportation planning processes of the federal and state departments of transportation, regional planning bodies and city government that shape the urban pedestrian environment. WALK Austin meeting locations vary, but the time is monthly on the first Thursday at 7:30 PM. April and May 1999 meetings will be at the UT School of Architecture (contact Kelly Clifton at 480-3187 for details). WALK Austin has a new short video demonstrating ways for neighborhood groups to replicate a March 1997 pedestrian amenities survey of Lamar Boulevard called "A Walk on the Wild Side: Getting Austin Back on Its Feet". For more information, write to WALK Austin, P.O. Box 7753, Austin TX 78713, see http://www.io.com/~snm/walk, or e-mail rlsd@io.com. WALK Austin is affiliated with America WALKS (see http://www.webwalking.com/amwalks/.

Participate in the Week of the Young Child, April 18-24. Honor teachers and caregivers of children 0-8 whose low wages are a continuing national disgrace. Contact: National Association for the Education of Young Children 1-800-424-2460. See also http://www.naeyc.org.

Learn and teach others about your area's unique natural environment. The MNA Wildflower Committee led by Gene Heinemann has for several years helped restore native prairie diversity to a meadow at Balcones District Park, and volunteers are always welcome (call Gene at 339-0618). Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center is at nwrc@onr.com or 512 292-4100 voice or 292-4627 fax, 4801 LaCrosse Avenue. See http://www.wildflower.org.

There are many more rewarding service opportunities. I would welcome the chance to boost those that fellow Milwood Democrats are active in. Let me know your favorites!

Thank you for visiting, and please let me know your interests, ideas and issues.

Reuben Leslie, Jr., Chair, Travis County Democratic Party Precinct 259