In November 2019, elections were held across the country and S360 delivered major wins in several state races. From historically significant funding for fire districts to overwhelming public support for schools, our efforts secured over $2.3 billion in funding for vital public services like education, fire-fighting infrastructure, and parks and green spaces.
“Every election cycle, we are honored to work on behalf of local communities to help articulate the value of public investments,” said Ron Dotzauer, Founder and CEO of Strategies 360. “With outstanding teams across the West, S360 delivers the very best to our partners every time because high quality education, parks, safety, and infrastructure are all part of what makes our communities livable and healthy.”
S360 teams won 89% of all the campaigns we were involved in during the November 2019 cycle. Here are highlights from Arizona, Oregon, Colorado, New Mexico, and Washington:
Arizona
In Arizona, we secured a record level of funding for the Golder Ranch Fire District, winning a $26.6 million bond for safety infrastructure. This is the largest fire district bond Arizona has seen in the last 15 years.
We also helped win a construction bond and budget override to fund Madison Public Schools with a total community investment of $90 million. While Dysart Public Schools did not pass, the margin was razor thin with only a 365 vote difference.
Colorado
Colorado helped win $130 million in bond and levy investments for the Eaton School District, $1.5 million of which does not sunset and will serve as permanent funding for teachers. We also secured $18 million annually for Poudre Schools, again with no sunset. Frederick Firestone Fire District won $2 million in funds with S360’s help.
The Colorado team not only worked on school and fire district campaigns, they were also instrumental in re-electing Lakewood Mayor, Adam Paul. We also ran a voter education campaign in Aurora to inform people about candidate’s positions on migrant detention centers. Aurora’s City Council moved from majority Republican control to majority Democratic control.
New Mexico
S360’s New Mexico team delivered a big win for Albuquerque Public Schools. Voters passed a bond and levy committing a whopping $302 million in investments for their students.
Oregon
In a low-voter-turnout election, the S360 team delivered a 71% yes vote across three counties for a $475 million regional parks and natural spaces bond. S360 supported Portland Public Schools’ Levy renewal efforts, which resulted in a 77% yes vote for $100 million annually for another 5 years. S360 also consulted on mailers for West Linn-Wilsonville School District’s bond and levy which garnered $208.6 million for the district.
Washington
The Education team in Washington worked tirelessly to win campaigns for Renton Public Schools and Pioneer School District, bringing in a $250 million bond and a $3.2 million levy for those districts respectively. The Renton Public Schools Bond passed with 70% approval. Again, parks saw popular support with East County Parks and Recreation receiving 59% voter approval for their bond, barely missing the 60% threshold needed to approve the funds.