Approved Minutes of the GPCT Dec 7, 2016, SCC meeting. Quorum met.
Started at 7:00 PM and adjourned ca. 9:00 PM. Location: Portland Waverly Center, 7 Waverly Avenue, Portland, CT
GPCT chapter attendees: Fairfield County: David Bedell (GPCT secretary), Rolf Maurer. Greater Hartford: S. Michael DeRosa (GPCT co-chair), Barbara Barry (GPCT co-chair), Chris Reilly (GPCT treasurer). New London: Bob Stuller, Ronna Stuller. Waterford: Emily Garfinkel (CPCT co-chair), Baird Welch-Collins. At large: Allan Brison, Eugene Woloszyn, Susan Ye. Facilitator: Barbara Barry
1. Consensus to approve: minutes of the 11-16-16 State Central Committee (SCC) meeting. Accepted minutes of the 12-2-16 Executive Committee (EC) meeting.
2. GPCT chapter reports:
• Greater Hartford: Barbara Barry, Mike DeRosa, and Brian Gay will be sworn in as Justices of the Peace (also Vic Lancia in Middletown). Next chapter meeting will be after the holidays.
• Fairfield: Rolf Maurer and Cora Santaguida will be interviewed again 12-12-16 on Channel 23 public access TV “Progressive Soup” in Danbury to discuss the election recount and other issues. Rolf contacted FairVote about bringing a speaker on Ranked Choice (Instant Runoff) Voting.
• New London: About 8 Green JPs will be sworn in. Town voter list now has 63 registered Greens (probably 50-60 are valid). Fundraiser planned after the holidays. Considering a fracking waste ban in town (like in Mansfield and Willimantic).
• Waterford: Annual meeting was 11-26-16. Recruiting candidates for Representative Town Meeting (RTM), Board of Ed, Zoning Board of Appeals Alternate.
• Possible new chapters: New Haven is planning to elect new officers to Green town committee. 12-8-16 planning meeting at Unitarian Universalist Society for 1-20-17 inauguration protest. Also a report by Norman Clements about his trip to Standing Rock, ND.
3. Treasurer's report from Christopher Reilly: GPCT balance: $216.16; FEC balance: $1,162.12. We will need about $1,000 to pay for our annual mailing in advance of our annual meeting.
4. Reports from CT representatives to the GPUS National Committee: The Stein campaign gained GP presidential ballot access for an additional 12 states, bringing the total to about 34 for the next presidential election. There has been some debate about supporting the Stein campaign’s call for election recounts in MI/PA/WI. The CT election audit has been reduced from 10% to 5% of voting districts. (Ronna Stuller explained the distinction between recounts and audits.)
5. Proposals for a GPCT Media Relations Committee and one regarding Vaccine Information/CT Public Health were discussed and postponed for revision at a later date.
6. Rolf Maurer and Mike DeRosa will issue a press release about our legislative agenda, including:
• Public banking
• Instant Runoff Voting/Ranked Choice Voting
• Ballot access reform
• Marijuana legalization
• Renewable energy policy
• Student rights regarding mental health reporting
• Demilitarization of police departments
• Immigrant rights
• Single-payer health care
7. Fundraiser planned for 1-28-17 or 2-4-17 to pay for annual mailing to members. Mike DeRosa will invite Chris Hedges or Jill Stein. Glen Ford (Black Agenda Report) might be invited to speak at CCSU at another time. (David Bedell will contact Jimmy Griffin to ask if new Waterbury Greens would be interested.)
8. Eugene Woloszyn volunteered to work on a monthly e-newsletter as part of the GPCT Media Committee and/or Outreach Committee.
Next meeting to be ca. Wednesday, Jan. 11, pending room availability.