2/6/16 Green Party CC Meeting

Members present: Betsy Barnum, Lena Buggs, Amber Garlan, Andy Hamerlinck, Hassan Hassan, Jim Ivey, Brandon Long, and Andy Schuler

Facilitator:  Andy Hamerlinck

Note Taker: Amber Garlan

Approve Agenda – Agenda approved by consensus, Brandon asked for the Dawkins event in St. Cloud to be added to the agenda.

Approve minutes from last meeting – Meeting minutes approved by consensus

Treasurer’s Report

• The ending balance of December is $5,120.86 after all deposits and payments cleared. 

Monthly Reports

Finance Committee – Amber

• Julie Madden has set up the Green Party of MN tax check off fund account.  The MN State income tax check off fund where people can donate $5 to the political party of their choice.  The Green Party is listed on the MN State income tax return.
• Amber will ask Julie if the $50 in the Green Party tax check off fund is from contributions already received or did Julie open the account with $50 from the regular account.
• The CC approved a budget of $150 for caucus material, the budget was passed by consensus.
• We will find out when the monthly deposit is made on 2/12/16, if the monthly deposit has been increased by $80 from the Green Party Winter Membership Meeting.
• A recurring donation page has has been set up on the Green Party website.

Membership Committee – Andy/Jim

• Caucus convener packets have been assembled for the 9 Green Party caucuses in Minnesota, if more caucuses are organized then more caucus convener packets can be assembled.
• Working to build support structure for Soil & Water races and candidate recruitment 

Organization Committee – Betsy

• Working on CC policies

 Communication Committee - Brandon

• Working on Green Party website
• 1,870 likes on the Green Party Facebook page
• The Sunflower, the Green Party newsletter is coming out soon

Politics Committee – Lena

• Working on candidate recruitment for Soil and Water Commission
• Working with candidates who need to gather signatures to get on the ballot
• Green Party races need to be data driven, candidates and the Green Party of MN need to give each other good data they have received.
• Candidate package and training are to be given to the organization committee
• Need to pinpoint legislation we will be working on at the capital
• We need to define Presidential strategy such as gathering signatures to get the Green Party Presidential candidate on the ballot.
• On 2/15/16, Presidents Day, Hassan Hassan will be having an event at the Mixed Blood theater for the community to talk about issues.

4^th CD – Andy

• Rashad Turner is a possible candidate for House of Rep. 65A
• Working on recruiting candidates for Soil and Water Commission, Anthony Taylor is a possible candidate
• The 4^th CD will have its endorsing meeting in April
• We will make sure we don't give money to candidates before the proper date
• The 4^th CD has two caucus locations, one at St. Paul Central High School and the other at White Bear Lake City Hall

 5^th CD – Betsy

• The 5^th CD Green Party needs to set up regular meetings.  Regular meetings every month at the same place and time are very helpful to establish stability.
• Andy wants to set up a meeting with Nekima Levy-Pounds and Cam Gordon
• The 5^th CD will have 2 caucus locations; 4200 Cedar Ave. and North Minneapolis

8^th CD – Mel absent, phoned in a brief report

• Kriss Osbakken possibly organizing a caucus in Two Harbors

 Itasca Greens – Mel, phoned in a brief report

• Mel is going to be running for Soil & Water Conservation District.
• Dennis Barsness still intends on running for State 5B Representative.
• Itasca Greens have their Caucus location nailed down.
• Kate Bellvue from Bemidji will be organizing a Green Party Caucus in Bemidji.  Kate has location and media contacts confirmed.

Other CD reports

GPUS report – no report from GPUS delegates

• Minnesota gets 7 votes/delegates for Green Party Presidential candidate at the National Convention in Huston Texas.
• We need a fundraiser to send MN Green Party delegates to Houston
• We need a policy for the GPUS reps to give us a report 

GPMN mailbox – Amber

• We went through the mail bin in the Green Party office, and recycled what was no longer needed, filed what needed to be filed, and gave to CC members what material that was pertinent to them.
• Lena checks Ooma for phone messages
• Andy checks Green Party email
• Amber checks the Green Party mail box
• We need to develop a plan that says what messages have been answered and who was contacted.

