Minutes of Feb 22, 2005 SCC meeting--Wesleyan University, Fisk Hall, 7:10-8:50pm

Attendees:
1. Central Connecticut chapter: Vic Lancia, Vincent Maruffi
2. Hamden chapter: Aaron Gustafson (facilitator), Kelly McCarthy(NV), Francis Braunlich
3. Hartford chapter: Ed DuBrule(NV), Mike DeRosa, Barbara Barry DeRosa, Rob Pandolfo, Albert Marceau
4. New London chapter: Andy Derr, Chris Nelson
5. Northeast chapter: Jean de Smet, Chris Demorit
6. Northwest chapter: Elizabeth Brancato
7. Tolland chapter: Tim McKee

Also attending: Ana Lachelier of West Hartford, Connecticut; Fred of Middletown, Connecticut
A quorum was not reached.

Treasurer's report (read by Aaron)
"2/21/05
"This month's report is longer than usual so bear with me.
"Over the last month we had receipts of $1,213.39 and expenses of $500.52. Currently we have a balance of $1,601.66.

"Receipts:
"Joyce Chen for State Rep. $637.42
"Green Party US 312.00
"Elect Nancy Burton 123.97
"Fall fund raiser 75.00
"Other 65.00
"Total......................................$1,213.39

"Expenditures:
"Office in Hartford rent $250.00
"Office in Hartford phone 50.82
"Office in Hartford electric 46.77
"Reimbursements 74.24
"PO Box (6 months) 38.00
"Credit card processing 36.04
"Toll Free Number 4.65
"Total.........................................$500.52

"I received a letter from the New London Court of Probate naming the Green Party as a beneficiary in the matter of the estate of Margaret M. Cramer. I called the CT State Elections Enforcement Commission about this. They informed me that we could not receive the money from an estate because they consider it a business entity. I have been in contact with Jake Schneider the treasurer of the Green Party of the United States. They can accept the donation and he told me they would then donate the money to us. This is obviously good news for the Green Party of Connecticut. I talked to the lawyer handling the estate and he estimated that our portion would be from $12,000 to $15,000. He also estimated it would take 3 to 4 months to settle.

"While this money is good news for us it is also something that we need to think about very seriously. We should develop a budget to decide how this money should be used. We also need to keep in mind that this is a one time donation and be careful that we don't depend too much on it for ongoing expenses that we can't continue to raise funds for. We should think of what we have been wanting to do but couldn't and also consider our debt. I suggest a special committee be formed.

"Personally I think it would be nice to put some money into upcoming campaigns, and especially consider New London candidates since that is where this woman was from. We might also consider sending some money back to the Green Party US since they are willing to help us with this. It would be nice if we kept enough money to cover the chapter balances that are due the chapters. The worst thing we could do is fail to budget and then end up with no money again.

"Since we have not approved a budget, I as treasurer have to decide what I can spend money on based on what I think are SCC approved expenses. I came up with a table on what I understand our ongoing approved expenses to be.

"Item Monthly Costs Yearly Costs
"Half of Office Rent $250.00 $3,000.00
"Half of Office Phone estimated 25.50 306.00
"Half of Office Electric estimated 24.00 288.00
"Property taxes for items in office 6.42 77.00
"Toll Free Number estimated 5.00 60.00
"Post Office Box estimated 6.33 76.00
"Credit Card Processing estimated 42.00 504.00
"Chris Reilly Reimbursement 74.00 888.00
"Domain Names estimated 3.33 40.00

"Total $436.58 $5,239.00

"Other than small expenses that the executive committee can approve other expenses will need to be approved by the SCC. In addition we are obligated to pay for chapter expenses that are within their chapter balance. (Unfortunately we don't have the money to pay for all these balances.) If there are approved expenses that I don't know about please forward them to me. Include the SCC minutes showing the SCC approval.

