Community First: Nick Vaughn will not seek office in 2019, but he's writing a book.

While I was overjoyed and overwhelmed with the immense outpouring of support (including a very respectable amount of money raised), I would not have been able to mount the kind of race I wanted to in 2019.

For a refresher, go here:

Nick Vaughn forms exploratory committee, then joins anti-KKK protesters in Madison.

Nick would have been a vital presence in the 2019 municipal campaign cycle, but he has ample time to push his boat into the water.

Meanwhile, he's writing a book.

ANNOUNCEMENT: The idea of Community First is something I have been thinking about for a long time. What does it mean? How do we put our Community First? What does putting our Community First look like, specifically in Small Town America?

With that being said, I am pleased to announce that over the past year, I have been writing a book. This book is going to consist of ideas, policy suggestions, and an overall vision I have developed not only for New Albany, but all small towns and cities like New Albany.

I hope that you will join me on this journey and look out for more information. A free chapter will be coming soon along with pre-order information.

The official web page is sparse as yet, but bookmark it for future reference.

COMMUNITY FIRST: A VISION FOR SMALL TOWN AMERICA, by Nick Vaughn

Nick Vaughn forms exploratory committee, then joins anti-KKK protesters in Madison.

Nick Vaughn was on hand yesterday to join protesters at the Ku Klux Kooks gathering in Madison, Indiana.

What?

You say it's "kookout, not "kooks"?

Okay; whatever.

I think "kooks out" works better, but sadly, spelling deficiencies aren't confined to white supremacists. Vaughn had this to say about it at his Facebook campaign page.

Was proud and honored to speak against the hateful KKK today in Madison, IN. They have no place in Madison, New Albany, or anywhere else in this world.

Any other local Republicans care to weigh in?

Meanwhile, since Friday it has been made safe to refer overtly to Vaughn's prospective campaign, because this was the day he formed a formal "exploratory" committee.

Nick Vaughn to File Exploratory Committee

At approximately 11:30 AM, Nick Vaughn filed an Exploratory Committee for an unannounced office named "Nick Vaughn for New Albany." In the coming weeks and months, Nick Vaughn for New Albany will begin to meet with community leaders and concerned citizens about the issues facing New Albany. Additionally, Nick Vaughn for New Albany will begin to develop solutions to problems such as out-of-control spending, public housing, and ending the status quo in City Hall.

Finally, we are able to announce a few members of Nick Vaughn for New Albany:

Chief Advisor, Michael Grim
Treasurer, David Vaughn III
Youth Outreach Coordinator, Sam Stricker

The requisite Indiana form asks the filer to explain why he or or she is forming the committee, and Vaughn answered with "feasibility of a citywide campaign." The Green Mouse is hazarding a guess that it's not a campaign for city clerk, but beyond this, we know little.

GREEN MOUSE SAYS: What does it mean, this social media surge by Nick Vaughn?

Vaughn also has established a PayPal site for donations.

Now, for the local chain newspaper's coverage of the Kooks Up in Madison.

KKK event draws hundreds of protesters to Southern Indiana, by Erin Walden (A Cornucopia of Tom May Content)

Third "Ku Klux Kookout" held in Jaycee Park

MADISON — Hundreds of protesters descended upon Jaycee Park on Saturday afternoon, drawn together by their common objection to one thing: a cookout put together by the Ku Klux Klan.

This is the third year there’s been a “Ku Klux Kookout” in the small tourist city of Madison, nestled along the Ohio River in Southern Indiana, and the third time it’s drawn protests.

The Klansmen, some of whom had their faces covered with bandanas and handkerchiefs, gathered in a shelter house atop a small hill in the park. The group was comprised of fewer than 20 people, mainly men, who waved the American, Confederate and Nazi flags.

A chain link fence and police from three agencies — Indiana State Police, Jefferson County Sheriff's Department and Madison Police Department — along with barricades separated the Klansmen from hundreds of protesters.

