October 30, 2003

SC Call Notes — October 30, 2003

Participants:
SC members: Jake Schneider, Jo Chamberlin, Marnie Glickman, Ben Manski, Greg Gerritt
Staff: Dean Myerson, Emily Citkowski

Call Functions:
Facilitators Jake, Jo
Time Keeper Marnie
Note taker Greg

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
Intros, Minutes, Meeting Process, etc. (10 minutes)

The Platform Process update from Platcom co chairs 10 Min
Holly Hart and Budd Dickinson to join us for this item

OLD BUSINESS AND REPORTS

Financial 5 minutes
Presidential Campaign update 10 minutes
ballot issues, timing, PCSC proposal FTAA 3 minutes
Executive Session Policy 5 minutes
CCC Vacancies 10 minutes
Staffing Issues
Operations Director 10 minutes
Fundraising Director 5 minutes
Black Caucus 10 minutes
Making sure we are ready for Committee and Caucus hires 15 minutes
contracts, process
Office coverage in the interim 5 minutes

The voting queue
DRC 3 minutes
Strategic planning 5 minutes
BRPP rules 5 minutes
Accreditation for convention 5 minutes
Cuba 5 minutes
FTAA if we get a proposal today

NEW BUSINESS
SC Budget 10 minutes
Direct Mail consultant 5 minutes
Compliance 5 minutes

Total time allotted 2 hrs and 11 minutes
No Executive session scheduled

*****
Data for call:
***DRAFT SC BUDGET***
Travel
Tier 1=$7,000
Tier 2=$14,000
Phone
Tier 1 and 2=$8,400
Membership fees for party to join other organizations
Tier 1=$500
Tier 2=$1,000
Legal
Tier 1=$6,000
Tier 2=$6,000
——-

Here’s what I recommend for filling the two CCC vacancies:
1 – Send out a notice explaining the process.
2 – Give people until two weeks from Friday to submit applications. Use the old application forms.
3 – Conduct a 1-week email vote – secret ballot, just like in person – with STV voting.
The only question is who should do the counting?
End call data

Check in, Agenda Review
added review of 2004 budget process

Financial Report
Jake referred everyone to the Wed. Treasurer’s that was sent to the votes list. Only change was that since then a recalculation of what needs to go to the states in revenue sharing increased that amount to $14,000 approximately from around $12,000.

As of right now the GPUS must report financial information to the FEC on a monthly basis instead of quarterly. It was also noted that there was a discrepancy of around $20,000 between what our FEC reports show and what is in the data base. The accountant just discovered this and is working on it. As soon as this is figured out it will be reported in the Treasurer’s report. With the change in reporting schedules to monthly form quarterly the accountant is requesting a change in how he bills, but details were unavailable at the time of the conference call.

With the addition of revenue sharing to the other bills due the Treasurer requested that $10,000 be transferred from reserve to the current accounts account. SC approved.
2004 Budget
Marnie: The Finance Committee intends to have the budget to the CC in time for a vote prior to the first of the year. They are still gathering information from the various committees. In the current draft the assumption is that fundraising will bring in a total of $798,000, and that after fundraising expenses are deducted, the net will be approximately $363,000. Right now there are budget requests for $600,000 from the various committees on file, so obviously there is a big difference between what will be available ($363,000) and what is requested ($600,000) so the Finance Committee is going back to every committee to see how the committees cut their requests.

It was also noted that more of the budget will be spent on salaries in the next year with the CCC hiring a staff person and the Black Caucus hiring a staff person, making less money available for other activities.

Presidential Campaign 2004
Greg: Noted that the first filing deadlines are coming right up, with CA, DC, and RI deadlines in the next two weeks. Nader has withdrawn from CA primary and notified RI he will not be in its primary, but is still weighing a campaign. He expects to decide by the first of the year. David Cobb and Kent Mesplay have both notified GPRI that they will be filing during the filing period that begins November 15.

The CCC and the PEC have been working together to create a Presidential Campaign Strategy Committee (PCSC) and a draft document is being circulated among the committees. When the committees approve it it will be sent to the CC for approval.

FTAA
The IC is working on a resolution related to the FTAA meeting that will take place in mid-November. Due to the timing, the resolution will come with a request for an expedited vote, meaning a shorter discussion period. It was noted that the bylaws allow for shorter discussion periods when resolutions are time sensitive.

Executive Session Policy
A draft has been circulated to the SC and the CC. Discussion centered on using the current draft as an interim policy and also asking the BRPP to come up with the actual policy. After consulting with a Green labor lawyer, it was noted that we definitely need an Executive session policy and that there are personnel matters that must be discussed in Executive Session. The SC agreed to send the current draft to BRPP with a note saying that this is just a draft and that the SC would like BRPP to take on the writing of the policy. Jo Chamberlin noted her concerns about the current draft, primarily the fact that it requires a unanimous vote of the SC to go into executive session. She does not think that provision is appropriate and wants that noted in the record and the note to BRPP. Jo voted no on the vote to use the current draft as an interim policy as well for the same reason. The rest of the SC voted to approve using the draft policy as an interim policy. Greg will send a note to the BRPP asking that they take on writing ES policy, noting Jo’s concerns.

