Minutes of the 3-27-07 SCC meeting of the Green Party of CT: quorum met

Place: EAST ROCK MAGNET SCHOOL ON WILLOW STREET, NEW HAVEN CT. School land numbers: 203-946-8875 or 8867

Time: 7:00PM to 9PM. Facilitator: Charlie Pillsbury

Voting Attendees by Chapter: Fairfield: David Bedell, Richard Duffee, Patricia Kane; Greater Hartford: Barbara Barry, Secretary of Green Party of CT; Michael DeRosa, Co-chairperson of Green Party of CT; Steve Fourier, Christopher Reilly, Treasurer of Green Party of CT; New Haven: Allan Brisson, Jerry Martin and Charlie Pillsbury; Northeast: Jean DeSmet, Co-chairperson of Green Party of CT.

Non-voting attendees: none

A. Preliminaries:

1. Introductions of voting attendees; non-voting attendees; chapters; if quorum was met; timekeeper; ground rules.

2. (2-4 minutes): Approval of tonight’s proposed agenda: deletion of proposals and past Anti-war events; no additions.

3. Review and approval of minutes of 2-27-07 SCC meeting.

4. Review and acceptance of minutes from the 3-14-07 EC meeting.

5. Treasurer’s report by Christopher Reilly: assets of $2542.86.

B. Deleted due to no: proposals/referendums by chapters, committee or members.

C. Reports:

1. GP of CT internal elections/balloting for 4-21-07 convention at the New Haven Labor Council Headquarters: JdS: 4 declared candidates for co-chairperson: Mike DeRosa, Jerry Martin, Jean deSmet and Cliff Thornton; for GPUS representatives: Tim McGee, Amy Vas Nunes and Charlie Pillsbury; Secretary: Barbara Barry; Treasurer: Christopher Reilly.

Ballot mailing date: CR: the U.S. Post Office has an updated service: if a mailing list is provided to it, the mailing list will be checked for accuracy of the mailing addresses going back 4 years.

The Post Office will print up to 4 double-sided pages, fold them and place into an envelope, then seal with a return address and the accurate mailing addresses and seal the envelope and mail. Paper and envelopes are also provided by the Post Office. Cost of 2500 names on 2-double-sided pages at $0.326 a page: $1,472.50. The cost of 2500 names on 3-double-sided pages at $0.326 a page is: $1,610.00. (See the handout.) That is the cost is $0.326 for good addresses or 39 cents for bad addresses. The mailing list has roughly 2300 names. The mailing for the convention is likely to 4 double-sided pages due to need for cover letter, ballots, and candidate profiles. Deadline for ballot to be included for counting: 3 days prior to the 4-21-07 Convention i.e. by Wednesday, 4-18-07. Consensus: authorize the expenditure of up to $1800 for the ballots/convention via the Post Office service.

2. Convention Committee: JM: need a copy of the mailing list for when people check in at the 4-21-07 Annual Convention. It will be supplied. to help organize and run the 4-21-07 convention: BB: proposed agenda: Noon: CP, co-chair of NH chapter welcomes everyone; elect facilitator; adoption of rules. 12:15pm¨candidate speeches followed by questions and answers. 1:10PM:

Votes are collected and the vote counting is started by the Internal Elections Committee Monitors: Caleb Klappner, Richard Duffee, Steve Fournier. 1:15PM break for lunch ( a $15 box lunch is a fundraiser for Cliff Thornton’s 11-07 campaign for Governor, which still has a debt of about $1000). check in volunteers are still needed to check in people. The monitors will check the handing out of ballots. BB: there will be tables for: literature and merchandize so chapter can bring these items if they wish. 1:30PM: former 11-07 candidates will talk (for 3 minutes each) about our Historic Green Party statewide slate, followed by questions and answers. 2:15PM anti-war speaker: David Ionno, Veterans for Peace. 2:50PM: results of the voting. 2:55pm wrap-up/adjourn.

3. CT Green Times: MD: Eric DeVos is publishing just enough for it to be available at the 4-21-07 Convention; Ken Doust is doing the layout. The paper will not be mailed. But it

will be printed for distribution to the chapter at a future time. Goal: is to use it as an open vehicle to promote the GP of CT.

4. GPUS: AB: The Candidate School for the nation-wide Green Party which took place in Reading, PA on 3-30-07, was very informative. CP: the National Convention is 7-07; GPUS wants to encourage more diversity of state reps to the CPUS. GPUS needs more secure sources of funding from states so has proposed that: all states request donations to their state go to GPUS. If the major request for donations is from the state chapter, the state will get 60% of the donation with the other 40% going to the GPUS. If the major request for donations if from the GPUS then the 60% will go to GPUS. We need to decide in the near future, what CT would like to suggest. GPUS budget was voted down. So the GPUS if requesting that the states forgive the set-asides from the GPUS. Richard Duffee got the endorsement of the SCC in 1-07 and sent his biography to Justine McCabe (CT), co-chairperson of the GPUS International Committee. Richard is now on the GPUS International Committee after Charlie Pillsbury, of the GPUS Mediation Committee, got involved. CP: there does not appear to be any GPUS bylaws about term limits for

how long people may serve on GPUS committees i.e. nothing appears to preclude people for serving for life.

