Minutes of 5/25/04 special convention of CT Green Party

NOTE: When the agenda for this meeting was put on the CT Green Party announcements listserve, it contained an explanation that this meeting would be both a special convention (to deal with questions relating to delegates to the June Milwaukee convention) and an SCC (State Central Committee/State Coordinating Committee) meeting. Representatives of 8 chapters attended, so we did not have a quorum for an SCC meeting (that quorum requires 9 chapters).

Attendees:

1. Tolland chapter: Tim McKee, Karin Norton
2. Central Connecticut chapter: Vic Lancia, Janet
3. Hartford chapter: Barbara Barry DeRosa, Mike DeRosa, Rob Pandolfo, Ed DuBrule
4. Shoreline chapter: Colin Bennett, Lindsay Mathews, David Adams
5. New London chapter: Andy Derr
6. Western chapter: John Battista, Justine McCabe
7. Northwest chapter: Elizabeth Brancato
8. New Haven chapter: Charlie Pillsbury, David Eliscu (facilitator)

No representative was present from the Southeast, West Hartford, Fairfield, or Northeast chapters.

1. Approval of delegates to the June 23-28 presidential nominating convention (Milwaukee)

   Connecticut is entitled to 15 delegates. So far 13 people have expressed an interest in going. Of these thirteen, tonight we learned that Mike DeRosa and Barbara Barry DeRosa will not be going to Milwaukee, so that now there are 11 people that have an expressed an interest in going. (At least one of these 11 people is still not sure he/she can go.) (The question of whether or not to allow proxy voting is to be decided soon—proxy voting would allow Connecticut to cast 15 votes, even though only 11 people [say] actually attended the convention.)

   The 11 people that have expressed an interest in going are: 1. Mazin Qumsiyeh, 2. John Battista, 3. Justine McCabe, 4. Brooks Kelly, 5. Tom Sevigny, 6. David Eliscu, 7. Tim McKee, 8. Adam Weinberg, 9. Karin Norton, 10. Colin Bennett, 11. Rob Pandolfo.

   Tonight the special convention approved these 11 people as Connecticut’s delegates to the convention by consensus.

2. Additional delegates—approval process

   Tonight the special convention agreed by consensus that the Connecticut Green Party is still inviting additional people to become delegates to the Milwaukee convention and that the Executive Committee is empowered to approve such additional people to be delegates (since the next SCC meeting—June 29—will occur after the convention).

3. Approval of policy statement about delegates not working in active opposition to the presidential slate

   The Connecticut Green Party Executive Committee has been informed by the national Party that the Executive Committee must certify that it is the policy of the CT Green Party that our delegates will not work in active opposition to the national Green Party’s presidential slate. It is the understanding of the Executive Committee that this would require that (for example) if the national Party nominated David Cobb, delegates (after the convention) who favored the candidacy of Nader would not be able to work for Nader. It is the understanding of the Executive Committee that unless the Executive Committee makes such a certification, Connecticut's delegates would not be allowed to represent Connecticut at the convention.

   By consensus the special convention stated that it is the policy of the CT Green Party that our delegates will not work in active opposition to the national Green Party's presidential slate.

4. Approval of proposal for allocation of voting (first round) by Connecticut’s delegates to the convention

   A proposal submitted by the Presidential Election Committee appears as Appendix 1 to these minutes. It was presented by John Battista of the Presidential Elections Committee. Ed asked if the convention agreed that the methodology of the proposal (multiplying the number of delegates by a fraction) would be applied if the delegate count were not 15. (The proposal assumes that there are 15 delegates). The answer received was yes, the methodology would be applied. It was pointed out that this proposal concerns only the first round of voting at the convention. By consensus this proposal was adopted by the special convention.

Minutes submitted by Ed DuBrule, Connecticut Green Party secretary.

Appendix 1. Presidential Election Committee Proposal For The Allocation of Connecticut's Delegates To The Green Party Presidential Nominating Convention

May 10, 2004

1. 48 ballots were returned to the Presidential Election Committee concerning the Green Party in the 2004 US Presidential Election.
2. Of the 48 votes 19 (39.5%) votes were cast for a strategic campaign. 18 votes were cast for a full scale campaign (37%). 9 votes (18.7%) were cast for no campaign.
3. As a result it is recommended that 18.7% of Connecticut’s delegates be cast for whatever is closest to no campaign in the first round of voting in the Green Party Presidential Nominating Convention. This may be no candidate, abstain, or none of the above, depending on the options available. .187 × 15 delegates is 2.8 delegates. We suggest CT cast 3 delegate votes in this manner.
4. 36 votes were cast for specific candidates for a Green Party Presidential nominee. 21 of those votes were cast for Ralph Nader, or 58.3% of that vote. David Cobb won 13 votes, or 36.1% of those votes. Peter Camejo had 2 votes, or 5.3% of the total. Thus, we suggest that 58.3% of the 12 remaining CT Delegate votes be cast for Ralph Nader, or the appropriate voting category, at the Green Party Presidential Nominating Convention. Similarly, we suggest that 36.1% of the remaining votes by cast for David Cobb in the first round of the Green Party Presidential Nominating Convention. Finally, we suggest that 5.3% of the 12 remaining CT delegate votes be cast for Peter Camejo in the first round on the Green Party Presidential Nominating Convention. .583 × 12 is 6.9 Delegate Votes. .361 × 12 is 4.3 delegate votes. .053 × 12 is .6 delegate votes. We thus recommend that 7 CT Delegate votes be cast for Ralph Nader, or the appropriate designation, on the first round of the convention, and that 4 votes be cast for David Cobb, and 1 vote cast for Peter Camejo.
5. Of the 15 CT Delegate Votes to the Green Party National Nominating Convention it is our recommendation that on the first round 3 votes be cast for no nominee, 7 votes be cast for Ralph Nader, 4 votes be cast for David Cobb and 1 vote cast for Peter Camejo.