The SC shall also seek legal guidance as to whether or not any of the issues we are dealing with need to be discussed in ES rather than open session until we develop policies. Then seek majority approval based on advice we receive. This shall be revisited next call.

CCC vacancies
Ben drafted a call; we agreed to send it out asking for volunteers. We shall compile a list then ask for a vote, not using the voting page, but having everyone send votes to a specific person. We are seeking an outside person who understands how to count single transferable votes to run the election. First we shall ask Center for Voting and Democracy for a person to count votes. If CVD can not do it, we shall seek elsewhere.

Staffing Issues
Welcomed Emily Citkowski, the new Operations Director. Until Emily actually starts work in two weeks, Greg will answer the email and other SC members will divide up answering the phone. Dean reported that credit card sustainer donations are all caught up, but that they should be taken care of before Emily starts. SC will look into making that happen.

Shortly after Emily starts (Nov 17), Ben and Jo will go to DC to help her settle in and learn systems. They are going find ways to go on the cheap.

Fundraising Director
Job description is approved and there was approval to post it.

Black Caucus
Approved BC hiring of Jason Ravin. Used this as a starting point for a discussion of the process of committee/caucus hires, noting our deficiencies in process and that the personnel committee needs more help setting up systems, and then having a much bigger role in hiring and staff oversight. We also used this time to note that we need to have contracts with all hires from the committees and need to create a template for that. Marnie is working with BC to get a contract prepared for Jason.

Lastly the SC agreed that it does have the fiduciary responsibilities in the organization and therefore, while other parts of the organization will have great latitude in finding their own people to fill slots, the SC does have to sign off on them before they are finalized. Procedures for this also need to be fully worked out. This was followed by a discussion about who to recruit for the Personnel committee.

Covering the office in the interregnum
SC shall talk to folks in the DC area to see if anyone can get in there who would know what is going on.

Voting Queue
Dispute Resolution Committee creation. Still in discussion phase
Strategic planning resolution. Still in discussion phase. Lively discussion, presenters are going to come back with new language.

BRPP internal committee rules
This is the first of the committee rules to come forth. Every committee is expected to produce internal rules, other committees are somewhere along the road on this, but not all have worked on this. Greg will floor manage, BRPP will designate a presenter/discussant.

Accreditation for convention delegations
Discussion continues. AC is bringing in amendments soon.

Cuba
To discussion. Greg will floor manage, IC will designate presenters/discussants.

Presidential Campaign Strategy Committee creation proposal
Still in committee, has not yet been formally presented to the SC. Expected soon.

FTAA
No resolution yet, but when one comes from IC it will be presented for an expedited vote, with length of discussion period based on timing.

OLD BUSINESS

SC budget
SC needs to approve a budget to present to Finance committee which will present the entire budget to the CC for approval. Draft that was under discussion is attached to the agenda and included in these notes. Proposal here is modified from that version.

The numbers here were approved by the SC
Phone. $100 per SC member per month $8400
Membership fees for joining coalitions and organizations $1000
Legal fees $4000
Travel $1000 per SC member $7000
There is no budget proposal for SC stipends

Many things that used to be in the SC budget are no longer included in SC budget, but more properly placed into the work of committees. Examples cited include the Merchandising committee budget and the funding for caucuses. Previously anything that would end up in the laps of the SC was in the SC budget. It makes much more sense to move out of the SC budget anything that could be managed elsewhere.

General discussion of budget —
GPUS budget is now divided into 4 sections:

1. Organizing and Outreach
2. elections officeholders
3. Finance
4. Administration, which includes SC and committees that relate to administration such as brpp and accreditation.
Salaries and office expenses are in administration. The Finance committee will send out an explanation of the new system to the CC soon.

It was noted that the Finance committee already has requests for several thousand dollars more than they anticipate in revenue. $90,000 just in travel requests. New staff will take enough resources that it will significantly cut into other activities.
Contracting with a direct mail consultant
Search is ongoing, 5 proposals have already been received, all from experienced contractors. The timeline for contracting this out was not discussed.

Merchandising
The coffee marketing proposal has been modified to make sure that it complies with FEC regulations. system seems to be almost completely worked out. People will buy the coffee directly from GPUS, and GPUS shall pay the coffee company rather than people sending money tot he coffee company and then them sending us our share. The law allows us to pay for coffee with money donated to us, but not for coffee company to donate to us money they received.

Compliance with FEC regulations
Our data base needs to be upgraded and our accountant needs to be more comfortable working with the FEC. Both issues are being worked on and improved.

Server for data base for news and elections site
We have outgrown current capacity and are overloading the current server, to the point where it had to shut down for a while. Upgrade should be available by Monday. It will cost $150 a month for the new server. Jake will send out the contract and check.

There are scheduling problems for the next SC call. Jo will coordinate finding the time for the call.

No Executive session

Call ended at 11PM EST.
Minimally edited and HTML formatted by Charlie Green