State Reports

Photo: Green Party of West Virginia

Arizona 

On Sept. 10, 2005, 15 folks attended the Arizona Green Party (AZGP) state meeting in Tucson. The meeting focused on whether Arizona Greens will pursue ballot status for 2006. AZGP has achieved ballot status twice in its history (1992 and 2000). However, due to the small number of registered Greens (approximately 4,500 voters) and the lack of a candidate for statewide office in the aforementioned years, AZGP has been unable to maintain ballot status. Arizona Greens would need to register an additional 10,000 Green voters in order to maintain a permanent ballot line. To achieve ballot status in 2006 (in lieu of the 10,000 additional Green voters), AZGP needs to collect almost 30,000 signatures on ballot status petitions by mid-March 2006. 

At the Sept. 10 AZGP meeting, Pima County (Tucson) Greens were in favor of pursuing ballot status, while Maricopa County (Phoenix) Greens preferred to wait until 2008. Richard Scott, one of Arizona's national Green Party (GP-US) delegates, helped reach a compromise: find an exciting candidate for statewide or federal office (perhaps governor) who will do the "heavy lifting" (recruit volunteers to collect signatures for ballot status and earn 5 percent of the vote). The focus of the campaign will be ballot status for the Green Party in Arizona, candidate issues (a Green immigration policy, abolish the death penalty, etc.), and increasing Green Party voter registration. 

Other work completed at this meeting included: 
o Approval of Claudia Ellquist to serve on the GP-US Ballot Access committee. 
o Approval to draft a letter encouraging Arizona Greens to join the GP-US "card-carrying" Green campaign. 
o Proposal to revise the AZGP state by-laws; vote to occur at next state meeting (Jan. 2006). 
o Nominations for new state committee, elections in Jan. 2006. 
o Review of AZGP goals for 2005-06. 

Contact AZGP at www.azgp.org.

Missouri 

The Progres-sive Party of Missouri (PPMO) plans to run at least one candidate in the November 2006 election. Accountant Terry Bunker will be running for the office of state auditor. The party is also recruiting candidates to run for other offices, especially congressional districts and the state legislature, but will not make the decision on whether to run candidates in those offices until spring. In order to achieve ballot access for the 2006 ballot, the PPMO must submit 10,000 signatures of registered Missouri voters to the secretary of state by July 26, 2006. If Terry Bunker, or any other candidate on the ballot, then receives at least 2 percent of the vote for that office on election day, the party is guaranteed ballot access for the next two election cycles. 

In 2004 the PPMO submitted 12,672 signatures to the secretary of state. Only 9,623 were declared valid, so ballot access was not achieved. A group of PPMO members are also researching the legality of implementing instant-runoff voting (IRV) at a municipal level in Missouri. Several state representatives have been asked to request an advisory opinion from the state attorney general on if municipal implementation would conflict with existing Missouri state laws. If it is determined that IRV could be legally implemented at the municipal level, the Greens of Central Missouri hope to make Columbia the first city in Missouri to approve and implement IRV. 

Contact PPMO at www.ppmo.org.

New Mexico 

Green locals are active in four counties of New Mexico, and the University of New Mexico (UNM) has a chapter of Campus Greens. On the state level, the main issues being pursued are an Office of Peace, a $7.50 state minimum wage, verifiable voting and ranked choice voting. Other activities include participating in a weekly street-corner protest of the Iraq war, working with the NAACP on the Katrina Evacuee Relocation Committee, opposing nuclear weapons production, upholding Santa Fe's living wage ordinance, and supporting the Santa Fe Alliance, which promotes independent businesses and communities. 

Internal efforts have produced a state brochure and an upgraded website, while focused on developing locals in additional counties. Santa Fe sends out a monthly electronic newsletter to about 2,000 Greens and allies.

The UNM Campus Greens meet weekly. They are ramping up recycling on campus, counter-recruiting at a high school, and editing a video on the Sept. 24 peace rally in Washington D.C., which some members attended. 

Contact NMGP at www.nmgreens.org.

