Rotzler gets started on priorities
Green trustee bolsters team efforts with unique perspective
By Emily Anderson
Green Party of California

When most Greens hear the words "New Paltz, New York," they immediately think about same-sex marriage and mayor Jason West's face gracing the pages of People Magazine's "50 Hottest Bachelors" issue.

There is, however, another force behind New Paltz's politically progressive policies: trustee Rebecca Rotzler.

Rotzler, who was elected May 6, 2003 along with West and Julia Walsh as part of the Innovation Campaign, has begun work on a series of improvements in the village of New Paltz, including the creation of an affordable housing task force and the installation of a sewage system that converts methane gas into heat for local residences.

	New Paltz, N.Y. village trustee Rebecca Rotzler speaks at A Green World Is Possible, a Green Party-sponsored festival during the Republican National Convention in New York City. Photo: Steve Scher (baysidefriend.us )

Plans for the future include an increase in the use of solar and wind power and a downtown business revitalization project in which legislation that supports small local businesses will be promoted.
Rotzler has also expressed a desire to increase the amount of bio-diesel public transportation in New Paltz so as to reduce traffic and protect the quaint small-town appeal of the village. On her first day as trustee, Rotzler worked to move the location of the New Paltz village meetings from a room that seated 25 people to one that seated 100 in the hopes that citizens would feel more inclined to attend meetings and voice their ideas and suggestions directly to their elected officials.
The meetings are also televised, Rotzler pointed out, "for the first time in history," thus making the proceedings accessible to all citizens of the village. When asked about the differences that Rotzler's changes have brought about in village meetings, she noted that they have "resulted in longer meetings, but this is what democracy should look like."

And speaking of democracy, all of America saw Rotzler's opinion of what it should look liked this May when Rotzler, working with West and Walsh, performed hundreds of samesex marriages in New Paltz, where she was deputized as a marriage officer.

"We all know that this is an issue supported by the Green platform," Rotzler commented. "Jason and I both knew even before we took the oath of office that we would be conducting such ceremonies. Fortunately, although we are still in the middle of legal struggles, our two town justices have both ruled that it is unconstitutional to deny people the right to marry based on their gender, as it should be."
Rotzler and her fellow New Paltz Greens are currently in the middle of a legal battle, acting under the guidance of the ACLU and The New Paltz Equality Initiative, a group which took over once injunctions were placed against the Green officials.

Despite these setbacks, Rotzler is positive about the future of same-sex marriage legality. "I have no doubt that we will see true justice," she said.

"My parents were bi-racial; during their lifetime their marriage became 'legal.' For them, us, and any other Greens, we have the Constitution on our side."

Although she is perhaps best known for her efforts on behalf of same-sex marriages, a large and perhaps unique part Rotzler's political philosophy is rooted in a deep commitment to serving the needs and heeding the voices of the elderly citizens of New Paltz.

She attributed this outlook to "coming from a Native American culture where verbal "storytelling" acts as a textbook for everything from history to ethics."

For her, the "emphasis on respect for elders cannot be overstated. Elders provide a living history and are able to provide details that are important to any society."

And this dedication to meeting the political desires of the elderly is evident in Rotzler's policy to keep the rising cost of property and rent in New Paltz affordable to seniors of limited means.

She also emphasized the importance of uniting the young and the old as a way of sharing differing levels of experience, knowledge and energy, empowering citizens who will strengthen and rejuvenate both the Green Party and the village of New Paltz.

"It is not surprising," said Rotzler, "that many Greens are also 'elders;' they have seen enough of our history to understand that the Green platform is the right platform. By bringing them together with our youth they bring the wisdom, our youth bring the energy and open minds to enact good ideas."

When asked about the strategy she used to get elected, Rotzler stresses that running three candidates in order to have a majority on the board was integral to her success. This allowed her to work as a member of a team, discuss and agree on issues with her fellow Green candidates and gain and give support from and to those running for office alongside her.

When asked how being a Green affects her leadership style as well as her goals for the future, Rotzler responded, "as a Green I feel I have a lot to live up to, not only because of our platform and the amount of positive change we still need to make a reality, but also because we are serving as a model for other communities who will benefit from Greens in office.

"The comforting factor lies in the amount of trust I feel from members of our community who look up to what I have to say and are thankful for what we have done and promise to do in the future."

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