| After his father resigned from the military (in large part over the issue of Vietnam and concern about the military industrial complex), the family moved from Washington, D.C. to New Jersey. They eventually settled in Demarest, N.J., where Ahearn attended and graduated from high school. He studied at Rutgers University before receiving his law degree from Hofstra University. Since 1981, Ahearn, his wife Susan, and their three daughters have called Fair Lawn home. Reading a local newspaper one day, Ahearn came across a story that started his political career. A sitting Fair Lawn councilperson had moved to another town and kept only a mail drop in Fair Lawn. Furthermore, that person was supporting an increase in local taxes. After a call to the Democratic Chairman, Ahearn volunteered to serve as attorney in a suit to declare the councilperson’s seat vacant. When the suit was successful, Ahearn ran for and won the election to fill the position. In November 2001, running against a 10-term incumbent, Ahearn celebrated another victory: he won the election to the New Jersey Assembly, where he has been an unusually active and successful freshman member. The Green Party first seriously captured Ahearn’s interest when he read in a law journal about the lawsuit brought by the Coalition of Alternative Political Parties (CAPP) that secured the right for New Jersey citizens to register as Greens. On the day Robert Torricelli resigned from the U.S. Senate, Ahearn found himself in Trenton standing on the capitol steps, watching the media watch the furor. He was approached and handed a pamphlet by a man who introduced himself as Ted Glick, the Green Party candidate for the same seat Torricelli was vacating. | "Lunch-pail Legislator" Aims to Maintain Labor Support in Re-Election Bid Assemblyman Matt Ahearn (District 38, Bergen County) may benefit from the "Green-Blue Alliance," the strong tie between the Green Party and the labor movement, as he seeks re-election as a Green. Ahearn gives a lot of credit to labor for his election to the General Assembly in 2001 as a Democrat. During an interview on News 12 New Jersey’s "Power and Politics" program in late February, Ahearn reiterated his intention to seek re-election to his Assembly seat. Ahearn made national news in January when he made it known that he was leaving the Democratic Party and joining the Green Party of New Jersey. At one point, there had been much speculation among political insiders that Ahearn would make a run for the State Senate seat currently held by Joe Coniglio. The assemblyman, a former captain in the 82nd Airborne Division, comes from a family with strong labor ties. While his father was a career U.S. Army soldier, his aunts, uncles and grandparents were laborers and union members. He still feels a strong bond to the unions and veterans, and continues to do whatever he can for the hard-working citizens of his district. Ahearn supports labor-endorsed legislation and he hopes to continue to have union support as he seeks re-election. Ahearn is vice-chair of the Assembly’s Military and Veterans Affairs Committee. District 38 includes the following Bergen County municipalities: Cliffside Park, Edgewater, Elmwood Park, Fair Lawn, Fort Lee, Hasbrouck Heights, Little Ferry, Lodi, Paramus, Ridgefield, Saddle Brook, South Hackensack, and Teterboro. Source: Press release from Ahearn’s campaign, February 23, 2003; www.mattahearn.com. |
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| At least a half a million people demonstrated in New York City, in solidarity with 10 million people who demonstrated around the world. On the Monday after the protests, New York Times’ Patrick E. Tyler wrote, "There may still be two superpowers on the planet: the United States and world public opinion." |
Jersey Greens Take it to the Streets! "TRAFFIC STOPPED completely for more than two hours. Funny, one car seemed to have been abandoned in the middle of 3rd Avenue by its occupants as the crowd swelled around it." |
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For many
months, Green Party of New Jersey (GPNJ) members have been actively
building a strong peace movement. We oppose the militaristic
response of the Bush Administration, supported by most Democrats, to
the 9/11 attacks, and we strongly oppose the drive toward war on
Iraq.
Over 600
localities around the world held peace actions on February 15th. The
demonstration in New York was the biggest of the 150 actions in the
United States. Demonstrations in Europe were huge: 2 million in
Rome, 1.5 million in London and 1 million in Barcelona.
