Application for Accreditation of the Kentucky Green Party as a State Chapter Dear Accreditation Committee (c/o Tamar Yager), Thank you for your help so far in our accreditation process. Here is our updated application to become a state chapter. Our approved bylaws are attached. Criteria for State Party Membership in the Green Party of the United States: 1. Acceptance of the four pillars of the international Green Party movement [ecological wisdom, social justice, grassroots democracy, non-violence] or the Ten Key Values as guiding principles. We accept these pillars and key values, as shown by our incorporation of them in Article 1 of our bylaws, which begins as follows: 1.0 PURPOSE The purpose of the Kentucky Green Party (Party) is to transform Kentucky's political and economic systems in ways that move the Commonwealth closer to the realization of our ten key values, which are as follows: 1.1 Grassroots Democracy Every human being deserves a say in the decisions that affect his or her life..." 2. Organized and run in accordance with these values. So far, we have operated in a way that is consistent with the values. We believe that the rest of the provisions of the bylaws show we are committed to continuing to do so. 3. A statewide organization open to, and reflective of, a statewide membership. In the process of organizing to this point, we have been focusing most of our attention on contacting Kentuckians in all parts of the state who are in agreement with the key values expressed in the GP platform. In 2011 we paid for and obtained a list from the Kentucky Board of Elections of the 458 Kentuckians who were registered with the Green Party as of that time. We did three mass mailings of post cards to these GP members but received only a small number of responses. About 20% of the addresses were no longer correct and the post cards were returned. A more effective outreach tool has been the Kentucky Green Party web site at www.kygreenparty.org. During the 2012 presidential campaign, we found approximately a dozen volunteers through the web site and a Facebook page called, "Kentucky Green Party." The URL is: https://www.facebook.com/Paducah.Greens We now have contact people, both GP registered members and interested non-members, in the following Kentucky cities and towns: Louisville, Lexington, Georgetown, Highland Heights (i.e., northern Kentucky), Berea, and Paducah. So far, Louisville, Lexington, and Paducah have moved the farthest in the direction of forming local groups. People in all areas of the state have been asked to begin forming local groups as well. 4. Agrees to support national candidates selection by Green convention. Kentucky volunteers worked actively with Erika Wolf and June Brashares of the Jill Stein campaign to get on the ballot. With the help of some paid petitioners funded by the Stein campaign, Kentucky collected 8,300 petition signatures, compared to the 5,000 minimum required, and got onto the ballot. Almost all of the 3,000 signatures collected by volunteers came from Lexington and Louisville. 5. Makes good faith effort, where reasonable, to achieve ballot status. Jill Stein's name appeared on every Kentucky ballot. In addition, Geoff Young's name appeared on the ballots for the 45th District of the Kentucky House of Representatives (see below). 6. Makes good faith effort to run state and local candidates. Geoff Young of Lexington ran in 2012 against a Republican incumbent in the Kentucky House of Representatives, Stan Lee. There was also an independent candidate named Breck Withers but no Democrat. The results were: Lee: 16,035 (66.4%), Withers: 6015 (24.9%), and Young: 2110 (8.7%). In the 2nd US House District, Dr. Robert Bretz of Shelby County considered a run as a GP candidate but decided against it in the end. 7. Has applied to GREEN PARTY for accreditation, and has included written bylaws, platform, and other documentation with that application. The bylaws endorse the national GPUS platform as our default state-level platform, with the understanding that the Kentucky chapter could later decide to adopt somewhat modified positions or planks on certain issues that are specific to Kentucky. We do not plan to take positions that conflict with the four pillars or ten key values. 8. Has a history of networking with other environmental and social justice organizations. We have already established good contacts and/or overlapping memberships with organizations that support immigrant rights, including Latino/Latina organizations, and several established environmental organizations. These include the Sierra Club, Kentuckians for the Commonwealth, the Kentucky Conservation Committee, the Ky. Sustainable Energy Alliance, Kentucky Heartwood, and the Ky. Solar Energy Association. Our working relationships with liberal religious organizations include the Unitarian Universalist Church of Lexington’s Peacemaking Committee and the Quaker Committee on Kentucky Legislation. 