Green-Rainbow Party of Massachusetts

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AdCom size change
Sunday January 07, @02:39AM, by merelice, with others to come
Subject : Change makeup and clarify function of AdCom
Summary :
Relevant points:

Currently, AdCom meets twice a month (once in person and once by teleconference). This is a time-consuming commitment that makes it difficult especially for the Membership, Communications, and Fundraising Directors to carry out their committee responsibilities as well as other needed Party activities.

The need for frequent AdCom meetings is partly because AdCom is entrusted with carrying out Party work between StateCom meetings and tends not to delegate its implementation. As a result, much (if not most) of AdCom time is spent on endorsements, position statements, Party strategy, and other policy-related activities that are actually StateCom responsibilities but fall to AdCom. Consequently, these activities
(1) draw time and attention away from the administrative functions that need more support to keep the party healthy,
(2) put such decisions in fewer hands than should be the case, given our Key Value of Decentralization,
(3) seriously overburden the AdCom members and/or pulls them away from participating in and building local chapters and working committees.

Local chapters and working committees most often include StateCom members. By referring policy-related party business to these groups rather than expecting AdCom to handle everything, StateCom members would have a more active hand in decisions between StateCom's own meetings.

A smaller AdCom would result in (1) enabling AdCom to focus on its administrative functions with less distraction and pressure, (2) giving the Membership, Communications, and Fundraising Directors more flexibility to carry out their critically important committee work, (3) drawing fewer members away from being active in local chapters and on working committees, and (4) giving StateCom members more say and participation in policy-related work between meetings through their local chapters and/or working committees.

Text :
This proposal is meant to lead to a change in the GRP bylaws that would be proposed to the membership at this year's State Convention. The State Committee asks that the Procedures and Meetings Committee and/or the AdCom take the needed steps to effect a change in the makeup and to clarify the function of the AdCom as follows:

The AdCom shall consist of the four officers -- male and female Co-Chairs, Secretary, and Treasurer -- and two diversity representatives, for a total of six members. Election of diversity representatives is meant to help ensure that this committee reflects some of the diversity of our society.

The purpose of the AdCom as a whole is to assure the GRP meets its legal requirements and attends to its administrative and infrastructural needs to function effectively. When possible, it will refer all other matters to the working committees and local chapters for action and implementation between meetings of the State Committee. Consideration should be given to whether the State Committee might develop a subcommittee to delegate policy and/or non-administrative matters to working committees and local chapters between statecom meetings, but this can be done by AdCom and,
therefore, is not required before changing AdCom's makeup.

Reply

Re: AdCom size change
Saturday January 20, @12:36PM, by Grace Ross
> Relevant points:
>
> Currently, AdCom meets twice a month (once in person and once by teleconference). This is a time-consuming commitment that makes it difficult especially for the Membership, Communications, and Fundraising Directors to carry out their committee responsibilities as well as other needed Party activities.
>
> The need for frequent AdCom meetings is partly because AdCom is entrusted with carrying out Party work between StateCom meetings and tends not to delegate its implementation. As a result, much (if not most) of AdCom time is spent on endorsements, position statements, Party strategy, and other policy-related activities that are actually StateCom responsibilities but fall to AdCom. Consequently, these activities
> (1) draw time and attention away from the administrative functions that need more support to keep the party healthy,
> (2) put such decisions in fewer hands than should be the case, given our Key Value of Decentralization,
> (3) seriously overburden the AdCom members and/or pulls them away from participating in and building local chapters and working committees.
>
> Local chapters and working committees most often include StateCom members. By referring policy-related party business to these groups rather than expecting AdCom to handle everything, StateCom members would have a more active hand in decisions between StateCom's own meetings.
>
> A smaller AdCom would result in (1) enabling AdCom to focus on its administrative functions with less distraction and pressure, (2) giving the Membership, Communications, and Fundraising Directors more flexibility to carry out their critically important committee work, (3) drawing fewer members away from being active in local chapters and on working committees, and (4) giving StateCom members more say and participation in policy-related work between meetings through their local chapters and/or working committees.
>
> This proposal is meant to lead to a change in the GRP bylaws that would be proposed to the membership at this year's State Convention. The State Committee asks that the Procedures and Meetings Committee and/or the AdCom take the needed steps to effect a change in the makeup and to clarify the function of the AdCom as follows:
>
> The AdCom shall consist of the four officers -- male and female Co-Chairs, Secretary, and Treasurer -- and two diversity representatives, for a total of six members. Election of diversity representatives is meant to help ensure that this committee reflects some of the diversity of our society.
>
> The purpose of the AdCom as a whole is to assure the GRP meets its legal requirements and attends to its administrative and infrastructural needs to function effectively. When possible, it will refer all other matters to the working committees and local chapters for action and implementation between meetings of the State Committee. Consideration should be given to whether the State Committee might develop a subcommittee to delegate policy and/or non-administrative matters to working committees and local chapters between statecom meetings, but this can be done by AdCom and,
> therefore, is not required before changing AdCom's makeup.
>
>

Reply

Re: AdCom size change
Saturday January 20, @12:38PM, by Grace Ross
Thanks to those who worked on this proposal - here is a very small amount of feedback.

Some of specific problems with this proposal:

First it is Adcom's responsibility NOT Statecom's responsibility to endorse things and deal with statements to the public that fall within our existing value statements (thank goddess! Since it is bad enough with all the folks an adcom, without trying to get an urgent endorsement agreed to through email by dozens of folks or writing by committee by statecom).

Statements could of course be vetted by the platform and comcom committees if they were meeting regularly and perhaps adcom would not have to deal with them much at all.

Second, diversity seats are supposed to actually diversify adcom so that the voices of as many constiutencies as possible are represented - how do you do that with two seats? It would directly undermine our ability to meet one of the key requirements put forth when the Rainbow joined the Greens: developing and supporting the leadership of more diverse constituencies - adcom is one of the best places for people to learn about and move into leadership in the party.

In addition, we have sometimes formally, sometimes informally, used diversity reps to act as liasons to each ocmmittee so adcom had one direct link with every functioning committee - something we had problems with just last adcom meeting.

Also, although our memories clearly differ on this, Merelice: adcom has consistently in my memory bemoaned when those diversity seats are empty - because there is too much work to do. They/we have also struggled terribly under the burden of having to carry work that committees are supposed to be doing.

The place I ABSOLUTELY agree with you is delegation.

What disturbs me most is adcom seems now to have taken on statecom's responsibility to run itself! Statecom is supposed to choose its own facilitators for the next meeting before it closes for the day. It supposed to supply its own note takers, print it's own materials, and each member is supposed to take on at least on committee position.

how about a proposal that statecom members NOT on adcom facilitate the meetings (I am happy to lead a facilitation workshop for as many party members as can make it before the next statecom meeting!), prepare agendas that include items not on our standard agenda (why our meetings have become more useful!) and figure out material production and food, transportation, etc.

and lets get more folks not on statecom and adcom, to come to meetings and sit on committees!

Love, grace

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