The action in
New York City may have been the largest nonviolent civil
disobedience action ever. This was not planned by the demonstration
organizers, but when the Justice Department and Mayor Bloomberg
interceded to deny a permit for a legal march, and when the numbers
of people trying to get to the permitted rally far exceeded the
police’s expectations and preparations, tens of thousands – if
not hundreds of thousands – left the sidewalks for the streets in
an attempt to get to the rally on 1st Avenue.
"The
police tried to force us onto the sidewalk to allow the traffic
through," one protester from GPNJ reported. "It didn’t
work. Within minutes, 3rd Avenue was filled with people. Traffic
stopped completely for more than two hours. Funny, one car seemed to
have been abandoned in the middle of 3rd Avenue by its occupants as
the crowd swelled around it."
In addition to
the big rushes of people on certain streets, there were smaller
marches all over midtown Manhattan, and "it was great when two
mini-marches met at an intersection and folks from both sides smiled
and cheered," he added.
Arrests totaled
320, but those arrests and the government’s overall crowd-control
efforts did not affect the peaceful behavior and demeanor of the
majority of peace demonstrators on this glorious day.
The struggle
for peace goes on! The
New Jersey Greens have endorsed the next big peace event run by the
organization ANSWER – "Take it to the White House" on
March 15th (www.internationalanswer.org). For more information
on other upcoming peace marches and rallies, click on
www.unitedforpeace.org or www.nowarnj.org.
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A Sampling of February 15-16 Protests
1. NYC
streets came to a halt as marchers made their way to the rally site.
2. "Crowded,
energetic, blocked off, powerful, frustrating!" That’s
how Terri DiMatteo described Manhattan on February 15th,
pictured far right as she braves the cold with fellow Union
County Greens. 3.
Honking for
peace in Salt Lake City, Utah. 4.
Berlin, Germany.
5. Philadelphia,
Pa. 6. Newton,
Mass. 7. Los
Angeles, Calif. 8.
Lima, Peru. 9.
Not ants!
People! More than 1 million war protesters gather in London,
England. 10. Marseille,
France. 11. New
Delhi, India. 12.
Moscow, Russia. 13.
Caracas,
Venezuela. 14. Glasgow,
UK. 15. Santa
Monica, Calif. (Credit: Photo 2 T. DiMatteo; Photo 9
Independent, London; Remaining Photos punchdown.org.)
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By Pamela Olsen
Pamela Olsen, is Hudson County Coordinator and Secretary Pro-Tem for GPNJ, and can be reached at pamelaolsen@yahoo.com. Bergen Greens Take Lead on Boycotting Strategy By Richard Foster In January, the Bergen County Green Party (BCGP) passed two resolutions dealing with Green Party resistance to the Bush Administration's impending attack on Iraq. The first resolution was passed in the general meeting with no dissent on January 15, 2003:
The second resolution was passed unanimously by the Outreach Committee of the BCGP on January 22, 2003, in preparation for a later general meeting. It states:
The BCGP will distribute these resolutions to the Green Party of New Jersey (GPNJ) and to other locals, and ask that they also adopt them. It is the hope of the Bergen Greens that these resolutions and their support documentation can then be distributed as widely as possible across the nation. The BCGP has proposed the following as strategies for the active expression of these resolutions: Strategy 1: Target the Media ExecsThe first strategy is get the media to report honestly about the peace effort, the Iraq war and the related attack on the Bill of Rights. The CEOs of the major media outlets: General Electric (NBC), AOL Time Warner (CNN), Walt Disney (ABC), Viacom (CBS), News Corp (Fox; Rupert Murdoch), as well NPR, PBS, Associated Press, New York Times, Washington Post and Los Angeles Times have already been notified about this declaration and the intent to boycott. The way you may now execute this first strategy is to boycott the products of the above companies. The most simple, most immediate procedure to make your action known is to write to the directors of General Electric, Walt Disney, etc., and tell them that you will not be buying, watching and/or listening to their products, and will be encouraging everyone you know to do the same. (See the document "Corporate_Directors" on the Bergen County section of www.gpnj.org.) Strategy 2: Target Your NewspaperThe second procedure is to send the press release and declaration to the publisher and managing editor of the largest newspaper in your area (other than the three already mentioned) asking to meet with them about their anti-war coverage. (It is best to have the letter signed by several people.) If they don't answer, encourage fellow supporters to call them, or send e-mail, faxes and snail-mail to them. Ideally, each person should do as many of these things as possible. If that doesn't produce a meeting or if the meeting doesn't produce results, picket the building and start distributing flyers at