How Did This Happen?
by Marcia Martin, WTF Colorado
We don’t do by-lines in The Weathervane. We speak with one voice, we work for a common goal, and who wrote the words doesn’t matter.
I hope there are many more Weathervanes, I hope our readership grows and grows until the Eastern Plains are painted blue, and I hope, if there ever needs to be another by-line, it’s for reasons of journalistic integrity and not ego. And I really, really hope that’s true of this by-line.
I’m a frequent contributor to the Weathervane, I’m an original member of Win The Fourth Colorado, and I’m running for City Council. So in a sense I’m endorsing myself, and I’m not all that comfortable with it. Hence the by-line.
Running for public office was never in the plan. I had a satisfying career as an engineer and an inventor, raised a beautiful daughter, saved enough to retire. It was time to give back, I thought, and was looking for a nice way to volunteer. Maybe a women’s shelter, or tutoring.
November 8, 2016 found me working as an Election Judge in the polling center at Life Bridge Church, Longmont. There’s no news feed into the polling centers: no internet, radio, or TV. When the polls close, the Republican and Democratic lead judges must account for all voting materials, then courier the locked ballot boxes back to the courthouse. Gayle and I found out about the upset in the presidential race when we turned on her car radio at 9:30 pm.
We found out I was in shock at the courthouse after-party when somebody offered me a plate of food. That didn’t go well. Gayle left the party, which she was enjoying, to take me back to my car and see that I got home. She was a good friend.
The next morning I joined the Resistance. Called it that in my mind from the first, before the term gained currency. What else can you call it? We’re saving Democracy here.
I met Council member Polly Christensen because the San Francisco Board of Supervisors published their stirring and defiant Sanctuary City Resolution. I emailed that to Mayor Coombs and the Longmont City Council, challenging them to adopt their own such resolution. Polly was the only Member who wrote back. She had already introduced her resolution and invited me to come speak in support of it. So I did. It passed, just barely. Thank you, Polly.
At an ACLU training, I met Chiu-Ki Chan. Chiu-Ki had become a citizen just too late to vote in the 2016 election. But she joined the Resistance the same day I did.
A few days later Chiu-Ki invited me to join the formative meeting of a group intending to dedicate itself to opposing Ken Buck in the 4th Congressional District. I found myself in the midst of the most amazingly talented and passionate collection of people it has ever been my privilege to know. The infancy of the Resistance had had its frustrations, but it was clear from the beginning that Win The Fourth Colorado was going to grow up fast. This was the place to be to fight the fight.
WTF Colorado was doing the real work of the Resistance. We began holding conference calls, and publishing the Weathervane. We connected with the struggling activists of the plains, and helped them where we could. On Independence Day we helped marshal a bunch of Democrats to go out to Brush and ride the Democrats’ float in the Morgan County Parade.
What a day that was! Do you remember? We ruled that parade. We showed our nervous and isolated brothers and sisters that they weren’t alone. That was solidarity. That was patriotism. That was the purest joy I’ve ever felt.
The next day a committee of Longmont activists approached me because they needed a progressive candidate for city council. Full disclosure: it wasn’t the first time they’d asked. I thought I could do more from the outside. I didn’t see myself as someone who could be elected.
But coming off the high of that brilliant Fourth of July, there was just no way to say no. In the Resistance, we do the needful. It’s not as glamorous as waving a flag on a float, but we fix the sidewalks and we defend our little Sanctuary because that’s what we are fighting for: for decent homes for everyone, for living without fear, for Dreams.
So I said yes, and here I am endorsing myself. But really, I endorse the candidates who care the most. That’s who needs to win. If it’s not me, it’s fine. If it is, I’ll do my best.
So this fix I’m in is because of you, patriots of CD4. You know who you are. Polly and Chiu-Ki, and all the Steves, and Craig with the camera. You, Hero of the Resistance. You, Dear Editor. Too many to name. I sure hope this works out.
Originally published in The Weathervane No 14 on August 25, 2017. [Subscribe]
[Editor’s note: Marcia Martin of WTF Colorado was elected to the Longmont, Colorado City Council on November 7, 2017, defeating the incumbent by 15%. Another progressive challenger, Aren Rodriguez, was also elected, and Councilwoman Polly Christensen was re-elected by a large margin.]
