Green Party of Connecticut
State Central Committee
August 30, 2017 • Portland Waverly Center, 7 Waverly Ave, Portland, CT
Minutes, approved on September 28, 2017
In attendance: Fairfield County: David Bedell; Hartford County: Barbara Barry (Facilitator), Mike DeRosa (GPCT Co-Chair), Mary Lawrence, Chris Reilly (GPCT Treasurer), Jeff Russell; New London: Bob Stuller, Ronna Stuller (GPCT Secretary, Recorder), Mirna Martínez; Shoreline: Lynne Charles, Owen Charles; Waterford: Nikki Byrne, Bill Collins, Emily Garfinkel (GPCT Co-Chair), Joshua Steele Kelly, Alex Kuvalanka, Matt Tytla, Baird Welch-Collins (GPCT Co-Chair); At Large: Brian Gay, Vic Lancia, Susan Ye, Amy Vas Nunes, Eugene Woloszyn. Guest: Lauren Gauthier
Quorum was met. Meeting started at 7:11pm
- Minutes of the July 26 SCC meeting: Barbara moved to defer approval to the next meeting, 2nd by Josh; passed with 17 in favor, 0 opposed, 6 abstentions; Ronna will send the audio file upon request to any members seeking clarification of the proceedings. Minutes of the August 9 Executive Committee meeting: Bob moved to accept for the record, 2nd by Baird; approved by consensus.
- Treasurer’s Report: GPCT balance is $840.08. Chris also presented a 6-month report on the budget, followed by a discussion of spending priorities (including 2017 campaign support) and ideas for fundraising (tee shirts, speaker, other events).
- GPCT chapter reports
Fairfield County: Rolf and Cora are working with Green Party candidates for City Council and Board of Education.
Hartford County: Met on August 21 and discussed issues and bills to focus on: affordable housing, concerns about bankruptcy, Medicare for all, deferred action for childhood arrivals (DACA). The chapter plans to hold its September meeting in New Britain.
Shoreline: Thanks to all those who have assisted with the petitioning and nomination process. Chapter has been receiving good press and great response, and members have participated in local events.
New London: Board of Ed candidates Erick and Mirna were at Pride Fest on August 26. Next meeting is scheduled for Sunday, September 10.
Waterford: Chapter held a musical fundraiser and is now engaged in a letterwriting campaign in support of this year’s candidates. Participated in “Save the River, Save the Hills” event to support open space. Next meeting is September 30.
New Milford chapter organizing: On hold for now.
Middlesex County: 8 people (4 from Middletown) attended the August 9 meeting; a follow-up organizing meeting is planned for September 13, 7pm, at the Portland Senior Center. Vic and Brian have created a flyer for distribution and will share an electronic copy.
Northeast CT chapter organizing: On hold for now; focus is on community peace work. It was noted that the Windham Green Town Committee is renting an office on Main Street and is holding a special meeting tonight for the purpose of nominating candidates for this year’s municipal elections.
- Old business
a. Statements/discussion of grievance: After brief statements by Amy and Ronna, the matter was referred to the Conflict Resolution Committee.
b. Members of the new Conflict Resolution Committee are Margaret Welch, Owen Charles, Brian Gay, Cassandra Martineau, Barbara Barry, and Rolf Maurer; Ronna will send an email with contact info for all members.
c. Fundraising Committee: Mike and Baird volunteered to serve; it is anticipated that Rolf will be interested. More members are sought.
d. Communications/Social Media Committee: Mike DeRosa, David Bedell, Eugene Woloszyn, Cora Santaguida, and Don Alexander took part in a conference call; members were assigned to different media channels, including newsletter; press releases; social media (Facebook,Twitter, Mailchimp, Instagram); and website management. Candidates for office are requested to get campaign information to the committee. Next phone meeting is September 1 at 8pm.
e. The following meeting dates were scheduled: Thursday, September 28; Wednesday, October 25; Thursday, November 30. We anticipate a fundraiser event in lieu of a December meeting, details and date to be determined.
- New business
a. March for Racial Justice, September 30: Baird has contacted the organizers but not heard back; he’ll share information as he receives it.
- Green Party of the US
a. National Committees
(1) Election of 3 Platform Committee members was conducted using paper ballots and ranked choice voting; the top 3 vote-getters were Joshua Kelly, Justine McCabe, and Amy Vas Nunes.
(2) Baird moved, 2nd by Bob to approve Linda Thompson to continue on the Outreach Committee; passed unanimously.
(3) Peace Action Committee: Reactivation is in process, with representatives from several states participating; GPCT reps are Mike, Jeff, and Eugene, with Amy as alternate.
b. GPUS updates
(1) Barbara reported on a Coordinated Campaign Committee conference call, where the difference between social movements and party building was discussed.
(2) Josh reported on some changes that have been enacted, including: designating GPUS as voting member; correction of an outdated education plank; and clarification of rules on resignations. He will send out further details. * Further clarification will be requested from Josh (9/28/17)
- Updates/upcoming events
Guilford Fair Parade: September 16, 10am
- Next meeting will be held on Thursday, September 28, at the Portland Waverly Center.
Baird moved to adjourn, 2nd by Jeff, passed unanimously. Meeting was adjourned at 9:05pm.