Socialists for Office
Friends and Constituents,
I hope you’re all well. We have a big week ahead of us! This week our deeply corrupt Mayor must decide if he will veto the Council’s passage of the wheel tax or allow it to pass into law. Tomorrow, the Council’s Municipal Economic Development Committee will debate my general resolution to abolish parking minimums and will hear public comment and vote on the data center zoning resolution, including President Maggie Lewis’s data center moratorium amendment (the text of which I have yet to see).
But my main focus of my video and email this week is fundraising. Specifically, fundraising for two socialist candidates for state office in Indiana. Watch the video, make a donation to both of the candidates mentioned, and then keep reading.
Blaine Sefton is a union electrician with the IBEW, fighting to tax the 1%, work for working families, and stop taxpayer giveaways to data centers. Blaine’s life experiences as a working class Hoosier have led him to understand that only the organized working class can take on the corrupt establishment politicians, AIPAC, and billionaires to create a better world. Make a donation to him today so he can keep fighting hard for the next three and a half months and win his election to Indiana State Senate. He’s backed by the newly-founded Fort Wayne DSA.
Ben Davis is a true comrade and has become a dear friend. Ben knocked thousands of doors and collected signatures at his local convenience store to become the only Socialist Party of Indiana candidate that will be on the ballot this November. Ben is a loving father and husband who has donated platelets over 350 times, shaves his head every year to raise money for St. Baldrick’s children’s cancer charity, and shows up thoughtfully, patiently, and kindly in every single interaction. I have personally spent over 15 hours training Ben and his core team over the last six weeks or so, and Ben is picking up a huge amount of steam. Think: bringing 13 socialists out to a 4th of July parade in Fowler, Indiana (population: 2400), raising almost $3,000 in a week without taking any corporate or PAC money, and securing the endorsement of Greater Lafayette DSA. I’ll be making calls to all of you asking you to donate to Ben - so beat me to the punch and send him some money tonight.
Across the country, we have seen that when people-powered fighters for the working class stand up and run for office, we win. But it doesn’t happen magically - it takes a ton of individuals each doing their small part to help overthrow the corporate class and win power back for workers. Seriously - give what you can, no matter how small or large the donation. It would mean the world to me, and would help give both of these excellent socialist candidates the fuel they need to fight.
I hope to see many of you tomorrow evening at the rally for a data center moratorium and at the public hearing over data centers afterwards. Know that I’ll be asking you about these donations when I see you!
In love and solidarity,
Jesse
BELATED MONTHLY LOG FROM JUNE:
Monday 6/1: Grocery errands. Came in early to the Council meeting to attend a Board of Parks and Recreation meeting to support the Feast of Lanterns being granted an alcohol special event permit. Full council meeting.
Tuesday 6/2: Rallied with Teamsters 135 at the NLRB office at the Sherman Minton building downtown. Had a long talk with my friend, the co-chair of Central Indiana DSA. Spoke with SPI leadership.
Wednesday 6/3: Had coffee with a candidate for office to clear the air and reset expectations and boundaries. Attended the Municipal Corporations Committee meeting hosted at the IndyGo headquarters.
Thursday 6/4: Talked with a for-profit affordable housing developer about the industry, his company’s role in it, and how he interacts with the city and the public. Attended a St. Clair Place neighborhood association meeting.
Friday 6/5: Coffee date with my wife. Party business. Chatted with my Deputy Councilor of Urban Affairs over a coffee to discuss safety improvements for an upcoming East Street renovation project. Talked on the phone with Phil Coleman, a St. Clair Place neighbor. Had a beer and some conversation with my new vice PC Austin and a group of rebels in town for the Democratic State Convention the following day.
Saturday 6/6: Spent all day at Convention. Not happy about the Secretary of State results, but happy with some of the resolutions passed.
Sunday 6/7: Avoided all children to ensure a lack of jokes about the date. Weekly newsletter and video. First session of the Ben Davis training series up in Lafayette.
Monday 6/8: Had coffee with a comrade working in education to compare notes on the landscape around IPS. Went to a presentation of the fantastic food equity plan created by former City of Indianapolis staffer Audrey Jones. Planned my week. Went to a Metropolitan Economic Development Committee meeting where we discussed 24 different agenda items - mostly PILOT agreements for affordable housing projects.
Tuesday 6/9: Therapy. Participated in the IMPD downtown district biweekly call put on by Commander Foley. Attended the Lockerbie Square Neighborhood Association meeting.
Wednesday 6/10: Was stood up at two coffee meetings in one day! Actually was overjoyed to have the time back for constituent email catchup and planning. Had a long conversation with a friend who had recently run for office and works for housing justice.
