Approved minutes from the 2-26-14 SCC meeting of the GPCT at 7PM. Quorum was met. Location is Portland Senior Center, 7 Waverly Ave., Portland, CT 06480.
GPCT members by chapter: Greater Fairfield: Cora Santaguida, Rolf Maurer, David Bedell;
Greater Hartford: S. Michael DeRosa, GPCT co-chairperson, Christopher Reilly, GPCT treasurer, Barbara Barry, GPCT secretary; Allan Brison, GPCT co-chairperson from Hamden; New London: Ronna Stuller; Waterford chapter: Baird Welch-Collins. Facilitator: Barbara Barry
1. Consensus: approved the 1-28-14 SCC meeting minutes & accepted the 2-17-14 EC meeting minutes.
2. Treasurer's report from Christopher Reilly: balance as of January 31, 2014: $516.40.
3. Secretary’s report from Barbara Barry: need representatives for the EcoAction National Committee..
4. Reports from our three (3) representatives to the GPUS: S. Michael DeRosa: see agenda #14. Absent: Tim McKee. Linda Thompson is absent because her husband is very ill.
5. No proposals or resolutions from chapters or from five CTGP Members or from the EC.
6. Discussed the Saturday, May 3, 2014 GPCT Annual Meeting and Internal Elections. Offices to be filled: 3 for co-chairperson, one for treasurer, one for secretary; 3 members to the GPUS; three GPCT representatives to each national committee: (see agenda #14 below).
Consensus: deadline for GPCT members to place their names for candidacy for any of the above positions will be in writing to this secretary and/or EC member by the close (typically about 9PM) of the next SCC meeting on Wednesday, March 26, 2014.
Consensus: for spending $300 to acquire the latest Voter Registration List from the CT Secretary of the State. CR will acquire it.
Consensus: Waterford and New London chapters will forward their latest list of GPCT members inclusive of street and email addresses and phone numbers. CR, RS and BAB volunteered to develop/design the ballot i.e.mode of notification and do the notification. Typically candidates may provide a short candidate statement for inclusion in the ballot and may put a larger candidate statement on the GPCT website.
Consensus: donations will be requested on the ballot with the statement that donations will be used for: candidate literature, campaign education and support for the GPCT website. Ballot will also denote that the GPCT does not accept campaign contributions from corporations. The GPCT will have past campaign items and other items at the 5-3-14 meeting for fundraising. Develop agenda for typical meeting times from 11am to 5pm (total time when the room is available at the Portland Senior Center). BAB will seek volunteers for the Internal Elections Committee to check hand-in ballots at annual meeting.
7. GPCT fundraising: a) RM: Sheila Matthews of AbleChild.org, will be speaking at the Ferguson Library-Harry Bennett Branch (Auditorium) , 115 Vine Road, Stamford, CT 06905 from 1:30PM to 3:30PM on Saturday, March 29, 2014. Conference: Moving Beyond Reaction to Reason: Mental Health and School Safety After Sandy Hook. She is the co-founder of this nationally recognized, non-profit group which promotes Parents for Label and Drug Free Education. She is a CT parent who regularly testifies on the state and federal levels in defense of youth mental health freedom. She has been featured in TIME (9/10/11) and has appeared on CNN, Fox as well as numerous radio stations throughout the country.
Information: library: 203/351-8292 or Rolf Maurer: 203/327-6464; This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
b) Adam Hughes and Joanne Sheehan of Hands Off Appalachia (http://handsoffappalachia.com/): await their response to the GPCT.Group demonstrates against UBS’ financing of mountaintop removal in the affected states and are supported by Dan Fischer and Capitalism vs. the Climate.
c) Ardeshir and Eleanor Ommani, founders (along with Richard Duffee) of the American-Iranian Friendship Committee (https://www.facebook.com/AIFCIran; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PTCU-EpJSqM&list=UUtIQil-e9wzT_fxySy1y3nw&index=31): Fairfield chapter trying to arrange a fundraiser in April either in Fairfield or Norwalk, to discuss the current state and history of American-Iranian relations. They are both lively and scholarly speakers and frequently travel back and forth between the two countries.
d) Harvey Wasserman, anti-nuclear activist since at least Three Mile Island event. Waterford, CT chapter is willing to have him speak at a fundraiser in Waterford and then at a 2nd fundraiser in Greater Fairfield that is feasible for that chapter and for nearby Green Party members/activists in NY. Other groups who might be interested: P.A.C.E. (Peoples’ Action for Clean Energy). b) Consensus: form a GPCT Budget Committee. RS will see if a New London member is interested. CR, BAB and SMD of Greater Hartford chapter volunteered.
e) event of interest: One Nation-Under Surveillance: Building Networks of Solidarity in Defiance of NSA Spying & the Erosion of Democratic Rights. Saturday, March 29, 2014 from 10AM at Central CT State University (CCSU), New Britain, CT. Keynote speaker: Christopher Hedges, former New York Times reporter, Pulitzer-Prize winning journalist, author of numerous books and plaintiff in the historic lawsuit “Hedges vs. Obama” a court challenge to the indefinite detention provisions of the National Defense Authorization Act. There will be numerous workshops and tabling. Sponsor: Justice Party of CT.
8. GPCT website: a) members to find out more about mesh for our GPCT website and get back to GPCT. b) RM developed a GPCT letterhead and to send it to this SCC. Consensus: letterhead approved for use only for GPCT official business, not candidates. c) BAB is reaching out to other GPCT members to enhance the GPCT Media Committee and to encourage their interaction to maximize their information.
9. Development of GPCT: a) strategies and actions by BW-C: he is reaching out to Millstone nuclear workers and researchers regarding any concerns they may have able how to make nuclear energy safer.