5. Bylaws Committee Proposal for the 4-21-07 convention vote: PK: it does not appear that there will ever be any by-law meetings or changes in time for the 4-21-07 goal. So it appears nothing will ever be done. BB: the 4-21-07 goal of the By-Laws Committee presenting proposals at the 4-21-07 was a self-imposed goal set at the end of 12-06. The committee met once, chapters presented concerns and the committee did not meet as a group to discuss chapter concerns. So the rewrites were done by Caleb Klappner, We need to enhance our by-laws and in the spirit of our 10 key values, address the diverse concerns of our chapters and continue on with the work that needs to be done. Just because there are no by-law proposals for the 4-21-07 Convention does not mean that we give up what needs to be done. We can extend our self-imposed deadline onward past the convention so concerns and feedback can be addressed. However, we need to meet as a committee not via e-mail. SF: have committee meetings to discuss concerns. E-mails do not. PK: will send out an e-mail for meeting availability.

6. Political issues the GP of CT is addressing with legislators during the 2007 Legislative Session: AB: Fight the Hike: will be at the 4-19-07 legislative meeting in LOB regarding the bills in the committee and the bills that are likely to come out of the committee. There will also be a 4-4-07 daytime rally in North Haven about Fight the Hike concerns. MD: we were unable to meet with Senate Pro Tem, Donald Williams but did meet with his aid. We need to press on. We promote municipal utility districts (MUDs) and the need to decentralize energy power of the CT DPUC. JdS: we continue to talk with legislators, mostly their aids about universal health coverage. Various groups have various versions of this so term. CT: I continue to promote the medical marijuana bill but it is unlikely to be passed.

7. Deleted: Connecticut Anti-war Marches on 3-17-07 at various locations; Hartford; Washington, D.C. March on the Pentagon on 3-17-07 which was the 40th anniversary of the 3-17-67 March on the Pentagon.

8. GP of CT Website: MD: CT Green Times will be put on the GP of CT website by Eric DeVois.

9. ACLU lawsuit: MD: discovery phase of this lawsuit is to be done in 8-07. So CCAG, Common Cause and Tom Sevigny (former member and co-chair of GP of CT and GPUS) can questioned for discovery as can they also question (i.e. discover) the GP of CT and all plaintiffs such as Mike DeRosa, current co-chair and founder of GP of CT.

10. Chapter reports

a) Fairfield: RD: is setting up impeachment committees in towns; some have had meetings with their towns. Goal is to get towns to pass impeachment resolutions against Bush and Cheney. There are 4 articles of impeachment. NOTE: any state legislature can fore congress to take up impeachment proceedings. Only 1 Congressional representative or Senator is needed to bring this to Congress.

b) Northeast: JdS: I did kick off my campaign for 1st selectman of Willimantic. The Republicans want to cross endorse me. Some people in my (NE) chapter oppose this. We continue with our every other week cable show. 3rd Thursdays are to start up soon.

c) Greater Hartford: SF: David Ionno is running for City Council of Hartford. Chapter is circulating a questionnaire about potential issues/concerns of people in Hartford and we are also looking for other candidates to vet for other GP campaigns in our chapter; whether or not we will have a slate of candidates, is yet to be determined.

d) New Haven: AB: GP is still very involved with Fight the Hike coalition; I am running for Alderman in my Ward (for City Alderman). There is potential for other GP candidates for Alderman. Ralph Ferruci is running for Mayor of New Haven. All candidates need the endorsement of the New Haven chapter. Per the State of CT pilot program in New Haven about electoral campaign finances, if the municipal candidates raise $2500, then the State of CT will match that amount of money. Caleb Klappner is on the New Haven Committee about Campaign Finance.

11. Date, place and time of next EC meeting in 4-07: deferred until some time in May i.e. after the 4-21-07 convention.

12. Date, place and time for next SCC meeting 4/24/07: cancelled because it is 3 days after the 4-21-07 convention. Next SCC meeting to be 5-29-07 (day after Memorial Day Holiday) and the place will be the East Rock Magnet School in New Haven. For years the GP of CT has had SCC meetings in Portland or Middletown, so we will continue with SCC meetings in New Haven in deference to the shoreline chapters of Fairfield, New Haven and New London.

13. No additions.