Green Party of Connecticut

State Central Committee Meeting Minutes, approved on 1/25/23

November 16, 2022 • Zoom virtual meeting

In attendance: Greater Hartford: Peter Goselin, Jennifer Peck, Martha Kelly, Mary Sanders; New Haven: Mar Mogollón; New London: Bob Stuller, Ronna Stuller; Shoreline: Justin Paglino, Patrick Romano; Windham: Cassandra Martineau, Doug Lary; General chapter: David Bedell, Jeffery Russell, Dustin Fiore, Eugene Woloszyn, Brian Gay

Start time: 7:10pm.

1. Minutes
   1. David moved to approve minutes of the October 5 SCC meeting, 2^nd by Dustin; passed by consensus.
   2. Doug moved to accept the minutes of the November 3 Executive Committee meeting for the record, 2^nd by Cass; passed by consensus.
      
      
2. Treasurer’s report: Income (from donations and brunch ticket sales) totaled $2,497.80, and expenses (for travel, Diaper Bank donation, radio and Facebook ads, yard signs, brunch balance, and Anedot fees) totaled $3,899.29. Net balance (after checks clear) is $1,589.45 in the Charter Oak (SEEC) account and $490.86 in the Guilford Savings (FEC) account. Doug moved to accept the treasurer’s report for the record, 2^nd by David; passed by consensus.
   
    
3. Old Business

a) 2022 Election results and debriefing:

Challenges that were faced in this year’s Green Party campaigns: most candidates were endorsed too late to allow for strong campaigns; continued COVID risk virtually eliminated in-person canvassing; more effective utilization of social media and online resources (like Ballotpedia) is needed; fundraising was inadequate.

Observations: having a local Green Party visibility leads to better results, even in regional and statewide races; it’s uncertain whether lawn signs are worthwhile; 4-or-more candidate races presented problems for all the minor parties needing 1% of the vote, not just the Greens; Doug’s data gathering was invaluable for successful petitioning in state legislative races.

Recommendations: create a standing Electoral Working Group; build Green Party visibility by participating on local commissions, spearheading community projects, and supporting other activist efforts; and identifying towns with the potential for building Green Party chapters and/or town committees.

4. New Business

a) Opportunities for advocacy were shared; potential issues included Medicare for All health care reform, climate change, the housing crisis, economic conversion from military industry, free public transportation, environmental justice. Dustin suggested that hosting a public debate on nuclear energy would be a visible and thought provoking project for GPCT to take on.

b) The potential for initiating a lawsuit on behalf of disability rights and political access was discussed. Not only do in-person petitioning requirements discriminate against minor parties and their supporters, but the lack of hybrid or remote options for public meetings in many towns limits participation by those with health risks, disabilities, or public-facing jobs.

c) A Winter Solstice get-together was tentatively scheduled for December 17, the exact date and location to be determined.

Dustin moved to adjourn, 2^nd by Doug; passed unanimously.

End time: 9:16pm.