May 24, 2017

Details

Green Party of Connecticut

State Central Committee

May 24, 2017 • Portland Waverly Center, 7 Waverly Ave, Portland, CT

Minutes, approved on June 28, 2017.

In attendance: Fairfield County: David Bedell, Peter Davenport, Rolf Maurer; Hartford County: Barbara Barry, Mike DeRosa (GPCT Co-Chair), Chris Reilly (GPCT Treasurer, Jeffery Russell; New London: Bob Stuller, Ronna Stuller (GPCT Secretary, Recorder); Shoreline: Lynne Charles, Owen Charles; Waterford: Billy G. Collins, Emily Garfinkel (GPCT Co-Chair), Joshua Steele Kelly, Baird Welch-Collins (GPCT Co-Chair, Facilitator); At Large: Brian Gay, Linda Thompson Lancz, Susan Ye, Amy Vas Nunes, Eugene Woloszyn. Guests: Jim Brasile, Lauren Gauthier.

Quorum was met. Meeting started at 7:00pm

  1. Approval of minutes of March 9 and April 3 SCC and April 30 Annual Meeting was deferred; drafts will be provided for review prior to the June meeting.

    Minutes of the May 8 Executive Committee meeting were accepted for the record.

  1. Treasurer’s Report: GPCT balance is $866.74; revenue (fundraiser/annual meeting) was $1,822.00, expenditures (including mailing) were $1,202.92. FEC balance is $1,218.12.
  1. GPCT chapter reports
  • Fairfield County: Nominating Convention was held at the May 13 chapter meeting; candidates are Hector Lopez (Constable, New Canaan), John Amarillios (Constable, New Canaan), Leif Smith (Constable, Redding), Cora Santaguida (Constable, Stamford), Brian Merlen (Stamford Board of Representatives district 7), and Jackie Pioli (Stamford Board of Education).
  • Hartford County (formerly Greater Hartford): Met on May 18; Chris Reilly, Mike DeRosa, and Barbara Barry were elected as co-chairs, with Barbara also serving as secretary; chapter name has been changed, and its region will include all towns within Hartford County. David Ionno has been elected to the MDC (Metropolitan District) board.
  • Shoreline: Met at member Lorain Simister’s Neighbor Day House party on May 21; next regular meeting will be held on June 18. Madison, Clinton, and Guilford are in process of forming Town Committees; Owen is seeking nomination for Board of Finance at June 13 caucus; “Requiem for the American Dream” will be screened in Guilford on June 27.
  • New London: Next meeting will be June 4, and nominating meeting is scheduled for June 14 at the FRESH Urban Farm; Mirna Martínez and Erick Carrión are seeking endorsement as Board of Education candidates. A second nominating meeting is anticipated in August.
  • Waterford: Nominating meeting is scheduled for June 17; 6 or 7 candidates are anticipated, for RTM districts, Zoning Board of Appeals, and Board of Education. Baird has been appointed to the Flood & Erosion Control Board. A fundraiser/clean-up will be held on June 24; volunteers and donors encouraged to sign up in support.
  • New Milford: Documentation is not complete, so request for chapter recognition will be deferred until further notice.
  • Northeast CT chapter organizing: The NECT group has held 3 meetings, with 13 people at the most recent on May 22. Information about required documentation was shared, and chapter recognition will be placed on the agenda for the June SCC meeting.
  • Middlesex County: Brian (along with Vic Lancia) is hoping to organize a chapter in the Middletown area; GPCT will provide voter data to assist in the effort.

All chapters are requested to send a list of their current SCC representatives to the EC.

  1. Old business
  2. April events debrief

          (1) Jill Stein event was very successful: well-attended and good model for fundraising.

                   (2) Annual Meeting/internal elections: workshops were well regarded by participants; it may be beneficial to review/assess voting protocols before next year’s elections.

  1. Social media committee: Purpose is to coordinate postings on Facebook, Twitter, and (in the future) YouTube, Snapchat, and Instagram, and to provide technical assistance to chapters. Anyone who is interested in being on the committee should contact the EC; at this time we are seeking one representative per chapter.
  1. New business
  2. SCC meeting schedule: The following dates were approved for future meetings: June 28, July 26, and August 23.
  3. 2017 Budget: A worksheet was provided to generate ideas about spending priorities and fundraising ideas; reps are requested to bring the discussion to their upcoming chapter meetings in anticipation of voting on a 2017 budget at the June SCC meeting.
  4. Communications and Outreach: Discussion of strategies included reaching out to communities of color; participating in and co-sponsoring events; joining groups with common causes; establishing a presence on campuses; focusing on corporate power to differentiate Green Party from others; creating and distributing a regular newsletter.
  1. Green Party of the US
  2. Annual Meeting will be held July 13-16, in Newark NJ. Connecticut Greens are encouraged to attend! Carpooling and shared lodging can help with expenses.
  3. GPUS representatives are voting on changes to the Platform Amendment Process; Josh will post details in FB group.
  1. Updates
  2. Legislative status reports: Of the initiatives we actively supported, only a (weakened) fracking waste ban passed. Possible future issues, such as a state budget proposal and fair election financing, were discussed, as well as organizing strategies for more effective advocacy next session.
  3. Linda reported on the Massachusetts Rainbow-Green Annual Meeting she attended; keynote speakers Jacqueline Patterson and Patricia Montes were excellent and may be available to come to Connecticut events.
  1. Next meeting will be held on Wednesday, June 28, at the Portland Waverly Center.

Meeting was adjourned at 9:05pm.

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