Green Party Steering Committee Conference Call Notes; 10-7-01
Jo Chamberlain, Robbie Franklin, Ben Manski, Tom Sevigny, Nathalie Paravicini, Anita Rios, Jack Uhrich, Dean Myerson (notetaker)
Financial Report – Robbie Franklin
180 responses from first drop of mailing; raise approx $7500-$7600; 3% response rate
paid bills and ASGP account has a couple of hundred dollars and GP acct has $8800.
Rest of mailing to go out later this week
Starting new web page credit card system.
Will be starting payroll service with auto deposit for Jack and Dean at end of Oct.
Dean: mailing income means we more than doubled money spent; ASGP will have some closing costs to don’t deplete the account too much.
Nader meeting report
Fundraiser in DC. Jo: Hold it (a party) shortly after AO response. Share income with DCSGP. Need to start talking to them about this.
Tom: Should negotiate this with DC
Jack: Is there a Nader fundraiser in Atlanta scheduled? Who is organizing it?
Ben: Will clarify this with Nader
Nader Donor List
Nader will not donate list to GP. We must pay $100 per thousand names. There are 46000 names after removing duplicates.
Jo: We should purchase list. Thinks it was 56000 names
Anita: Nader said we would never get it for free. Doesn’t want to purchase the list.
Ben: Nader still says can’t give list to us now due to FEC audit. Will sell after audit. Said he would send us legal reason audit prevents gift of list.
Robbie – Was 46000 names. We need to get over desire to get list for free. We should buy/rent it.
Dean: If SC wants to buy list, should buy a part first and do a test mailing before buying the whole thing. This is normal fundraising method.
Jack: Agree
Robbie – We should forget about legal issues regarding the list.
Ben – Should not drop it – should push, but not in a hostile way.
Jack: Decide what’s best for GP and do that. Don’t be dependent.
Guidelines for Democracy Rising/GP relationship – Ben will draft
Buckslips for fundraising – hand issue to Fundraising Committee
Ballot line info – Nader wants it; Dean will get it to Ben
Debate Commission – Nader request for our help. Ben gives intro.
Jo: George (Nader’s team) wrote book exposing debate commission; we should help
Robbie: RN wants help recruiting non-political groups
Tom – Agree
Anita: Need info to present on the issue
Robbie – Ad hoc committee?
Ben: Find other Greens to pursue this, not necessarily SC
Anita: Willing to do
Robbie: Get more info from RN, George and David Cobb
Anita: Will report back
Greenpages to RN; He wants 2 bundles to use as he travels and meets people
Tom – Always send him 2 bundles
Jo – RN not getting enough info about us, Ben should send regular reports
Dean – Annie and others sent info, but it didn’t get to RN; states should send info through us
Ben – RN said Theresa was his liaison; not going to send special reports
Jo – Lots of info to get to RN; may need weekly reports
Jack – develop direct line to RN; be careful about natl doing contact for states
Ben – Wants meeting attendees to review his notes before sending to CC
Committee Reports
International – No intnatl committee rep on call
Tom – proposal for a GP delegation to visit Euro Greens in Dec; need to decide who
Ben – IC had discussion on this – needs to include entire committee
Jo – SC should ask for proposal by next Sunday or SC will decide
Nathalie – Euros need to make some of these decisions
Dean – awaiting dates from Euros; IC committee participation not cliquish, just needs to get more people actually participating
Nathalie – Dec 19-20 likely dates from Euros; participation an issue of money for travel
Communications – Nathalie reports 2 proposals pending; will check on web pages for committees
Fundraising
Jack – Had first training with Marnie, one more tomorrow. Participated in forst comm conference call last week. New rules for committee membership (make calls, …). Discussed rest of the mailing, message on outside of letter. Will start making calls this week.
Jo: Welcome to Jack; SC made fundraising commitments; status of proposal to make this cmmittee a standing committee?
Dean – May visit Jack nextweek; questions to Robbie re mailing
Robbie – Talked to direct mailer; When i Jack moving to SC?
Jack – 2nd week of Nov most likely
Nathalie – Many votes going in CC re vote to make committee standing
Media Committee
Tom discusses Wash Post op-ed; Robbie and John Battista emailed Colby King
Robbie – We shouldn’t aggravate King; need to get response in
Ben – Is the Scott the right person to write it?
Anita – Need broader perspective than any one person, whether Scott or not.
Jo: What is process for press releases
Dean: describe process (Scott writes releases, asks for comments from committee, needs consensus of committee to send out. No quorum – just whoever on committee responds in time). Also passes on Steve Schmidt’s concern re PlatCom participation and turnaround time.
Ben – Need to review process;
Jack – Some concerns in NM re press releases; co-chairs should approve
Jo – Echo Ben; complaints from CA
Nathalie – agree with others; suggests give MC first slot in next weekly SC conference call to discuss this. Scott has done much hard work for us.
Dean – Suggest separate call rather part of regular one. Ask for something in writing first.
Robbie – Agree with separate call; maybe require 3 key people to approve releases.
Tom – also agree on separate call; also agree w/3 people: maybe SC, platform have one person must approve.
Preferences for call are on Thur eve, Friday eve, Wed eve.
Database – SC approves dean’s recommendation of using FEC free software for now. Dean will work with Robbie to implement
Office report – Dean reports on office options, including possibility thattight finances will require office to be in his home. Would need some assistance to get a place large enough to do that.
Anita – Some kind of space needed; most important just to be there.
Jack – Share with dcsgp?
Anita – DC not agreed on doing that; different needs
Nathalie – home office works well
Dean – yes it does, but doesn’t do all the same things
Greenpages
Dean reports that issue is out, something over 2000 still available; short time life for issue with elections one month away. Need to get them out. Will SC approve some subsidy of distribution? With only 2000 left, can’t send bundle to every state. Proposes contacting states that are covered in issue first.
Jo – Suggests cap of $200 on subsidy.
Nathalie – Agrees and also suggests looking into Greyhound shipping.
Field organizing
Dean still in Arkansas. Helped with facilitation, met with Congressional candidate; and talked about basic party and local building.
Campus Greens
Ben has offer of another liaison and he is very busy.