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Green Party Heads into Historic Election in Champaign County
Contact:Susan Rodgers, Volunteer Coordinator, 619-985-3553, susanraerodgers@gmail.com
Tom Abram, Candidate for 103rd State Representative, 217-417-7118, tom@tomabram.org
Kostas Yfantis, Candidate for County Board District 7, 217-840-6780, kostasyfantis@gmail.com
Joe Futrelle, Candidate for County Board District 8, 217-328-7853, futrelle@shout.net
URBANA, IL - Local Green Party candidates are heading into the final week of an unprecedented campaign to bring new voices to local and state government. With the help of dozens of volunteers, Tom Abram, Joe Futrelle, and Kostas Yfantis have been knocking on doors in their district, talking to voters, appearing at local events, debating their opponents, and having a real impact on their races.
"Getting on the ballot and running serious campaigns means that more people than ever know that Greens are for real," said Tom Abram, the Green Party candidate for state representative in district 103. "Voters know that I'm the only candidate in my district who supports progressive education funding reform." Abram is launching new advertising campaigns in the final week of this hotly-contested race.
With less money than his Democratic opponent, Abram has built a viable campaign from hard work and dedication. "If Greens can put together a viable candidacy at a fraction of the cost of the two major parties, imagine what we could achieve with the state budget," Abram said.
County board candidates Joe Futrelle and Kostas Yfantis saw their campaigns grow from mom and pop operations to large volunteer efforts with a media and advertising presence.
"Our volunteers have really risen to the occasion," said Susan Rodgers, volunteer coordinator for the Prairie Green Party. "They participated in the largest Green petition drive ever in Illinois to put Rich Whitney on the ballot for governor, and then kept working for our local candidates." Whitney is currently polling 16%.
Joe Futrelle said he never expected to make it this far. "Campaigning has helped me channel the urgency I feel about renewable energy and sustainable land use into political change," he said. Kostas Yfantis said his belief in democracy made the decision to run easy. "We need more choices to keep our democracy healthy," Yfantis said, "so I'm doing my part by being the sustainable choice for county board."
The Prairie Green Party of East Central Illinois is a political party committed to Ecological Wisdom, Social Justice, Grassroots Democracy, Nonviolence, Decentralization, Community-based Economics, Feminism, Respect for Diversity, Personal and Global Responsibility and Future Focus. For more information visit www.prairiegreens.org.
Information about the candidates is available at
www.tomabram.org
joefutrelle.prairiegreens.org
www.yfantis.org
www.whitneyforgov.org
