Bulletin 7.1: Attend the State Convention on August 8th!

TAttend the State Convention on August 8th!

THE SC GREEN PARTY BULLETIN
Volume 7 No. 1 – July 9, 2009
www.scgreenparty.org

FEATURES:

(1) ANNUAL STATE CONVENTION ON AUGUST 8th
(2) NOMINATIONS OPEN FOR STEERING COMMITTEE ELECTIONS
(3) MAKE YOUR 2009 MEMBERSHIP CONTRIBUTION

CONTINUING:

(A) LOCAL UPDATES
(B) VOLUNTEER FOR A STATE OR NATIONAL COMMITTEE
(C) RECRUIT NEW MEMBERS
(D) JOIN OUR DISCUSSION FORUM
(E) CONTACT INFORMATION FOR SCGP STEERING COMMITTEE
(F) GREEN PARTY OFFICE-HOLDERS
(G) ABOUT THE SC GREEN PARTY BULLETIN


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(1) ANNUAL STATE CONVENTION ON AUGUST 8th **********************************************************************

Please join us for the annual state convention of the South Carolina Green Party in Columbia on Saturday, August 8th. The meeting is tentatively set for 2523 Read Street--we'll confirm the location and time in the next few weeks. Everyone is encouraged to attend!

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(2) NOMINATIONS OPEN FOR STEERING COMMITTEE ELECTIONS **********************************************************************

Nominations are now open for election to the Steering Committee. Nominations must be received no later than July 25th (two weeks before the State Convention). The terms of three Steering Committee members are ending (Gregg Jocoy, David Whiteman, and Nammu Muhammad ), plus we have one vacancy for a 2008-2010 term.

Nominations may be emailed (just reply to this email if you're on our distribution list or send an email to davidpwhiteman@yahoo.com) or mailed (SCGP, P.O. Box 5341, Columbia, SC 29250).

In order to be eligible to be on the ballot, anyone nominated must certify by July 25th that they (a) are interested in being on the ballot, (b) are a member of the Party, and (c) do not occupy a leadership position in any other political party. All nominees should also submit a brief personal statement for inclusion in the SCGP Bulletin and the State Convention agenda packet.

After nominations are closed on July 25th, the Steering Committee will provide a final list of nominees.


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(3) MAKE YOUR 2009 MEMBERSHIP CONTRIBUTION
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According the SCGP bylaws, in order to be considered a member of the Party for meetings and conventions, a citizen must have either (a) paid annual dues or (b) been an active member of a party organization in the state. To be sure you are a member for 2009, send in your $25 annual membership contribution. You can send your checks to SCGP, P.O. Box 5341, Columbia, SC, 29250.


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(A) LOCAL UPDATES
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One major priority this year is to build strong local Green Party organizations in every area of the state. If you see a local party for your area in the list below, please contact the person listed. If you don’t see a local in your area, please volunteer to help organize a local group (especially if you're in Charleston)! For assistance to get you started, reply to this email (if you're on our distribution list) or contact Bill Bobo, newwines@aol.com, 803-279-9604.

CHARLESTON GREEN PARTY (Charleston/Berkeley/Dorchester)
Next meeting: 7pm first Monday of each month at Earth Fare on Folly Rd Blvd.
For more information, contact:
Sue Edward, charlestongreens@gmail.com, 843-763-7304
Larry Carter Center 843-926-1750
www.charlestongreenparty.org

MIDLANDS GREEN PARTY (Richland/Lexington):
Next meeting TBA.
For more information, contact David Whiteman, davidpwhiteman@yahoo.com, 803-799-1205.

AIKEN COUNTY GREEN PARTY (Aiken/North Augusta):
Next meeting TBA. Held at 3514 Gamble Road (off of Gregg, between Richland Ave and Trolley Line Road, about 2-3 blocks south of Trolley Line Road).
For more information contact Bill Bobo, newwines@aol.com, 803-279-9604.

GREENVILLE COUNTY GREENS (Greenville):
Next meeting: TBA.
For more information, contact Gregg Jocoy, GreggJocoy29715@yahoo.com, 803-547-212.


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(B) VOLUNTEER FOR A STATE OR NATIONAL COMMITTEE
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Our state and national committees need your skills!

(a) State. Opportunities exist for volunteers on all state committees, including communication, fundraising, website, elections, and outreach and membership. If you're interested, please reply to this email and let us know about your interests and skills.

(b) National. The SCGP is eligible to have representatives serve on most of the national USGP committees. For a list of committees, check out www.gpus.org/committees.html. If you’re interested in becoming a member, please reply to this email.


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(C) RECRUIT NEW MEMBERS
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Encourage your friends to become members of the SCGP. The best way is just have them sign up through our website (www.scgreenparty.org). Or they can send their name, address, and phone number in reply to this email. We will add them to our mailing list and forward their names to our local organizers.


