From The Frederick News-Post  Sep 21, 2005

 

City grows green grassroots

Ivancic at vanguard of environmental movement in city

 

By LIAM FARRELL  News-Post Staff

 

FREDERICK: Joanne Ivancic, the Green Party candidate for alderman, wants the city of

Frederick to change.

 

She wants to see more solar power, wind power, environmentally friendly building standards,

water conservation, affordable housing for all Frederick residents and a moratorium on

development until the city takes a hard look at what its infrastructure can really support.

 

Ms. Ivancic, the first member of the Green Party to run for public office in the city of

Frederick, presented her campaign platform in a press conference Tuesday in front of

City Hall.

 

The most-critical part of her platform, called "Creating a Sustainable Future for Frederick,"

is the need to reform how the community consumes its energy resources.

 

"All of us are looking at electricity, gas and heating bills that will be much larger than

last winter," she said.

 

One of the central ideas of Ms. Ivancic's energy platform is to turn Frederick into a

"solar city." She advocates using current city property, such as the roofs of parking

decks, schools, and the safety zones at Frederick Municipal Airport for solar panels.

 

Ms. Ivancic said that cities such as San Francisco have used revenue bonds to pay for the

costs of using solar power by selling excess energy to utility companies. She said that since

Frederick has a high bond rating, revenue bonds would be a viable route for funding that

could keep utility costs low.

 

"There's conservation and investing in production of energy," she said. "Taken together

that’s what we can do."

 

The candidate said her ideas about solar power have been accepted enthusiastically by

residents.

 

"Their eyes light up and (they) say, `That's what we really need to do,'" she said.

 

Ms. Ivancic also advocates a development moratorium designed to alleviate the stresses of

overcrowded schools, traffic congestion and "diminishing water resources.”

 

"Will all new developments be built to use our resources as wisely as possible?" she asked.

"Will `Reduce, Recycle, Reuse' become the bywords of all builders in the city?"

 

She wants new developments to have the following: comprehensive water and energy impact

analyses; adequate school facilities and funds before new housing is built; transportation

changes to comply with environmental as well as logistical standards; and constant and

thorough involvement of people in Frederick.

 

"We're not saying there should be no development," she said. "There should be the right

kind of development."

 

Ms. Ivancic said she is confident Frederick residents are ready for new faces in public office.

 

Constituents have told her, "We need a change, we need something different, we need a new

perspective," she said. "They wanted to see another party."

 

She was also confident for the future.

 

"This is just a beginning," she said. "Ecological wisdom and a future focus on sustainability

are two of the guiding principles of the Frederick Green Party. That is why now is the time

to bring a Green Party candidate into City Hall."