Results are in for PB in Chicago's 45th ward: school sports field turf, community garden, viaduct repairs and lighting, crossing lights at transit center, street lighting, and street resurfacing. Congrats to John Arena and all the ward residents and volunteers!
Results of Participatory Budgeting are in:
More than 650 people came out to cast their ballots during 45th Ward Participatory Budgeting last week and over the weekend, and the results are in.
Voters decided that 54.6 percent of the $1 million should be spent on street resurfacing and streetlight projects, leaving $454,000 for special projects. Find information on the projects on the ballot at my website.
The vote totals on the special projects are as follows:
Viaduct Remediation and Pigeon Abatement ($120,000) - 282 votes;
Beaubien Elementary Artificial Turf ($183,100) - 280 votes;
Improved Lighting on the Milwaukee Ave. Viaduct just north of the Jefferson Park Transit Center ($23,000) - 269 votes;
OLV/St. John's Food Pantry Community Garden ($2,500) - 201 votes;
Pedestrian Crossing Light at the Jefferson Park Transit Center ($125,000) - 199 votes;
Olive's Neighborhood Garden Expansion ($5,000) - 186 votes;
Solar Recycling/Compacting Cans ($28,745) - 182 votes;
Bike Lanes on Milwaukee from Lawrence to Addison ($125,000) - 172 votes;
Independence Park Playground ($350,000) - 165 votes;
On-Street Bike Corrals ($10,000) - 157 votes;
Lawrence Buffered Bike Lane from Cicero to Long ($70,000) - 131 votes;
Replacing Fencing Along Pedestrian Path to Gladstone Metra ($25,000) - 126 votes;
Community Identifiers in Independence Park ($30,000) - 111 votes;
Milwaukee Avenue Street Pole Repainting from Foster to Peterson ($41,000) - 83 votes; and
Information Kiosks at Three Locations ($54,000) - 51 votes.
Right now, we should be able to fund the top five projects with the money not spent on streets. However, we are working on ways to make the money go even further and do even more. I'll keep you informed as we work to implement your decisions.
I want to thank everyone you took the time to come out and vote. I also want to thank the dozens of community volunteers who helped organize meetings, researched project ideas, and organized projects for the ballot. Participatory budgeting does not work without your participation. I'm glad you took the time to be a part of it.
We'll start organizing for 2014 in the coming months.
Boston Ujima Project is revolutionizing the way we consider community investment and creating a community controlled economy in Boston! - #democracybeyondelections #solidarityeconomies
"2021 is a big year for the organization. In 2018, Boston Ujima Project launched the Ujima Fund with a goal to raise $5 million by the end of the year. Evans said Ujima is well on its way to reaching that goal, having raised more than $3.7 million with 313 investors to date. The fund pools money from community members, supporters, and foundations, and will be invested in local businesses in communities of color, all vetted and voted on by Ujima members who get one vote each — no matter how much they invested."
https://www.boston.com/news/business/2021/02/17/boston-ujima-project-fostering-change-in-boston
Seattle’s $30 million #ParticipatoryBudgeting process includes $12 MILLION DIRECTLY DIVESTED from the police budget to be DIRECTLY INVESTED by community.
This is what we mean by real decision-making power. Our Director of Partnerships and Strategy, Kristania De Leon, spoke to The Appeal - alongside our amazing partners in Seattle - about #participatorybudgeting, real decision-making power, and divesting from harm to invest in real systems change.
As Kristania shares, “... the goal is not to create one-time projects and hope that sustained equity will come out of that; this is just one step that’s part of a larger vision of justice. ‘We’re looking at this as a system’s change. And it needs to be a long term, deep commitment.’”
Check out the article, share, and join the conversation- this is one step and our collective #visionsforjustice!
https://theappeal.org/politicalreport/seattle-participatory-budgeting-defund-police/
🎉Join the PBP team THIS Wednesday, December 16th at 7 pm ET (4 pm PT) for a year-end virtual celebration!🎉
We're coming together this Wednesday to reflect on what we've accomplished in 2020, and dream, strategize, and plan together for what's to come in 2021 - and beyond!
🎫Tickets are FREE with a $10 suggested donation.
📍RSVP Today! https://www.eventbrite.com/e/131509090229
