For those of us who have frequented the Davenport City Council Chambers for meetings, the charming, outspoken-but-always-diplomatic "ole lady" wearing all the different fun hats is a familiar face. Her name is Susie Bell, and she is the Republican candidate for House District 86 of the Iowa legislature, running against Democrat incumbent Cindy Winkler.

Susie has been following politics since her youth. A wide variety of issues has piqued her curiosity, and more often her ire. She has campaigned in more grassroots efforts than she can name, but give her time and she will recall key aspects of every one, including their outcomes.

These days, "organization" is a word on the lips of Quad Cities political activists opposed to America's increasingly conservative direction. And some of the organizing is happening outside the two major parties.

Last week, the River Cities' Reader assembled a small group of citizens and community leaders from a variety of backgrounds to discuss the November 2 election. The goal wasn't to talk about specific candidates or races but to put the election in a local context: What do federal, state, and local races mean to the Quad Cities? The discussion lasted more than an hour, and what follows is a transcript.

When the Illinois Libertarian Party asked Cal Skinner whether he'd run for governor on its ticket, he wondered what was in it for him. The answer was a political party that's very good at collecting petition signatures, which fits right into Skinner's plans.