October 28, 2020 • Zoom virtual meeting
In attendance: Fairfield County: Not represented; Hartford County: Peter Goselin, Chris Reilly, Mary L Sanders (left at 7:25), Martha Kelly, Jeff Russell; New London: Sharmaine Gregor, Ronna Stuller (recorder), Bob Stuller; Shoreline: Tania Abbatello, Lynne Charles, Owen Charles, Justin Paglino; Windham: Enevia Baidoo Keene, Doug Lary, Cassandra Martineau; General chapter: David Bedell, Dustin Fiore, Andrew Morneau. Guests: Tenaya Taylor, Patrick Fenton
Start time 6:55pm.
1. Peter called the meeting to order. Following the welcome, David Bedell spoke about longtime Green Party of CT leader Mike DeRosa who passed away earlier this month.
2. Minutes
a. Minutes of the August 26 SCC meeting and the September 30 candidate event: Hearing no objections, approved by consensus.
3. Treasurer’s report: There were 3 donations totaling $200; expenses were $8.90 for Anedot fees. Current balance is $1,399.12. (We have not yet received the most recent Anedot payout, which includes some of the donations listed.) Hearing no objections, approved by consensus.
4. Old Business
a. 2020 election
(1) Mary Sanders’ team has come together this year; she’s gotten a lot of positive feedback. She is seeking small donations to pay for 3 newspaper ads.
(2) Cassandra, Justin, and Enevia (candidates for CD2, CD3, and Windham mayor, respectively). spoke about their campaign goals and experiences, and provided updates.
(3) David encouraged Greens to apply to be Justices of the Peace; deadline is November 1, so applications should be submitted no later than this Friday.
b. Ronna shared the list of GPUS committees so that members could see the options and sign up.
5. New Business
a. Without objection, the discussion of the 1st Congressional District campaign and recent actions by candidate Tom McCormick were moved to item 5a; Tania took over as facilitator.
Peter described the chain of events precipitated by a post by Tom on a Manchester crime watch page; screen shots of posts and email exchanges were shared, and possible responses discussed. There was general agreement that Tom’s public comments were in opposition to Green Party values and no objection to the GPCT withdrawing endorsement of his campaign. Noting that it is too near Election Day to seek a replacement candidate, the following plan of action was approved by consensus: (1) The Executive Committee is authorized to create and disseminate a press release announcing our disavowal and crediting groups that brought the issue to our attention; (2) The Executive Committee is also authorized to explore opportunities to offer monetary support to those groups; (3) The Green Party of Connecticut is committed to supporting and engaging in anti-racist training/education for our members and the community-at-large.
6. Due to the lateness of the hour, Peter moved to waive the rest of the agenda, 2nd by Doug; passed by consensus. Ronna will send out a poll to determine the date for our November SCC meeting.
Martha moved to adjourn, 2nd by Doug; passed by consensus. Meeting adjourned at 8:57pm.
Approved on November 24, 2020.