Decision: Bylaws Interpretation Regarding Coordinating Committee attendance requirements and Extraordinary Circumstances

Decision: Bylaws Interpretation Regarding Coordinating Committee attendance requirements and Extraordinary Circumstances (Coordinating Committee)

Background: The Coordinating Committee approved the following bylaws interpretation on its December 7th teleconference.  Under GPCA Bylaws 13-3 Bylaws Interpretation , the Coordinating Committee is submitting it interpretation to the General Assembly for confirmation.

     13-3 Bylaws Interpretation
     In cases of ambiguity or procedural disagreement, the General Assembly shall decide for itself the meaning of its governing documents, the appropriate procedure to be followed and what amendments are necessary to resolve any further ambiguity or disagreement. Between General Assembly meetings, the Coordinating Committee shall decide these questions and the Bylaws Committee is charged with assisting with the Coordinating Committee in this process by providing analysis. Such Coordinating Committee determinations are subject to a 2/3 confirmation by the General Assembly. If the Coordinating Committee makes such a determination within 60 days of the receipt of the petition, the Coordinating Committee shall place the vote on the draft agenda, and any agenda approved by the General Assembly must include the vote. If an in-person General Assembly is not scheduled to occur within 60 days of the receipt of the petition, the Coordinating Committee shall submit the decision for confirmation by the Standing Green Assembly for an on-line discussion and vote at the next available starting date for on-line proposals, as defined in these bylaws.
 

Proposal: That the General Assembly confirm the following bylaws interpreration: 

Whereas GPCA bylaws provide that "If a Coordinating Committee member misses three consecutive regular monthly meetings, the individual shall lose their seat and a vacancy shall occur" (http://www.cagreens.org/bylaws/2013-06-23#Section_8-2_Membership); and

Whereas for many years GPCA bylaws also had text that allowed the Coordinating Committee to waive this requirement by giving special dispensation: "Unless given special dispensation by the Coordinating Committee (CC) or the General Assembly, any CC member (or any officer appointed by the CC) who cannot fulfill their duties to the best of their abilities as described in these bylaws or operate in accordance with the 10 key values, shall resign by notifying the CC in writing. Resignation is implied whenever any of the following occur: (d)  the member misses three consecutive General Assembly meetings or CC regular meetings without appointing a qualified alternate: (http://www.cagreens.org/bylaws/2011-12-03)

and

Whereas this text was removed in March 2013, because it allowed the Coordinating Committee to decide for itself whether to apply such a waiver on its own members, creating the potential for a conflict of interest for the Coordinating Committee to decide who among it should remain a member and who not; and

Whereas instead of the Coordinating Committee decided exclusively for itself whether to apply such a waiver, the option of a bylaws interpretation by the Coordinating Committee subject to a 2/3 confirmation by the General Assembly exists (http://www.cagreens.org/bylaws/2013-06-23#Article_13-3_Bylaws_Interpreta...), and

Whereas during the summer and fall of 2015 a Coordinating Committee member missed three consecutive meetings as a result of the psychological trauma of young teenage neighbor being murdered by another young teenage neighbor of that Coordinating Committee members; and

Whereas after a period of grieving over several months, that Coordinating Committee member has indicated his interest in returning to active Green Party work, including on the Coordinating Committee;

Therefore the Coordinating Committee finds that in this case of extraordinary circumstances, the Coordinating Committee member in question, Rich Zitola of Santa Cruz, shall be waived of the attendance requirement under GPCA Bylaws 8-2.2 Membership and shall be considered a current Coordinating Committee member.