{news} minutes of March 7 2005 Executive Committee meeting

[edubrule]

Minutes of 3/7/05 Executive Committee meeting

6:10 - 9:00 pm, Hartford office

 

Attending:  both current co-chairs (Mike DeRosa, Elizabeth Brancato), treasurer Bob Eaton, secretary Ed DuBrule.  Observer:  Miguel Angel Nieves (candidate for mayor of New Britain).

 

Update on money intended to be left to the Green Party in a will.  A woman from Southeast Connecticut named the Green Party as a recipient of money in her will.  (Apparently only the words "Green Party" appear in the will, without a specification as to a chapter, state party, or the national party.)  Bob updated us on the situation--despite earlier hopes, it appears that Connecticut elections laws prevent the CT Green Party from accepting the money.  Bob will give information on this in the treasurer's report to be presented at the March 29 SCC meeting.

     Mike said he will be contacting a lawyer he knows who may be able to give us information on this situation.

 

Money owed to mailing bureau.   For the fundraising mailing to 2,188 registered Greens done by the Executive Committee on 12/2/04, we have paid the postage ($447.98) and a payment of $452.50.   Our proposal, accepted by the October 2004 SCC meeting, was for an appropriation of $855-$955 dollars to pay for this mailing.  This was based on a quote obtained from American Mailing Services for 2,000 letters.

     We received a bill from the mailing bureau for $891.70.  With the addition of the postage, that is a total of $1,339.68.  Examination of the bill and discussions with the mailing bureau revealed that 2,500 letters (not 2,188) were printed;  2,500 outer envelopes were printed and 2,500 reply envelopes were printed.  Ed e-mailed a list of 2,500 names to the mailing burea, then a half-hour later e-mailed the correct list of 2,188 names.  The quote referred to a one page letter;  what we eventually asked for was a double-sided letter.  We asked for a revised bill  and were sent a bill for $701.60 ($190.10 less than the original bill).  With the addition of the postage, that is a total of $1,149.58.  The very first bill received did calculations in terms of 2,700 letters and envelopes printed (which we don't understand);  the revised bill did calculations in terms of 2,500 letters and envelopes printed.

     The mailing bureau also wants late fees.

     Bob computed a hypothetical bill based on 2,188 letters rather than 2,500 and got a hypothetical amount due of $1,093.11.

     At tonight's meeting we decided:  (1) Bob should send a check to the mailing bureau immediately for $54.52 (that is, $955, the amount appropriated by the SCC, minus the $900.48 already sent);  (2) We will write a proposal request an appropriation of $200 from the SCC to cover the remaining bill.  The $200 is computed as the revised bill received ($701.60) minus amount sent soon after tonight's meeting ($507.02) = $194.58;  this is approximately $200 when the late fees are added.  (The exact amount of the late fees was not available to us at tonight's meeting, but it was believed to be approximately $5.)

     The statement in the minutes of the January 2005 Executive Committee meeting that we "have paid the entire amount due to the mailing bureau" is erroneous.

 

Proposal(s) on Executive Committee powers.   In early March, Executive Committee members learned that Justine McCabe and Elizabeth Brancato wish to serve on the recently-begun Peace Action Committee of the national party.  The national party requires approval of up to three Connecticut representatives to that committee by some unspecified body of the Connecticut Green Party.  Executive Committee members exchanged e-mails on the issue of whether such approval must be done by the SCC or could be done by the Executive Committee.  Recent SCC meetings have lacked a quorum;  we wondered if referring the issue to the SCC might lead to a long and perhaps unnecessary delay in Justine and Elizabeth being able to work on the committee.  On February 26 we posted an invitation for other CTGP members who wished to join the committee to identify themselves;  David Eliscu said he wished to join the committee.  We told the national party that "The Executive Committee has approved Justine, David Eliscu, and me [Elizabeth] to be representatives to the Peace Action Committee from the Green Party of Connecticut.  Our approval is provisional, until our next full State  Central Committee meeting, March 29, 2005."

