[statecom-discuss] about ballot questions proposal

Fri Apr 4 08:19:12 EDT 2008

April 4, 2008

Dear Jill (CDLC, Platform Committee and State Committee):

Recently I have sent out two letters (the first to the CDLC and the second
to the CDLC, Platform Committee and State 
Committee asking questions and expressing major concerns about the process
that has led to the proposals for the 
2008 Advisory Ballot Questions campaign.

I have no problem with the content of the different potential questions.
They all address very important issues and I 
would be proud to see them on the ballot across the state and proud to see
our members and allies working 
together to educate the public about these issues.

However, my questions and concerns have yet to be addressed and I feel
compelled to write again.

I know that I’m no the only one who is concerned and upset. Recently Gary
wrote: 

“I am supposed to be co-chairing a sub-committee of the CDLC with 
Jill, concerning Ballot Questions. Supposedly, Jill has been way too busy 
to be addressing any of the stuff below. And now all of a sudden all of 
this stuff pops up in time [barely!!!] for the Statecom meeting. And as 
co-chair of the sub-committee this is the first I've heard of any of this, 
except for the proposal on sub-prime lending.

With all due respect, I am FUCKING PISSED! I want to know why I 
have been bypassed, and WHO besides Jill has been NAVIGATING THIS STUFF
AROUND ME------------and WHY??
?

With all due respect,

Gary Hicks”

Ron Francis had been the original initiator of this idea and had done some
organizing work on this project across the 
state before he left the Commonwealth last summer. I took on his idea and
submitted a proposal for the January 28, 
2008 State Committee meeting. The night before the meeting Jill had
contacted me and expressed excitement about 
the proposal. With my strong support, I encouraged her to make some changes
to my proposal, which included 
moving most (but not all) of the work to the Platform Committee. On January
28, both of us spoke in favor of Jill’s 
amended proposal, which passed by consensus without any changes (according
to the draft minutes of the meeting 
by Larry Elly, our Secretary).

I was very happy that this had passed. On February 21, I missed a CDLC
meeting (family business). On that day, I 
was pleased to hear that Gary and Jill were designated to represent the
CDLC on the Advisory Ballot Working Group 
(ABWG). 

For reasons that I cannot figure out the CDLC has not met since that day
and I have heard nothing about the 
progress of its work until the evening of the deadline (March 29) to make
proposals for the April 12th State 
Committee Meeting. 

What happened to the ABWG?

According to Jill’s revised proposal, which was passed by the State
Committee: (MY QUESTIONS AND COMMENTS ARE 
IN BIG LETTERS IN PARENTHESIS.)

“3. Platform Committee is asked to establish an Advisory Ballot Working 
Group (ABWG) which will include representatives from CDLC and Membership 
Committees, SPWG (the Strategic Plan Working Group), the Rainbow Task 
Force on Housing Foreclosure, interested GRP locals, and interested GRP 
volunteers.”

(WAS THIS COMMITTEE ESTABLISHED? BESIDES YOU AND GARY, WHAT GROUPS WERE
CONTACTED AND ASKED TO 
SEND REPRESENTATIVES TO THIS WORKING GROUP? WHO WERE THE ACTUAL MEMBERS AND
DID THEY EVER MEET? 
WHY WAS GARY (AND ANYONE ELSE FROM THE ABOVE LIST) NOT INVITED TO
PARTICIPATE?)

(IF THE ABWG WAS NEVER ESTABLISHED, WHO ACUTALLY DID THE WORK AND UNDER
WHAT INSTITUTIONAL 
AUTHORITY?)

“4. The ABWG is asked to develop and coordinate implementation of a plan 
for supporting legislative and/or municipal advisory ballot questions in 
the 2008-2009 time period. The Plan should address the following elements:
- What are potential ballot questions that best serve the purposes of 
strengthening GRP locals, growing the Party, and furthering the Party’s 
strategic objectives?
- What ballot questions appear to have a base of support that would make 
them successful, considering the level of enthusiasm from GRP locals, 
GRP presence in existing issue-oriented networks, and other factors?
- What resources and support should be supplied by State Committee and 
its associated working committees.”

(DID THE ABWG ACTUALLY DEVELOP AND COORDINATE A PLAN? DID YOU SEEK AND
RECEIVE INPUT FROM THE 
REGIONAL CONVENTIONS? (I KNOW THAT MERELICE AND PROBABLY OTHERS ENCOURAGED
THIS TO BE ONE OF THE 
AGENDA ITEMS OF THESE MEETINGS. I KNOW THAT THERE WERE A NUMBER OF IDEAS
FROM THE NORFOLK/SUFFOLK 
CONVENTION THAT I HAD INTENDED AND SOME OF THOSE IDEAS - INCLUDING MY
PROPOSAL-ARE NOT REFLECTED 
BY THE CHOICE OF 4 PROPOSALS THAT HAVE BEEN SUBMITTED TO THE STATE
COMMITTEE. WHAT KIND OF 
OUTREACH WAS DONE TO THE LOCAL CHAPTERS? (I KNOW THAT I HAVE BEEN FOR YEARS
ONE OF THE MOST ACTIVE 
MEMBERS OF THE BOSTON CHAPTER AND I WAS NOT CONTACTED.) IT’S IMPORTANT IN A
PARTY THAT HAS 
“GRASSROOTS DEMOCRACY” AS ONE THE CORNERSTONES OF OUR PARTY TO INVOLVE
LOCAL CHAPTERS AND LOCAL 
ACTIVISTS IN A PROJECT THAT HAS TO BE IMPLEMENTED AT A LOCAL LEVEL. THE
BEST TIME TO INVOLVE THE LOCAL 
ACTIVISTS AND CHAPTERS IS AT THE BEGINNING OF THE PROCESS-NOT AFTER THE
MAJOR DECISIONS HAVE BEEN 
DECIDED BY A SMALL NUMBER OF “LEADERS” OPERATING FROM THE TOP.)

This letter is my third attempt to express my concerns and ask questions.
The answer to the first two letters has 
been silence. My fear is that a small group of party leaders took over this
proposal, selected whom they wanted to 
work with, and the issues that they wanted to explore. They met and
operated in secrecy and did not make their 
plans and proposals visible until the deadline to submit proposals. If my
fears are accurate, this behavior is contrary 
to the principles and values of our party.

I hope that my fears are groundless and that the answers to my questions
will put me at ease. It looks to me that 
the potential ballot questions might merit the support of State Committee.
But first, I would like to believe that the 
process has been kosher, and I hope that this will be resolved before the
April 12th State Committee Meeting.

Mike Heichman
mikeheichman at verizon.net
617-265-8143

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