Steering Committee Conference Call; Sept 9, 2001
Participants: Robbie Franklin, Jo Chamberlain (facilitator), Anita Rios, Ben Manski, Tom Sevigny (timer), David Cobb, Nathalie Paravicini (notetaker)
TOP
1. Financial report
2. AZ petition drive
3. Committee Reports
4. IMF-WB protests
5. Fundraising report
6. Budget
7. Letter-meeting with Ralph Nader
8. Campus Greens
9. Green Pages
10. Database
11. 2002 Convention or meeting
12. Field organizing, outreach
13. Office
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1. FINANCIAL REPORT (ROBBIE)
USGP Account: $4200 and ASGP account: $2000.
There is an increase in online donations, due to recent solicitation letters (mailout to TX greens in July, recent national mailing)
We are looking at hiring a book-keeper. One option for now is a green Rice U student getting a CPA masters. The SC was in favor of hiring a book-keeper.
2. AZ PETITION DRIVE (Patrick Keilen, pkeilen@yahoo.com, Cel: 520-506-7934)
To remain on the ballot, AZ greens need 10,300 registered greens by NOV 1, OR petition 27,000 signatures by March 2002. AZ wanted to have 10,300 registered voters by Nov 1. They are calling for volunteers and resources.
Info: The registration drive should have started several months ago. AZ greens have no clear record of number of signatures gathered in the past 2 weeks and did not gather signatures at the Democracy Rising event. AZ greens number 3,000 total, 17,00 in Tucson alone. Patrick ended work for citycouncil race, so he will be able to focus on the petition drive.
The SC committee recommended it was much more reasonable to collect only 27,000 signatures by March 2001. Recommended locations: traffic ticket court and drivers license locations + court houses (in the morning), and events in the evening, reference on report of a successful petition drive located at: http://greenpartyus.org/organize/organize.html
Patrick to send information about major events coming up: County fairs on Sept 21-23 and 23-29. Anita Rios is willing to go help get the drive off the ground.
3. COMMITTEE REPORTS
A. BYLAWS (Tom Sevigny): working on final language re. adoption of platform, conventions with platform committee
B. TRANSCOM (Rick Lass)
The Transition Committee was not a standing committee. It was an 11-member ad-hoc committee set at the Moddus, CT meeting, June 1999. There is no language about the dissolution of the committee.
Further to SC conversation with the chair, Rick Lass, the TransCom was requested to issue a statement indicating it is closing down operations. TransCom has proposed changes, adopted at SB, to be implemented by the Accreditations Committee.
Asking a committee to disband itself is not a good procedure. We need formal procedures for the SC and/or CC to form and disband committees. Same, need procedure for states to vet delegates to the committees.
C. SHADOW (via Anita Rios)
The committee will propose names to the CC for a vote via preferential voting.
Exact procedures being worked on by the committee and to be posted to the CC
D. PRESIDENTIAL EXPLORATORY COM. (via Dean Myerson)
Dean Myerson will send an call to the entire CC for membership to the Presidential Exploratory Committee. John Strawn has agreed to serve as interim leadership for the committee, until the committee decides on its own structure and procedures. Members of the previous committee included Steven Schmidt (FL), David Cobb (TX) and Blair Bobier (OR). Cobb would like to be a member but not the chair.
Note: Dean Myerson is to meet Jesse Jackson Jr. at a dinner of the XX coalition in DC. Anita Rios to draft a letter thanking him for his support of broad participation in the Presidential debates and for writing and sponsoring the bill proposal. Would Jonathan Farley write a letter to him too?
E. DIVERSITY (via Nathalie Paravicini)
The committee has no chair or activity at the moment. There is a discussion list-server
Nevertheless, several caucuses are being formed at this point. The feeling is to leave the diversity grow organically. It may have helped launch the caucuses. Calls for the caucuses will be posted soon to the CC.
Lavender Greens (LGBT Caucus): Starlene Rankin, starlene@greens.org, 773-907-9845
Latino Caucus: contacts: Anita Rios (SC-OH) and Monica Griffin (TX) monica@haysgreens.org, 512-392-7523
Women’s Caucus: Deborah Howes, debhowes@spiritone.com, 503-286-3634
Black/African American Caucus: please contact the SC if you are organizing (we heard rumors).