stores, kiosks and homes. (See the document "Boycott_Newspaper" on the Bergen County section of www.gpnj.org.) Strategy 3: Target the Oil Companies The third strategy is to boycott the products of the four oil companies behind the Iraq war. (See the document "Please_Spread_The_Word" on the Bergen County section of www.gpnj.org.) This information should be shared with as many people and organizations as possible. If an organization supports these resolutions, please contact me, and specify the organization size and telephone number. The BCGP is preparing another three documents of anti-war material. Everything in these documents can be forwarded or printed. (Note: This documentation is largely the work of Bergen Green Stuart Shaw, work for which he deserves the appreciation of every Green.) Richard Foster is the County Coordinator for the Bergen County Green Party and can be reached at rafoster@toast.net. Election 2003 is Underway and So is Our Convention By Joseph Fortunato The first weeks of 2003 have marked a truly significant advance for the Green Party of New Jersey. In the wake of the highly energetic U.S. Senate and Congressional campaigns of 2002, many new organizers have stepped forward to carry on our critically important work of building a true alternative to the two corporate-dominated political parties in the United States and in New Jersey. New locals have sprung up and locals that have not met for a while have begun to meet regularly again. We are now busily laying the groundwork for Election 2003, where we will make our first major push for N.J. State Senate and Assembly seats, hopefully together with a full slate of local candidates. Plans are in the works for candidate training. We have also continued to make great strides in the peace movement, as New Jersey Greens have become a significant part of efforts to win over local governments to pass anti-war resolutions. In addition, one cannot forget our participation in the historic worldwide demonstrations on February 15th. Our work received a major boost in January when Assemblyman Matthew Ahearn of Bergen County announced his "liberation" from the Democratic Party to become the first-ever Green Party representative sitting in a state legislative body in New Jersey. Welcome, Matt! Here’s to many more victories to come! We are now planning for our annual state convention, which will be held over the weekend of April 26th and 27th. Ever innovative and moving forward, this is the first time the convention will last two days, to allow enough time for educational workshops, candidate training, keynote addresses and Green Party business. Matt Ahearn has agreed to speak as well. It promises to be our most exciting convention to date. So mark your calendars! Joseph Fortunato, chair of the Green Party of New Jersey, can be reached at josephfortunato@comcast.net. |
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GREEN PARTY OF NJ CONVENTION 2003 April 26-27, 2003 Labor Education Center New
Brunswick, N.J.
Help
Wanted: Speakers and Volunteers
If you are interested in leading a workshop at the convention, know someone who might, or would simply like to lend a hand at or prior to the event, please contact Ted Glick, GPNJ State Coordinator, at futurehopeTG@aol.com or 973-338-9214. Stay tuned for more convention details in the GreenGram’s April issue and on www.gpnj.org. |
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CANDIDACY 101: SO...YOU WANT TO BE A CANDIDATE? By Ted Glick SO you’ve decided that you want to be a candidate of the Green Party this year for State Assembly or some other office. Now what? What’s Your Goal? First, you need to be clear about your goals in doing this. One goal could be to get on the ballot so that you will provide the voters in your district the option of voting Green. Another could be to campaign as actively as possible to reach as many voters as possible on Green Party issues. A third reason could be to bring new people into and build the Green Party. Or you could have an objective of winning the seat, if not this time at some time in the future. Network! You need to talk with those people closest to you – family, friends, political colleagues – and be clear on how much support you can expect from them. It’s important to have a support base. Research and Identify Key Issues If you are planning to do more than just putting your name on the ballot, you should research the positions of the Green Party and figure out what major issues are affecting the people in your district. Then you can think through, with the help of other Green Party members or people you know and trust, what major issues are going to be part of your campaign. While you will want to have an overall "platform," you should determine the three or four issues you will focus on consistently in your campaign literature and in your public speaking. Research and Identify Support Groups You should think about your natural constituency by listing organizations with members in your district that hold similar values and viewpoints and that would be interested