CHARLOTTE AREA GREEN PARTY / JANUARY MEETING


Members Present: Judy Aulette, Kathryn Kuppers, Ben Collins, Mark Ortiz, Alan Burns, Harry Phillips, Gray Newman

Guest: Sheila Wade

• Clerk Harry Phillips summarized December meeting minutes.
  
  
• It was decided to print twenty new t-shirts. Kathryn will look into including 10 tank tops with this order. Our url, in smaller type, will appear on the back of the shirts below “Charlotte Area Green Party.” We hope to have the shirts by March.
  
  
• Treasurer Mark Ortiz reported that we have $1,087.39 in our treasury, with $1065.39 being held in our checking account and $22 held in cash. Mark presumed that beginning in February we would no longer be charged a monthly checking account fee as our balance exceeds $1000. Mark retained for our records the invoice from our WFAE announcements, which includes the exact play times for the announcements.
  
  
• General comments were made about our presence Jan. 3 at The Evening Muse (EM), where we had an information table and collected approximately twenty signatures for our ballot access petition. Mark remained until eleven or so, and he noted that things got busier. EM owners Lea and John are enthusiastic about having us back. We plan to be at The EM again the first Friday in February. Ben offered to take the 9-11:30 shift this night. If CAGP members are charged the cover fee, CAGP will reimburse these individuals.
  
  
• Gray distributed sign-up forms for the Habitat for Humanity project. Interested members completed the forms and returned them to Gray. All we need to bring, Gray advised, is a hammer, tape measure, and pencil. Temple Beth-El, in Shalom Park on Providence Rd., will host a kick-off event for this project on Fri., Jan. 17.
  
  
• Alan reported on the online meeting of the executive committee, held on Jan. 5. The April convention will probably be in Durham, the first or second weekend after the Rolling Thunder tour in Durham. Alan will put out a call for nominations for 2003-05 executive committee offices. Nominations must be submitted thirty days before the April convention. Alan is seeking input for his suggestion of four new executive committee positions: a membership secretary, a media outreach coordinator, a fundraising coordinator, and a ballot access / petition drive coordinator. As communication with Laura King, executive committee chair, has been difficult, it is not clear the number of signatures collected and submitted at this point. Josh McIntyre (sp), a Wake Green, will visit the board of elections office in Raleigh and find out exactly what’s required to submit petition signatures properly. Alan will send out revised wording that appears at the top of petition forms.
  
  
• Regarding the Mike Tuggle-sponsored resolution against the USA Patriot Act, Mark summarized the proposal protesting the Act and then read the proposal in its entirety. Mark read CAGP’s statement protesting the Act to Charlotte City Council on Monday, Jan. 6. Mark reported that the motion to give the resolution to the city attorney to determine the proposal’s legality was defeated, with three council members voting “for:” Sarah Spencer, Nancy Carter, and Harold Cogdill. The potential problem of CAGP being associated with Mike Tuggle and The Southern League was discussed. It was decided that Mark and Gray would draft a new resolution, finalize it by Jan. 25, and present the newly worded proposal to city council on Monday, Jan. 27. Mark will register with the city clerk to speak at the Jan. 27 council meeting. Prior to these dates, Mark and Gray will get a copy of the draft to Judy, who will seek input from Coalition for Peace and Justice (CPJ) members, who may be interested in co-sponsoring the proposal. Judy will have contact with CPJ folks the weekend of Jan. 18 during the anti-war protest in Washington, D.C.
  
  
• Gray reminded the group of his trip to Santa Monica, CA, Feb. 21-23, to meet with some Green office holders from across the country (171 total). This will be the first such meeting since 1998. Gray surmised that Green 2004 presidential candidates would be a central topic. Gray will contact Mary Newsom at The Charlotte Observer and inquire if the paper will want to cover Gray’s experience at the meeting.
  
  
• Harry will take over from Alan in our efforts to secure a presence on “Charlotte Talks.” Harry will contact Wendy Braatz, the program’s producer.
  
  Respectfully Submitted,
  
  Harry Phillips
  Co-Clerk
  Jan. 12, 2003