A​ttendance: Charlene DiCalogero, Brian Cady, Joshua Gerloff, Dick Vaillette, Matt Andrews, Danny Factor, Lois Gagnon, Mike Heichman, Brian Harris, Mike Vaglica, Mark Laserte, David Spanagel, Elizabeth Humphrey, Dan Kontoff, John Andrews, David Keil, Linda Thompson

 

With the only 2 Official Statecom members on the call, Quorum is reached!

 

Guests: David Gerry

 

Accept/reject/modify Agenda.​ flip agenda. Orientation first. then Seat (Appoint) Uncontested Regional Electeds. Danny accepts putting the Orientation first, discusses the other after.

 

Introductions.

Please share your full name and your city or town; and in one to three words, why you're part of Green-Rainbow.

​Charlene and Danny elected via Primary.

Charlene: Welcome all .... Bylaws and Standing Rules. Get right to it. Questions to Cochairs.

Charlene: People, planet and peace.

​Brian Cady: Roxbury. Wisdom needed.

Joshua ipswich. Pass.

Dick Vaillette: ​

​Lois Gagnon: Western mass, Principle.​

​Mike Heichman: Founding member

Brian Harris: Back Bay, Independence, ecological alternative

​Danny Factor: Acton, People over profit.

​Matt Andrews:

Elizabeth Humphrey: Western Mass: People over profit.

Linda Thompson: Framingham, Metrowest chapter, 66% of Americans want a third party.

David Keil: Build a Mass Working Class Party

David Gerry: West end of Boston,

David Spanagel: Lancaster, Nonviolence and Ecological Wisdom

Roni Beal: Westminster MAss, 10KV

Mark Laserte: Male Cochair CMGR, PPP

Big Mike, Medford, Get rid of Duopoly

Dan Kontoff: Brighton Environment Community and Justice

David Rolde: Weston: Justice Peace Ecological Action

Priscila Espinosa: CMGR, Healthcare lobbying.​

 

Statecom member training.

 

1. Review GRP Bylaws, especially relevant sections:

[time, #section number Name (presenter)]

Section 2: Ten Key Values

Section 3: Purpose

Danny explains these sections and asks for questions.

Matt Andrews: Not just a philosophical movement, but movement to create change in this world. When was this written?

​Danny: GRP formed from a merger between MAGP and Rainbow Coalition Party. Codified then. Continually​ revised.

Mike Heichman: IDK prior to 2002, Bylaws formed during merger.

David Gerry: 

​Brian Harris: Different emphasis about the 10KV and Purpose. How to make all that actionable?

Charlene:​

 

Section 4: Membership rights and responsibilities

Danny reads section 4 and explains the important parts.

Elizabeth: What's the percentage of voters we can have before we don't need to collect signatures for candidates?

Danny: 1% of MA Voters

David Gerry: F and G are mentioned in Bylaws as not part of our party.

 

Section 5: Meeting and decision-making: Please see: https://tinyurl.com/y8lxb9b4

Brian explains Consensus and the flow chart.

Big Mike: Wording confusing. Difference between a proposal and a motion? if consensus fails,

Brian Cady: Need a 2/3 maj to pass if it goes to a vote. address motion later.

​

Section 6: Conventions

Roni Beal: ​6.8 is confusing: it should read “Convention Committee” not “Statecom”. Delegates refer to regional conventions. We don't do that for state conventions. The most important thing is electing officers, directors , delegates and alternates to the National Committee. Business meeting. Everyone is invited.

Lois Gagnon: Looks like chapters are supposed to elect delegates. Maybe scrutinize this further?

Linda: Agree with 6.8. We should elect delegates to convention, and discussion before the event. Need a bylaw revision committee. Why does regional elect statcom members and state doesn't.

Charlene: Agree rewrite. read closely, it is about conventions plural. 6.8 refers to the number of delegates elected at regional conventions. Who announces the Convention: Committee is subsidiary to Statecom, so technically.

Linda: One person, one vote?

Charlene: Different section.

Big Mike: Update on date for convention 9/26/2020? Eligibility for...

Roni: Yes, planning teleconference, hopefully face to face.

 

Section 8: State Committee, Member Rights and Responsibilities

​Charlene: Representative legislature of grp. Important responsibility: report back to chapters, and bring back to statecom as well. Keep everyone informed. You are expected to come to most meetings, required to attend, quarterly face to face, and teleconferences between for unfinished business. Notify by email, etc. 8.4 Participate! Actively listening and responding when necessary. Only showing up occasionally doesn't help us! 8.5 Charlene and Danny elected via Primary. Next time: GET ON BALLOT! Regional Conventions.

Matt Andrews: Charlene says Working Committees are an arm of Statecom, because some Working Committee members may not be on Statecom.

Charlene: Overlap of Statecom members. CDLC how we find and recruit candidates. Encourage chapter members to join a working committee.​

Mike Heichman: 8.5.2 what part of this are we in violation of? LATER

David Gerry: Answer Matt Andrews question, is work created by Statecom.

