IT TAKES A VILLAGE...

NEW PALTZ, N.Y. (AP) -- Jason West is a 26-year-old house painter, puppeteer and activist. And on June 1, he became mayor of the Village of New Paltz.

In elections that shocked some locals, West and two running mates pulled off a rarity for Green Party candidates by winning majority control of the village. As the new mayor plans to improve the sewers and run village vehicles on soy-based fuel, some residents of this Hudson Valley college town are apprehensive.

(snip)

Some people believe West won the part-time post because 16-year incumbent Thomas Nyquist and longtime trustee Robert Feldman split the voting bloc of more established residents. While Nyquist and Feldman claim students deluged the polls, West's team claims their support came from the school and the village.

(snip)

An environmentalist from an early age -- he lobbied his family against eating food from plastic foam containers at age 6 -- West became involved with the Green Party while majoring in history and fine arts at New Paltz.

He stayed in the village after graduation, running a house painting business, working with a mask-and-puppet performance group called Arm-of-the-Sea Theater, and running unsuccessfully for the state Assembly in 2000 and 2002. He also ran for New Paltz town council in 2001. (full story)

My hat's off to Mr West and company for winning, we'll see what they can do. Just to get one thing out of the way, does the wire story have to keep using the word "village"? It's forcing me to picture Vikings or something.

Politically, the Green Party is at its best when it starts small, city/county/(maybe)state govt seems like a good place for them, where they can get elected to positions of power and influence without helping George W Bush rape the environment and send you men out to both kill and die.