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(D) JOIN OUR DISCUSSION FORUM!
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In addition to the SCGP Bulletin, which is distributed 2-3 times a month, the SCGP maintains a discussion/action forum for its members. If you are interested in receiving more frequent emails about issues and events related to green politics, please join the our Discussion Forum by sending an email to:

SC-GreenParty_Forum-subscribe@yahoogroups.com


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(E) CONTACT INFORMATION FOR SCGP STEERING COMMITTEE
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Gregg Jocoy (2007-2009), greggjocoy@riseup.net
(h) 803-547-2112,
203 Pond View Lane, Fort Mill, SC 29715

Leslie Minerd (2008-2010), hipwazee@gmail.com
(h) 803-799-9297, (w) 803-376-1500
2716 Blossom St, Columbia, SC 29205

Nammu Muhammad (2007-2009), blackvista2008@aol.com
(h) 803-414-4426
1517 Manning Ave, Columbia, SC 29204

Eugene Platt (2008-2010),
(h) 843-795-9442
734 Gilmore Court, James Island, SC 29412

Scott West (2008-2010)
3 Oakland Avenue, Inman, SC 29349-1542

David Whiteman (2007-2009), davidpwhiteman@yahoo.com
(w) 803-777-4548, (h) 803-799-1205
200 Harden St, Columbia, SC 29205

[vacant] (2008-2010)

SCGP delegates to Green National Committee:
David Whiteman (delegate)

SCGP members on national committees:
Coordinated Campaign Committee: [vacant]
International Committee: Jermaine Simmons
Media Committee: [vacant]


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(F) GREEN PARTY OFFICE-HOLDERS
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Eugene Platt (elected)
James Island Public Service District Commission

Preston Holston (appointed)
Conservation Commission
Richland County

Lee Jane Kaufman (appointed)
Tree and Beautification Commission
City of Columbia


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(G) ABOUT THE SC GREEN PARTY BULLETIN
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The SC Green Party Bulletin, distributed no more than 2-3 times each month, is designed to keep members and friends of the SC Green Party informed about important state activities and events.

If you would like to stop receiving the Bulletin and be deleted from the SC Green Party database, simply respond to this email and ask to be removed.

Charleston Sanitation Workers Organize for Union

Since April of this year sanitation workers in Charleston have been circulating a petition in favor of union recognition. An excellent article by Kerry Taylor of the Institute for Southern Studies has just been posted here. While the resistance of SC governments to unionization can't be underestimated, the Charleston sanitation workers have the justification and the motivation to exercise their legal rights. Kerry says in part:

Workers have complained of abusive supervisors, an ambiguous system of promotions that pits workers against one another, and treacherous working conditions.

One driver was blamed for an incident in which a falling tree branch pinned her in the cab and seriously injured her neck and shoulders. She was rushed back to work, as was a collector whose eyes were burned by chemicals that shot from a paint can as it was being compacted.

Until recently the sanitation workers had hoped to resolve these grievances through discussions with their supervisors. The discussions have provided a few token concessions such as new rain jackets, but little actual relief.

The workers have now concluded that establishing an employees' organization with democratic rights to negotiate with the city is the only way to win some measure of equality and fairness.

"If you're a public servant you deserve dignity, respect, and acknowledgment that you're doing a service for the community," said Richard Polite, a 12-year sanitation department veteran, who adds that the workers' demands are not primarily economic but center on basic human rights.

- "Charleston Sanitation Workers Fight for Union Recognition",
By Kerry Taylor, Labor Notes
Posted July 7, 2009 9:56 AM

The sanitation workers are organizing with the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, Local 1199B. Charleston Peace is another local organization involved in getting the union off the ground and increasing public awareness of the struggle.

Charleston residents are urged to sign an online petition here: http://www.petitiononline.com/loc1199b/petition.html.

Charleston Peace hosts more information on the sanitation workers here:

• Charleston's Dirty Little Secret, from the Charleston sanitation workers organizing brochure.
• Sanitation Workers Campaign Building Momentum, information on the street level petition drive conducted in May.
  

Charleston Greens adopts a road in Maryville

Charleston's Green Party is now volunteering for regular litter pickups in Charleston's Maryville neighborhood.

The Charleston Green Party is proud to have adopted 5th Avenue and adjoining streets in Maryville/Ashleyville as part of the Adopt a Highway project. Unlike most Adopt a Highway routes, these streets are residential. This means we will have the opportunity to chat with residents who may be in their yards or on their porches as we work on their street. I think this will make our work even more rewarding.

The first pickup went off on May 30th. The next scheduled pickup is in September. The Charleston Greens will be letting us know the exact date via their website and facebook page.

