Green Party of Connecticut
State Central Committee Meeting
February 25, 2020 • Durham Public Library, Durham, CT
 
In attendance: Hartford County: Peter Goselin (facilitator), Michelle Bicking; Fairfield County: not represented; New London: Sharmaine Gregor, Ronna Stuller (recorder) Bob Stuller, Wasaka (Mark Roberts); Shoreline: Keith Foster; Windham: Doug Lary; General chapter: David Bedell, Tim McKee. 
 
Start time 6:52pm.
 
1. Michelle asked that we start the meeting with a moment of silence for Amy Vas Nunes, a GPCT founder who died a few days ago, and a few reminiscences were shared. 
 
2. Peter briefly reviewed the criteria in the bylaws for representative voting, and Ronna talked about gathering member participation information over the next few months, not only to determine representation but also to improve communication within the state party. 
 
3. Minutes
    a. Minutes of the January 15 SCC meeting: Wasaka moved to approve, 2nd by Keith; passed 9–0 with 1 abstention (Doug).
 
    b. The minutes of the February 13 EC meeting were accepted for the record by consensus.
 
4. Treasurer’s report: Starting balance $772.11. Income $18.90 (net donation); expense $84 (PO Box renewal; ending balance $707.01. A final payment for TelRite is scheduled. Replacement phone service was discussed; Peter volunteered to explore whether Google Voice would meet our needs.
 
5. Old Business
    a.  2020 general elections
(1) Presidential preference: Tim reported that 3 candidates – Howie Hawkins, Dario Hunter, David Rolde – have met the GPUS qualifying threshold. We will need to assign delegates to the Convention, which will be held in Detroit in July. Ronna will contact the SOTS for information about filing requirements, signatures needed, and deadlines. Howie Hawkins is coming to Connecticut and will speak at the Clinton Community Center on March 29.
(2) Connecticut races: We have ballot access for the 1st and 2nd Congressional districts. To support this year’s Green Party federal candidates and raise our visibility locally, chapters are encouraged to run candidates for the state legislature and registrar(s) of voters. 
 
    b.  Annual meeting and GPCT voting
(1) Notes from the 2/17 planning committee meeting were shared. May 16 is the first choice date for the Annual meeting, and May 9 is second choice. Ronna will check to see if the Portland Senior Center is available for one of those dates. Deadline for internal candidates to announce is March 18 (at 9pm, the end of the SCC meeting that evening). Video statements are encouraged, and help will be provided as needed to create and disseminate the videos.
(2) Doug has been working on the mailing list based on the ConnVoters 12/31/19 update. Chapters are encouraged to obtain more current local information where possible, and share it with him. We will find out which vendor has been used in the past for printing and mailing the ballots. The planning committee recommended that members be able to opt into receiving a PDF file of the information by email rather than postal service.
 
6. New Business
    a.  The Executive Committee proposed that we consider devoting a few meetings per year (one per quarter) to programs or discussions that would attract a larger and more diverse group, since the SCC business meetings do not allow enough time to talk about issues. Proposal will be revisited after the Annual Meeting.
 
    b.  We discussed ways to communicate our positions and legislative agenda, and Peter shared a document that he created based on work done by Brian Gay in response to Lamont’s State of the State address. We would like to form a small committee that could prepare timely press releases subject to EC vetting; we will ask Scott Deshefy and Frida Berrigan, two CT Greens who are writers, if they would like to be part of this effort. 
 
    c.  The Executive Committee also shared a proposal to sponsor a statewide policy conference on agriculture in 2021; Michelle and Wasaka are interested in taking the lead on planning and contacting farmers.
 
    d.  Peter summarized a statement in support of young trans athletes which has been signed onto by a diverse group on Connecticut human rights and LGBTQIA advocacy groups, and noted that opposition has been funded by the GOP and other right-wing organizations. EC has recommended that the GPCT sign on as well, and meeting participants briefly discussed and approved the action.
 
7.  Updates: Owen and Lynne will be traveling to Maine for Super Tuesday (3/3) to help gather signatures for Lisa Savage’s ballot access for US Senate: they would welcome another passenger or two.
 
Next SCC meeting will be held on Wednesday, March 18, at the Welles Library in Newington.
 
Bob moved to adjourn, 2nd by Doug; adjourned at 8:52pm.
 
Approved on March 18, 2020.

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