     The Executive Committee has also discussed, in the past month, the issue of Executive Committee endorsements of events and activities.  A proposal passed by the June 2004 SCC meeting allows the Executive Committee, by majority vote, to endorse and/or agree to co-sponsor events or activities in the name of the Connecticut Green Party when there is not time to submit the request to the SCC.  In the past month we have wondered whether a proposal should be written allowing the Executive Committee to endorse/co-sponsor activities in the name of the CTGP even when there is time to submit the request to the SCC.  Allowing the Executive Committee to do this would save time at SCC meetings.  At tonight's meeting we decided that Elizabeth will write a draft proposal on this subject;  the proposal would include the idea that endorsements made by the Executive Committee when there would be time to bring the issue to the SCC would require a unanimous vote of Executive Committee members.  Elizabeth will also include in this draft proposal (or in a second proposal) specific answers to the questions referred to above about approving CT Greens to national committees.

     

Proposal on "card-carrying Greens".   Mike proposed a fundraising idea--creating a card that CT Greens could carry showing their membership in the CTGP (approximate cost $25).  (Purchase of a card would not be a requirement for membership in the CTGP.)  The card could have privileges associated with it, for example reduced suggested donation to fundraising events such as "Hartford chapter movie nights".  The national party is offering a similar card as a fundraising tactic (those who contribute get the card, a button, a bumpersticker, and a subscription to the Green Pages).  Mike will put this idea out on the fundraising listserve and he will write a proposal for the March SCC meeting.

 

Money spent by Chris Reilly on office rent.   Tonight we again discussed this issue.  We wondered if the best time for further discussions of this issue at SCC meetings might be after the question of state funding of the Hartford office is resolved.  All members of the Executive Committee believe that Chris should be reimbursed for these rent expenditures;  we agreed tonight that at some appropriate time we will express this opinion to chapter representatives of the SCC.

 

Endorsement of March 19 Hartford march/rally against the war in Iraq.  We endorsed this march/rally.

 

Letters concerning Peruvian Green.  Justine McCabe of the International Committee of the national Green Party had requested that the Executive Committee send a letter (via e-mail) to the president of Peru and several other Peruvian officials concerning Flor de Maria Hurtado Valdez..  She is Secretary General of the Peruvian Green party and  had been the target of assassination attempt(s).  She was an observer at the 2004 USGP presidential nominating convention in Milwaukee, where she spoke to the Women's Caucus, the forum on international Green issues, and the international reception.  We agreed to send these letters (Appendix 1).

 

Executive Committee decision making.  We agreed that our Executive Committee functions by informal modified consensus.  We first try to reach consensus;  if we cannot reach consensus we vote.

 

SCC agenda;  New Britain chapter.  The agenda for the 3/29/05 SCC meeting was worked out.  It will include an opportunity for the SCC to approve the formation of the New Britain chapter.  Miguel Nieves, candidate for mayor of New Britain, will attend the 3/29/05 meeting;  he wishes to run as an official Green candidate.

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Appendix 1   This letter (in English and Spanish) was sent to several Peruvian officials.

 

Presidente Alejandro Toledo
Presidente de la República
Palacio de Gobierno - Lima
República del Perú



Your Excellency:

We write to you with deepest respect, but also
great concern, to request your urgent assistance.
It has come to our attention that our dear friend
Flor de María Hurtado Valdez, Secretary General
of the Partido Verde Alternativa de Perú, and
Regidora de la Municipalidad de Iquitos, has been
the target of an assassination attempt.

We have also learned that she is in danger
because of her effective work on behalf of the
Indigenous people, and the natural environment,
of the Amazon forest in the region of Loreto.

We urge you to do whatever you can to protect
Flor's life. She is a very well known leader
among Green parties everywhere in the Americas,
indeed, in the world, and we feel very deeply any
danger which confronts her. She is our friend and
our compañera, and we ask that your government
recognize her importance, both to the people of
Perú, and to your nation's international prestige.

We also urge you to work for repeal of the Forest
Law Number 27308 and the Forest Concessions in
the Amazon area of Perú, and call a halt to any
further timber auctions in that region. The
destruction of your living patrimony, the lungs
of the planet, can never be a sustainable route
to economic and social progress.

Respectfully,

Elizabeth Brancato

[her e-mail address here]

Mike DeRosa

[his e-mail address here]
Co-Chairs
Green Party of Conneticut
PO Box 231214, Hartford, CT 06123, USA  
http://www.ctgreens.org
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