"These are the currant chapter balances I have:
"Central: $ 689.99
"Fairfield: 1,119.30
"Hamden: 54.00
"Hartford: -1,644.02
"New Haven: 1,059.53
"New London: 156.67
"North East: 155.10
"North West: 2,075.88
"Shoreline: 15.00
"Southeast: 204.56
"Tolland: 118.85
"West Hartford: 129.00
"Western: 276.50
"North Central: 71.40

"Our obligated balance is $4,481.76 (this total includes being reimbursed for negative chapter balances).

"As always please consider being involved in the Fundraising and Budget Committees.

"For more information on the CT Green Party Finances you can call me at 860 379-0632, email me at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or look at this webpage: http://www.kirajoy.com/CTGP/CTGP_Treasurer.html

"Bob Eaton
"CT Green Party Treasurer"

Andy, of the New London chapter, said that he had never met Margaret M. Cramer (the woman who put the Green Party in her will). He said that she had written a letter to the editor during election season saying that people should vote Green. Aaron pointed out that the treasurer's report lists a chapter balance for the Southeast chapter but that this chapter no longer functions.

Chapter reports:

(a) Central Connecticut--had salon (to talk about "what matters"); talked about issues such as jobs leaving Middletown. Hopefully this salon will happen every month. (The salon was an activity planned by Greens and others.)

(b) Northeast--started taping for TV show.

(c) New London--its website contains information on the availability of their TV shows to others; planning fundraising and strategies for elections; may have a Green on the planning/zoning commission.

(d) Northwest--Bill C. Davis campaign; in March may hold event on sprawl (center-edge).

(e) Hamden--will run two candidates for town council; trying to set up an improved working relationship with New Haven chapter concerning campaigns

(f) Hartford--working with New Britain Green mayoral candidate; Mike and this candidate appeared on a New Britain radio show. A Hartford Green may run for Hartford Board of Education. Demonstrations/vigils planned on Social Security issue--possibly Thursday March 10 at noon outside several Social Security offices including Hartford and New Britain--trying to coordinate this action with other chapters.

(g) Tolland--trying to establish Manchester chapter, which may run candidates.

Internal elections committee report (Jean reported, with some information contributed by Ed): Mike DeRosa, Aaron Gustafson, and Kelly McCarthy have declared they are candidates for co-chair; Barbara Barry DeRosa has declared she is a candidate for secretary; there is no candidate yet for treasurer; Tim McKee and Tom Sevigny have declared they are candidates for US Green Party representative. In the past the ballot has contained three positions for US Green Party representative, and the third-highest vote-getter served as the alternate. Alternatively, the internal elections committee could ask if anyone is interested in running specifically for the alternate position--this person, if elected, would only serve if one of the US Green Party representatives resigned or was unable to go to a meeting.

Legally we need to treasurer to exist as a state party. We probably won't hold elections until person(s) declare their candidacie(s) for treasurer. Vic said he could put out the word that we need a treasurer on listserve(s); Aaron said this has been done already on the Hamden chapter listserve.

There is a proposal (Appendix 1) for spending for the internal elections. Should this proposal still be offered, with its proposed spending amounts and mailing plans, if there are no contested positions (that is, if there are three co-chair candidates running for three co-chair slots, etc.)? Though in the past "none of the above" has also appeared on the ballot, and people have been given the option of putting write-in candidates on the ballot. An alternative might be to mail out a newsletter (perhaps in a newsprint format, like the old "CT Green Times") which contained information on the annual meeting, the need to go through the formalities of electing our officers, and other information about what's going on in the CT Green Party. Jean said that we have to have an annual meeting, by law.

Out internal elections were held last March; how long should the current officers serve if we do not hold internal elections in March? One attendee said that the bylaws state that officers serve for one year; another attendee said that the bylaws are silent on this question.

Within the internal elections committee, the idea of a nominating committee for internal elections has been raised. One pitfall with this idea, however, is that such a committee might put forward a single set of candidates, and such a system might tend to discourage others from declaring their candidacies.

The internal elections committee has filled out an application with the US Postal Service for the ability to do mailings at nonprofit rates. (This may not be exactly the same as "bulk mailing rates".) If this application is accepted, chapters and candidates could probably make use of this permit.