Green Party Winter Membership Meeting Debrief

• The workshop speakers were wonderful, and the meeting in general went well.  The speakers have been sent a thank you card.
• We need to promote the Winter Membership Meeting better with mailing and phone banking.
• Kourtny created the automatic donor forms for signing up new monthly donors.
• New monthly donors were signed up at the Green Party Winter Membership meeting, we think it is $80 per month, we will find out for sure on the next automatic deposit on 2/12/16.
• Most of the comments were positive
• Diane Peterson had a criticism of the room being too loud with three workshops going on at once and that it was hard to hear.  The noise of the door opening and closing and the sound of traffic outside was distracting.
• The party at Arnellia's afterward did not start until 4:00 and some of the people who arrived early left.

2016 Caucuses – Andy

• Andy has updated caucus material and assembled convener packets.
• We need to make sure Hassan Hassan and Andy Schuler have the caucus material in Google docs.
• Sharon Lemay will be convening a caucus in East Bethel
• The Green Party caucus will have three parts; Presidential straw poll, resolutions and local activity
• There are nine Green Party caucus locations listed on the Green Party website
• We need a north west Minnesota contact to convene a caucus in north west Minnesota.
• Andy wants to get straw poll results that night as soon as possible.
• Andy wants to get the sign-in data of all the attendees as soon as possible.

 Politics Plan – Lena

• We need to put together a comprehensive and streamlined plan for running candidates
• The primary focus will be water quality
• The secondary focus will be ballot access
• We would like to invite Ken Pentel to work with us when possible
• The Libertarian/3^rd Party group is working with the Secretary of State's office on ballot access
• Scott Mallack of the Libertarian Party has done a lot of work with this group on ballot access.
• Lena has talked with the Ramsey County Water Quality Board about sanitation.
• If a group of Greens want to work on HMO fraud and single payer health care they need to form an issue caucus and do the organizing work.
• The CC will divide time on three electoral areas; Soil and Water Commission, local candidates and Presidential candidates.

 Biennial Convention - Lena

• The Green Party Biennial Convention will be 6/11/16, the location will be reserved from 9:00 am to 7:00 pm.
• Lena has contacted St. Cloud State University in St. Cloud, and is waiting for paperwork to confirm the location for 6/11/16.
• The location will be either be free or $150 if we don't meet qualifications for free rent.
• The room has a capacity of 120 people
• There will be a walking sub-caucus format for the Presidential caucus
• It will take 10 people to be a viable Green Party Presidential candidate.
• Each group will elect Presidential delegates to the Green Party National Convention in Houston Texas August 4^th through August 7th.
• The first half of the Biennial Convention will be the Presidential Caucus and and the election of the 8 at large CC seats.
• The second half of the day will be resolutions
• Lena has contacted Green Party Presidential candidates to invite them to the Green Party Biennial Convention on 6/11/16.
• Lena has been able to contact Kent Mesplay, Darrel Chorney and Sedinam Kinamo Christin Moyowasifza Curry.
• Mike Cavlan has offered to host Darrel Chorney
• Kent Mesplay has an RV
• Barbara Gerten is interested in hosting a Green Party Presidential candidate
• We are working to contact Jill Stein
• Process to submit a platform proposal is needed
• Budget consideration is $2,500 for two mailings to the statewide membership or $1,200 for one mailing to the statewide membership.

Dawkins Event - Brandon

• Andy Dawkins wants a Green to participate in a 3^rd Party forum at St. Cloud State University on Wednesday 3/2/16 or Thursday 3/3/16 at 4:00.
• A Green is needed to give basic information about the Green Party
• Hassan Hassan has offered to speak, Betsy has offered to speak if it is on a Wednesday at a later time.
• Brandon has sent an email to Andy Dawkins asking if the time could be moved to 7:00.

Hassan Hassan Event – Hassan Hassan

• On 2/15/16, President's Day, Hassan Hassan is having an event at the Mixed Blood Theater to talk to the community about their issues.
• Hassan Hassan has asked Cam Gordon to be there.

CC Policies – Betsy

• Betsy and Carol have organized the CC policies into 12 pages of basic CC policies
• Each work area has their policies in an appendix
• The language has been updated
• The updated CC policies has been sent out, and reviewed today.  Changes on page 7 and 8 were made.
• IRV and STV (single transferable vote) policies are needed to be written up and added.
• Maybe the national FairVote website might have the IRV and STV policies.
• Betsy will put everything up on Google drive
• Appendix A will be put on the agenda for the next CC meeting.
• Amber will type up a current 2016 CC member list.