EDITOR’S NOTE: Starting Monday and running through Thursday, The Daily Illini will be printing a series of articles featuring lesser-known active political groups in Champaign-Urbana. Today’s story will focus on the Green Party, which promotes ideas that aim for a more sustainable environment and government.

Friday evening, as Rich Whitney sipped his vodka martini – dirty on the rocks – he discussed why his plan to fix the Illinois economy – shaken on the rocks – is better than any proposal offered by a Democrat or a Republican.

As the Illinois Green Party candidate for governor, Whitney met with members of the Prairie Greens, the Green Party of East Central Illinois, last week.

The meeting, which was less formal than its monthly meetings at the Independent Media Center in Urbana, was an example of the presence of one of the smaller political parties in the Champaign-Urbana area.

Tom Abram, press officer for the Prairie Greens and University alumnus, said local participation is modest, with 500 to 600 people on the group’s mailing list.

The Prairie Greens was founded in 2000 to help Ralph Nader’s presidential campaign.

Abram said the group’s appeal is diverse, with stances that agree with some progressives, moderate conservatives and the members of Campus Greens, a Registered Student Organization that focuses on environmental issues.

“Right now, in the state, the biggest issue is the budget and the economy,” Abram said.

“Even if there’s money allocated in the budget, it doesn’t end up getting to (the University).”

According to the Office for Planning and Budgeting, the state owes the University $464 million of the $717 million allocated for fiscal year 2010 as of March 31.

Whitney said student involvement in the Green Party, though sporadic, can help influence elections. But students are only in the campus environment for so long.

One way the Green Party stands apart from the two main parties is its denial of any campaign contributions from corporations and other businesses. Some say this policy helps cut down the influence that money could have on a candidate’s political positions.

“We believe we have better ideas than the two corporate parties,” said Charlie Howe of Carbondale, the Green Party’s candidate for district 115 in the Illinois House.

Like the two main parties, the Greens are concerned about the state budget and education.

But as a third party in Illinois, they also face challenges that make it difficult to have a strong voice in statewide politics.

Illinois policy requires that non-established parties get more signatures in order to get a candidate on the ballot.

In 2006, the Green Party became an established party in Illinois when Whitney received over 10 percent of the votes for governor – five percent more than the state requires in order to become an established party.

As an established party this election cycle, it needs only 5,000 signatures in 90 days to get statewide candidates on the ballot, instead of the 25,000 that non-established parties need.

Although Abram said he is confident Whitney will receive 5 percent of the vote this November, he said if he does not, the party would return to its smaller party status.

In Champaign County, Whitney received more than the state’s average by getting over 16 percent of the vote, according to the Illinois State Board of Elections.

“I think we’re seeing that we are already influencing the debate in terms of what’s being discussed,” he said. “Even if we’re not elected, we can still have an important influence,”

One local issue the party is focused on is controlling urban sprawl, such as the extension of Olympian Drive, Abram said.

Abram said the party is concerned with the possible increase in transportation cost and the removal of valuable farm land due to the proposed Olympian Drive expansion.

“People aren’t going to be ripping up the pavement and planting beans and corn or anything in the future,” he said.