Boston ASGP-G/GPUSA joint proposal, 2 Oct 2000 (original) (raw)

JOINT PROPOSAL OF NEGOTIATING COMMITTEES OF THE ASSOCIATION OF STATE GREEN PARTIES and THE GREENS/GREEN PARTY USA

The Negotiating Committees of the Association of State Green Parties and the Greens/Green Party USA, meeting on October 1-2, 2000, have agreed unanimously to recommend to their respective organizations the following proposal for the creation of a new national Green Party, to be called "Green Party of the United States," and a National Committee of the Green Party, which will apply to the Federal Election Commission for official recognition as a national political party.

1. The Greens/Green Party USA may continue as an independent organization but will cease functioning as a political party and will adopt a new name that will omit the word, "party." It will relinquish the domain name, "www.greenparty.org" to the new party.

2. The Green Party shall leave the question of state dues entirely to the state parties and shall neither encourage state parties to collect dues nor discourage state parties from collecting dues.

3. The new Green Party shall have a paid "sustaining members" category of membership and shall encourage members of all state parties to become sustaining members of the national organization.

4. State parties in the new Green Party shall have written democratic by-laws and at least one convention a year (whether it be a general membership assembly or a delegate assembly elected by locals and members-at-large).

5. State Green Parties shall make a good faith effort, where reasonable, to have delegates to the National Committee elected by clusters of local groups. The basis of representation to the National Committee shall be one person, one vote, and in the United States, Congressional Districts are a reasonable approximation of equal population areas. Local groups within a Congressional District or Districts shall come together for the purpose of electing delegates. (Statement of intent: The exact number of delegates and the size of the areas to be used for selecting these delegates is currently under study and will be determined by the ASGP.)

6. Representation to the National Committee shall be based on the principle of one delegate per specified number of Congressional Districts, provided that there is a requisite level of Green Party activity, electoral and/or non-electoral, being conducted in those Congressional Districts.

7. The Accreditation Criteria of the Green Party National Committee shall include the following in addition to the criteria currently used by the ASGP:

a. Evidence of commitment to, and good faith efforts to achieve, gender balance in party leadership and representation.

b. Evidence of good faith efforts to empower individuals and groups from oppressed communities, through, for example, leadership responsibilities, identity caucuses and alliances with community-based organizations, and endorsements of issues and policies.

8. The Green Party National Committee shall reserve seats for representatives of nationally organized caucuses for traditionally disempowered groups, provided that each caucus shall demonstrate a total membership of at least 100 people, from at least 15 member states, use democratic procedures and choose to send representatives to the National Committee.

9. The G/GPUSA Negotiating Committee recommends to the affiliates of G/GPUSA that a mail referendum of the Green Congress be initiated. The referendum shall ask the Congress to authorize the G/GPUSA National Committee to certify whether the ASGP, at its December 2000 meeting, amends its bylaws to reflect the terms of this joint proposal. The mail referendum will also authorize the G/GPUSA National Committee to (a) adopt a new name that will omit the word "party"; (b) relinquish the domain name "www.greenparty.org" to the new party; and (c) support the request of the ASGP for an advisory opinion on the national committee status of the new party, provided that it does in fact certify that the ASGP has amended its bylaws in accordance with this proposal.

For the Association of State Green Parties:

Anne Goeke Stephen Herrick Tom Sevigny Greg Gerritt Robert Franklin Tony Affigne David Cobb

For the Greens/Green Party USA:

Richard J. Whitney Starlene Rankin Julia Willebrand Jeff Sutter John Stith Steve Welzer

Public Statement

As per the directive of the Massachusetts proposal passed at the Association of State Green Parties Coordinating Committee meeting held in Denver, CO, June 23, 2000, negotiating teams from the Association of State Green Parties and the Greens/Green Party, USA met in Boston, MA, October 1-2, 2000, to discuss issues related to the establishment of a national Green Party. Substantive progress was made, resulting in the co-signing of a document of proposals to be considered respectively by the constituents of both of the two current national Green organizations. The negotiating teams will be enthusiastically recommending adoption of their proposals.

For the Association of State Green Parties:

Anne Goeke Stephen Herrick Tom Sevigny Greg Gerritt Robert Franklin Tony Affigne

For the Greens/Green Party USA:

Richard J. Whitney Starlene Rankin Julia Willebrand Jeff Sutter Steve Welzer

[_url:_ http://www.greens.org/\~jsutter/boston.html; posted 21 nov 00 by jsutter@igc.org (jeff sutter)]