Green-Rainbow Party Candidate Development and Legal Committee

Minutes April 5, 2003, Westminister, Mass.

Rob: stacker; Jamie: facilitator; Dave: secretary

Attending: Jamie O’Keefe, Laura Vilagorsky, Vince O’Connor, Karlo Silberger, Rob Lewis, Dave England

Next meeting date: May 5, 1:00 [Meetng was rescheduled to May 12.]

Review of minutes for March was posponed until May meeting.

Committee Reports

Activist training -- Lara -- 11 attended, including three candidates and one campaign manager. Run by Karen Kubby, of the Independent Political Progressives Network. Covered all aspects of a local campaign, organizing, recruiting, building support, advertising, fund-raising. Included hands-on practice in asking for money for votes, stump speaking, and planning. Recommended taking parts of the manual and inserting in GRPM newsletter; transmitting other relevant parts to other GR committees, financing, party building, etc.

Vince --- need to provide people with issues support that they can’t do themselves. Need to find a way to communicate information to candidates on state issues. Candidate’s responsibility is to know their district.

Status of 2003 candidates

Martina Robinson is on the ballot for Selectman in Belchertown.

Bruce Menin, Rockport School Committee member, is not up until 2005, not likely to run again, not had much contact with local GR chapter.

Jamie spoke with Mike Castronova (?) Recommends we have Bruce and Chuck Turner (Boston City Councillor) run a discussion at convention about what it’s like to be an elected GR.

Northampton has uncontested seats, Easthampton the same.

State Committee

Dave and Karlo presented CD&LC Committee report to State Committee. State Committee members asked about paper candidates and our plans for Presidential election. Dave and Karlo weren’t able to stay for the budget discussion.

Activist Debriefing document

Western Mass summary passed out -- main theme is better communication needed between state and local campaigns. Rob, Scott will meld two reports into one summary, suitable for distribution.

Lara -- need to see, and show, some evidence we are addressing problems raised in these meetings, and developing solutions.

Someone will post summary on web site, with recommended solutions to come later.

Target Development list

Done, or nearly done. Has much good information. Now need to analyze it and identify targets.

(No assignments made. See March minutes for tentatiave targeting criteria.)

Amherst’s Save Town Meeting campaign - Vince passed out 8-page newspaper he edited and distributed. Published 7,000 copies for $1,400. Passed out 5-10 days before election to every household. One Selectman worked hard against conversion. Another Latino candidate mailed 500 postcards to every Latino voter, followed by phone calls. UAW endorsed campaign and followed up with phone calls. LWV made voter ID calls. League was neutral. Vince drove 5 voters to the polls. Town meeting system saved, won by 13 votes. Second highest (2,413 ) vote total in town’s history.

Vince recommended Party publish similar newspaper with space for local Legislative candidates to drop-in their personal information/issues.

Jamie contacted by GPoUS. They want someone to be a state party contact so they can facilitate communication with national. Rob will be contact.

STRATEGIC VISION

After some discussion about how far out to project our long-range planning, decided to set goals and develop a continuing plan going forward four years.

Need to build membership to the point where we don’t have to gather signatures for state-wide race.

Vince will call Sec. of State to determine when we have to have what on what date to get 1% of registered GR s to avoid having to collect signatures representativing 3% of the statewide vote to continue our status.

[Deadline is 20 days before a presidential primary, in presidential election years; otherwise, Feb. 1]

Goals for 2003

1. Make contact with local chapters to advise that they will be expected to recruit and nominate local House and Senate candidates.

2. Establish more local committees so we can accomplish the first goal.

3. Develop recruiting process where we don’t have local committees

4. Target races we definitely want to be in.

5. Develop 2003 voter-registration plan and campaign platform.

6. Choose 4-5 cities and run GR s in every ward (too late to enter most town elections, which are in spring)

Goals for 2006

1. Register 40,000 voters as GR s (1% of 2002 vote)

2. Establish chapters in half the towns and 3/4 of the cities

3. Nominate four candidates for state-wide office

4. Be prepared to nominate one serious candidate for Congress, in case there is a vacancy

5. Mass. Senate -- contest at least 10 districts, elect one

6. Mass. House -- contest at least 100 seats, (20 seriously), electing 4-6.

Goals for 2005 (off-year, mainly municipal elections)

1. Contest one ward committee/city council member in 8-10 cities

2. Run a GR for town meeting member in every town in every town with rep. TM form of gov.

Goals for 2004

1. Register 25,000 GR s (we currently have 9,000)

2. Organize GR chapters in 50-75 towns, 10-15 cities

3. Support GR Congressional candidates, who decide on their own to run, with literature, training, and hook-ins to state House/Senate races. (Means we will not actively recruit Congressional candidates.)

4. Mass Senate -- Contest a minimum of 6 seats (1-2 seriously)

5. Mass House -- Contest a minimum of 40 seats (12-15 seriously)

Note: All candidates will be expected to:

· Answer, within 24 hours, all phone calls from the media,

· Return, fully answered, all candidate surveys,

· Appear, and fully participate in, all candidate forums,

· Complete accurately, and file timely, all required legal paperwork,

· Support the candidacies of other nearby GR s.