CHARLOTTE AREA GREEN PARTY MAY 2004 MEETING MINUTES


Attending: Alan Burns, Kathryn Kuppers, Gray Newman, Mark Ortiz, Nick Triplett, Susan Triplett, Casey Watson

Kathryn read the minutes of the April meeting.

Alan reported that the tabling at the Charlotte Pride Day went well. Casey announced that she will try to get on the Pride Committee and will therefore be able to get a better table location than the CAGP got this year. Reimbursement for Alan's payment of $50 to the Pride Committee for tabling fee was approved by consensus.

Gray attended the Women's March in Washington D.C. in April and reported that it was hugely successful. He also attended the IMF/World Bank protest that was held there that same weekend.

Kathryn reported that she and Judy Aulette handed out literature, bumper stickers, and sunflower seeds to school kids, college students and faculty at the UNCC Earth Day event. They also collected ballot access petition signatures as a means of educating the students about the difficulties of third party ballot access in North Carolina, and collected signatures of several persons who indicated interest in being contacted by the CAGP. One of the Ribbon Walk representatives invited the CAGP to hold their July meeting at the Ribbon Walk Preserve. Kathryn will finalize these plans soon.

Kathryn announced that the Labor Day Committee will only have a parade and an essay contest this year. There will be no opportunity for tabling. We need to make sure that our identifying banners are more visible than last year. We can still pass out literature along the parade route.

Several suggestions were made for changes to the CAGP website design. Kathryn was authorized to offer Michael Sharpe $25/hour for redesigning the website.

Gray and Hart Matthews have sent out the message to the media that David Cobb, Green Party candidate for president, will speak at Talley's green Grocery May 10 at 7 PM. David will eventually visit 46 states on this tour.

Alan, mentioning that by May 7 the Charlotte area had already had a code-orange air pollution day, once again requested that the CAGP organize a group to come up with a publishable document containing an air pollution control initiative. He wants to be able to present such a document to current government agencies and say, "This is how Green Party officials, if ever elected, would propose dealing with the Charlotte area's worsening air quality." Nick, Casey, Alan and Kajur Washburn volunteered to be in this group.

Mark Ortiz gave the treasurer's report. The change-over in signatures on the bank account has yet to be made, so Mark still holds the checkbook, but should be able to turn it over to Casey at the Pittsboro meeting. He reported that the CAGP has $3,395.84 in checking. So far, we have ten dues-paid member for the April/04- April/05 year.

Harry Phillips, Gray Newman, Kathryn Kuppers, and Alan Burns were approved by consensus of the CAGP to seek approval at the NCGP convention to serve as delegates to the GPUS presidential-nominating convention in Milwaukee.

The next CAGP general meeting was scheduled for June 12, 2004 at Brixx Pizza on Sixth Street in downtown Charlotte from 1-3:30 PM.