“We are not a hate group,” Derek Eaglin, the leader of the KKK group, told the crowd. “We are not anti-black, we are pro-white.”

Their rhetoric seemed to contradict that sentiment. The group often shouted slurs at the protesters and argued that “diversity” and “minorities” are the cause for drugs in their community ...

 ... Another half of the protesters took a different approach. The Southern Indiana Fairness Alliance, Jefferson County United and Kaleidoscope, Hanover College’s diversity club, came together to organize counter measures against the “kookout,” according to Evan Stoner, a Jeffersonville native. The three groups lined up public speakers to send a different message to the KKK ...

Nick Vaughn announces the formation of an exploratory committee, but what office is he seeking?

Two weeks ago the Green Mouse's nose began twitching.

GREEN MOUSE SAYS: What does it mean, this social media surge by Nick Vaughn?

Last night we received a press release.

REMINDER: Nick Vaughn to File Exploratory Committee

At approximately 11:30 AM at the Floyd County Clerk's Office, Nick Vaughn will file an Exploratory Committee for an unannounced office in the upcoming New Albany city elections. Additionally, Nick will be available for approximately 15 minutes to answer brief questions from any media members or citizens. An additional press release will be sent out around noon on August 31st with more information regarding the exploratory committee.

Thank you and we hope to see you there!

What's an exploratory committee? Here's the official Indiana explanation, circa 2016.

A candidate’s committee is designated by a candidate to accept contributions and make expenditures for the purpose of promoting the candidate for election. A candidate who has not decided whether to become a candidate for a specific office may organize an “exploratory committee.” (IC 3-5-2-7) This candidate must file an amended statement of organization when the individual decides to become a candidate for a specific office, when the individual has filed a declaration of candidacy.

More to the point, exactly which office is Vaughn considering? In 2015, he contested the Republican nomination for 6th district city council, narrowly losing.

The Green Mouse says: Think bigger in 2019.

Civil rights attorney (and New Albanian) Dan Canon is considering a run for the Indiana 9th Congressional District seat.

It's a relief not to feel compelled to keep this a secret any longer.

Principled man, principled stances. Perhaps the somnolent Democratic establishment might consider adapting itself to him, and not the other way around.

---

Civil Rights Attorney Dan Canon Considering Run for Indiana 9th Congressional District

Potential candidate for IN, 9th Congressional District, primary (2018)

About Me

I grew up in Clark and Floyd Counties, the son of a working-class single mother, and have lived here almost all of my life. At age 17, I dropped out of high school. I got my GED and worked as a music teacher for about a decade while I put myself through college. I was the first in my family to graduate from a university. I had never even met a lawyer before I started law school, but I finally beat the odds and graduated with honors in 2007. I’ve maintained a civil rights practice with a small firm since then.

As a civil rights lawyer, I have been fortunate enough to represent people from all walks of life. I have gotten to hear a lot of stories. And I’ve seen ordinary, hardworking people get taken advantage of over and over again by the wealthy and the powerful. In Indiana and Kentucky, I’ve represented teachers against school systems, union laborers against big corporate employers, veterans against the federal government, police officers against corrupt departments, and inmates against unimaginably violent prison systems. I’ve taken on several governors, and I’ve taken on the President. I was honored to help committed couples achieve the equal dignity of marriage before the United States Supreme Court in the case of Obergefell v. Hodges. And I am proud to represent immigrants and refugees seeking a better life through America’s promise of liberty and justice for all.

Indiana’s 9th District needs someone who isn’t afraid to speak out against Washington and big business. And Indiana needs someone who will be a voice in Congress for everyone - not just a select few. I have spent my life providing a voice to the voiceless. Now I’m considering running to be your representative. I think I’m the right person, and I hope to have your support.

