SC Call Notes — December 18, 2003
Participants:
SC members: Greg Gerritt Jo Chamberlin, Jake Schneider, Anita Rios, Marnie Glickman Jason Ravin, Roy Williams, Diane White
Staff: Emily Citkowski
Jeff Turner from Finance Committee
Call Functions:
Facilitator
Timekeeper
Note taker Greg Gerritt
Abbreviations used:
AC = Accreditation Committee
BRPP = Bylaws, Rules, Policies and Procedures Committee
BC = Black Caucus
CC = Coordinating Committee
CCC = Coordinated Campaign Committee
CG SC = Campus Greens Steering Committee
DC = Diversity Committee
FC = Fundraising Committee
FEC = Federal Election Commission
GP = Green Party
GW = George Washington University
IC = International Committee
ICA = Institute for Cultural Affairs
LC = Lavender Caucus
LG = Lavender Greens
PEC = Presidential Exploratory Committee
SC = Steering Committee
[Brackets denote editor’s suggested corrections. Some punctuation corrections done with no content change. -ed.]
Published Agenda
Agenda Review, set Facilitator, timekeeper
OLD BUSINESS AND REPORTS
Discussion on Black Caucus, with members of the Caucus 30 minutes
Finances/Budget 20 minutes
FD hiring process 5 minutes
Mass mail consultant 5 minutes
Office 5 minutes
Creating a credentials committee for the convention/organize vote 10 minutes
Reply to Kucinich 5 minutes
DNC/ Sierra meetings 10 minutes
Signing personnel contracts 5 minutes
Voting Queue 15 minutes
PCSC, office holders, Reworking the SC
NEW BUSINESS
voter registration software 5 minutes
*****
Check in, Agenda Review
OLD BUSINESS
Discussion with Black Caucus
Discussion with representatives of the Black Caucus on the problems involved getting the tour up and running. The primary issues seem to be financial, as money for the entire GPUS is very tight, but there are also issues of autonomy, especially budget autonomy that have not been worked out. The contract between the Black Caucus Tour Director (Jason Ravin) and the GPUS has not been finalized.
Diane W: There is a lack of clarity about the relationship between the BC and the GPUS.
Jason R: We do have to find a way to work together. Black Caucus has not been given the resources necessary to do its work. Issues around termination agreement in the contract.
Marnie: Give us contract language. How do we work through this? FEC issues and national fiscal policy issues do seem obstacles.
Anita: SC has not listened. They have been paternalistic. Need to give more autonomy.
Diane: set it up so BC has autonomy to spend money.
Jason: We need information; how do we do it? SFC is being obstructionist.
Greg: So we need a proposal on how to do this right.
Roy W: Give us autonomy
Discussion of setting up a working group to figure this out properly. Lets get at the sticking points and work them through. Should there be separate bank accounts? How will the accounting system be set up? Marnie will forward fiscal policies.
Jason, Greg, Anita, Michelle Tingling-Clemmons, and George Martin will be the working group. Report in early January
Members of the Black Caucus on the call signed off here.
Financial Issues
Wait on Direct mail consultant until Fundraising Director hiring is done. Fundraising Director hiring will be dealt with in Executive Session at the end of the call.
Non discretionary budget is pretty well set.
Committees have been asked to set line items for their overall budgets but have been relatively unresponsive. Not all committees have been talked with, and 7 or 8 committees only have an overall number in their budget no breakdown into line items.
Having more people to do this work would allow a more personal touch to working directly with the committees on their budgets.
Jake: Fin Comm should present budget to CC for a vote with comments.
The proposed budget is a minimal budget for fiscal stability. It will be amended and supplemented this year as the financial picture evolves. 3 months and 6 months down the road we shall have a better idea of what is happening. The Fin Comm will present a revised budget for approval in Milwaukee.
Anita: Diversity budget is a waste of time. Diversity Committee submitted budget, but all that was thrown out. We are not getting any resources, so why bother to work on the details? Other committees are probably in the same place.
Discussion about how hard it is to put together a budget until we hire a new Fundraising Director.
So what to ask CC? Do we present a 3 or 4 month budget, a 6 month budget, a year budget with notes we shall ask for revisions down the road? Do we set a budget with built-in reviews based on fundraising? Do we prepare ourselves with plans for what to do if we do not reach our goals?
We need to do a cost benefit analysis of our operations. What is actually worth the money we spend on it. Anita has concerns about DC office, and whether it is useful or not.
We shall present a 6 month budget and another in Milwaukee. May present a supplemental budget in April as well.
Agreed that we shall send a budget with a note to the CC and to conduct an assessment of DC office (cost/benefit analysis of office).
Agreed to post first round of the budget to voting page ASAP, Monday if possible.
Office report
Emily C: Database is much more under control. Office reorganization is going well. Wiring for computers is getting done. Thinking about interns. Looking at how to deal with problems in credit card donations.
Kucinich
Anita will send a note to the CC saying that they should take responsibility for their own response.
Discussion of meeting with DNC director
Cancel the meeting. We can not think of any good reason to hold it, and no one on DNC seems to have any clear reason for the meeting. Nader was the one who suggested it, but his team can not come up with a clear reason to hold it either. Jo will call ASAP and cancel.
Conference call with Sierra Club leadership
To take place on Dec 19. Agreed to make no agreements but hold discussion.
Signing contracts with contractors
Jake proposed that the Secretary be the signer, but of course only after the SC approves the contract. Yes votes Jo, Jake, Greg, Marnie. No Anita. Passes.
Voting queue
PCSC proposal. Questions about whether there were proper signoffs by office holders and CCC. Greg will write to brpp, Juscha R. (CCC) and Kevin M and Gray N (Office holders) to see how they want us to proceed. (NOTE: since the conference call there has been discussion. Kevin wants the vote to proceed, noting that the office holders reject Juscha’s CCC amendment) (Some BRPP folks want the vote delayed. Not sure what will happen)
SC restructuring proposal: SC asks more time to review, will be done with review and discussion with brpp by next conference call. Jo will write to brpp explaining the delay.
NEW BUSINESS
Voter registration software
Greg reported on conversation with salesman and then that he asked for advice from the savvy. Reports back that this is a waste. SC agreed to go no further with it. Greg will write back saying we are not interested.
Fundraising Director hiring
Agreed to go into Executive Session at 11:27PM to discuss this.
ES ended at 11:43 and the conference call adjourned.
Minimally edited and HTML formatted by Charlie Green