Approved minutes from the 1-8-08 SCC meeting of CTGP, quorum met.
Location: Portland’s Senior Center, 7 Waverly Avenue, Portland, CT 06480 P: 860-342-6760 Time: 7:000PM
Voting Attendees by chapter:
Central: Vic Lancia, Parlane Reid;
Fairfield: Paul Bassler, Richard Duffee;
Greater Hartford: Barbara Barry, Secretary of CTGP, S. Michael DeRosa, a Co-chariperson of CTGP; Christopher Reilly, Treasurer of CTGP;
New Haven: Jerry Martin, Charlie Pillsbury;
New London: Laura Cordes, Rona Struller;
Tolland: Tim McKee; Cliff Thornton, a Co-chairperson of CTGP.
Non-voting from Northeast Chapter: Scott Deshefy.
Facilitator: Charlie Pillsbury
A. Preliminaries:
1. Introductions of voting attendees/non-voting attendees; chapters; quorum was met; timekeeper was Vic Lancia. ground rules.
2. Approval of tonight’s proposed agenda. Deletions: reports from the elected GP officials, Policies and Procedures; Additions: petitioning and campaigning for CTGP candidates; CTGP literature;
3. Approval of minutes of 11-27-07 SCC meeting.
4. Treasurer’s report from Christopher Reilly: $1640.
B. Any proposals/referendums by chapters, committee:
a) Temporary Budget Committee members to be EC members; add: Laura Cordes and Tim McKee.
c) Candidates Development Committee to educate, enhance, enable, advise and support candidates in the formation and maintenance of their candidacy: Barbara Barry, Mike DeRosa. Add: Charlie Pillsbury.
C. Reports:
1. Impeachment of Bush/Cheney: RD: to the best of my knowledge, none of the 169 towns in CT have passed any town resolution for the impeachment of Bush/Cheney.
2. GPUS reports from: Cliff Thornton, GPUS Co-chairperson, CTGP representatives: Tim McKee and Charlie Pillsbury and National Committee Members: Amy Vas Nunes and S. Michael DeRosa.
CT: the Steering Committee removed Liz Arozone, NJ, due to alleged communication violations brought by GPUS staffer, Brent McMillian. Neither of the GPUS staffers, Brent nor Emily, have any actual supervisors nor are none written in their job descriptions.
TMc: there will be a 1-13-08 debate among potential GPUS presidential candidates. Ralph Nader and Cynthia
McKinney would be there. It is unclear if CSPAN will allow it to be re-broadcast.
TMc: GPUS is still discussing which of the 5 proposal will be selected to be used to determine the delegate process for the GPUS Presidential Convention for 7-08 in Chicago. Proposals have included: a) actual registered
Green Party voters; the number of elected Green Party officials; the number of members a state has in the U. S. Congress. the number of potential Green Party members. TMc: CTGP will need to determine/elect their delegates for the GPUS Convention. This potentially could be done at the 4-08 CTGP Annual Meeting.
SMD: I joined the GPUS Ballot Access Committee. It never had a ballot meeting from the time of the GPUS 8-07 Meeting until I was able to recruit other members to strongly urge the Chairperson, Phil Hunkelberry, to have one.
Our first teleconferenced meeting was Monday, 1-7-08. We discussed, if there was a need for any GPUS Ballot
Access meetings. Others joined me is suggesting that we move quickly to help Arizona with their presidential petition drive. AZ is the first state during the calendar year, which needs to have their petitions in, which is by 3-5-08. Next GPUS Ballot Access meeting: 1-14-08.
SMD: MA is willing to help us in CT and New England to develop a regional coalition to gain ballot access.
SMD: 2 polls have indicated that 60% of the US voters are willing to vote for a third party presidential candidate.
SD: third party presidential candidates have come to CT more than the Democratic and Republican candidates.
TMc: CT needs to start petitioning for the GPUS Presidential Candidate in order to have the required number of valid signatures by 8-6-08. Since we will not know who will be the GPUS Presidential Candidate, Greg Garett is willing to be the stand-in for both the Vice President and the Presidential candidates.
TMc: will clarify with the CT Secretary of State’s office: when petition sheets will be available. I will also coordinate this petition drive.
4. (5 minutes): Political issues the GP of CT has addressed with legislators during the 2008 Legislative Session: Fight the Hike/universal health coverage.
5. Absent chapters: deleted due to lack of time.
6. CT Green Times: SMD: is here for chapters to distribute. More can be provided if I am contacted.
7. Fairfield Nominating Convention for 1-13-08: RD: another congressional candidate has come forward to primary me for the GP candidate for Congress. Some voters have been told that if they change their voter party affiliation notification to their town Register of Voters, it is not official until a 90 day waiting period has occurred. Also, the town of Wilton, has declined to allow voters to register with the Green Party. Wilton will only allow for
voters to register as: Unaffiliated, Democrat or Republican. TMc: volunteered to clarify with the CT Secretary of State’s office, if this Wilton action was the correct action. It is the belief of many CTGP members that because all of our 2006 state-wide candidates (except for Governor) received over 1% of the votes, state-wide voters can now register with the Green Party.
8. ACLU lawsuit with Plaintiffs: CTGP and SMD against the State of CT’s 2005 Campaign Finance Reform
Law: SMD: I along with Barbara Barry and Ed DuBrule (current and past CTGP Secretaries) have been asked by the ACLU to provide CTGP documents from 2002 through the present. This will need to be done in a week or so. The judge for this case is Judge Underhill who is a graduate of the University of Michigan and Yale Law School. Our position is that this law is a Democratic and Republican Party subside law for the Republican and Democratic Parties and provisions of the law arbitrarily discriminates against minor parties.
9. Chapter reports.
New London: RS: had our 1-8-08 chapter meeting at which Scott Deshefy spoke of his desire to run as a CTGP candidate from our Congressional District. We are also exploring what city issues we will continue to work on or start. Some Green Party members have been appointed to some town committees so we do have a presence in New London. SD: I have contacted the CT Secretary of State’s office for the registration petition forms. He is under the impression that each candidate must have a separate petition form.
Fairfield: RD: Harold Burbank is running as an Independent Candidate for the 5th Congressional District i.e. not as a Green Party candidate.
Central: VL: I am eager to continue our tabling and work on the petition drives.
Greater Hartford: SMD: Steve Fournier officially announced on a radio show that he is running for Congress against Representative John Larson, Democrat from East Hartford. Steve also has not gotten any response from Rep. Larson regarding 12 questions that this chapter and coalition members want
Rep. Larson to answer about the why Cheney and Bush should be impeached. SMD: each CTGP candidate needs a list of volunteers and ask for their areas of interest or skills such as petitioning, media contacts, running errands.
New Haven: CP: Allan Brison was sworn in on 1-1-08 as a Green Party Alderman from the 10th Ward of New Haven. The first meeting of the alderman was 1-10-08. For the first time, New Haven passed an anti-war resolution and a nuclear disarmament resolution. Alan had proposed these resolutions and a Democrat 2nded the motion.
Tolland: TMc: still trying to get more connections with other communities/ people.
10. CTGP candidate literature: SD: has a blog and suggested using: NewMenu.com
11. Date, place and time for next SCC meeting 1-29-08 will be at Portland Senior Center, unless otherwise notified. The date, place and time of next EC meeting in 1-08: to be determined.