GPUS SC Conference Call Notes – December 18, 2011
I. Executive Session on personnel – tabled until a future call
II. CALL SETUP
a. Facilitator – David Doonan
b. Roll Call – Theresa ElAmin, Tamar Yagar, Budd Dickinson, Jeff Turner, Audrey Clement, Farheen Hakeem, Susan Chunco
Absent – Leenie Halbert
Observers – Jody Grage
III. STAFF REPORT
a. Office Manager – Brian Bittner – unable to be on call.
b. Fundraiser Report – David Sacks submitted – donation pages redesigned and rewritten with standardized fundraising email templates for easy recognition; email blast sent; state party Salsa database function begin to come on line in January.
IV. TREASURER’S REPORT & FINANCE ITEMS – Jeff
a. Cash report to date – sent report showing $3200 in general account on Friday; Red Sun Press will be paid first and then 2008 state sharing by end of year; this coming week will tell how well the mailing is doing; cash report will come out right before Christmas; $200 to Brent for retirement gift finally sent.
b. Due to the acute need for catching up with the Green Party of the United States bookkeeping records for 2010 and 2011, the Finance Committee recommends that the 2011 budgeted amount of $6000 for an accountant be recorded as an expense and as an account payable in 2011, so that the budgeted amount will carry over and be available for engaging an accountant in 2012 to do that work.
Discussion included misgivings on the Finance Committee because this could set a problematic precedent. We do not anticipate having $6k at the end of 2011 after Red Sun and 2008 state sharing are paid. We will be dependent on fundraising to make it possible to spend a total of $12k on accounting. We can spend the $6k in the 2012 budget and if need more and fundraising permits propose an amended budget.
Jeff feels that $6k in 2012 budget won’t cover three year’s of accounting. It is more difficult to do the accounting as time lapses.
Vote on proposal from FinCom: Farheen – Yes, Tamar – Yes, Theresa – No, Budd – No, Jeff – Yes, Susan – No, Audrey – No. Proposal fails.
V. ACTION ITEMS/OLD BUSINESS – Budd
Jeff and Tamar and Audrey – Employment Agreements and Personnel Manual revision. Time to move on and accept small edits from Jeff and Audrey with larger revisions later. Implementing new payroll system will help get the job descriptions handled. Jeff will circulate documents as they are with edits so we know what is being changed.
Liaisons – Update committee web pages (co-chairs, membership, and committee contact information) The following are not up to date: ANMC, BAC, CCC, DRC, and FinCom. Also, Diversity, Outreach, and GPAX are not active and obviously out of date. Others may also be out of date. Committee co-chairs are authorized to update their pages and are encouraged to do so.
All – Continuing need to recruit forum managers. Proposal to approve Holly as a forum manager in the queue. Frank Young needs to be re-elected and has agreed to run, so that proposal will be on the next call.
VI. VOTING QUEUE – Budd
In the queue:
631 – PNC Credentials Committee – David McCorquodale, Jody Grage, Sanda Everette, Jan Martell, Ron Hardy and Mike Feinstein. Voting 12/19-25.
632 – Approval of Holly Hart as Forum Manager – Voting 1/2/12 -1/8/12
Received for the queue:
Proposal to Amend Ecoaction Committee Mission Statement & Change Name (see below) – 2 week discussion and 1 week vote, 2/3rd threshold, Audrey floor manager, consensus to expedite to go in the queue this Monday.
SC Co-chair vacancy election – nominations 11/28-12/18, discussion 12/19-1/1/12; voting 1/2 – 1/8/12; Budd floor manager.
In queue when received:
Election Tabulation Committee Report – they are working on the technological issues and will have the report in before the end of the year.
VII. Non-responsive BRPP co-chair – action item – (Theresa and Audrey)
Proposal: The secretary send a letter to Hugh Esco (on behalf of the SC) clearly expressing our concerns about lack of his response to requests from SC liaisons. Also, the letter should request he add Theresa to the BRPP discussion list immediately as his responsibility.
Hugh hasn’t put Theresa on the BRPP list as the SC liaison. Rob Collins and Hugh are the list administrators and the list is on Hugh’s own listserv. Hugh thinks Audrey is a co-chair by default though there was no actual election. Hugh’s term will inspire soon, necessitating an election for both male and female co-chairs.
VIII. LIAISON REPORTS – None
IX. Next call 1/1/12 – Theresa will not be on call, Tamar may not be, Leenie questionable; facilitator TBD
Adjourned 9:30 pm Eastern
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Proposal to Amend Ecoaction Committee Mission Statement & Change Name
SPONSOR: GPUS Ecoaction Committee
CONTACT: Michael Canney (GPFL), alachuagreen at gmail.com, 386-418-3791
SUBJECT/TITLE: Proposal to Amend Ecoaction Committee Mission Statement and Change the Committee’s Name
TYPE OF PROPOSAL: Amendment of Committee Mission Statement, Two-Thirds
Threshold
DECISION-MAKING TIMELINE: Two weeks discussion, followed by one week vote
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE:
Insofar as the current Ecoaction Committee mission statement is not entirely clear on its purpose and scope, this proposal amends the committee’s mission statement and changes its name as follows:
PROPOSAL:
SECTION 1.
Replace existing Ecoaction Committee mission statement, which reads:
“The Green Party of the United States shall establish an EcoAction Committee. The purpose and function of this committee shall be to facilitate the planning and achievement of eco-justice action proposals adopted by the Green Party, to support and promote the Green Party’s candidates, eco-justice platform and agenda, and to promote and lobby for responsible government stewardship of the Earth and its inhabitants. For the purposes of this committee, the term eco-justice refers to ecological wisdom and environmental justice.”
With the following language:
“Mission.
“The purpose of the GPUS Environmental Issues Committee is to promote ecological wisdom and environmental justice and sustainability; to lobby for responsible government stewardship of the Earth and its inhabitants; to inform and advise Green Party candidates on environmental issues; and to advance these goals by drafting proposals, policy statements and position papers on environmental matters on behalf of GPUS and its candidates, and by recommending, submitting and/or endorsing proposed amendments to the GPUS Platform.”
SECTION 2.
The committee’s name shall change from “Ecoaction Committee” to “Environmental Issues Committee” and all references to the committee in party documents, including web pages, shall be amended accordingly.
IMPLEMENTATION/TIMELINE:
Rules change would become effective upon passage.
REFERENCES:
Proposal 195: Establishment of GPUS EcoAction Committee:
http://gp.org/cgi-bin/vote/propdetail?pid=195