Report from Women's Caucus (Elizabeth Brancato): met February 12, discussed possibilities for selecting officers without doing a costly mailing, such as each chapter contacting many chapter members (at a minimum all those who voted in the 2004 internal elections; all people who do work for the chapter yet may not come to chapter meetings should be contacted). Next meeting planned March 18, place to be determined.

US Green Party representatives' report (Tim): national is soliciting proposals for an annual meeting to be attended by US Green Party reps. National is still discussing possible punishment (eject from national Green Party?) of Vermont, which put Nader on the ballot, not Cobb.

VOTER (Mike): many people testified at a hearing at the state capital on the paper ballot trail hearing February 14. A group from VOTER went to see a representative of Governor Rell--she favors the paper trail bill. Common Cause, CCAG, the League of Women Voters, and certain Democratic Party town committees support a paper trail. The government elections committee is considering the issue of under what circumstances an audit of the paper trail ballots would be done.

The Secretary of the State's office has to buy 769 computer-based voting machines within weeks. In the next election we will probably see one electronic voting machine (per the Help America Vote Act) in each voting precinct.

The Working Families Party put a bill in for permanent ballot access.

Ana said that there will be a panel discussion titled "Connecticut's next voting machines" on March 16 from 7-9pm at the West Hartford Town Hall.

Legislative report (Mike): There are four bills in the legislature dealing with expanding access to health care. Two are single-payer bills, a third expands the HUSKY program, and the fourth ("Pay or Play") would mandate that employers of over 100 employees that didn't offer health insurance would have to pay a tax. There may be hearings.

Selecting a replacement on the Process Committee for Rachel Goodkind, who has moved from Connecticut: this was not considered, except that chapters were reminded to seek people who might be interested and that the replacement must be a female, since the two remaining Process Committee members are male and at no time may all three members of the PC be of the same gender. See Appendix 2.

Office Committee report: Kelly presented the report in Appendix 3. As noted in the report, the next meeting of the Office Committee will be on Saturday, March 12, at 10 am in the Hartford office. The report is incomplete in the sense that the committee is waiting for information (for example, information from insurance agents). The report states that "several options will be presented" by the final report of the Office Committee "for a vote by Chapter Reps at the March 29, 2005, SCC meeting".

Secretary's note "A": in case of technical problems viewing the figures at the end of the Office Committee report, here are descriptions of these figures. These descriptions were written by the secretary.

(1) The first figure, "2004 Total Cash Expenditures", is a pie chart. 76% of the 2004 total cash expenditures were office expenses (without the general liability insurance policy). The remaining 24% were other expenses.

(2) The second figure, "2004 Total Cash Expenditures", is another pie chart. 90% of the 2004 total cash expenditures were office expenditures (with the general liability insurance policy). The remaining 10% were other expenses.

(3) The third figure, "2005 Estimated Monthly Expenses", is a third pie chart. 70% of the estimated average monthly expenses are office expenses. The remaining 30% are other expenses.

(4) The fourth figure is "CTGP Chapter Balances, 1/2005". It presents figures comparable to those presented in the treasurer's report above.

(5) The fifth figure is "Insurance Options Cost Evaluation". It is a graph. The y-axis (vertical axis) contains Estimated Cost. The x-axis (horizontal axis) contains number of events. It gives a graphical display of the information contained in Section E of the Office Committee Report. It plots the figures contained in Section E ($1,100, $1,270, etc.) It also gives the cost of the three insurance options with no events per year: $0 for event-by-event insurance policy; $830 for General Office Policy (no office expenses); $4,502 for General Office Policy with office expenses.

Secretary's note "B": the fundraising plan referred to in the report is as follows [e-mail from Tom Sevigny to Bob Eaton 8/13/04; very similar plan in minutes of August 2004 SCC minutes]:

1. Fundraising letters

a. Four a year (March 1st, June 1st, September 1st, December 1st)

b. Three of these mailings will be to a select group of people (i.e. individuals who have given money over the last year, individuals who voted in the last internal election, etc.)

c. One mailing will be to the entire state mailing list. list.

