Denver
Green Party / Jefferson Greens Joint Monthly Business Meeting
Location: Borders Books Cafe, Park Meadows
10/19/04
Attendees
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Lori Howard
Lanny Kness
Brad Klafehn
Sunny Maynard
Chad McCool
Michael Fierro
Rick VanWie
Minutes:
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1.
Meet with visitors at NGO Management meeting - who is able? (Kness)
- Breakfast meeting on Friday October 29, 2004
- India, Kenya, Madagascar, Malaysia, Pakistan, and South Africa
Brad Klafehn, Sunny Maynard, and Chad McCool have volunteered to meet
and discuss political issues with these representatives. Kness will
follow up with details.
2.
Election night party? (VanWie)
It was put forward that it would be fun to get together on November
2nd to watch the results, and see where our candidates come in. The
DGP decided to contact Tanya Ishikawa and the Jeffco Greens to see
if they want to have one with Tanya.
3.
November / December Meetings (Combine? Don't have?) (Kness)
The DGP decided to have a November meeting, but to not have a December
meeting. VanWie will look into having a holiday party during December
for all Greens.
4.
January Meeting (Planning Meeting? Include all Metro locals? Progressive
Cafés?) (Kness)
The DGP decided to have a 1/2 day planning meeting in January instead
of the standard business meeting, and to ask for all metro Green locals
to attend.
The goal would to plan how we go forward and grow all the locals.
It is also intend for ideas and points to cover to be determined prior
to the meeting via the business-denvergreens list.
Items to consider: Fundraising, publicizing our positions, networking
with other groups, local elections
5.
Consider updating the TCD statement (Klafehn)
Butcher and Klafehn proposed updating the DGP Transform Columbus Day
statement, and reaffirming it. The DGP accepted this proposal without
changes. The Statement:
Denver
Green Party Transform Columbus Day Statement - October, 2004
The
Denver Green Party, and Greens everywhere, work for social justice
and equal opportunity for all in our society. We believe that embracing
ethnic and cultural diversity results in a stronger and more democratic
society. This democratic embrace of diversity can serve as a means
of resolving conflict as it works against racism, discrimination
and inequality. Therefore, as a means of working to heal the contemporary
effects of historic racism and genocide in North America, the Denver
Green Party endorses the call to transform the Columbus Day holiday.
Columbus
Day celebrates a man and a worldview that began the genocide of
the indigenous peoples of the Americas. As a city, state, and nation,
we can work to heal this painful history by refusing to pay homage
to Christopher Columbus, who inaugurated and participated in the
ethnic cleansing of the Western Hemisphere.
The
Denver Green Party calls upon Mayor John Hickenlooper and Governor
Bill Owens to use their leadership to end the Columbus Day Holiday
in the City of Denver and the State of Colorado. We call upon our
elected leaders to create a new state holiday that celebrates our
diverse cultural heritage and envisions a future for the Americas
that is free of racism and dedicated to social and economic justice
for all.
6. Consider joining the ANA coalition (Klafehn)
A proposal was put forward for the DGP to endorse and join the All
Nations Alliance. It was decided to table this suggestion until the
January planning meeting.
7.
Fundraiser - Gift Wrapping (Maynard)
Maynard proposed a gift wrapping fundraiser where Greens would wrap
presents at stores during the holiday season. It was suggested that
if this was done, that it should be done at a small business. Maynard
is going to research possible locations and where we could purchase
wrapping paper, and will put forward a plan at the November meeting
for consideration. Wrapping paper was an issue since it isn't that
"Green". Possible sources are having children make it or
getting paper that publicizes a charity.
8.
Voters Guide (Should we even try in one night?) (Kness)
The following are the DGP's recommendations on the various ballot
initiatives:
-
Amendment 34 - Construction Liability: No
The DGP is against the capping of construction liability found in
HB1161,
and that this amendment seeks to reverse. But it is against this
ballot
initiative because it puts in these changes as a Constitutional
Amendment,
which is not where it belongs and would make it difficult to tweak.
- Amendment 35 - Cigarette Tax: No
The DGP believes that it is reasonable to increase the tax on cigarettes.
But is concerned that the programs that are funded by this initiative
may loose funding if cigarette sales fall and the legislature will
fail
to support them. It is also against this initiative because it is
a
Constitutional Amendment.
- Amendment 36 - Electoral College Reform: Yes
The GPCO has endorsed this initiative. It is a good first step in
tearing down the winner-take-all and 2 party system.
- Amendment 37 - Renewable Energy: Yes
The GPCO has endorsed this initiative. It supports the goals of
this legislation, but has reservations with the inclusion of biomass
as a resource for renewable energy.
- Amendment A - Civil Service: No
The DGP is against this initiative because it allows the out-sourcing
of jobs with no safe guards preventing sending state jobs over-seas.
In general, the DGP is skeptical of the success of privatizing
government services.
- Amendment B - Obsolete Provisions: No position
Removing the obsolete provisions will not alter any laws, regulations,
etc., but does remove the history of the changes making research
harder.
- Referendum 4A - FasTracks: No position
This initiative has good and bad characteristics, and the DGP has
decided to take no position on this initiative.
- Referendum 4B - SCFD: No
The DGP supports continue the tax to support the metro area's
various cultural and scientific attractions.
- Police Oversight: Yes
The DGP supports the proposed Police Oversight initiative. This
is a
Denver only proposal.
