GPUS Steering Committee Minutes – 24 March 2019
SUMMMARY FOR DISTRIBUTION TO STATES AND LOCAL CHAPTERS
1. New Business: Apportionment Tabulation Committee vacancy; Potential response to FVPA letter
regarding Venezuela trip; Discussion of proposal for Minimum Age for NC Delegate/Alternate and SC Member
2. Standing Business: Treasurer’s Report ; Fundraising Report; Fundraising Consultant update, Liaison reports
3. Voting Queue – https://secure.gpus.org/cgi-bin/vote/login
Received for the queue – Platform Amendment Process and Timeline
In the queue: None
Online SC Proposals approved since last call and sent to the NC: None
4. Old Business: 2019 Annual National Meeting, Tech update, Strategic Planning Meeting. Letter from EU,
FreshDesk update, GPR MA complaint about NPR, Policy on Committee authority,
5. Executive Session: none
The full minutes are available at http://gpus.org/committees/steering/minutes/march-24-2019/
The call recording is available at 712-451-0309, 926334#, reference 1 and
https://gpus.org/steering-committee-recordings/
Jody Grage, Secretary
GPUS Steering Committee Minutes – 24 March 2019
AGENDA:
I. CALL SETUP & BACKGROUND – 15 min
a) Facilitator: Charles Sherrouse
b) Roll call- Margaret Flowers. Andrea Merida, Justin Beth, Gloria Mattera, Jody Grage, Hillary Kane, Anita Rios, Tony Ndege, Violet Rose Zitola
Observers – Holly Hart IA, Tamar VA, David Gerry MA
c) Agenda revision suggestions – Under ANM – post from PCSC co-chairs John Anderson and Sanda Everette – approved; Under Liaison Reports – GNC flyer approval process – approved; Under New Business – Discussion of Minimum Age for NC delegate and SC member – approved
II. NEW BUSINESS – 20 min
a) Apportionment Tabulation Committee – request to appoint Sanda Everette CA to fill the committee vacancy – 5 min – Jody – consensus to approve
b) Potential response to FVPA letter regarding Venezuela trip – Andrea – 15 min
Margaret – many inaccuracies in letter, Anita – response needed, Andrea – will do a second draft including Margaret’s points within a week – basically polite and thanking for input – to be discussed online – consensus ; dialogue would need to be later and very strategic to work toward shift to the left; suggest asking International Committee to host a conference call/teach-in after co-chair election
c) Discussion of proposal for Minimum Age for NC Delegate/Alternate and SC Member – Andrea
draft proposal written; consider legal exposure; more appropriate topic for the NC, Youth Caucus, and BRPP; no rules at this time; need for respectful conversation; need to send message to the NC that we are discussing the issue; suggest that SC and NC aspects of the proposal be separated; request that SC members no longer comment including on what are the “facts”;
approve SC portion of the proposal for the voting queue on regular schedule on the next SC call
Justin – no, Margaret – yes, Andre – yes, Violet – no, Gloria – yes, Anita – yes, Tony – yes, Jody – no, Hillary – NA – approved
III. STANDING BUSINESS – 40 min
a) Treasurer’s report – Hillary Kane – 5 min.
Treasurer’s Reports to the GNC available at https://gpus.org/treasurers-reports/
Accounts total: $119,800 – Savings/Reserves: $97,800. Checking: $22k; FEC report submitted on time
b) Fundraising report – Gloria – 5 min.
Direct Mail though 12 March: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1BNNU0JjqftxP15XWPUQJ6cwqurwgy4ZQJmoi66vsn0E/edit#gid=1314745009
Eblasts: 3-8 – Iceland prime minister – International Women’s Day written by consultant – $138;
3-16- Youth Climate Strike – Rapid Response – statement for media by Ryan Wesdock – $178 includes 1 sustainer at $11; 3-19 – Iraq war – by consultant and Gloria – $210 includes 2 sustainers for $30 total
ANM: registration y-t-d – $7,530 (72 registrations); meals/lodging y-t-d – $3870
Plans – Possible eblast this week honoring Annie Young, Claudia Ellquist, Morgen d’Arc (women’s month) – originally planned as fundraiser but probably content-only; Greenline – Jennifer Sullivan, Darryl! Moch and others have planned a fundraising event for GPUS at Busboys and Poets in DC for April 3 – Howie Hawkins and other speakers confirmed.
