Coordinating Committee Minutes, On-Line vote, March 10-16, 2014

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Co-sponsors (Feinstein, Bernstein):

Background and Purpose: This relates to the issue we discussed at the January 26 CC retreat, about a letter going to Bernie Sanders, signed by Tom Yager as PCSC co-chair, when he knew he wasn't co-chair. I sent the email below after reminding Tom Yager in person at the Iowa City GPUS Annual National Meeting a week earlier, that he was no longer co-chair. Its followed by an email by Yager to the PCSC with ridiculous/irresponsible timelines for changing the process for recognizing candidates, that caused so much controversy last time.

 

From: Mike Feinstein <mfeinstein@feinstein.org>

Date: July 27, 2013 1:36:46 PM PDT

To: Presidential Campaign Support Committee <pcsc@gp-us.org>

Subject: [GP-PCSC] Elections for PCSC co-chairs needs to happen in next few months

 

As we've recently realized, Tom Yager's term as co-chair ended in June 2012 and Craig Thorsen's term as co-chair ended in June 2013.   Therefore this committee no longer has a co-chair.

Its important that we elect new leadership in the next few months so that we can ensure there are people responsible for the work of the co-chairs as we move ahead to plan for 2016.

If you wish to continue on this committee, please ensure your term is current with your state party or caucus - and/or have your state party appoint others/more people if it wishes

Mike

_______________________________________________

pcsc mailing list

 

Without there being any subsequent PCSC co-chair elections, Tom Yager signed himself singularly onto the following correspondence on behalf of our entire national Party, even though he knows he isn't our co-chair.

From: Starlene Rankin <greenstarlene@gmail.com>

Date: February 3, 2014 6:46:36 PM PST

To: Presidential Campaign Support Committee <pcsc@gp-us.org>

Subject: [GP-PCSC] Letter to Bernie Sanders

Reply-To: Presidential Campaign Support Committee <pcsc@gp-us.org>

 

Here's what we sent via landmail to Sen. Sanders on January 13 (Brian can confirm the date it was mailed). The SC is discussing plans for following up this letter with an in-person meeting. 

 

Senator Bernie Sanders

U.S. Senate

332 Dirksen Building

Washington, D.C. 20510

Dear Senator Sanders,

We've been reading reports that you are considering a run for President in 2016 if there isn't a good progressive alternative candidate. 

You have taken many stands that are in keeping with Green Party values and our platform. We're reaching out to you to see if you'd like information on the process involved in running as a Green for President. Also, our 2012 Presidential candidate, Dr. Jill Stein, is willing to talk with you about her experience running as the Green Party's nominee. 

The GPUS Presidential Campaign Support Committee (PCSC) is charged with preparing and administering an exploratory and outreach plan to potential candidates for the 2016 Green Party presidential nomination: http://www.gp.org/committees/pcsc/.

We hope to stimulate a dialogue with you about the future of our party, our country and our world.  I’ll be contacting you soon to discuss how we can further this conversation.

Sincerely,

Tom Yager

Chair, PCSC

(tom's address here)

 

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Proposal:  That the Coordinating Committee send the following letter 

Dear Steering Committee

 

We are writing to you in your oversight role of GPUS Committees under GPUS Bylaws 4-2.7 "Facilitate, coordinate and assist the activities of Standing and Ad Hoc Committees of the GPUS", specifically in regards to the Presidential Campaign Support Committee. 

 

As you know, a point of controversy exists over the PCSC's 2012 role in Roseanne Barr accessing the GPCA's June 2012 presidential primary ballot line. The GPCA sent a letter to the Steering Committee in March 2012, seeking answers to a series of questions about that role (http://www.cagreens.org/committees/coordinating/minutes/2012-02-29). To this date, that letter not only remains unanswered, but unacknowledged. 

 

Given the events of 2012, the GPCA believes it is important to take positive, trust-building steps towards 2016. To this end, the GPCA wants to stress in the strongest terms that the party's process for 2016 be transparent, factual and consistent with our party's internal procedures on the state and national level.  We commit to do our part in California consistent with these objectives, and seek your help to ensure the same on the national level.

