DFA Training Academy graduate wins election in Silvis, IL

Written by: Alta Price on Feb 28, 2007 10:32 PM EST

Linked to groups: Democracy for America-Quad Cities

 When Caryn Unsicker attended our DFA Training Academy last April in the Illinois Quad Cities, she was already a successful peace activist and had started to organize in opposition to the world's largest hog slaughterhouse that the powers-that-be were trying to foist upon her community, against the wishes of the vast majority of its citizens. I knew her well enough to drag her to the Training Academy, although never having been to one, I wasn't sure if it was designed for grassroots activists not interested in political campaigns.

 As it turned out, Caryn - and everyone else - loved the Training Academy. She thought it was the most interesting training she had ever attended. Of course at the time she never dreamed she'd one day be running for office!

 Caryn was able to put her training to immediate use. Her Silvis City Council was the only one of seven local governments to vote against TIF funding for the slaughterhouse, putting a (sadly) temporary halt on the project. The powers-that-be, including the local Democratic Party establishment, decided to punish the alderman who stood up against the hog plant by running pro-slaughterhouse candidates in the Democratic primary. Caryn decided to run for the Silvis City Council herself.

The strategies she and her volunteers learned at the Training Academy were invaluable in running her low budget, grassroots campaign. She knocked on doors and made phone calls, and DFAers turned out to knock on the door of every Democratic primary voter in her ward. On election day we knew how to get her supporters out to vote.

Caryn beat her pro-slaughterhouse opponent, 87 votes to 61 votes. Although that might not seem like a lot of votes, Caryn got more votes in her race than anyone else in the four primary races in Silvis, including three other races featuring incumbents with opponents. We were glad that the three anti-slaughterhouse incumbents all won as well. In Silvis Democrats get elected, so we are confident that Caryn Unsicker will go on to win the general election in April.

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