What I Stand For

A Right to Health Care

I believe that health care is a fundamental human right, not a luxury good for a privileged few. Our for-profit health care system is broken. And while the Affordable Care Act was an improvement for many people, it still places too heavy a burden on the middle class while protecting the wealthy. The GOP proposal to “repeal and replace” the ACA is just another tax break for the wealthy, and would make things even worse. The simple fact of the matter is: Americans cannot truly be free when their healthcare is tied to an employer, or when their lives depend on the profit margins of giant corporations.

Every other advanced nation in the world - including nations which Americans have supported with our tax dollars - guarantees health care for all of its citizens. And every one of those nations have better health outcomes, including infant mortality, maternal mortality, and overall life expectancy. Not one of these countries would require its citizens to ruin their financial futures just for the privilege of staying alive. But here in the United States, we still can’t even find out what we will pay for a service before we receive it, and middle-class families go bankrupt from medical debt every day. That’s unacceptable, and we cannot tolerate it any longer.

Bringing Back the Middle Class

Career politicians of both parties have been trying for 40 years to sell the idea that if we just help the rich get even richer, we’ll all get better. That’s a lie. And this 40-year lie is killing the middle class, pushing more and more people into what we call the “working poor.” There should be no such thing as the “working poor.” No working person should be poor - period. And in the wealthiest country in the world, there is no reason that any person should live in poverty.

The backbone of a vibrant economy has always been the middle class. And our middle class here in Indiana must be permitted to organize, paid a fair wage, given the opportunity to invest, and empowered to support their families with more than just a paycheck. We have to make some drastic changes if this is going to happen.

Truth Matters

In this age of “alternative facts,” our elected leaders routinely deny the truth in order to forward their own agendas, rather than the best interests of voters. For decades, career politicians have scared workers with lies about social issues, all while stealing their job options, their wages, their pensions, and their futures. Americans have been taught that they should focus on the welfare recipient, the single mother, the immigrant, or the drug addict who takes their dime, while ignoring billionaires who take their whole wallet.

I believe that Indiana’s 9th District needs elected officials who value data, analysis, real science, and real facts. Hoosiers need a representative who knows that climate change isn’t a myth, and that we can take steps to improve our quality of life as a result. We need someone who isn’t afraid of technological innovation, but who embraces it as the way of the future, using it to create new industries, jobs, and improved standards of living. We need a representative who respects the right of all people to make their own medical decisions, and who wants people to have the best education possible so they can make those decisions in an informed way. We need a representative who, instead of antagonizing news outlets or favoring biased sources, works with the media in an effort to be transparent. And we need a representative with integrity; someone who can’t be sold to the highest bidder, and someone who will look at the relevant facts, data, and expert opinions before making a decision based on political gain.

Justice For All

I believe that America’s promise of “justice for all” should mean that no matter who you are, you should be treated with dignity and given equal access to the abundant opportunities available to Americans. No one should suffer discrimination based upon their race, gender, religion, sexuality, disability, or nationality. There should not be separate justice systems for people of different races. There should not be separate rules for the wealthy and the poor. Our children, siblings, and parents with drug addiction issues should not be treated like common criminals and left to die in horrific, unnecessarily violent prison systems. People who are patients in one state should not be criminals in another, just because of their choice of medication. Those who have broken the law and served their time should be given a path back to equal citizenship and equal dignity. And those who have escaped war, extreme poverty, and corruption in their homelands should be given a chance to provide for their families and make a better life here.

An exploratory committee is born, as we inch ever closer to Gahan versus Seabrook for mayor in 2019.

The prospect for endless political entertainment just took a quantum leap, and the ghost of Verle Huffman stirs uneasily. Somewhere, a dog barks.

I'd been saying to myself, no more independent mayoral runs ... unless ... but then again, who'll be the 3rd district council candidate?

Is this real, or a feint? Will Jeff Gahan attend the debates, or Mike Hall?

Who is John Galt?

My political future now depends on who donates the most to my Pub Comeback Kickstarter, doesn't it? Here's a hint: $5 million is far too much.

