STEPHANIE REARICK: For the environment, Manski is the best candidate

Dear Editor: Regarding your article on Assembly District 77, the Green Party's Ben Manski is clearly the most dedicated and active environmentalist of the candidates for the seat Spencer Black is vacating.

I met Ben when he came to work for Greenpeace while I was directing the local office here. Before he had his interview I saw him leading Madison's protest against the creation of the World Trade Organization, which was being fast-tracked under Democratic President Bill Clinton -- and which, predictably, has vastly accelerated the economic climate that's driven down wages, eliminated jobs and hacked away at environmental regulation globally. I've since seen him work tirelessly to stop the Crandon mine, end the rampant road building, fight for sustainable family farms, and to both create and promote effective tools for grass-roots democratic action.

Just as importantly, he doesn't sell out his environmental principles when the Democrats are the ones destroying the planet (NAFTA, "clean coal," nukes, oil wars, etc.)

If you value your planet more than partisanship, Ben Manski is your candidate.