Ohio

On Nov. 8, two Green Party of Ohio (GPOH) members became the first Greens to win elected office in Ohio.
Brian Cummins, running for Cleveland city council representative, Ward 15, obtained 52.9 percent of the vote in a two-way race. Cummins is a long-time member of the GPOH and a former member of the GPOH coordinating committee. The Cuyahoga Green Party endorsed him.

Dennis Spisak won one of three seats on the Struthers board of education. Struthers is located in the Mahoning Valley, in northeast Ohio, deep in the heart of the Rust Belt, where the steel industry collapsed during the 1970s. Towns like Struthers are still struggling economically and provide good targets for Ohio Green organizing.

GPOH also had two candidates for Toledo city council, Mitch Balonek and David Ball. Balonek's candidacy did not survive the September primary for his district. Ball ran in a special election for an open seat in November. Balonek reported the following regarding Ball's race:

"David Ball and the northwest Ohio Greens made an impressive run against a candidate who was well-financed and endorsed by many organizations and The Blade. With 89 percent of the votes tallied [at the time of this report], David is in second place with 2,746 votes to Republican Joe Birmingham's 3,296. Indeed, David was outspent at least five to one. Birmingham spent $15,000 for those 500 extra votes."

Ohio Greens are currently organizing for several statewide contests in 2006. The campaign experience gained in the 2005 elections and the morale boost provided by finally winning elections will make next year very exciting in Ohio.

Contact GPOH at www.ohiogreens.org.

Pennsylvania 

This is the first election cycle in which the Green Party of Pennsylvania (GPPA) made meaningful financial campaign contributions in support of state and local candidates while increasing its own funds in the process. Over the years, the state party had developed a donor database. Knowing that donors are excited by campaigns, GPPA solicited funds for the party by featuring marquee races in a fundraising letter sent to the donor database, asking recipients to support the party that supports local Green candidates. GPPA raised a total of $3,000, then forwarded half the proceeds to candidates who met certain criteria: those who had a chance of winning or making a good showing in a high-profile race, those who could best promote GPPA values and positions to voters and the media, and those who could help energize a local GPPA affiliate that needed rejuvenation. 

Marlene Santoyo, who finished ahead of her Republican opponent for second place in a Philadelphia state representative race, and Jennaro Pullano, who came within 50 votes of upsetting a Democratic incumbent on the Reading city council, received the two largest donations, $500 and $300, respectively. Others who received funding were: 

o $300 to Guy Anthony, running for mayor of Johnstown 
o $200 to Andrea Jefferson, running for city council of Harrisburg 
o $200 to David Cobb, whose statewide tour benefited campaigns in Berks, Adams, Dauphin, Cambria and Allegheny counties. 

The GPPA is pleased with the results of this win-win initiative. 

Contact GPPA at www.gpofpa.org.

Rhode Island 

The Green Party of Rhode Island (GPRI) is conducting an experiment that will improve both the party's platform and the party's community standing. Starting in late autumn, GPRI has been holding a series of policy seminars. 

Organizers of this series began by inviting leaders and advocates in specific policy areas to come together in a multi-partisan group. Organizers then asked them to tell GPRI what they would put into a platform if they were running for office or the policies they would institute if they ran the government. The GPRI calls this series "The 'if I ran the zoo' model," in honor of the great New Englander, Dr. Suess. 

The seminars began in mid-November. The first one was entitled "Human Needs." Twelve progressive leaders, specializing in health care, homelessness and methods to end poverty sat down with Greens and made policy recommendations for GPRI's platform. Organizers sent platform material from the GPRI and GP-US platforms to these experts to review before the seminar. 

Invitations to future seminars are in the works. The most critical advice being sought is what would be the best policies for Rhode Island. GPRI will absorb the material and then rewrite their platform, considering what the experts have offered, but only using what fits Green values. 

Within three months of the first seminar, other workshops will feature: energy, environment and economy, electoral and governmental reform, and education. 