2. Phone solicitations

a. Shall be conducted one month after mailings are sent. Phone calls made to those who did not respond.

3. Events

a. At least four a year with prominent speaker

4. 100 for 100 sustainer program.

a. All fundraising appeals (letters, phone, events) shall emphasize the 100 for 100 program. The goal of this program is to get 100 people to give $100 a year through their credit cards or automatic checking. Sustainers can give one lump sum or in monthly installments as low as $8.00 a month.

5. Merchandising

a. When financially able, the party shall promote a full line of merchandise (pins, bumperstickers, t-shirts, hats, etc.)

----------------------------------------------------------------------------- If you have serious disagreements with the accuracy of anything written in these minutes, please contact the secretary, Ed DuBrule, at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or 860-523-4016. If your e-mail or letter is titled "I remember things happened differently" or "I remember that this also occurred", I will treat your e-mail or letter (or a summary of it) as an addendum to these minutes. Such e-mails or letters must be received within 4 weeks of the date of publication of the minutes to the News listserve to be considered addenda.

Addenda are published to the News listserve and are considered part of the minutes. They are brought to the following month's SCC meeting (for distribution at the time the minutes are approved/disapproved); they are posted to the CT Green Party website as part of the minutes.

------------------------------------------------------------------ Appendix 1. Internal elections proposal.

Green Party Meeting Proposal Form

PRESENTER : internal elections committee

CONTACT: Jean de Smet, 39 Davis St. Willimantic CT 06226, 860-456-2188, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

SUBJECT: funding appropriation for 2005 internal elections/annual meeting

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE : annually the CTGP holds internal elections and an annual meeting

PROPOSAL:

(1) A full ballot package will be sent to those Greens who voted in the 2004 internal elections, either by mail or at the annual meeting, including those whose ballots were received too late to be counted. This totals 177 people.

(2) Other CTGP members may be sent a full ballot, depending on funds available. Pledges will be solicited to send full ballots to as many people as possible. Full ballot mailings will sent in the following order, as funds permit: Greens who registered within the past year; then to all registered Greens; then to all other members. The deadline for fundraising is February 6th. All other CTGP members will be sent a postcard.

(3) The full ballot package will contain up to 12 sides (6 pages) (may vary depending on the number of candidates) and (optionally) a return envelope.

Side 1: ballot (printed in green ink)
Side 2: page inviting people to the annual meeting and explaining the voting process (on the back of the ballot)
Sides 3-8: candidate statements (last year this was 6 single-sided pages)
Side 9: information about CTGP/donation request
Side 10: donation form
Side 11: contact information about CTGP (one side)
Side 12: description of Annual Meeting (one side)

(4) The postcard will contain:
**phone number and e-mail address for obtaining a ballot package by mail
**date/time/place of annual meeting and candidate forum(s)
**additional information on the CTGP as space allows
(5) Cost estimates: One estimate (based on figures provided by Gulemo Printing, Willimantic) is:
$357 Printing/addressing 2800 small (5 1/2" x 4 1/4") postcards
300 Printing/stuffing/addressing 200 full ballot packages
560 Postage for 2800 postcards ($0.20 x 2800 postcards)
74 Postage for 200 full ballot packages ($0.37 x 200) (two hundred may not be enough for bulk mail)
75 Room rental (possibly Greater New Haven Labor Council, 267 Chapel St.)
--------------------
$1,366 total

-----------------------------------------------------

E-mail from Gulemo Printing:
Hi Jean,

I will be assuming the 12 sides look the same as last time. First let me tell you that we can not be sure about the postage, That depends on the address list. Our best guess is about 20 cents per postcard & about 22 cents per letter. 200 letters (option 1) might not work to bulk mail. They might have to go first class.

Postcards come in different sizes. I will give you 2 samples. Prices are including printing, stuffing addressing & mailing. Postage is NOT included.

