CHARLOTTE AREA GREEN PARTY OCTOBER 2003 MEETING MINUTES


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



Mark reported that the CAGP treasury currently has $1024.90 after paying $100 for food for the October 4 NCGP gathering hosted by the CAGP, and after receiving $38.00 from those attending to help defray cost of the food. Mark mentioned that since the CAGP might receive part of a $9,000 donation which the NCGP might receive in the near future, we should start considering what we would want to do with that money.

Members present agreed that the next stream clean-up be scheduled for Saturday, November 8, from 8:15 AM until around 10:45 AM. We will meet at the Midtown Square parking lot near the Independence Blvd. bridge.

Gray asked for comments on the October 4 NCGP gathering. Regret was expressed that there were no NCGP members from the coastal or mountain areas of the state. There were 14 members and two observers attending. At least two new committees were approved to channel funds from the state party to the locals. A definition of a local was approved in connection with this effort. Some progress was made at this gathering on approving the NCGP platform. More work will be done on this before any new platform is put up on the NCGP website. Delegates to national Green Party committees were approved. More details will be available when the minutes of the October 4 gathering are posted on the yahoogroups, ncgreenparty and NCGPactions.

Alan and Gray reported that the Pagan Pride Day event was quite successful, with more than a 100 signatures for ballot access being received. They suggested we participate again next year.

Alan asked if the CAGP should try to help the NCGP reach its goal of 15,000 valid signatures by the end of the year by obtaining 2,500 signatures ourselves. There was some feeling among attending members that perhaps our efforts could be better used towards other goals, such as building membership in the CAGP. Meanwhile the lawsuit that the ACLU is considering against the state of NC for the wording of the ballot access petition requires as many signed affidavits from registered NC voters as the NCGP can get. Alan distributed copies of the affadavit to several members.

So far only Alan and Kathryn have agreed to help at the NCGP booth at the 2003 NC State Fair. Anyone else interested in helping out, please go to www.ncgreenparty.org and sign up for a 4 hour slot.

Judy reported that the current website requires quite a bit of expertise and software to maintain. She suggested an additional, simpler website for communications among current and prospective members. After discussing this, we concluded that the CAGP can continue to use the Yahoogroup (charlotteareagreens@yahoogroups.com ) for this purpose, and that we should sign-up to this group all of the persons on our contact list.

Harry suggested that the CAGP needs someone who can really mount a good PR campaign for the Charlotte Area Green Party to increase membership. It was agreed that showing timely and controversial films at some meetings, or perhaps at the Evening Muse get-togethers, might increase interest in the CAGP. Such films would be pre-approved by the members of the CAGP.

The CAGP will continue to have a presense of some kind at the Evening Muse on the first Friday of every month. The next such Friday will be November 7, 2003.

Alan Burns will hold a yard sale at his house October 25 to benefit the CAGP if he can get at least one other person to commit to being there that day. We need everyone to pitch in with donations of unwanted items.

The next CAGP meeting will be held after the stream clean-up on November 8, 1 PM at Judy and Albert Aulette's house at 2214 Chatham Avenue off of Central Avenue in Plaza-Midwood.



MINUTES WRITTEN AND SUBMITTED BY KATHRYN KUPPERS,
COCLERK, CHARLOTTE AREA GREEN PARTY
OCTOBER 14, 2003