Wahsayah Whitebird
City Councilor of Ashland, WI
In office
April 17, 2019 – April 17, 2021
Preceded byDavid J. Mettille
Succeeded byCharles Ortman
ConstituencyDistrict 6
Personal details
Born (1992-02-01) February 1, 1992 (age 32)
Hayward, Wisconsin, U.S.
NationalityAmerican
Chippewa
Political partyCommunist

Wahsayah Whitebird (born 1992) is a member of the Communist Party of the United States who served from 2019 to 2021 on the City Council of Ashland, Wisconsin, United States. Whitebird is a Bad River Band Chippewa and while in office was one of only two Communist Party members serving as an elected official in the United States.

Early life

Whitebird is a member of the Bad River Band of the Lake Superior Tribe of Chippewa Indians, a tribe whose reservation is located about 10 miles east of Ashland on the coast of Lake Superior.[1] Whitebird worked at a deli in Ashland prior to his election and was a member of the United Food and Commercial Workers.[2]

Electoral history

Whitebird won his first election on April 2, 2019, beating incumbent David J. Mettille 52-42.[3] His campaign platform was described as "radical" by the Ashland Daily Press, running on issues like making housing more affordable, reducing drug abuse, and building homeless shelters.[4][5] The election was nonpartisan, and Whitebird's affiliation with the Communist Party was not publicly known until after he won. Whitebird has been a member of the Communist Party since 2011.[5] His election made him the only known Communist Party member elected to public office in the United States at the time.[1] He did not run for re-election in 2021.[6]

Policy positions

Whitebird's policy positions are generally aligned with those of democratic socialists, though his overall political views and philosophy are more aligned with traditional Communism.[1] Since being elected, Whitebird has announced support for policies like raising the minimum wage and implementing a Green New Deal.[5] Whitebird expressed disdain toward school resource officers in September 2020, saying that removing them from schools was a step towards ending the "school to prison pipeline."[7]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c Norton, Alexander (18 September 2019). "Wisconsin supports their local Communist". Morning Star. Archived from the original on 31 January 2021. Retrieved January 26, 2021.
  2. ^ Johnson, Earchiel (7 May 2019). "Native American communist topples incumbent council president in Wisconsin town". People's World. Archived from the original on 13 December 2021. Retrieved January 26, 2021.
  3. ^ Winger, Richard (May 7, 2019). "Communist Party Member Elected to City Council of Ashland, Wisconsin". Ballot Access News. Archived from the original on January 31, 2021. Retrieved January 26, 2021.
  4. ^ Olivio, Rick (April 2, 2019). "Whitebird defeats Mettille in Ashland District 6". Ashland Daily Press. Archived from the original on January 31, 2024. Retrieved January 26, 2021.
  5. ^ a b c Varney, James. "Wisconsin Native American, a Communist Party member, elected to city council". The Washington Times. Archived from the original on January 26, 2021. Retrieved January 26, 2021.
  6. ^ "April 6, 2021 Spring Election". Archived from the original on April 25, 2021. Retrieved May 30, 2021.
  7. ^ Kehle, Elise (15 September 2020). "Ashland, Wisconsin rallies for student safety, demands end to SRO program". People's World. Archived from the original on 31 January 2021. Retrieved January 26, 2021.
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