in the issues you have chosen as the focus of the campaign. Are there particular groups of people – as defined by income, job category, culture or geography – who would be more likely to respond to your campaign? Build Your Staff Some of this work is best done in consultation with others. You should begin identifying individuals who you know and who could become part of your campaign committee. Then, meet with them on a regular basis. You will need certain positions filled and the sooner you can find people to fill them, the better. One key position is treasurer. This should be someone you know and trust, someone who is responsible and good with numbers. S/he doesn’t need to be a Certified Public Accountant. The Green Party of New Jersey (GPNJ) can give your treasurer technical assistance. Another key position is campaign manager, someone who has organizing skills and an ability to work with people. The campaign manager needs to share a vision similar to yours regarding the issues. S/he needs to have good follow-up skills and tact. Although you may end up doing some of what is entailed in this position, you should try to shift these "running the campaign" responsibilities to another person as much as possible, so you can focus on being the candidate. If you can recruit a volunteer coordinator – someone with good social/phone skills who can contact people, assign tasks, schedule volunteers, coordinate mailing parties, etc. – this will prove to be a definite plus. Develop Campaign Plan and Literature You will need to develop a campaign plan, including a timeline. Research the appropriate deadlines for getting in petition signatures, for filing campaign reports and other important deadlines. The GPNJ can help you with this. Develop a basic piece of campaign literature. Talk about yourself, who you are, what you believe in and what you have done. Address the issues. Include pictures of yourself. Be sure to have a coupon that allows people to respond by volunteering or sending money. Practice Public Speaking Get used to getting up in front of people and making your points clearly and succinctly. Start out speaking to small, friendly groups. This will help build your skills and confidence. Be Visible! Research events, groups and activities to attend. You need to be visible! Ask everyone you know to tell you about all the meetings, events, fairs, festivals, street fairs, etc. they know about. Ask to be on the agenda of community groups. Meet With Everyone You Can Meet with people who are community leaders or who regularly interact with notable numbers of people. Even if there’s no chance they would support you, introduce yourself to them. They may be tempered, less willing to actively support someone else or less willing to talk negatively about you, if they know you. Get Ready to Learn...a Lot Finally, be prepared for a whole new set of experiences. Most of them will be rewarding. Don’t worry about making mistakes as you start off; if you’re sincere and genuine, you’ll learn from them. Whatever ends up happening on election day, you can expect to emerge on the other end a wiser and more effective organizer and activist for social change. Ted Glick ran in the 2002 N.J. Senate race on the Green ticket, and is currently the GPNJ State Coordinator. He can be reached at futurehopeTG@aol.com. The 2003 | |||||||||
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The 2003 election is quickly approaching. The Green Party of New Jersey (GPNJ) encourages all members and locals to identify candidates for as many legislative districts as possible for this year’s Assembly, Senate and Freeholder elections. HERE’S THE PLAN. . . In order for the GPNJ to obtain ballot status, we must obtain 10% of the total statewide off-year Assembly vote. The GPNJ will select certain districts for special attention and action (for instance, a district running two candidates in a statistical 50/50 draw). IF YOU CAN’T WAGE A FULL-SCALE CAMPAIGN. . . consider becoming a "stand in" – someone who would be willing to lend his/her name in a contest in which a full slate of candidates would benefit the Green Party’s larger goals. To explain, full slates (a ballot that displays Green candidates for every office from State Senate to County Freeholder) may persuade election boards to reserve columns for "other" parties. It would also show how serious we are about moving toward a real multi-party system. Being a candidate doesn’t necessarily mean a major change in your life. How major depends upon you. Contact us – we’ll help you think through it based on our practical experiences. REQUIREMENTS. . . You must be a member of the GPNJ, and a resident of the district in which you are running. (For Assembly, you must be a state resident for two years; for Senate, four years.) The GPNJ will provide training, contact lists, common campaign literature, and guidance regarding petitioning and paperwork. Candidates will be introduced at the GPNJ Annual Convention on April 27-28. GET THE INFO. . . A forum for sharing information about this topic has been created at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/GPNJ-Assembly2003. If you’re interested in becoming a candidate or would like to nominate a candidate, please post a message on our list, or contact State Coordinator Ted Glick at futurehopeTG@aol.com or 973- 338-9214. HELP YOUR PARTY BECOME A SIGNIFICANT FORCE IN NEW JERSEY POLITICS!! Now is the time to stand up and be counted! Consider running as a Green today! CALLING ALL CANDIDATES! | |||||||||