I'm opportunistic, not greedy.

Seabrook forms committee for New Albany mayoral run, by Chris Morris (The View from Jeffersonville)

NEW ALBANY — It looks like Mark Seabrook is already making plans for the 2019 New Albany city election.

Seabrook confirmed he has filed paperwork and formed an exploratory committee for a possible run for mayor of New Albany. This will allow him to raise and spend money for his campaign.

Seabrook, a Republican, is currently completing a third term as Floyd County Commissioner. He also served on the New Albany City Council for 11 years before running for commissioner.

"I just wanted to get it out there to see how much support I have," he said.

Pardon the interruption: "Today I am announcing my Exploratory Committee for the office of Mayor of New Albany."

Hello, I'm Roger Baylor.

Today I am announcing my Exploratory Committee for the office of Mayor of New Albany.

To refresh readers’ memories, here were the vote totals from the general election in 2011.

• Gahan: 4,506 votes or 64.3 percent
• Bagshaw: 1,389 votes or 19.8 percent
• Messer: 1,024 votes or 14.6 percent
• Keister: 88 votes or 1.2 percent

You may recall that I ran for city council-at-large as a Democrat in the primary that same year, finishing with 1,341 votes. Obviously, 20% isn’t going to cut the mustard, although the cheese is another story entirely, and this is the reason for today’s announcement of an exploratory committee, and the many opportunities for beer-fueled meetings it entails.

For ten years running, progressive ideals have been the sole impetus for progress in New Albany. The problem is that progressivism has been held hostage to leaden, glacial and sullen implementation, in tiny bits and imperceptible pieces.

This owes primarily (a) to too little book reading, and (b) to the dictates of the same, tired politics of patronage, as practiced by two boring, uncreative and frankly embarrassing political parties. To look back over three decades of decay management is to see numerous missed opportunities, when simply looking at what has been proven to work in more dynamic settings might have provided a ready template for reinvention.

Instead, old ways of thinking that first failed during the Warren G. Harding years are spiced with a dash of Sriracha sauce, and voila! Victory is declared, and the paybacks commence anew. Unfortunately, we haven’t won. We’re not even close to winning the future, and yet still the forward movement proceeds at the pace of tectonic plates.

Obviously, the usual suspects and the usual grudging, halting, dilatory tactics aren’t going to be adequate to usher New Albany into the 20th century, much less the third decade of the 21st. This is the reason for the exploratory committee. In barroom chat, veritas.

In the coming weeks, I will be reaching out to a broad, bi-partisan array of local men and women united by a common desire to drink gratis Progressive Pints as we brainstorm ways to contest the 2015 election. All I can guarantee at present is that not a single one of them will be employees of the Floyd County Health Department, and that at no point now or in the future will I agree to wear a suit and tie, although I may be compelled to purchase new underwear, because it’s been a few years now, and the chafing is getting to me.

Isn’t it time for progressivism to be pushed to the front of the local agenda? The back of the bus may have been good enough for your great grandfather, who voted for Eugene Debs before being hauled off to Leavenworth (maybe it was Birdseye), but it isn’t good enough now, when tolls threaten our civic fabric, and Bill Allen’s squalid dump of a Main Street building begs for immediate confiscation and redeployment.

There’ll be show trials, transparency, immediate two-way streets, the most heads spotted rolling since Robespierre, a Bicentennial do-over, exile, hemlock, sustainability, Wi-Fi, an annexation of Community Dark, a proliferation of Community Dark and the conversion of Main Street into a bicycle superhighway. No unattended child will be left behind, and no party boss behinds will be left without a vigorous spanking. There’ll be a chicken in every pot, and the farmers market in a roofless vacant lot.

This effort is not about a person, it is about the cause of New Albanian freedom and greatness and craft beer. I'd like to ask you to join with us - volunteer, donate, or just pass this along to a friend. Thanks so much.