F. COMMUNICATIONS (Nathalie Paravicini)
List server procedures: Nathalie to send SB proposal for a vote by the CC.
All committee chairs are being trained on how to maintain their own list servers.
Committee webpages: about to be launched
Voting page: being worked on by Kendra Markle and Cameron Spitzer
G. LEGAL/FEC UPDATE (David Cobb)
Ralph Nader sent a one-sentence letter of support for our filing. We are receiving formal letters from dually-affiliated states. We are waiting for the formal objections from the GPUSA (they were given an extension to file their objection to Sept 10, midnight.) Then we will reply.
Invoice for $1500 worth of legal work forwarded to the Treasurer.
H. PLATFORM (via Tom Sevigny)
Tom Sevigny is working with the PlatCom to refine wording on adoption of platform, conventions and other related issues.
I. INTERNATIONAL (via Dean Myerson and Nathalie Paravicini)
European greens, including parliamentarians and cabinet members, are interested in meeting with a delegation of US greens. Annie Goeke is working on dates and an exact proposal. The delegation should include membership from the international committee, the Steering Committee and office-holder (?). We are waiting for the official invitation from the European Federation of Green Parties.
There is a need to open-up the international committee. The IC is actively requesting wider participation from greens (not necessarily from the CC), with understanding of international issues. The webpages might facilitate wider participation.
4. IMF/WB PROTESTS
Legal issues: David Cobb indicates SC members cannot transfer liability to the national party (ex Vieques arrests and the Democratic Party). Nevertheless vigorous discussion on the list, draws a closer tie between the party and individuals.
Anita will discuss with DC re different options available, to make any action more focused and aligned with the general sentiment on the Coordinating Committee, for example accompanying European greens to meetings, etc. Anita and Ben will issue a statement to the CC after consultations.
4. FUNDRAISING (Jo Chamberlain)
FUNDRAISER POSITION: Received 7 resumes, 3 of them quite strong. Marnie and Dean to do 1st round of interviews. Report to be provided at the next SC Conf Call, maybe with tel interview by SC of selected finalists.
MAJOR DONORS: SC has volunteered to take 10 persons each, with goals for each one.
COOPERATION WITH STATES: Jo contacted 5 states to do joint fundraising by end of Oct.
POLICIES: Jo Chamberlain is working on list and privacy policies, TX sent its privacy policy as initial suggestion.
COMMITTEE meets via phone every Tuesday at 4pm
FLORIDA: Some people in Florida received repeated solicitation letters from ASGP and then USGP. In response to their concerns, the SC and fundraising committees will a) do their best to announce mail-outs (the last one was passed in SB), b) try to include an exhortation to contact the local party. It will not always be easy to segregate mail-outs by state. The fundraising committee explained that national fundraising does not take away from local fundraising.
COMMISSION ON LONG DISTANCE TEL SERVICE: proposal forwarded to the SC. Nathalie reports only pays off if your bill is already large. The Committee will look into it.
5. BUDGET (Dean Myerson)
Dean sent the revised 2001 budget, including items we forgot initially)
Request for committee budgets sent out by Jo Chamberlain.
6. RALPH NADER (Ben Manski, absent from call)
Following-up on the response received from Ralph Nader with brief letter and potential meeting Oct 1 or 2.
7. CAMPUS GREENS (Ben Manski)
Ben placed a call for potential members of a joint-committee with Campus Greens.
8. GREENPAGES (Dean Myerson)
Dean will send a report for next Sunday tel. Conf. call
9. DATABASE (Dean Myerson)
Received proposal from Alan Kobrin 7 son for $5,000. Waiting to receive Kendra Markle’s specs for the CA database.
Robbie is in contact with CT volunteer willing to help on a per/name basis (40c/name)
10. 2002 CONVENTION OR MEETING: Tapes of SB convention were sourced.
13. FIELD ORGANIZING
See AZ above
MI: Cobb reported that he helped the party work through the establishment of bylaws and filing with the Secretary of State. They will receive an acknowledgement in 24 weeks. They voted 9:1 to to affiliate to the USGP and not to the GPUSA. To get a line on the ballot they need to collect 1000 signatures.
14. OFFICE (Dean Myerson, Jo Chamberlain)
Mike Livingston to send proposals for insurance
SC approved looking for an 800 number.