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Presidential Search is On; State of the Dis-Union By Jane Hunter The Search for a President – John Strawn of California and I co-chair the national Green Party’s Presidential Exploratory Committee (PEC). At the national meeting in the summer of 2002, the PEC distributed questionnaires to the state parties concerning the 2004 presidential and vice-presidential campaigns. Here in New Jersey, we used a duplicate of that questionnaire to collect information from the counties. Each state could submit up to 10 potential nominees, along with a lot of other information about desirable characteristics of a candidate, and campaign strategy and tactics. The PEC compiled all this information and reviewed the list of potential candidates. At the beginning of February 2003, the body sent out initial invitations to dialogue with more than 40 prominent Greens, activists and, yes, even a few politicians who haven’t yet declared themselves Green. Discussions with these folks are going on now and will continue through the next few months. Before the national meeting in the summer of 2003, the PEC will have collected hundreds of pages of information on these potential candidates, will have performed extensive analysis on their ability to meet the strategic desires of the state parties, and will make recommendations and summaries of that information available to the national Coordinating Committee. Sorry State of the Union While President Bush delivered his State of the Union address in the halls of Congress and the Democrats replied from a warm television studio, the Greens delivered their response to it at an outdoor rally organized by the "Shirts Off " Coalition and co-sponsored by the Green Party of the United States (USGP). Nathalie Johnson Lee, an African American city councilwoman from Minneapolis delivered the Green Party response. You can read that response at www.greenpartyus.org/press/stateofunion_01_28_03.html. Green Party Website Goes High-Tech If you haven’t visited the national Green Party website (www.gp.org) lately, check it out! Not only is it full of interesting and useful information about Green brothers and sisters around the country and around the world, it now incorporates video of recent Green events and actions. USGP Budget and Finance As the USGP grows and takes on expanded responsibilities, it also collects, manages and spends significant amounts of money – much of which is shared with the state parties, either directly or through services and resources. The USGP has just convened a Finance Committee, drawn from the national Coordinating Committee members, to provide guidance in and oversight of financial planning and decision-making for the national party. The 2003 fiscal (and calendar) year represented the first comprehensive attempt at budget development and financial planning in the history of the USGP. Each USGP committee (including the Steering Committee) submitted a budget proposal in two parts. Tier 1 was basic requirements to be funded from the general revenues of USGP. Tier 2 included expanded requirements that may be funded through additional fundraising by the committee itself. The 2003 budget includes salaries for our existing employees – our full-time coordinator, Dean Myerson, who keeps the national office going and wears lots of hats; our parttime office manager; and Jack Uhrich, our fundraising guru. In addition, it renews contracts for a bookkeeper and a webmaster. New to this budget are contract positions for a web designer, Green Pages layout designer, a media relations coordinator, a campaign consultant, and an employee position for the Coordinated Campaign Committee’s campaign manager. Note that all the new positions relate to growing the Green Party and making it more visible. Much of the budgeted spending relates to fundraising activities including mass mailings. This spending generally returns at least $2 for every $1 spent, reflecting both the high quality of our contact lists and the low budget of Green sympathizers! Proposed but still under discussion are stipends for the elected Steering Committee – the five co-chairs, the secretary and the treasurer. Funds have also been allocated for some upgrades to the national office in Washington, D.C. – primarily focused on worker health and safety. One major item is the provision of ergonomically correct chairs for our employees. Ken Sain of the D.C. Statehood Greens took some photos of the current national office space and put them up on the Internet. Ken also put together a simple map (not to scale) so you can see the basic layout to get a better idea of the space. Check it out at: www.dcstatehoodgreen.org/office. Jane Hunter is the co-chair of the Green Party’s national Presidential Exploratory Committee and the vice-chair of the Green Party of N.J., as well as its national liaison. She can be reached at janemhunter@att.net. | |||||||||