David Spanagel: Sometimes a working committee is consulted re proposals, and the implementation of. Asking statecom members to be a part of the implementation of our work.

 

Section 9: Administrative Committee

(Lois Gagnon) Adcom meets 2nd and 4th Thursdays. Reports decisions to Statecom.

 

Section 10: Working Committees

Brian goes over the reasons and responsibility of committees:

Active: CDLC, Technical, Legcom, Adcom, Convention, MDVR, 

Inactive: Action, Comcom, Procedures, Platform​

​Mike Heichman: Send list to Statetcom members.

Big Mike: Inactive committees? Hal Brown was Communication Director. 

Brian Cady: ​

​Charlene: 1 or 2 Cochairs. Meet regularly and report at least annually to Statecom.​

 

1. Review Standing Rules of State Committee, especially section:

​Danny: ​Statecom Proposal: Attempt to enact a new rule/ procedure/position on matter. Change or modify the GRP Agenda.

How do proposals move through the committee? 2 members or a chapter may submit proposals.

Maximum amount of notice before meetings. Collaboration is very important to us. Ranking.​

​​

Standing Rules Section 5: Telecons

Danny: Slightly different procedures.

Linda: Proposals come up, list of endorsers, missed the boat on endorsing, since Statecom doesn't meet often, how do we get GRP on the endorser list?

Danny: Adcom is more nimble. Who decides? Image GRP Platform and Bylaws: A matter within the 4 quarters of our policy, Statecom doesn't need to act if it's already spelled out. Issue the party has not made a decision on, then call a meeting. Adcom/Cochairs can act.

 

Acceptance of new regional-convention-elected delegates.​

​Danny: Concern about seating chapters?​ speak up? Are we judging one regional and not scrutinizing others? SAY WHY

Charlene: Chapter organizes. We have Nation Builder which has an email list. Boston regions: something went wrong. There are more males than seats available.

Mike Heichman: Respect the time: objectionable. Concerns about Boston Regional being singled out. No flaws in other regional conventions? 1. What Bylaws violation? 2. What precedent have we violated?

Danny: Responding to Mike: What  is the allegation against the Boston Regional Convention? Brian Cady? Nature of the error? Different from ARVC Regional?

Brian Cady: Postcards to 7 out of 8 regions. Covid-19 Stay At Home order cancelled most events. So I had to email everyone, but there was an error in the Nation Builder list.

David Spanagel: Took info Brian Cady provided. Conducted several rounds of attendees communications. To educate everyone about the process.

Matt Andrews: Talked To Brian Cady on March 25. The GBC hadn’t yet made a decision about how to conduct the regional convention since the in-person meeting was cancelled. Email soliciting nominations went out from the Treasurer and only gave a  2 or 3 days window.  The entire election was conducted over email in less than ten days. The GBC met by telecon on April 14 and decided to redo the election. The Redo Committee decided to ignore the directive that created it.

David Rolde: Cochair GBC. Our members are from all over. GBC organized and had to cancel the convention. Metrosouth didn't even meet.

Danny: add 10 min

Danny: Decision the same, if we accept and then ask who's here?

Charlene: Clearly botched election, max 7 seats for men and nonbinary, 7 fem.

Danny: person who represents to consensus of the region. on the call, consensus of the region? Ask us to approve it. "Our region can say that these people are elected with no concerns.” Leaning towards appointment vs regional convention.

Mike Heichman: They met and established a committee to do a redo convention. they met and decided to not have the convention. GBC wants the following to happen: seat and invite outgoing Statecom members.

Danny: 

Mike Heichman: from GBC: Brian Cady, Heather Ford, Elie Yarden, Mike Heichman, Big Mike, David Keil... And John Andrews, Matt Andrews and Dan Kontoff want to continue to serve.

Big Mike: Mike Heichman is accurate.

Charlene: GBC sticks to its original decision and holds a new convention.

Mike Heichman: manipulation.

 

Round Robin:

Dan Kontoff: GBC had time to prepare for it.

Mike Heichman: This meeting was manipulated. Should have sat everyone. Inform GBC of what violation of Bylaws?

David Rolde: Sub committee, Jamie M convinced everyone to wait for a face to face so temporarily appoint electeds and outgoing and wait for opportunity for convention.

Big Mike: Agree with everyone representing GBC. But not inspired by this manipulation.

John: We still have a 2 person Statecom. At the very least, we need to schedule the next meeting. Constitutional crisis.

Danny: Contested issue. Get it out in the open.

Linda: Confusing to anyone not following the regional closely. Support discipline in the party. All the names I've heard are from the Boston area , all men and no women. People are leaving the party over this. Get some diversity!

Joshua: Generally takes no time at all to appoint someone at Statecom.

Lois Gagnon: Set next meeting?

 

Adjourned 8:30 PM.