The Oregon Bus Project is hosting its Wheelies awards on October 5, and is soliciting your online vote for who should win. It's like the Oscars of state politics. Here are the nominees:
Citizen-Driven Campaign Award:
Nick, Zach and Jake Klonsoki, for the Dollar Check-Off
Jody Wiser and Tax Fairness Oregon, for tax fairness
Sunset Primary School 4th Graders, for the Dungeness Crab Campaign
Friends of Lents Park, for keeping the stadium outta Lents
Save Helvetia, for protecting historic farmland in Washington County
Portland's Homeless Community, for the sit-in against the Sit-LieCourage Award:
Oregon Food Bank, for stepping out of their comfort zone and kicking butt against Measure 64
Eastern Oregon University Student Democrats, for helping La Grande HS students stage their banned play
Amanda Fritz, Robert Liberty and Nick Kahl, for standing up against the 12-lane Columbia River Crossing
Bob Jenson and Greg Smith, for bucking their party when Oregon's future was on the line
Sara Gelser, for leading the closure of the School for the BlindHigh Road Bus-iness Award:
New Seasons
G-diapers
Rejuvenation
Collins Pine
Burgerville
Witham & DickeyCampaign for the Public Good Award:
Defend Oregon, for beating back bad ballot measures
Oregon Action, for fighting Portland racial profiling
Save the Metolius, for creating the first "critical area of state concern"
Farm to School, for farm to schools
Stand for Children, for supporting school funding through tax fairness
Yes on Measure 49, for a helluva grassroots campaign for Oregon land use
Casting a cursory eye over the nominations, it's good to see Oregon Action's campaign on racial profiling included, and Defend Oregon's work on bad ballot measures, too. I like that Amanda Fritz, Nick Kahl and Robert Liberty got credit for standing up to the CRC, and I'm particularly pleased to see "Portland's Homeless Community" nominated for their sit-in against the sit/lie law. Worthy stuff.
