Archives West Finding Aid
Table of Contents
Missoula New Party oral history project, 2005-2006
Overview of the Collection
- Title
- Missoula New Party oral history project
- Dates
- 2005-2006 (inclusive)20052006
- Quantity
- 4 interviews
- Collection Number
- Oh 400
- Summary
- The four interviewees recorded in 2005 and 2006 by interviewer, Jack Rowan, discuss the New Party in Missoula, Montana. They discuss its beginnings, activities, challenges and eventual demise.
- Repository
-
University of Montana, Mansfield Library, Archives and Special Collections
Archives and Special Collections
Maureen and Mike Mansfield Library
University of Montana
32 Campus Dr. #9936
59812-9936
Missoula, MT
Telephone: 406-243-2053
library.archives@umontana.edu - Access Restrictions
-
Researchers must use collection in accordance with the policies of Archives and Special Collections, the Maureen and Mike Mansfield Library, and The University of Montana-Missoula.
- Languages
- English
Historical NoteReturn to Top
Around 1991, the New Party in Missoula, Montana began as membership political organization with membership rolls. It ended in early 2002, outlasting many other New Party chapters in the United States by four years. While the New Party self-described as a "small-d democrat" and "progressive" party, detractors argued that the New Party was little more than a pressure group.
The demise of the New Party started with the 1997 U.S. Supreme Court decision in Timmons versus Twin Cities Area New Party. The Court, in a 6-3 decision, upheld the Minnesota ban on cross-endorsing candidates, rejecting the New Party's argument that electoral fusion was a right protected by the First Amendment's freedom of association clause.
Content DescriptionReturn to Top
The four interviewees recorded in 2005 and 2006 by interviewer, Jack Rowan, discuss the New Party in Missoula, Montana. They discuss its beginnings, activities, challenges and eventual demise.
Use of the CollectionReturn to Top
Restrictions on Use
Researchers are responsible for using in accordance with 17 U.S.C. and any other applicable statutes. Copyright transferred to The University of Montana-Missoula.
Preferred Citation
[Name of document or photograph number], Missoula New Party Oral History Project, Archives and Special Collections, Maureen and Mike Mansfield Library, The University of Montana-Missoula.
Administrative InformationReturn to Top
Detailed Description of the CollectionReturn to Top
Description | Dates |
---|---|
OH 400-01: Interview with John Fletcher
Sound Recording, audio
cassette, analog
Transcript, 17 leaves
John Fletcher, an early members of the New Party who became the
clerk or treasurer of the Party for many years, discusses aspects of the New
Party community, including: the role of the clerk/treasurer in the
organization; issues of importance to the New Party (living wage, neighborhood
associations); the role of active members of the New Party and the social
outlet that the Party provided; Party strategies; and the dissolution of the
Party. He explains his view that the New Party was about getting people more
informed about local politics through regular meetings and research.
|
2005 October 30 |
OH 400-02: Interview with Jim McGrath
Sound Recording, audio
cassette, analog
Transcript, 18 leaves
Jim McGrath, New Party member and former Missoula, Montana, City
Council member, discusses issues surrounding local politics during the decade
of the 1990s, especially related to the New Party, standard debates in
progressive politics, the collaborative and inclusive atmosphere of New Party
meetings, New Party issues including growth management, social justice, and
housing issues, how the diverse elements in the party stayed united and
strategies for organizing diverse constituencies, his decision to run for city
council; barriers facing the success of the New Party, the New Party’s
relationship with the Democratic Party, the introduction of nonpartisan local
elections, and the long fight for and eventual passage of the living wage
ordinance.
|
2006 January 16 |
OH 400-03: Interview with Judy Smith
Sound Recording, audio
cassette, analog
Transcript, 18 leaves
Smith describes the beginnings of the Missoula, Montana, New Party
and their issues including living wage, open space, and affordable housing. She
explains the effects of organized hostility toward the New Party and describes
the decision-making processes to gain election wins in Missoula, the course of
the party, and its demise.
|
2006 April 30 |
OH 400-04: Interview with John Torma
Sound Recording, audio
cassette, analog
Transcript, 13 leaves
John Torma, New Party member and former Missoula, Montana, City
Council member, discusses what drew him into the New Party, running for office
as a nonpartisan, living wage, growth management, occupancy standards, density
bonuses; the reactionary nature of Chamber of Commerce, Democrats’ and
conservatives’ reaction to the New Party, the political composition of various
wards in Missoula; his distaste for the University Area Homeowners’
Association, what brought the New Party together, the dissolution of the Party,
personal gains from local politics participation, the present City Council, and
current concerns about electronic voting.
|
2006 April 3 |
Names and SubjectsReturn to Top
Subject Terms
- Boards of trade--Montana--Missoula
- Cities and towns--Montana--Missoula--Growth--Management
- City councils--Montana --Missoula
- Elections--Montana--Missoula
- Electronic voting--Montana--Missoula
- Homeowners' associations--Montana--Missoula.
- Housing--Montana--Missoula
- Living wage movement--Montana--Missoula
- Open spaces--Montana--Missoula
- Political activists--Montana--Missoula--Interviews
- Political participation--Montana--Missoula
- Political parties--Montana--Missoula
- Women political activists--Montana--Missoula--Interviews
Personal Names
- Fletcher, John, 1948, interviewee (interviewee)
- McGrath, Jim, 1958, interviewee (interviewee)
- Smith, Judy, 1944, interviewee (interviewee)
- Torma, John, 1947, Interviewee (interviewee)
Corporate Names
- New Party (Missoula, Mont.)
- Missoula (Mont.)--City Council
- Missoula Chamber of Commerce
- University Area Homeowners' Association (Missoula, Mont.)
Geographical Names
- Missoula (Mont.)--Politics and government--20th century
Form or Genre Terms
- Interviews--Montana
- Oral histories--Montana
- Sound Recording
Other Creators
-
Personal Names
- Rowan, Jack, interviewer (interviewer)