GPUS SC Conference Call Minutes – January 15, 2012
I. CALL SETUP
a. Facilitator – Darryl Moch
c. Roll Call – Darryl Moch, Farheen Hakeem, Budd Dickinson, Tamar
Yager, Jeff Turner,
Audrey Clement, Susan Chunco
Staff – Brian Bittner
Observer – Jody Grage
Absent – Theresa ElAmin, Leenie Halbert
d. Agenda revisions – voting queue revisions for #634 with request
for expedited vote,
Executive Session postponed
II. STAFF REPORT
a. Office Manager – Brian Bittner
New database up and running, contributions entered on day received; ability to produce reports seems to be functioning
Brian spoke with 2 Libertarian leaders: Bill Redpath, former national chair, for connection to Oklahoma GP, about working together on lawsuit about ballot access laws, and with Mark Hinkly, current national chair about future projects. Oklahoma issue will be referred to BAC. Audrey will be temporary liaison to BAC until Leenie returns to that task; also some collaboration possible in VA, possibility of ballot access suit
ANM/PNC work continues on registration and hotels, should be ready for use next week
b. Fundraiser Report – David Sacks submitted
III. TREASURER’S REPORT & FINANCE ITEMS – Jeff
a. Cash report to date
$4500 in bank with payroll paid and including Juoni Trust ($5k); FinCom authorized paying $665.60 to VA for 2008 – only NY and CA for $3900 still outstanding
b. The Finance Committee recommended moving bank to Signal Financial Federal Credit Union. Documentation of approval needed in minutes as authorization. Jeff and Susan will be the check signers. Approved by consensus. May be done by February 1st. Farheen will draft letter to SunTrust explaining our reasons, Jeff will hold until account is closed.
IV. VOTING QUEUE – Budd
In the queue:
634 – Proposal to Amend Ecoaction Committee Mission Statement & Change Name Voting 1/16 – 1/22 – withdrawn, Audrey has sent substitution proposal – removes committee name change and separates mission statement from duties; expedited placement in queue requested because of lengthy discussion already held, discussion 2 weeks and voting 1 week. Approved by consensus.
635 – Approval of Frank Young as Forum Manager, Voting 1/23 – 1/29
Received for the queue:
Platform Amendment Process and Timeline or Convention Years; properly formatted, request for expedited placement in queue since it was received
just prior to last call; Budd floor manager, discussion 2 weeks and voting 1 week.
IC Global Greens and FPVA representatives approval proposals – FPVA alternates Vivek, Farheen & Bahram.
GG Congress delegates Julia Willebrand, Marian Douglas-Ungaro and Justine McCabe, and alternates Farheen Hakeem, Bob Marsh, and Vivek Ananthan.
The priority is for NC approval of the GG Congress delegates and alternates as the Congress is at the end of March, while the next FPVA meeting will not be until November-December of this year.
Expedited placement by Monday of 6 separate Global Greens proposals in queue, Tamar floor manager, discussion 2 weeks and voting 1 week.
Regular placement of 3 separate FPVA proposals in queue, Tamar floor manager, discussion 2 weeks and voting 1 week. Vote to shorten discussion period failed.
In queue when received:
Election Tabulation Committee Report
V. LIAISON REPORTS
Report from Farheen: DRC has been quiet for holidays. Will resume normal activities soon. Need to recruit new members and have co-chair elections.
CredCom – Had their first conference call meeting last Monday.
Elected Ron Hardy and Sanda Everette as co-chairs.
IC – had elections for GGC delegates and alternates and FVPA alternates.
Darryl – needs to consider what liaison positions he will take on
VI. OLD BUSINESS
Employment Agreements and Personnel Manual revision – Jeff has many corrections and will do some substantive edits as well; new payroll processor will necessitate more changes
VII. STRATEGIC PLANNING – What do we want the SC to accomplish in the next six months?”
Audrey – facilitate as possible getting GPUS presidential candidate on ballot on as many states as possible and get past being sidetracked by Occupy, will start to work on VA petitioning soon
Jeff – SC reactive rather than proactive, need revision of Rules, Policies, and Procedures
Audrey – structure as confederation of state parties not effective, federation would conflict with decentralization value because it would be more centralization
Darryl – agrees with need to revise RP&Ps, can we have a hybrid of centralization *and* decentralization
Jeff – no one is in charge, for example treasurer gets involved in personnel matters, some things work better decentralized and some work better centralized
Budd – need combination of centralized and decentralized, SC needs to be more centralized, with 7 co-chairs responsible much falls through the cracks, bylaws allow for 2 co-chairs without portfolios to oversee entire structure, also national spokesperson proposal has been made so could combine co-chairs without portfolio with spokespersons
Audrey – need subcommittee to study the rules by which other parties are organized, How can we tweak their structure to achieve the public interest
Summary – three proposals:
1. presidential candidate on as many ballots as possible – approved BAC, press release, etc.
2. review RP&Ps for what isn’t working now – some changes may be suitable only after determining how to restructured – approved, review at upcoming SC meetings. Darryl will work on this.
3. Form a subcommittee to study a variety of organizational political structures, including US major parties, Greens around the world, etc. Consult with those who created the structure we have
– John Rensenbrink, Brent McMillan, Green Party Rising proposals, etc. – working group suggested – Darryl and Budd interested – comparative political analysis, Bill Kreml?, John Gloster in DC, Jenefer Ellingston.
VIII. Next call 1/29/12 – 8 pm, look for new number and code on next agenda