This model may not work in other states, but in Rhode Island the seminar organizers personally know the experts, and the state is small enough so that everyone can gather in one room conveniently. Even though its success is still being tested, Rhode Island Greens are excited about this model and want to offer it to other state Green parties so they can use it in time for the 2006 election season. 

Contact GPRI at www.greens.org/ri. 

Utah

The Green Party of Utah is preparing for the 2006 elections with the candidacy of environmental activist Julian Hatch for U.S. Senate. Hatch is a 51-year-old Utah native with a degree in human ecology from the College of the Atlantic in Maine. He is an environmental consultant working as the southern Utah representative for the Western Watersheds Project, based in Hailey, Id. Hatch served honorably for three years in the U.S. Army during the Vietnam War, becoming a disabled veteran. He has been firmly and visibly against the present war in Iraq. 

Julian Hatch is running an all-out campaign against 30-year incumbent Senator Orrin Hatch, who is seeking re-election in 2006. Julian says "Orrin has basically served as a Washington D.C. insider, originally coming to Utah from his work as a trial lawyer in Pittsburgh, Pa. He resided in a hotel room in Utah to gain resident status. I am opposing my relative in an open election, so that finally Utah-ins will have a real and clear choice between my forthright honesty and basic sense approach, as opposed to Orrin's same old song and dance routine. This gives us a chance to raise important issues Orrin has always ducked in the past." 

Julian Hatch pledges a two-term restriction on himself, unlike multimillionaire Senator Orrin Hatch. "I am very afraid of the future damage Orrin will cause to our state and nation if given yet another six years. More recently he has participated in promotion of false intelligence in the build-up to the Afghanistan and Iraq wars while facilitating an immense financial debt for Americans and future generations to overcome. By also legislating away our freedoms, I don't think the terrorists themselves could do much more damage to our nation than what Orrin and other Republicans have done." 

Julian Hatch announced his candidacy in early Nov. 2005. 

Contact GPUT at www.gput.org. 

West Virginia 

Wheeling area and Northern Panhandle Greens are meeting monthly with the Ohio Valley PEACE group to protest the ongoing war in Iraq and to issue a call to support the troops by bringing them home. This collaboration of community members is the result of an impromptu but successful vigil to mark the death of the 2,000th American in Iraq. Tim Graves, secretary of the Green Party of West Virginia, said, "A friend sent an e-mail to me and a few folks connected to the area peace group. He wanted to know if we were having a vigil to mark the 2,000th American death in Iraq. Something needed to happen, so with the help of other Greens and members of Ohio Valley PEACE, I organized a vigil within a few hours and scheduled it for that evening." 

The result was a group of 20 gathered for a candlelight vigil along the busy National Road at the edge of Wheeling Park. Banners reading "2 Thousand is 2 Many," "Bring the Troops Home," and "2000 Dead" were visible to passing traffic and shown on local television that evening. Cars approaching a bend in the road slowed at the sight of candlelight at the dark public park. Many motorists flashed peace signs, gave a thumbs-up, or an affirming toot on their car horn. The protesters heard only one negative response. 

"We were surprised," said Graves. "Based upon the pro-war stance of the local newspapers and the conservative attitudes of the area, we expected more negative response. It is clear that even in Wheeling, W. Va. support for this pre-emptive, immoral war is waning." 

Contact GPWV at www.gpwv.org

Committees

Annual National Meeting

The GP-US Annual National Meeting Committee (ANMC) has completed compiling survey results from July's national meeting in Tulsa. Participants rated several aspects of the meeting and provided responses using a numeric scale ranging from "poor" = 1 to "excellent" = 5. From the 35 respondents, there was relative consensus rating the following issues "very good": Food quality and selection, meeting spaces, plenary setup, stacks at microphones, roll-call votes, committee and caucus times, workshops offered, local info and sliding-scale fees for registration, with special kudos going to local Tulsa Greens and to the Oklahoma Green Party for support and socials. The meetings must have been riveting, since respondents showed little interest in more free time! 