There are people who say third-party politics in this country is a waste of time. That viewpoint is understandable, given that no attempt to open up the two-party system in America has been successful in the last 150 years. But once we recognize that the Green Parties are just the electoral expression of something deeper and even more fundamental – the movement for an ecological and harmonious society – then we can understand why Green politics is irrepressible at this point in human history. We’re clearly only at the very beginning of an era where the ecological imperative is finally being appreciated by people all around the world, and that means the Green Party is here to stay – even in the United States, which has been so wedded to its two-party system and to the status quo. Why now? Why has ecology become such a central issue as to reorient the whole political landscape? I think it’s because so many problematic trendlines of our civilization accelerated so rapidly during the twentieth century. The growth rates of population, production, consumption and pollution accelerated at an unprecedented rate. The human population on the planet was 1.5 billion in 1900 and six billion in 2000 – that’s a quadrupling – which clearly is not sustainable. The levels of consumption, pollution, depletion of resources, deforestation, loss of topsoil and aquifer depletion more than quadrupled during the twentieth century. No surprise, then, that a movement arose based on an awareness that the trajectory of our civilization is leading us to the brink of crisis and breakdown. This perspective is very different from our traditional cultural sensibility. The belief in progress and development – the conviction that things are generally going in a progressive direction – has been fundamental in the West. In fact, it has been characteristic of the three dominant political ideologies: conservatism, liberalism and socialism. Our slogan, "Alternative: the Greens," implies that we represent an alternative to the status quo political parties and also an alternative to the old ideologies. The search for such an alternative characterized the early New Left, which advocated a grassroots form of democracy, a participatory democracy clearly lacking in both capitalism and communism. The counterculture of the late sixties and early seventies questioned the direction of our society at an even deeper level, asserting that all the touted growth, development and progress had taken us so far from natural living that we had lost our connection with the earth. The result has been ecological irresponsibility. Meanwhile, the manic growth of political and economic institutions has been destructive of basic local community, resulting in social irresponsibility. It shouldn’t be surprising, then, that we find ourselves facing unprecedented ecological and social crises. The growing movement advocating sustainable lifeways and renewal of community led to the first Earth Day in 1970, and then, shortly thereafter, to the birth of the movement for Green politics. By 1980, there were about a dozen Green parties, mostly in European countries. When the German Green Party received more than 5% of the vote in 1983, and thus gained representation in parliament, the world became aware of the potential of this new political movement. It started to grow very rapidly and now there are Green parties in more than 90 countries, many of which are represented in legislatures and a number of which regularly participate in coalition governments. That breakthrough by the German Greens in 1983 inspired the establishment of a national Green organization in the United States in 1984. After a period of base-building, community organizing and issue-specific work, the Greens in this country slowly began to run c a n d i d a t e s , mostly for local offices. State-based Green parties started forming around 1990. This trend was given impetus when Ralph Nader agreed to appear on some of the state ballots as a presidential candidate in 1996. A fullscale national Nader campaign in 2000 established the Greens as the most successful third party in this country, and in the wake of that campaign, the Green Party of the United States was established in 2001 with recognition by the Federal Election Commission. The Green Party of New Jersey (GPNJ) was founded in 1997. As we’ve grown, we’ve run more candidates year by year, garnered more votes, and gradually had more of an impact on New Jersey politics. My next column will be devoted to a detailed history of GPNJ. Steve Welzer is a longtime Green Party member and a resident of Mercer County. This series of articles grew out of a talk given at the GPNJ’s Green Council meeting in New Brunswick on December 8, 2002. He can be reached at ecovillager@aol.com. | |||||||||