Thursday 6/11: Coffee with comrades. Met an engineer friend for coffee and strategy around a more fair revenue stream. Attended the MDC meeting for hours to protest data centers. Arrived late to the Public Works Committee meeting to discuss the wheel tax proposal.
Friday 6/12: Took a trip to Cincinnati with the Indy Streetcar Coalition to review Cincinnati’s modern streetcar system and to speak with a former mayor and planner about how they pursued the project and made it successful.
Saturday 6/13: Went to the Pride parade to cheer and say hello to constituents. Bought a beverage from my favorite union Starbucks on Mass Ave. Attended an online “Electoral 201” training through DSA. Had a meeting with local people in the Industrial Workers of the World.
Sunday 6/14: Coffee date with my wife. Met with an art curator who wants to help put on fundraisers and shows for socialism. Training session 2 in Lafayette for Ben. Planned the rest of my week. Weekly newsletter and video.
Monday 6/15: Met with a friend who has experienced retaliation and violence from his workplace at the City. Grocery errands. Went to a ribbon cutting and also a groundbreaking, both for Shepherd Community Center in the southeast corner of my district.
Tuesday 6/16: Therapy. Toured around the Recycleforce campus to learn more about the ongoing expansion work there. Chaired the Indy CLT board meeting.
Wednesday 6/17: Another time being stood up at a coffee meeting- Mercury must have been in retrograde. Submitted ethics, parking minimums, and data center related proposals for introduction at the Council. Chatted with the new executive director of the How We Win program.
Thursday 6/18: Coffee with comrades. Therapy. Met with the Home Repairs for Good team to learn more about their mission and interaction with the City. Met with a neighborhood association leader from outside my district who may eventually consider running for office. Talked with a social media influencer friend to share notes about the Democratic State Convention and other topics. Chatted with a DSA mediator from the west coast.
Friday 6/19: Fire circle. Party business. Late lunch with a friend running for school board. Personal finance meeting. Celebrated Juneteenth by going to my niece’s birthday party.
Saturday 6/20: Went with my brother, sister-in-law and other niece to the zoo. Took a long nap in the afternoon after getting a bit overheated. Went to my stepdad and grandma’s house for dinner with my brother and his family.
Sunday 6/21: Planned my week. Session 3 in Lafayette. Weekly newsletter and video.
Monday 6/22: Chatted with a constituent from Brookside over coffee. Cleaned the house a bit. Did some more SPI work. Coached Ben on 1:1s and campaign planning.
Tuesday 6/23: Therapy. Downtown district IMPD call. Talked with a developer about a situation involving illegal retaliation that evicted a friend and constituent of mine. (Sadly did not come to any resolution). NESCO board meeting. Committee meeting.
Wednesday 6/24: Dentist checkup - no new cavities but I need to floss more often. Met with representatives from the family working to develop a new gas station at 16th and Emerson. Made it clear I’d be fighting any such development with all my strength. Finance meeting. Chatted with my friend Fred about possibly running for office and about filming the Independents’ Day event. Got a bite to eat and a coffee at Yazsh with a Republican friend of mine. Went to the Warren Township wheel tax hearing.
Thursday 6/25: Chatted with a friend from the northwest side about frustrations with their Councilor. Talked with a woman whose business near 10th and Emerson was crashed into, to try to find her some resources. Attended a Health by Design webinar about active transportation. Missed connection for a coffee meeting due to street closure on Tenth Street. Caught up on correspondence.
Friday 6/26: Date morning. Party business call. Zoom interview with Rob Kendall to talk about the Secretary of State race, the wheel tax, and other items. 1:1 with Ben to make a campaign plan and fundraising plan. Cleaned under my carport and fixed a partially broken shop-vac.
Saturday 6/27: Arts for Learning open house! Electoral 202 training put on by DSA. Correspondence and constituent services catchup.
Sunday 6/28: Attended a kangaroo court meeting of Central Indiana DSA - my last. Session 4 in Lafayette.
Monday 6/29: Pretty rough day. Worked to try to support my wife.
Tuesday 6/30: Therapy. Met with the Marion County Assessor, Joseph O’Connor, and a staff member to brainstorm ways to move assessments in a more progressive direction. Got lunch with a friend whose boss was just fired from the City due to political retaliation. Got a haircut.
As a reminder, I send these updates about how I spend my time to you because you pay my salary. I appreciate any and all feedback you have! What am I not doing enough of? What do you want to see more focus on? How can I better serve you?