9. Evidence of commitment to, and good faith efforts to achieve, gender balance in party leadership and representation. Our commitment is indicated by Section 1.7 of the bylaws, and it is a regular topic in our group meetings. We are committed to helping people of all genders develop their leadership potential. 10. 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. Our commitment is indicated by Section 1.8 of the draft bylaws, and it is a regular topic in our group meetings. In order to help stop the Arizona-type anti-immigrant bill in the Kentucky General Assembly in 2011, we worked closely with the immigrant coalition that took the lead in that campaign. The coalition is aware that if the bill had passed, it would have been directly contrary to the GP platform’s position on immigration. If you have any questions or need more details about any of the above points, please contact me by email or phone. Yours in Peace, Geoff Young Member of the Kentucky Green Party Executive Committee Phone: (859) 278-4966 Email: [email protected] Minutes documenting adoption of the by-laws. Minutes: Kentucky Green Party Founding Statewide Convention July 23, 2011, 1317 Pigeon Fork Road, Lawrenceburg, KY 40342 The meeting was convened at 1:15 p.m. by Susan Carson Lambert, chair. The chair asked for volunteers to act as timekeeper, notetaker, and parliamentary assistant. Attending Green Party members approved Mary Dan Easley as timekeeper and Phil Ardery as notetaker and parliamentary assistant. The submitted agenda (attachment 1) was approved. Jim Embry requested that participants introduce themselves. Those present (numbering about 20) did so. Geoff Young moved that the previously circulated proposed bylaws for the Kentucky Green Party (attachment 2) be amended to strike one sentence from paragraph 9.1, the sentence "The Party may not incur debt of any kind." Danita Hines seconded. Following discussion, the motion passed. Michael Fogler then moved that the draft bylaws, as amended, be adopted as the Bylaws of the Kentucky Green Party. David Litster seconded. The motion passed. The chair called for reports on progress made by the Kentucky Green Party in the formation of local groups. Geoff reported that no local groups have yet organized at the level anticipated in the characterization of "local groups" as stated within the bylaws. He circulated signup sheets inviting attendees to pledge to work on the building of local groups. Geoff read a pre-filed motion that had been circulated with the agenda. It read, "The Kentucky Green Party hereby endorses and pledges to work vigorously for Gatewood Galbraith (Independent) in 2011, because we strongly believe that as Governor of Kentucky, he will implement our fundamental priorities of protecting the environment, defending the interests of working people, promoting diversity in our society, and promoting peace far more effectively than any of the other candidates on the ballot." David seconded. Gatewood and his running mate for Lieutenant Governor, Dea Riley, both were present. After brief discussion, the chair suggested that Gatewood and Dea address the meeting, with discussion of Geoff's motion to continue following their addresses. Gatewood and Dea both spoke and answered questions. Then, the two candidates left the convention and the chair called a 10-minute recess. More discussion followed, and the motion failed. Because the bylaws call for an executive committee of seven members, and yet only four names had been placed in nomination prior to this convention, the chair invited more nominations prior to calling for a vote on candidates. David consented to have his own name added to the list of names on the pre-printed ballot. This vote was by secret ballot. Those elected to the executive council are Irv Mattingly, Geoff Young, Steve Olshewsky, Susan Carson Lambert, and David Litster. Mary Dan moved that, in order to fill out the executive committee to the stipulated count of seven members, the five members elected today shall make two mailings to Kentucky Green Party members. The first mailing will request nominees for the two open executive committee positions. The second mailing will list nominees, and votes cast in reply to that second mailing will elect the two remaining executive committee members. This motion was approved. (The notetaker failed to record who seconded Mary Dan's motion, but the motion indeed was seconded and voted on in accordance with correct procedure.) Concerned that defeat of the motion to endorse Gatewood Galbraith's candidacy for Kentucky Governor might be interpreted as a specific repudiation of Galbraith, Mary Dan then moved that the convention endorse the candidacy of Democrat Steve Beshear. David seconded, and the motion was defeated unanimously.