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FROM THE GRASSROOTS... By Mark Lovett FACT: in the “greatest democracy on earth,” half the voting population does not vote. Why? Certainly, there is a segment of the populace that simply doesn’t care to vote no matter what. But numerous academic studies have confirmed that one of the main reasons people don’t vote is that they believe it’s a worthless exercise of futility in a political arena controlled by two ethically compromised political parties. Whether it be issues of economics, health or the environment, the main parties are perceived by many as corrupt groups that do not connect intimately to issues that directly affect their lives. Voting could be a worthwhile experience in empowerment and citizenship for all, but for many it’s simply not worth time or energy. These are the people the Green Party needs and wants. We have the good ethics, good thoughts and good ideas to connect to them. If the Green Party is all about “grassroots democracy,” then we need to learn to fully encourage it. There needs to be a massive national Green voter registration and education drive among non-voters and voters alike. This is not only a drive to register people to vote Green, it’s also about educating citizens about the Green Party and the power of participatory democracy. It is estimated that there are 6,000 to 10,000 active Green Party members in state, local and campus organizations in the United States. There are approximately 265,000 people registered Green in the United States too. If a majority of active members were to register 50 people or more people each year, and a third or a half of Green voters registered 20 people each year, then the national Green Party voting block could soar in a few short years. There needs to be a framework in national, state and local Green Party organizations to accomplish this. It’s as important as our election campaigns. We need literature to educate people on the Green Party, and on the importance of good citizenship and voting green. We need to connect and communicate effectively to people who are disempowered citizens and citizens who view us as “the spoiler party.” How and where do we reach them? We need to always have literature in our possession to hand out to interested friends and acquaintances. We need to have regular table set-ups at events, and create events centered around voter registration and education. We need to go out in public areas, schools, churches, main streets, college campuses and malls, but we also need go somewhere else: the badlands of cities, the welfare unemployment lines and the homeless shelters. If we really want citizens to register, to vote and to become empowered with us, we need to go out and reach them wherever they may be. By doing this, by being knowledgeable and clearly articulating our ethics, platforms and vision, we will find greater acceptance and respect among non-voters and voters alike. This will help us greatly in our goal to grow the Green Party. Mark Lovett is a Margate resident and a member of the Atlantic Greens. He can be reached at lovegreen@hotmail.com. If you’d like to write an inspirational or informative letter to readers “from the grassroots,” please contact Editor Michelle Carvin at mcarvin@hotmail.com. | |||||||||
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All are welcome to attend regular county meetings. Find out what your local Green Party is all about! | |||||||||
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The Green Council (GC) consists of the GPNJ Executive Committee, chairs from the Standing Committees, and all County Coordinators. Green Council (GC) meetings are open to everyone. For info and meeting dates, contact your County Coordinator, or State Coordinator Ted Glick at futurehopeTG@aol.com or 973- 338-9214. Below are some key points covered at the Green Council meeting on January 24, 2003. The first three paragraphs took place during the Executive Committee portion of the meeting. For the full minutes, contact interim Secretary Pamela Olsen at pamelaolsen@yahoo.com. ComCom Update... Jane Hunter (vice-chair; Communications Committee chair) announced the reincarnation of the GreenGram, and asked County Coordinators, Ted Glick and Steve Welzer to help new editor Michelle Carvin with publication content. Stewart Kautsch is working on the Issues section of the GPNJ website. Gene Ruffini will be drafting press releases regularly. They are placed on the website. The announcement list is now Nick Mellis’s responsibility. Steve Welzer will help Nick condense the list. Money Matters... Elizabeth Arnone (treasurer) announced that the GPNJ account has $3,800. Of this, money was allocated to candidates and State Coordinator Ted Glick, among others. Steve Welzer spoke of a need to formalize a structure for easily donating to a fund to pay for the State Coordinator’s services. Upcoming Convention... Nick Mellis (Membership Committee chair) discussed the upcoming GPNJ convention on April 