Option 1
2800 Postcards size 8 ½” x 5 ½” = $501.00, size 5 ½” x 4 ¼” = $357.00
200 Full mailings = $300.00
(Totals $801.00 and $657.00, respectively)

Option 2
2000 postcards size 8 ½”x 5 ½” = $381.00, size 5 ½” x 4 ¼” = $272.00
1000 full mailings = $1000.00
(Totals $1,381.00 and $1,272.00, respectively)

Option 3
3000 full mailings = $2600.00

-------------------------------------------------------

Appendix 2 Excerpt from Conflict Resolution Process, revised after 1 year's experience.

[NOTE: explanatory notes between brackets and in italics were not approved by the SCC and are not part of the Resolution Process, but reflect comments made at the April 2003 SCC meeting when the Resolution Process was adopted; recommended additions are in bold print; recommended deletions are in bold print between brackets.]

RESOLUTION PROCESS STRUCTURE. The Resolution Process is a two-step process involving a standing (elected) Process Committee and ad hoc Resolution Committees appointed to dispose of each complaint. The Resolution Process functions are in order of importance: 1) fact-finding, 2) education, 3) mediation and reconciliation, and 4) corrective action.

The Process Committee (PC) [prosecutor/grand jury function] consists of three people from different chapters who were nominated and elected by the SCC immediately after the SCC approved the Resolution Process. [The three people nominated and elected unanimously were David Adams, Rachel Goodkind and Lynah Linwood] These three people will serve until the SCC has reviewed, ratified or amended the Resolution Process, as described in the final paragraph below, in approximately one year. Upon ratification or amendment of the Process, three people will be elected immediately to serve for one year, two years and three years, respectively. After these initial terms, PC members will be elected to serve three-year terms, and no person may serve on the PC for more than six years under any circumstances. In nominating people to serve on the PC, the SCC will consider the Party’s respect for diversity. At no time may all three members of the PC be of the same gender. [Key Values 7 & 8]

The Resolution Committee (RC) ...

--------------------------------------------------------------

Appendix 3

CT Green Party SCC – Office Committee Report – 2/22/05

Prepared by Kelly McCarthy, Hamden Chapter

I. Original Proposal from Fairfield Chapter for an Office Committee (10/2004; Appendix 5)
PRESENTER (committee, chapter(s),or group of individuals):
Fairfield County Greens
CONTACT (name, address, phone number, email):
Eddie Friend, P.O. Box 1747 Darien, CT 06820, 203-854-5900, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
SUBJECT (10 words or less):
Creation of Office Committee

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE:

The office space rented in Hartford has become a contentious issue which has disrupted the SCC. This committee would be charged with formulating a plan that would consider the feasibility of continuing to support the office space and the associated insurance issues

PROPOSAL:

We propose that the Office Committee be formed to prepare a report to the SCC concerning the future of the office space in Hartford. The committee would have two main considerations. If the office is to remain open, how would it be funded? If the office were to be shut, how would the state party maintain the liability insurance that is necessary for chapters to hold events? This committee would recognize the need for a timely report and recommendation to be made to the SCC in order to resolve this issue.

II. January 25, 2005 SCC Meeting:

Office Committee is requested by SCC to convene before next meeting; Kelly McCarthy volunteers to work on Committee and convene before the Feb meeting.

III. Office Committee Meetings:

February 19, 2005 (10.30 am @ New Haven Lib) & March 12, 2005 (10 am @ Hartford Office)

Debating the merits of the office space in Hartford is not the purpose of this Committee. Business is primarily conducted by individuals via email and/or phone. Report and options/recommendations are approved by review at meetings; consensus is not required and, therefore, several options will be presented for a vote by Chapter Reps at the March 29, 2005, SCC meeting.

Send additional information re: fundraising and/or insurance to the Office Committee c/o Kelly McCarthy (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.; phone 203-230-9726); Any additional information must be substantiated and received by March 12, 2005, to be considered by the Committee at their final meeting. Additional information deemed relevant will be provided to Chapter Reps by March 14th via email or post.

