Also this issue:

Wheels To Go
A planned auto-share program would help save money and the environment.
-Daniel Brook

The Bell Curve
City Paper's weekly gauge of Philly's Quality of Life

Onward Christian St. Soldiers
The Y fights on for independence.
-Daryl Gale

New Trial for Dying Con
A judge rules that Fred Thomas' rights were violated.
-Jenn Carbin

The New Russian Front?
Russian mobsters -- possibly in cahoots with Israeli organized crime -- are getting a bigger piece of the action.
-Brendan McGarvey

June 6-12, 2002

guvwatch

It's Not Easy Being Green

by Daryl Gale

The dust has finally settled and Democrat Ed Rendell squares off against Republican Mike Fisher in November in the battle for the governor’s mansion. Being a fiercely independent lot, there are naturally some Pennsylvanians who aren’t too enamored with either one of the two major party candidates. For them, a third, fourth or even fifth choice is a welcome one. And although the third party candidates aren’t required to officially declare themselves in the race until August, no one who entertains ideas of actually winning can afford to wait that long. In fact, the Green Party’s Mike Morrill has been running for governor as long as Rendell and Fisher have, and running just as hard, if you ask him.

"It's even more all-consuming than I anticipated," a breathless Morrill says about the campaign. "We're doing three or four appearances a day and traveling all over the state. I don't really have the time to raise campaign money like I probably should, but I have to go to work every day. I don't get paid hundreds of thousands of dollars a year just to have my name on some law firm's stationary," he laughs, a thinly veiled reference to Rendell's position with the Center City law firm of Ballard, Spahr, Andrews and Ingersoll.

Morrill says he's crisscrossing the commonwealth getting out the Green Party's message, which incidentally doesn't focus as sharply on environmental issues as it has in the past.

"We are not Ralph Nader's party, although he's been our standard bearer," Morrill says. "In fact, Nader never registered as a Green. We're not just a bunch of environmentalists, although certainly we focus on environmental issues as they apply to our constituents. People in cities are concerned about environmental racism, where companies play fast and loose with anti-pollution regulations because hey, it's just a bunch of poor people. But we're building a party for the future, and we have to focus on issues that are important to all Pennsylvanians."

The hot button issues, according to Morrill, are the economy and education. Abortion, while probably the issue that stirs the most passion, is not foremost in the mind of the average voter, says the staunchly pro-choice Morrill.

"Abortion hasn't really come up as much as we anticipated, especially in the central part of the state," he says. "When it does come up, I openly challenge Ed Rendell's pro-choice credentials. If for some reason the Supreme Court overturns Roe vs. Wade while he's governor, I think he'd show his true colors real fast. He's a politician, and politicians go with whatever strategy they think will win."

Morrill is determined to be competitive in November, despite his overwhelming disadvantage in campaign dollars, which translates to the ability to get his message in print and on the airwaves.

"We can't compete with the Republicans and Democrats when it comes to raising money," he admits, "so we'll compete with ideas. The Green Party is growing, but we still only have one paid staffer. So I have to make every single dollar count, and make every single dollar stretch. We've raised and spent a total of about $15,000 so far. Ed spends that on lunch. So we have to be creative."

Part of that creativity, he says, is just good old-fashioned street politics. Morrill vows to speak at every town meeting and knock on every door he can from now until Election Day.

"That's part of the problem I have with the major parties," he says. "They've pretty much forgotten about field operations and run their campaigns on TV. We're going to take our case directly to the voters, one vote at a time."

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