Other – Bounce issue seems to be clearing up. Still a lot of non-gmail addresses bouncing but numbers have decreased significantly. Problem with the gmail addresses seems to have cleared entirely.
Call with Zach Maybury about cleaning the list – saved several hundred dollars a month on NB – still need to find a way to clear out dupes. February Income report to come this week. Working on data dashboard
c) Fundraising Consultant update – Hillary, Gloria
last couple emails not as successful as usual – working with consultant; pro-Bono help with job description; Case for Support in progress – platform and other documents plus Strategic Planning discussions important sources
c) Liaison Reports – 30 Min.
BMRC liaison appointment – Justin – approved; Tech liaison – Tony and Violet interested – next agenda
DISPUTE RESOLUTION – Anita – functioning
FINANCE – Anita – functioning, Anita can now sign checks
GPAGES & DIV – Meet next week
IC – Andrea – see above
ATC/ARC, BRPPP – Andrea – functioning
FUNDCOM – Gloria – see above
MEDIA – Gloria – one co-chair elected. determining further election for second co-chair
ECOACTION – Gloria – online discussion of Green New Deal ongoing
MERCH – Justin – working on lit for store front, 10KV bookmarks, Green New Deal posters, restocking shirts
ANIMAL RIGHTS – Justin – working only on face book at this time
ANM & PCSC later in agenda – Margatet
PLATCOM – Margaret – new proposed timeline in voting queue
GPAX – Tony – approved initiative from Logan Martinez to chapters/states to organize teach-ins about anti-war and violence – From Yemen to Venezuela – sent on 17 March with goal of 25 across country;
anti-NATO/MLK assassination anniversary activities in DC and several other actions in DC in April
OUTREACH – Tony – Green New Deal flyer has had lots of input, responded to input from SC members; need modifications or separate color and black and white versions
ATC & A REVIEW & BRPP – Andrea – no updates
BAC – Violet – AJ resigned as co-chair, Cora has agreed to stay on until there is an election
IV. VOTING QUEUE – Jody – 5 min
https://secure.gpus.org/cgi-bin/vote/login
Received for the queue: None
In the queue: ID 953 – Amend Platform Process and Timeline
Online SC Proposals approved since last call and sent to the NC: None
V. OLD BUSINESS – 60 min
a) 2019 Annual National Meeting – Margaret – 20 min
SC task list update – Violet, Gloria, Justin – Tony volunteered to join
update on workshops, speakers, etc. – possible PCSC strategy workshop
plenary agenda update – 2 hr DivCom training included on Saturday
PCSC organizing presidential candidate forum Friday – conflict of interest discussion; Andrea announced that she is serving as Howie’s exploratory committee co-chair.
Tamar – fundraiser venue located
Div Com deadline past, workshop deadline end of March
b) Tech updates – Violet – 15 min – no updates in the interest of time; Hugh Esco’s proposal was received just prior to the last SC call
c) Strategic Planning Meetings – Margaret and Gloria – 15 min
Update on #4 work – worked on committees with focus on most necessary, worked on task list, additional hire in budget – job description needed
survey from Andrea – need more feedback
scheduling of #5 – Justin – will send out new Doodle Poll
d) Letter from EU – update from Andrea, Violet, Gloria, Tony. Anita, Justin – 10 min
Anita proposed to release with cover letter to NC to seek input – draft needs SC input and approval and will take the lead since Andrea is working on the FVPA letter – to be approved by the SC
d) FreshDesk update – Justin – 10 min
Large backlog, process of assigning to be developed; Andrea never got access when she was tasked with this; can use state lists for contacts as appropriate; SC to be copied on media matters; tickets to media updates to Holly; Gloria suggests call with Justin, David Doonan, Starlene about this project
e) GRP MA complaint about NPR attack on GPUS – Anita – 5 min – for next agenda
e) Committee actions and statements within their mission statement – 10 min – next agenda on last call – suggestion that if in name of GPUS public statements go through Media Committee and letters go through SC
VI. EXECUTIVE SESSION – none
TOTAL TIME: 3 hours 40 min
Jody Grage, Secretary