27-28. Workshop/forum topics were suggested, including media presentations, electoral issues, instant runoff voting, clean money, history of the electorate, environmental and racism issues, etc. Tax Talk... Joe Mosley asked the GC to adopt his proposal on reforming the U.S. tax code, so that it may be sent to the national Platform Committee for consideration. After much discussion and the addition of a “friendly amendment,” GC did just that. Assemblyman Matt Ahearn, who recently left the Democratic Party to become a Green, was the guest speaker at this meeting. Ahearn presented Ted Glick with a certificate of commendation from his Assembly office to recognize his selfless service nationwide. Ahearn answered many questions from the audience about his stance on Iraq, domestic partnerships and other issues, and said he wants to work on campaign finance reform first. He’d like to put the Green Party “on the map” in N.J. Election Strategy... Deadlines for petitions and candidate paperwork for the 2003 state elections were discussed, as well as names of potential candidates. Anti-War... Ted Glick wants to formally encourage locals to follow the lead of Jersey City’s government in coming out against the war. | |||||||||
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What’s Going On? FREE SUNFLOWER SEEDS The Green Party of New Jersey is giving away free packets of sunflower seeds (roughly 10 seeds per packet) to N.J. residents. Limit one packet per residential address, while supplies last. Enjoy the beautiful flowers that symbolize the Green Party as they grow through the summer, then enjoy their seeds as a snack for yourself (or songbirds) in the fall. Sign up on the GPNJ website (www.gpnj.org) for your free Mammoth Grey Striped Sunflower seeds. LAVENDER GREENS The N.J. Lavender Greens are currently involved with legislative proposals/ actions concerning domestic partnership benefits (DPB), civil union, civil marriage, and New Jersey’s Law Against Discrimination. If anyone is interested in discussing these issues, visit www.lavendergreens.com or contact George DeCarlo at alexdn@ix. netcom.com. CALL FOR PROPOSED BYLAW CHANGES The bylaws of the GPNJ may only be amended by a vote of the membership at the GPNJ annual convention. Current bylaws require that any proposed changes be published to the membership 30 days prior to the annual convention. Please submit any proposed changes to Jane Hunter (janemhunter@att.net, 732-560-0276, 792 Watchung Road, Bound Brook, NJ 08805) or to any member of the Executive Committee by March 15 in order to allow time for publishing the changes by March 27, 2003. This will allow a vote at the convention on April 27. CALL FOR NOMINATION OF OFFICERS GPNJ officers are elected each year at the annual convention for a one-year term. The officers are chair, two vicechairs, secretary and treasurer. One of the vice-chairs is traditionally a member of an “underrepresented group” (minority, female, etc.) and chairs the Ad Hoc Diversity Committee. Terms are currently limited to two years. If you would like to run for GPNJ office or would like to nominate another GPNJ member, please submit a brief candidate statement for publication and member review by April 10, to Jane Hunter (janemhunter@att.net, 732- 560-0276, 792 Watchung Road, Bound Brook, NJ 08805), or any member of the Communications Committee. CONVENTION VOLUNTEERS NEEDED Volunteers are desperately needed to organize our upcoming annual convention. If you are interested in working on the agenda, setting up workshops, organizing food and refreshments, or publicizing the event and working with the press, please contact Ted Glick at futurehopeTG@aol.com or 973-338- 9214. HOSPITALITY NEEDED Also, we need volunteers from Middlesex and Somerset to provide housing on Saturday night for those who are coming to the convention from farther away. JOIN THE GREENS! If you’ve been meaning to get involved in the Green Party, but just haven’t gotten around to it, here’s your chance. One of the most important things you can do to support the GPNJ is to become a “card-carrying” member. In addition to helping finance the Party’s activities across the state, you’ll increase visibility of the Green Party, strengthen our collective voice, and in turn help us get our message out to even more potential Greens. If you’re new to the Green Party and want to make a difference in New Jersey politics, won’t you consider joining today? If you are or have been a member, and let your membership lapse, we urge you to renew. And if you’re already a member in good standing, please pass the word to someone who might be interested. It’s easy. Click on www.gpnj.org to join online or contact your County Coordinator today. REGISTER AS A GREEN! Did you know that you can now register as a Green in the state of New Jersey? Visit your town hall or County Supervisor of Elections and ask for a “voter declaration of party affiliation” form. If you run into a roadblock, contact your County Coordinator for advice and assistance.
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