III. Background Information

A. CTGP use of office:
Nov 2002 – Feb 2005: 1 of 28 SCC meetings were in Hartford office
Mar 2003 – Jan 2005: 13 of 18* Executive Committee meetings were in Hartford office
* this number does not include EC meetings that were held via conference call or cancelled
Various Committees* (Internal Elections, Diversity, etc.) used office for meetings as needed
* at least 2+ confirmed since 2003
GP Strategy Meeting/Focus Group Jan 2005
Candidate Appreciation Day 2004
New Years Party 2001
Other events? (records not currently available)

B. Greater Hartford Chapter use of office:
Regular Chapter meetings
Three 1st Dist. State Senate runs by Mike DeRosa
Two City Council runs by Elizabeth Horton-Sheff
Other local campaigns in Hartford
Progressive movie nights: approx. every two weeks
Several fundraisers for Hartford Chapter’s support of office space
Other events

C. Other State Chapters:

No other Chapters reported direct use of the office for their events. Some Chapters stated that they were able to obtain riders for Chapter events connected to the State’s general liability office insurance policy. One Chapter stated that they were unable to schedule use of the office when they attempted to do so.

D. Other Greens:

Nader & Cobb have visited and spoken @ office in 2002-2004

The GPUS has met there sometime in last 4 yrs.

E. Non-Greens:
Undercurrent Newspaper previously met @ office*
VOTER meets periodically (current)*
“Bring the Troops home Now” meets weekly for upcoming events (current)*
* No funds were received by the CTGP for their use of the office

F. Comments on financial situation of offices from CTGP SCC Meeting Minutes*:

* available online @ www.ctgreens.org

November 14th, 2000: The state committee approved of keeping the Hartford office open. Rent and utilities will be split evenly between the Greater Hartford Chapter and the State Party.

November 28th, 2000: New Haven Office--The state central committee approved keeping the New Haven office open with the understanding that the New Haven chapter would be responsible for all expenses. It was further agreed upon that other chapters could open offices as long as they raise the money themselves.

March 27, 2001: Our insurance policy is up for renewal; the rate for this year is $1236 (last year's cost about $1500). This covers events and offices; and candidates can get coverage for their campaigns for only $1. Note: Our current policy costs less than it did previously but only covers events occurring in the Hartford Office, unless we purchase an additional rider for an event on an event-by-event basis. (Ex. This meeting is not covered by our insurance, so if you hurt yourself, please don’t look to us.)

May 29, 2001: Treasurer’s report: …the CTGP are currently down to $360, with a $400 bill looming at the end of the month, for rent on the Hartford office. The biggest drain on funds is that office. B. Proposed solutions: 2. Chapters should make every effort humanly possible (and morally palatable) to promote sustaining memberships, either through credit cards or checking accounts, so that the state will have a fixed minimum monthly income. We should have at least 30-40 of these in order to subsidize the newsletter and at least part of the Hartford rent. … 5. Hartford candidates using the Hartford HQ’s for their campaigns should bear part of the rent burden. After the election, the decision to maintain a state HQ in Hartford should be revisited. Note: This is the first mention of a “State HQ” in the available SCC minutes.

G. Comments about future need of state office space:

It has been suggested that we may have Green candidates for CT state-wide offices in 2006.

This implies that we may have a need for a state office space somewhere before election time in November 2006, and this issue should be addressed at that time. However, until then, we must still address the current funding and insurance issues of the state office space in Hartford.

H. Various office facts:

You can schedule a meeting/event at the office by contacting Mike DeRosa & putting your name on the calendar in the office.

To date, there is no log kept on use of the office space.

Various individuals (approx. 11) have keys to the office space.

There is no lease; the office is rented month-to-month.

The city of Hartford taxes the contents of the office (which have been donated by members of the Green Party, primarily the Hartford Chapter); the CTGP paid for these during 2004.

