Q: What is the purpose of the petition?
A: The petition provides a way of demonstrating widespread grassroots support for halting the land auctions and repealing Section 548. The petition states in clear terms a set of concerns that the signers hold in common. The petition indicates the immediate actions needed and the direction in which we need to move. It provides a counter to expected attempts on the part of Section 548 proponents to misrepresent public concerns. By signing the petition, organizations join a communications network that keeps them informed and increases their effectiveness.

Q: How will the petition be used?
A: The petition will be presented to a variety of elected and appointed officials, including the Governor, The head of the Department of Capital Asset Management, the legislative leadership, and local legislators. The petition can be cited by the various signing organizations to show that their concerns over land reuse are shared by others.

Q: What is the relationship between signers?
A: Each signing organization is viewed as an equal co-sponsor of the petition and each can use the petition as it wishes to promote the goals of the petition. A variety of organizations are distributing the petition through their websites and contacts.

Q: My legislator said (s)he supports our goals. Can we simply step back and let legislators provide the leadership?
A: Incumbents are always interested in showing their responsiveness to citizen complaints, and its great to see that a growing number of legislators are now speaking out against Section 548. However, continued grass roots leadership is important to build the pressure for reform, convince other legislators to back away from Section 548, keep the real goals clear, prevent deals that can thwart reform, and ensure that a democratic process prevails.

Q: What about broader and longer term needs for affordable housing, open space protection, land use reform, and community-driven smart growth?
A: These are critical issues that many of the petition signers are working on, and which need greater attention and support. But the petition itself is carefully focused to allow us to quickly organize a citizenís call for immediate preventive action. We hope to prevent irreparable harm by acting now, in this legislative session (which means January-June of 2005). After that, it is hoped that the signing organizations will continue working together to build grassroots support for morre fundamental land use reforms that are urgently needed to provide affordable housing and open space preservation in a framework of sustainable, just, community-driven development.

Text of the Petition (and signatures)

How your organization can join the effort.