Steering Committee Meeting MINUTES
Sunday, May 31, 2026
8:00 pm EDT
I Setup and Background – 10 min
Facilitator: Allan Hunter
Steering Committee Roll Call:
1. Arshia Papari (co-chair) – reported absence (campaign)
2. Cassandra Lems(co-chair) – present
3. Craig Cayetano (co-chair) – present
4. Charles Ostdiek(co-chair) – present
5. Kalia Fitzgerald (co-chair) – present
6. Tamar Yager (co-chair) – present
7. Wissam Charafeddine (co-chair) – present
8. Holly Hart (secretary) – present
Observers are asked to remain muted and refrain from using the chat function. If someone wishes to speak to an agenda item, please send a request to secretary@gp.org.
Starlene Rankin (WA)
Establish Quorum (8 current members, quorum is 5)
ANNOUNCEMENTS, if any – please consider how much time will be needed for these items
ITEMS marked FYI are included for informational purposes, unless discussion is requested.
Approve Agenda (changes require majority, new items require ⅔ approval) – 5 min, if needed.\
II. Treasurer Report (Tamar; Charles) 10-20minutes
1. Current Account Balances Charles will send specific numbers
Operations – $38,000+
Merch Checking $20,036.57
Reserve accounts (operations and restricted funds) – $88,777.76
Paypal – $347./18
There was a question of why we use Payflow since we also use Paypal. We will cancel Payflow which will save about $1300+/year
Fiscal policy says the party is to have two savings accounts, one for operations reserves, the other for restricted funds (committees and caucuses). Athena and Charles are meeting the Signal Financial Credit Union (SFCU) branch manager Tuesday to open up a second savings account for restricted funds for committees & caucuses.
The process starts by verifying what amounts are in each committee’s/caucus’ restricted funds. This will involve bookkeeping and collating figures, which they have. They hope to be finished by next month.
Still working on getting Athena remote access to be able to make deposits. This may involve replacing Darryl! Moch with Charles as administrator of accounts.
SFCU is working on their virtual banking program and will have a new resolution document to make it much easier to add and remove signatories from our account.
Charles is now enrolled as an administrator for Payroll processor ADP. He is also now able to use the debit card to pay GPUS bills.
Charles sent the new digital media coordinator the finalized contract.
Craig asked about contact with the Sean Dougherty campaign in CA, regarding trying to get GPUS donated funds back (Sean had received funds from the Green Congressional Campaign Committee. He changed parties during the campaign.) After this week, they will close their campaign if they don’t advance, so there is a short window. Sean may return the funds back to the GPUS or donate to other Green candidates. Charles will follow up to find out. Kalia reported that she reached out to Mark Elborno, who said that Sean wanted to send the funds to other Green candidates, working with Rick Lass.
Craig asked that, going forward, all funds distributed to candidates have a clause that stipulates unused funds be returned if not used,
The CCC has about $1000 in their restricted funds, and will be requesting new graphics for their website.
III. New/Current Business
1. Online Decisions, FYI’s – (Holly) can briefly report or send out online
– Endorse Declaration of Independence from Medical Industrial Complex –
DONE, info sent to NC, Media
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Basecamp & MOU (to follow up online)
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Freshdesk update expense approved, $205,. However, the funds were donated by Darryl! Moch, so there was no need for an SC D\decision. Craig asked, and Charles confirmed that he thanked Darryl!
IV. Standing Business/Old Business
1.Follow-up with “inactive” state parties. (Holly)
AC updates with sample proposals for GPMT, MT Party of WVA and GPLA. Craig asked about West Virginia being one of the state parties, they show activity. Holly stated there had been multiple attempts to contact them, but no response. Craig offered to reach out to their Instagram account.
From last call: Wrote again to the Accreditation Committee; no response. Attempted to contact GP or Louisiana and GP of West Virginia. No responses. Contacted and spoke with members of GP of Montana; they are fine with moving to “inactive” status, and are aware that this means the will not be counted fort quorum on NC voting page proposals, their members may participate in national working committees if they wish, and they may reactivate by notifying the secretary of their wish to do so,.
V. Reports
[NOTE to SC: Liaisons should start contacting committees per the “calendar.” The calendar is included as a second sheet in the Liaisons spreadsheet, linked below. Co-chairs have reviewed and selected committees they want to serve as liaisons. The following list of Co-chairs and committees can also be updated, as needed.]