Bills are sent to: Electric bill: Chris Reilly / DeRosa A 2000; 418A New Britain Ave. Hartford, CT 06106 ; Phone bill: Chris Reilly / CT Green Party; 1 King Arthurs Way Apt 4. Newington, CT 06111.

In the case of a fire, contents of office are either covered by office policy or personal insurance of individuals loaning items.

Proposal issues addressed in IV. Funding:

If we are to continue allocating funds for a state office space in Hartford, to what extent do we do so? And how do we raise the funds necessary to sustain it in the long-term?

IV. Funding –

A. Total % of all State funds spent on office in 2004:

Total amount minus office insurance costs: $4,741.12; % funds received = 76%*

Total amount including office insurance: $5,577.35; % funds received = 90%*

* Totals reflect ½ of office rent & total of utilities and taxes. Represents a disproportionate distribution of funds. The SCC may need to address its funding priorities in light of this. See attached chart.

B. Amount necessary to keep office running*:

* State’s estimated monthly portion paying only half of rent & utilities according to SCC minutes; currently paying all of utilities.

Estimated average monthly payment: $306.00

% of monthly spending: 70% *

C. Present balance of State funds:

We received two large, one-time donations this month, totaling about $1,000. Our current balance is $1,601.66. We have enough to pay for this month, if you don’t take into consideration our debt and other one-time expenses that need to be approved by the SCC. Our annual meeting/internal elections (as estimated) would wipe out our balance.

At some point (probably within 6 months), we will most likely receive a one-time gift of approximately $12,000+. We do not have this money in our hands as of yet. It is the opinion of our Treasurer, Bob Eaton, that these funds should not be used for normal operating expenses that should be covered in the long-term by a successful fundraising campaign.

D. Amount earned by State @ office events/for operations of Hartford office*:
* total funds raised in 2004
CTGP: -0-
Hartford Chapter: unknown

E. Total State debt:
(1) office related (including balance owed to Chris R.): $2,650 all office debt owed to Chris
(2) other/not office related balances owed: $6,125.78 total debt owed to Chapters ($4,481.76 assuming Hartford Chapter repays negative balance); $594 in non-office debt owed to Chris.

F. Current balance of debt/credit for all 12 Chapters; % of total debt:
See graph: all chapters have positive balances except for Greater Hartford.

G. Greater Hartford Fiscal Report:
Amount contributed by the HGP PAC for office expenses (2004): $ unknown (half of rent only)
Financial status of Hartford Green Party PAC: unknown
Amount of funds raised by HGP PAC in 2004: unknown

I. CTGP Fundraising Plan*:
* Fundraising plan should address current/fixed expenses as well as previous debts.
See attached CT Green Party Fundraising Plan, provided by Tom Sevigny.

J. Feasibility of fundraising plan given current debt/income ratio:
If we continue funding the State office space at the current rate and pay off our debts (total owed to Chris R. & only half of what is owed to our Chapters) with the one-time gift ($12,000) we will be receiving in the future, we will be out of money again in approximately one year.*
* If we paid the entire debt owed to all chapters, then we would be out of funds in approximately 3 months.

-$3,244 Debt owed to Chris Reilly
-$3,062 Debt owed to Chapters (half of total)
-$ 830 Yearly insurance cost
-$ 680 Other fixed costs (800 #, CC processing, etc.)
-$3,672 Cost of ½ office rent & utilities (12 months)
-$11,488

We have additional expenses that have not yet been approved by the SCC for fundraising, insurance riders for future events, internal elections, etc., and those are not included in the account above.

As we do not have a current budget for this fiscal year (4/04 to 3/05), nor one for next year, it is difficult to say exactly how long these funds should last. However, in 2004, our expenses totaled $10, 713.19 and we received only +$8,294.00 from our fundraising and in-kind donations, which left us with a negative balance of -$2,419.19.

