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Issue #100, July/August 1998 |
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Issue #100, July/August 1998 |
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Access Publications & Services |
Checking on the CandidatesAs the end of the 105th Congress approaches and elections loom, advocacy groups' demand for legislative and candidate information is likely to increase dramatically. The Internet is making a wide range of information very accessible, and a handful of online tools, from data about roll call votes on the Senate floor to statistics on campaign contributions from your hometown, could prove useful to advocacy efforts. Project Vote Smart offers an extensive citizens' tool kit of free services, programs, and materials. This national nonprofit effort researches, tracks, and provides to the public independent information on more than 13,000 candidates and elected officials. Voting records, campaign issue positions, performance evaluations by special interests, campaign contributions, biographical information, and contact information are available over a toll-free Voter's Research Hotline, in manuals and other publications, and on the Vote Smart Web site. Vote Smart is nonpartisan; the founding board includes public figures ranging from Bill Bradley to Newt Gingrich, and the program is funded entirely by foundation grants and individual contributions. 888-VOTE-SMART (888-868-3762). The Center for Responsive Politics is a nonpartisan, nonprofit research group that specializes in the study of Congress, particularly the role that money plays in its elections and actions. The organization's extensive online databases include financial profiles of every upcoming House and Senate race; a Congressional Travel Database; databases of PACs, lobbyists, and individual contributors to campaigns; several state databases; and even a 1996 White House Coffee and Sleepover Database. The site, www.opensecrets.org, also includes Incumbent Personal Financial Disclosure documents. The Federal Election Commission Info page (also called Political Money Line) allows you to search for contribution records by candidate, contributor, or zip code, and also find PAC information. Contacting the Congress provides contact information for incumbents as well as basic biographical information and committee assignments. Publications State of the Cities, 1998; a report by HUD. HUD USER: 800-245-2691. Strategic Assessment of HUD 2020 Management Reform Plan. Public Strategies Group: "Emerging Issues in Urban Development", Vol. 3, No. 3 of Cityscape: A Journal of Policy Development and Research, includes articles about how cities can seek creative and innovative solutions that result from rapid changes in their environment. HUD USER: 800-245-2691. Is Your Community a Great Place to Live?, a primer on citizen participation in the planning process. $19 per 100. Planners Book Service: 312-786-6344;
The Eye of the Storm: Ten Years on the Front Lines of New Futures interviews two community-building pioneers on their roles and reactions to a five-city, comprehensive community initiative launched by the Annie E. Casey Foundation in 1988. 410-547-6600. www.aecf.org Getting Down to Business: Assessing Chicago Banks' Small Business Lending in Lower-Income Neighborhoods. $12 (nonprofit/government), $25 (for-profit). Woodstock Institute, 407 S. Dearborn, Suite 550, Chicago, IL 60605; 312-427-8070; woodstock@woodstockinst.org; www.woodstockinst.org 1998 Tax Fairness Organizing Kit and 1998 Wage Gap Organizing Kit. United for a Fair Economy, 37 Temple Place, 5th fl., Boston, MA 02111; 617-423-2148; www.stw.org Traffic Calming: The Solution to Urban Traffic and a New Vision for Neighborhood Livability. Sensible Transportation Options for People: 503-624-6083; stop@teleport.com Service Enriched Housing: Models and Methodologies. $30. Beyond Shelter: 213-252-0772. |
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