[Please update the Liaisons spreadsheet, as needed.]
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Review Liaisons spreadsheet, update as needed – 5-10 min
1. Guest Committee(s) : None
2. Staff (Tamar) – no news
3. Secretary (Holly) - Renewed Delegates 101, will schedule a second soon; Committees 101. Voting page work proceeding; ANM – call for meeting facilitators is part of the Rules, but ANMCom members felt this wasn’t needed, SC members could facilitate, as needed.
4. Craig: Media, Merch, PCSC, Outreach –
Merchandise: Sent a GP hat to Brianna Joy Gray, working on promoting People, Planet, Peace t-shirt ; low-budget ideas, like computer stickers; will have a store at the ANM, need to know who to send merchandise to, looking for printer in Chicago to get pennants, etc. Richard Giovanni has agreed to accept packages.
5. Cassandra: ANMCom, FundCom, Credentials , DRC
ANMCom is working to replace the former keynote speakers, looking at several possibilities; working on campaign offerings, but not hearing much from BAC or CCC. Call for candidates to create short videos has gone out; Kalia has offered to give up her workshop for a campaign-related workshop, if needed. Tamar noted that there was pressure to get some celebrity-status presenters.
DRC is talking about having an organizational meeting.
6. Wissam: IC, Green Pages, GPAX , BRPP, BMRC
Wissam reported stats for Green Pages. He has been submitting articles via WordPress for review, streamlining the process for the various authors who will be invited to provide articles.
BRPP – one person self-nominated and was approved for co-chair.
IC – discussing a proposal to rejoin FPVA, and thereby Global Greens; Wissam met with London Greens and reflected our excitement and eagerness to learn from their successes; they are not as optimistic, as they feel the far right has also gained a larger presence. GPAX continues their monthly webinars. BMRC is working on platform, messaging.
7. Arshia: CCC, Platform – no reports
8. Tamar: Diversity – Tamar, Anita Rios and Holly are on a subcommittee to distribute solidarity funds, should get letters out in the next couple days. They will put out another call if there are funds left, with a final deadline.
9. Charles: FinCom, Animal Rights
Thanked Cassandra for a pledge to cover the digital media coordinator. Working on getting updated debit cards and getting payments on office debit card. Working on getting no longer used domain names removed from payments, and restricted funds accurately counted. Craig asked if some domain names were obscure, or if some made sense to keep to forward to current domains; it also might make sense to keep and possibly sell some, and asked for more information. Tamar stated that these were inexpensive $3-4/apiece, but are things like old ANM accounts, which would not be used. There are 7 or 8 total. Charles reported that FinCom has been looking into having a third party HRA do health reimbursement processing; Tamar suggests Salusion.
Kalia stated that she had looked over the spreadsheet and wished to be liaison for BMRC, AC, BAC, EcoAction
VII. Voting Queue – (Holly)
Received for the Voting Queue
2 Proposals from Platform Committee (Holly)
These will be sent to the voting queue on the regular schedule. 2 weeks discussion, 1 week vote. Floor Manager: Holly
Discussion
None
Voting
None
Completed
# 1294 – Budget Amendment for Party Sustainability
5/24/2026, FAILED
Approval Threshold: Majority
# 1295 Green Party Advocacy for Reparations to Iran, Lebanon, and Gaza
5/28/2026, FAILED, lack of quorum
Approval Threshold: Majority
IX. Executive session. Craig asked for an executive session.
9:45 pm to 10:125 pm ET
[Not all discussion would come under executive session, so is included here.]
Craig noted emails to several Greens from an individual who has been harassing people for years. The SC agreed this individual should not be on Green Party communications platforms. He is not a member of his state party, has not made amends with his state party. Holly will send an email informing him that he will not be added to Basecamp for the above reasons.
Craig also noted that the CCC has done nothing in nearly 10 months, no comments. No one stayed on until the next election. There is no support for national candidates except what Craig is doing on Instagram. The current SC liaison needs to step up or step out. The CCC is supposed to have3 co-chairs. There are vacancies on that committee. The SC can appoint members to fill the vacancies – two women, two men/non-binary. Craig stated that the CCC shouldn’t be paying a contractor to update their website. Kalia offered to step in as CCC liaison.
TOTAL TIME – 2 hr. 15 min.