So, if we assume we continue supporting the office at the current rate, have the same fixed expenses and have about the same costs for additional expenses, we will spend approximately $10,700 for our next fiscal year (4/05 to 3/06). If we add to this amount our debts (Chris Reilly and half of what is owed to our Chapters—although they could request the entire amount), our expenses for the year will total $17,006. That means we will likely use at least $8,712 of the expected one-time gift of $12,000. At best, this will leave us with about a three thousand dollars to prepare for our activities in 2006; at worst, this will leave us with nothing.

Taking into account our sluggish and largely unsuccessful fundraising plan, it seems obvious that we do not have enough funds to sustain our current fixed expenses and spending rate in the long-term.

Proposal issues addressed in V. Insurance:

If do not continue allocating funds for a state office space in Hartford, how would we maintain the necessary liability insurance? And what would be the estimated expense of doing so?

V. Insurance –

A. Explanation of coverage*:

*Information confirmed with Rose Irish, our agent with Joseph Krar & Assoc., Inc.

The total spending for insurance in 2004 was $1,273.03 (including the office policy, riders & fees). In 2004, our insurance only covered events in the Hartford Office and two specific events that we obtained riders for (see below).

The SCC needs to address the issue of continuing our current coverage type, which does not provide CTGP general liability coverage for the vast majority of meetings/events held by Chapters, or of upgrading to a more comprehensive policy, which might provide complete coverage but would obviously cost more.

However, a more comprehensive policy may be unnecessary, as most meetings are held in public buildings and homes, which are already covered by the owners’ policies. Exceptions that may require us to provide our own insurance, would include holding events in an outdoor venue, requirements of a larger event organizer, bringing alcohol into buildings, etc.

B. Cost for office insurance (yearly/monthly):
General Liability Office Policy: $830 paid yearly as a lump sum by CTGP
Total cost for office expenses & policy to maintain insurance*: $4,502/year; $375/month
* Based on estimated $306/month office expenses

C. Total cost for additional event riders in 2004:
Total: $436.80 for two events; average cost of $218; $104 not reimbursed
(Jilson Square=$332.80/reimbursed; DNC2RNC=$104)

D. Cost estimate for various insurance situations:

(1) Umbrella General Liability Insurance: Unknown (Two underwriters are still working, but this would provide more coverage than we have currently. We are also looking into what the USGP and other state chapters do for insurance.)

(2) Event-by-event Gen. Liab. Insurance Policies: $100+/event; cost varies by event but general top-end estimate was $500 (confirmed w/ three agencies); this type of coverage would require us to purchase an event policy in advance of the event & generally takes more time than a rider to secure (approximately 3 weeks prior to the event)

(3) Cost of rider for SCC meeting (25 people) w/ current policy: $ ?

E. Feasibility of insurance options:

Assuming the CTGP wants to continue our current level of coverage, i.e. with the ability & main purpose of covering events that we would normally purchase separate riders for, than the estimated costs would be as follows—

1. Cost for 2 events per year without the general office policy (high estimate): $1,100 (avg. $200-2,000)
2. Cost for 2 events per year with the general office policy (not including office expenses): $1,270
3. Cost for 5 events per year with the general office policy (not including office expenses): $1,924
4. Cost for 5 events per year without the general office policy (high estimate): $2,750 (avg. $500-5,000)
5. Cost for 2 events per year with the general office policy (including office expenses): $4,938
6. Cost for 5 events per year with the general office policy (including office expenses): $5,592
See attached graph.

As these estimates show, if we do not continue allocating funds for a state office space in Hartford, than we still can afford comparably inexpensive coverage. If we only plan on providing insurance for a couple of events per year, then the total cost of the insurance is nearly the same in #1 (purchasing single event policies) & #2 (total insurance cost not providing office expenses).

Likewise, the costs in #3 & #4 show the benefits of maintaining the office policy itself, if we plan on insuring more than two events per year (as is outlined in the Fundraising Plan). Clearly, if we continue paying for a general office policy and half of the office expenses, the cost (regardless of the number of events) eclipses any other option.

TPL_BEEZ2_ADDITIONAL_INFORMATION