10. Updates for the GPCT Mailing List from chapters to GPCT secretary: see agenda item #6.
11. a) Need volunteers for GPCT legislative agenda actions: energy (including: fracking, anti-nuclear and for renewable energy such as wind, sun and geothermal); ballot access; healthcare inclusive of Medicare and other suggestions. b) DB: update or decision from the SEEC regarding the GPCT complaint to SEEC regarding lack of counting of write-in votes in the randomly selected CT towns of: Hartford, Bridgeport, New Canaan, Seymour, Stamford and West Haven. Neither Bridgeport nor Hartford complied with the SEEC request for write-in voter information. So the SEEC fined Hartford but the SEEC has not done their updated report about Hartford or decided if the it will fine Bridgeport, too.
c) SMD:met with CT Rep. Susan Johnson(D and co-chairperson of CT Health Committee) regarding ballot access. She also conveyed that the state for years has not gotten its full reimbursement from the federal government for Medicaid so she is seeking this money. State Rep., Tim Bowles wants to meet with the GPCT before next years (longer, 2015) legislative session. SMD conveyed to both representatives that the GPCT is concerned that the CT Siting Commission has regulated that no windmills will be sited in CT. this means that CT is the only state in the US which will not allow for the potential siting of wind power generators. This also forces CT, in order to be in compliance with federal regulations, to acquire wind/alternate energy from some other source i.e. Maine.
12. GPCT candidates for the November 4th 2014 offices for: governor, lieutenant governor, treasurer, Congressional Districts: 1 and 2; State Senate and state representatives e.g. the 39th district, 33rd district: Fairfield may have a candidate who wants to address the need for a CT central bank.
13. Status of the GPCT Bylaws Committee from members: Rolf Maurer, Cora Santaguida, Christopher Reilly, Linda Thompson, Barbara Barry, S. Michael DeRosa and Jeffry Larson. Pending meeting.
14. Reports from CTGP members to the (GPUS) National Committees.
Accreditation (AC): reviews state chapter which petitions to join the GPUS; reviews criteria for state delegates to GPUS annual meetings and conventions.
Annual National Meeting (ANMC): working on the 2014 GPUS Annual Meeting: Tim McKee and John Went: absent.
Ballot Assess (BA): discussion of efforts/difficulties/strategies/successes of the state Green Parties gaining ballot access: SMD: $5000 from GPUS to AZ to help GP get on ballot. Absent: Edward Schwing.
Black Caucus:
Bylaws, Rules, Polices Procedure (BRPP): for the GPUS officers and national committees: absent: Amy Vas Nunes.
Coordination Campaign (CCC): distribution of GPUS money to Green Party public office candidates.
Consensus: SMD to join this committee.
Dispute Resolution (DRC): mediation of any disputes within the GPUS organization:
Diversity (DC): strategies/actions to urge/maximize diversity within the GPUS: absent: Linda Thompson.
Eco Action (EA): develop strategies for the GPUS regarding ecological matters.
Finance (FinCom): review and determine how to spend the money of the GPUS organization
Fundraising (FC): raises money for the GPUS operations.
Green Party of the US internet news: acquire and write articles for the GPUS website.
International Committee (IC): develops/promotes GPUS positions regarding world issues. Absent: Hector Lopez and Justine McCabe. S. Michael DeRosa: no committee activity.
Latino Caucus: absent:Hector Lopez.
Merchandizing Committee (MERCH): determines and acquires items for the GPUS. Rolf Maurer: no activity. Absent: Hector Lopez.
Media Committee (MC): writes GPUS press releases.
Outreach (OC): interacts with other groups with similar interests of the GPUS: absent: L. Thompson.
Peace (GPAX): discusses/develops strategies of how the GPUS may promote peace throughout the world: Absent: Hector Lopez. S. Michael DeRosa: no activity.
Platform (PC): promotes positions on issues for the GPUS which are consistent with Green Party Ten Key Values: absent: Justine McCabe and Amy Vas Nunes.
Presidential Campaign Support Committee (PCSC): develop strategies to support any GPUS presidential candidates. absent: Timothy McKee.
Women’s Caucus: absent: Martha Kelly.
15. a) GPCT chapter development: reactivation of the Greater New Haven chapter: AB: no meeting since 1-9-14,. b) other chapter reports: Fairfield: DB: Gabriel Rosi has been appointed to the Easton Board of Finance. He is an environmental educator at Yale and promotes getting environmental education into high schools. New London: RS: there will be a memorial service probably the first weekend of April for the late Chris Nelson. RS will update the GPCT as information is learned. Greater Norwich chapter: RS: next meeting will be tomorrow, 2-27-14 at 6:30PM at Yantic River Inn on 270 West Town Street, Norwich, CT. Greater Hartford: BAB: David Ionno has not been appointed yet to the Hartford Board of Education. Chapter is still seeking candidates for 1st Congressional District, 1st State Senate district and any other offices GPCT members are interested in.
16. Next SCC meeting will be Wednesday, 3-26-14. Site to be determined.
17. Other suggestions: there will be a 2-28-14 public meeting in the Legislative Office Building, LOB), Room 2B, 300 Capital Avenue in Hartford regarding: Hazardous Waste. This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . The public will need to submit six copies of their written testimony by 11am to this website. Hearing starts at 1PM.
GREEN PARTY TEN KEY VALUES: non-violence, respect for diversity, grassroots democracy, social justice and equal opportunity, ecological wisdom, decentralization, community-based economics and economic justice, future focus and sustainability, personal and global responsibility, feminism and gender equality.
Submitted by Barbara Barry, secretary of the Green Party of Connecticut