Interesting results on certain issues showed a divergence of opinion; urban vs. rural settings had some of the highest divergence, though urban was more highly favored. Many had differing opinions on a mid-summer meeting time, with several respondents opposed to the idea. The distance between meeting spaces seemed to be unpopular to many. 

The ANMC is currently seeking proposals for the 2006 GP-US national convention. Local and state parties should consider that attendance will be 200-250, including delegates, committee members and media. An optimum location would be a region which has not hosted the convention in recent years and is close to an urban hub for easy access to transportation. 

To allow the most time for the ANMC to assist in coordinating the efforts for the 2006 meeting, initial proposals should be submitted by December. A web-based format is optimal, but not exclusively so. 

Hosting an annual national meeting is an excellent venue to showcase local and state Green Party influences. Please send questions, comments, suggestions and proposals to Ruth Weill at moondog@execpc.com.

Fundraising

The Fundraising Committee (FC) works with many other committees and working groups to offer advice on best practices for efficiently raising money to better fund Green endeavors. 

Each month, the FC sends a direct-mail letter to inform potential or known donors about projects of interest. In September, in conjunction with a letter about the GP-US's anti-war stance sent to subscribers of The Progressive magazine, the FC placed a print ad with a "Bring the Troops Home Now!" headline and sponsored an e-alert via The Progressive's website, www.progressive.org . These efforts coincided with the massive anti-war protests in Washington, D.C. and other cities on Sept. 24. The e-alert was the most successful sponsorship The Progressive has had to date, with more unique clicks than for any of its other sponsors. 

The FC presented a "Donor's Bill of Rights" to the National Committee, which adopted the proposal on Oct. 2. These rights were modeled on those used by other nonprofit organizations and should help, as state in the bill, "to ensure that contributions to the Green Party of the United States merit the respect and trust of the general public, and that donors and prospective donors can have full confidence in the organization and causes they are asked to support." The GP-US Donor's Bill of Rights may be viewed in its entirety at www.gp.org/documents/donorrights.shtml.  

The Green Party Card program, which was introduced in February and offers a personalized card for $36 (which is split evenly between the state and national Green parties), has now earned more than $25,000. About 68 percent of Green Party Cardholders are new donors to GP-US, and nearly as many signed up on line. 

Greens interested in partnering with the GP-US for a direct mail appeal in their state, recruiting people to sign up for the Green Party Card, or serving on the FC should contact Brent McMillan at brent@gp.org or 202-319-7191.

International Committee

Iquitos, the most isolated large city in the world, accessible only by plane or boat, was the site of the 2005 Federation of Green Parties of the Americas annual meeting. Flor de Maria Hurtado, Green councilwoman for Loreto, the Amazon region of Peru of which Iquitos is the capital, hosted the meeting. The site was chosen to highlight the impact logging of the rainforest has on global warming. The Green parties of Brazil, Chile, Mexico, Nicaragua, Peru, Venezuela, the United States and Europe attended. Each country presented a Green vision for the future at a forum attended by 200 local people. 

Julia Willebrand, Federation co-president speaking for the GP-US, described her shock on arrival at Lima at the dominating presence of U.S. corporations. Her plea to the audience to join the Green movement in rolling back the cultural imperialism of the U.S.A. was received with enthusiasm. Dr. Willebrand then described actions scheduled to coincide with the first official meeting of the Kyoto Protocol signatories in Montreal in December. These worldwide actions demand that the U.S. sign the Kyoto Protocol. The Iquitos audience responded to the action call by committing to organizing a demonstration in Iquitos on Dec. 3. 

The Federation also agreed to two initiatives: 

1. A call to the U.N. to establish a protocol to stop the destruction of the world's rainforests. The U.N. is asked to create a Kyoto-like protocol to sustain a priceless asset, the Amazon rainforest. 

2. In 2006, general elections will take place in four countries: Mexico, Nicaragua, Brazil and Chile, where Greens will run coalition campaigns. The Federation asks for the backing and support of Greens from the rest of the world as it attempts jointly to garner as many as five million votes during the elections.

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