Jim Sykes
| Jim Sykes | |
|---|---|
| Member of the Matanuska-Susitna Borough Assembly from District 1 | |
|
Assumed office October 2013 |
|
| Preceded by | Warren Keogh |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
April 8, 1950 Rapid City, South Dakota |
| Political party | Green Party |
| Residence | Palmer, Alaska |
James L. "Jim" Sykes (born April 8, 1950) is a producer, and elected official in the state of Alaska notable for being one of the founders of the Green Party of Alaska.
Jim Sykes was born in Rapid City, South Dakota and moved to Alaska ca. 1976. Sykes spent many years living and working in both Anchorage and Talkeetna. Sykes's professional experience includes work for the Alaska Native Review Commission, public radio stations KSKA and KTNA, and as executive director of the Alaska Public Interest Research Group. He homesteaded in the community of Chase, near Talkeetna, and help to found the Chase Community Council. He and his wife currently live near Palmer in a solar-powered straw-bale house.
In 1990, Sykes became one of the founders of the Green Party of Alaska. As a result, Sykes initiated a lawsuit, Sykes v. Alaska, relying heavily upon case law established in the earlier ballot access lawsuits of Joe Vogler during the 1970s and 1980s. The lawsuit allowed the Green Party onto the ballot in similar fashion to the original ballot access status of the Alaskan Independence Party prior to its becoming a recognized political party. This lawsuit also led to the lessening of the threshold needed to become recognized as a political party in Alaska. In the 1990 gubernatorial election, Sykes ran as the Green Party nominee and garnered 3.3% of the vote. This established Alaska as the first state to obtain ballot access for the Green Party in the United States.
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