 

For this reason, we note with concern the following:

 

- That the Steering Committee sent the attached January 2014 letter to Bernie Sanders (see below), when responsibility for such outreach is part of the PCSC Mission Statement (http://www.gp.org/index.php/pcsc-mission-statement.html), not the Steering Committee

 

- That the Steering Committee listed Tom Yager as PCSC Co-chair in the letter - and as the only person in the letter representing all Greens in the US, even though at that time Mr. Yager was **not**  the PCSC co-chair, as his term ended in July 2012 and new PCSC co-chair elections were not held again until this month.

 

- That no draft of the Sanders letter was even sent to the PCSC list, despite Mr. Yager being on the PCSC list, and Starlene Rankin as SC Liaison. Had that occurred, Mr. Yager and the SC would have learned that the URL they included in their letter to Mr. Sanders is to an old, out-of-date link and version of the PCSC home page.

 

In addition, a major point of contention in 2012 was the proper interpretation of GPUS Rules and Procedures Article X "Recognition of Declared Candidates for the Green Party nomination for President" (http://www.gp.org/index.php/rules-and-procedures-of-the-green-party-of-t...). To addresss this, Article X liklely needs revision. The GPCA wants to stress in the strongest terms, that this process be deliberative and inclusive.

 

For this reason, we note with concern that Mr.Yager posted to the PCSC list, a timeline for a major proposal that had no text, but was proposed to be decided upon within a few weeks, by a committee without co-chairs and whose membership was not current.

 

From: Tom Yager <vagreen@earthlink.net>

Date: December 23, 2013 12:34:26 PM PST

To: Presidential Campaign Support Committee <pcsc@gp-us.org>

Subject: [GP-PCSC] New Year's Resolutions

2.  Pass revised rules for the $5,000 contribution requirement for PCSC recognized Presidential candidates.  Discussion will run from January 16 through January 22, and voting, from January 23 through January 29. 

 

The GPCA believes that careful and deliberate revision of Article X will also likely necessitate consultation with the FEC to be clear about the timing and accessibility of candidate financial reports from the FEC (around the existing February 1st deadline); and with the California Secretary of State, about when they need information from the GPUS (to make their early February decisions about which candidates to place on the ballot, as mandated by the California Elections code.)

 

Therefore any timeline must take these kinds of important consultations into consideration. 

 

Finally, the GPCA is already involved in politically challenging negotiations with the California Secretary of State's office on other matters.

We don't suggest there be no direct consultation between the GPUS and the California Secretary of State's office. Rather we ask that for now, you defer to the GPCA to initiate discussions with them about 2016, in a manner that will not complicate the sensitive, in-state work that we are already involved with.

 

We thank you in advance for taking concerns into consideration in your oversight role under 4-2.7, to  help ensure that the GPUS 2016 presidential process is a successful one.  Please let us know if you have any questions about the GPCA's positions on these issues.

 

Sincerely

 

Sanda Everette, Alex Shantz

Co-coordinators, Coordinating Committee

Green Party of California

 

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ATTACHMENT: GPUS Letter to Bernie Sanders (January 13, 2014)

Senator Bernie Sanders

U.S. Senate

332 Dirksen Building

Washington, D.C. 20510

Dear Senator Sanders,

We've been reading reports that you are considering a run for President in 2016 if there isn't a good progressive alternative candidate. 

You have taken many stands that are in keeping with Green Party values and our platform. We're reaching out to you to see if you'd like information on the process involved in running as a Green for President. Also, our 2012 Presidential candidate, Dr. Jill Stein, is willing to talk with you about her experience running as the Green Party's nominee. 

The GPUS Presidential Campaign Support Committee (PCSC) is charged with preparing and administering an exploratory and outreach plan to potential candidates for the 2016 Green Party presidential nomination: http://www.gp.org/committees/pcsc/.

We hope to stimulate a dialogue with you about the future of our party, our country and our world.  I’ll be contacting you soon to discuss how we can further this conversation.

Sincerely,

Tom Yager

Chair, PCSC

(tom's address here) 

 

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Implementation/Timeline/Resources: Letter can be sent upon completion of Coordinating Committee vote

References: None

 

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