Massachusetts Green-Rainbow Party Candidate Development and Legal Committee

Minutes, 4th meeting, March 8, 12:00-2:00 pm, Westminster, MA

Attendees: Karlo Silberger, Sarah MacArthur, Nate Crooker, Jamie O’Keefe, Rob Lewis, Samantha Zitolla, Rich Zitolla, Beth Bandy, Scott Pherson, Lara Valigorsky

Facilitator: Jamie; Minutes: Dave; Stacker: Nate; Timer: Rob

Next Meeting: April 5, 1:00-3:00, Westminister

Introductions

Reviewed agenda, set timeline: Proposed agenda was used.

Review of last meeting’s Minutes were deferred to next meeting

Review of candidate debriefing meetings -- issues raised at Eastern meeting:

Candidate Recruitment -- do we grow grow them from our activist ranks or recruit outsiders

Organization, communication key to future success

Door-to-door was very successful in Aleo campaign, events energized campaign

Need to be more involved in local groups/issues

Need more coalition building, less exclusiveness among GRs

Aleo focused on not just environment issues, more on inclusiveness, quality of living

More structure doesn’t necessarily produce more communication

Need to increase communication and coordination

More and better training needed

Should network with groups whose issues are consistent with GR key values:

Should be able to say: “We are running people you know, from your organization.”

Suggested sending letter to all voters in a neighborhoods from local non-partisan groups

stating there is someone running who believes as you do.

Last campaign had a lot of cheerleading but not enough, or any, training in how to run a campaign

Next meeting -- discuss how to address these issues.

Rob and Scott will meld minutes of Eastern and Western meetings. Dave will contact Rainbow Board to get their people active on this committee.

Training session -- Program is set. Looking for local hosts to bunk trainees. Need to contact current local candidates to promote training and to ask whom they know who might come. Also, directly contact local GR chapters, environmental, peace groups, Sierra Club, Audoubon, Mass Bike org.

Update local candidates and incumbents -- Rich considering running for state rep. Bill O’Neill may run in general, but not in special.

No update on special elections

10. Asked for suggestions on how to get people to run, how to contact people in local chapters to inform them of upcoming nomination deadlines and ask if they know people who might run. Following will make contacts, by county, in city/towns where filing deadlines have not passed yet.

Berkshire - Nate Hampshire - Lara

Worchester -Rob Norfolk - Sarah

Franklin - Beth Essex - open

Suffolk - Karlo Middlesex - Jamie, Scott

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11. Budget -- Categories

Presidential convention

Materials cost

Training manuals

Administration

Telephoning

Training and meeting space

Advertising

Scott will help Jamie pull this together

12. 2003/2004 timeline

Convention is in June

Jan 2. -- last day to nominate for President

Feb 10 -- nomination papers available

Feb 11 -- last date to register to vote in primary

13. Status of candidate recruitment plan and target list

Criteria for targeting/weighting

All incumbent Republicans

Unopposed Democrats

1st and 2nd term incumbents

Districts with high percentage of blanks

Districts with low percentage of voters

Reps with low support of clean elections bills

Previous green candidate districts

Districts with high concentrations of GRs

Reps reps who didn’t support Rushing for Speaker

Districts with 60/50% unenrolled

Two levels -- look at districts w/60%+ first, then with 50%+

Reps whose AFL favorable vote is below 70%

Karlo, Dave, Scott, Rich, Nate, Jamie on subcommittee to pull additional information together and establish tentative rankings

14 Vision/goals for 2004 campaign

Postpone till April, but put early on the agenda.

Windup --

How much more can we do to prep for meeting. E-mail agendas, handouts.

Split agenda and spend more time on each topic

List of goals on agenda topics outcomes

Develop formal strategic plan for committee Rob, Karlo volunteered to work on this

Start with subcommittee reports, then focus on agenda items

State Committee meeting is 3/30 in Worcester. Need to present plan, budget.

training, strategic plan,

Dave, Karlo will go. Dave to prepare one page committee report and submit to SC by 15th.

Dave needs subcommittee reports by 12th (DvEngland@aol.com)

Jamie wants a vision statement for approval at June convention.

April meeting will devote 1 hour to preparing our strategic plan.