Platt Elected Vice-Chairman of James Island Public Service District Commission

Eugene Platt was elected Vice-Chairman at the Monday, June 22, 2009 meeting of the James Island Public Service District Commission. Mr. Platt has served on the Commission since 1993 and won reelection to another four year term in November 2008. The vice-chairmanship and commissioner positions are nonpartisan.

South Carolina Public Service Commissions act under state law to "provide services for fire protection, wastewater collection services, solid waste collection services, street signs and lighting "in the most cost effective manner." The James Island Commission serves 22,000 residents in the enviromentally sensitive coastal region, just outside Charleston, SC.

Mr. Platt joined the South Carolina Green Party in the Spring of 2008 and in June of 2009 became a member of the party's statewide Steering Committee.

• "Eugene Platt, Bowed But Unbroken". By Will Moredock. Charleston City Paper. March 31, 2009.
• The James Island Public Service District Commission website
  

South Carolina Green Party elects new Steering Committee Members

A quorum of the South Carolina Green Party Steering Committee met in Columbia on Sunday, June 21, 2009 and elected Eugene Platt of James Island and Scott West of Inman to the Committee. Present and voting were Gregg Jocoy of Greenville, Namu Mohamed of Columbia, and Dr. Robert Whiteman, also of Columbia. Mr. Platt and West fill two vacancies on the Committee. Both nominees spoke briefly before unanimous vote.
Eugene Platt is an elected member of the James Island Public Service District Commission. He has served on the commission for number of years before joining the Green Party. He was reelected for a four-year term in November 2008. In 2006, Mr. Platt came within 40 votes of defeating the the incumbent to SC House District 115. In 2008, he sought both the Democratic and Green nominations for the same seat, but was prevented from running as a Green by the SC Electoral Commission.
Scott West is a newspaper production worker in Spartanburg. A native of Spartanburg, past resident of Clinton and a College of Charleston graduate, Mr. West has a longstanding interest in independent politics and the history of South Carolina.
Other items on the agenda included a change in candidate nomination proceedure, a Columbia community meeting space, and the Statewide Membership Meeting. It was agreed to move forward with a proposal by Mr. Platt to alter the nomination of candidates from language of consensus to allow for a 50%+1 nomination endorsement if consensus should fail.
Mr. Mohamed spoke concerning the Columbia community activists working against gentrification in the downtown 1000 Acre Development plan. Community members collaborating on a storefront space to facilitate organizing and build community spirit.
The Statewide Membership Meeting was scheduled for August 8. The location was to be either a meeting room in the Richland County Library, or the community space, pending its completion.

More:

• James Island Public Service District Commission
• Campaign website of Eugene Platt
  

Moves in SC government toward restricting political access

Two restrictive campaign bills are before the South Carolina State Legislature. There is insufficient time for the bills to pass this year, but they will still be on the agenda when the session resumes for 2010.

H. 3746 would complicate independent campaign by prohibiting primary voters from signing candidacy petitions.

H. 3067 would ban political fusion. Last year, the state electoral commission threw Green Party nominee Eugene Platt off the November ballot for House District 115 because he was defeated in the Democratic Party primary. The state has given major parties a virtual veto over ambitious cross-party campaigns. H. 3067 would prohibit fusion outright.

The South Carolina State Election Commission has also moved to restrict the ability of smaller parties to nominate by convention. According to a recent article on Ballot Access News, the Commission now requires all candidates to submit declarations of candidacy in the early spring. In the previous years, this was only applied to candidates entering a primary. Since only smaller parties nominate by convention, the change seems intended to make challenges to unpopular major party primary winners more difficult.

Although the anti-fusion bill has 11 sponsors, versus the restrictive petition bill's lone sponsor, the lack of movement may be a hopeful sign. There is no groundswell of public support for limiting campaigns. The politicians' and Election Commission's tendency toward restricting free elections points out the necessity of complete transparency in government and grassroots activity to open up the political process.

Eugene Platt, Charleston (SC) Greens fight Interstate expansion

In a letter published in the Charleston Post and Courier, Green Party spokesperson Eugene Platt called for an end to plans to extend Interstate 526 onto Johns and James Islands.

Platt, an elected member of the James Island Public Service District Commission, pointed to a resolution against the proposed extension passed unanimously by the Town of James Island Council on April 7 as evidence that the communities most impacted by this proposed road are united in their opposition to the project. The complete text of his letter can be read below.

April 20, 2009

By Eugene Platt
Reprinted from the Post and Courier

The Town of James Island Council on April 7 voted unanimously to oppose the extension of I-526. In doing so, it aligned itself with the James Island Public Service District Commission, which on several previous occasions had taken similar positions. Thus, both governmental bodies composed exclusively of, and elected by, residents of James Island have made clear the majority sentiment of our community.

All the arguments for and against the extension of I-526 have been well publicized. There is no need to repeat them here. Let it suffice to say, if the American tradition of representative democracy is honored in this instance, then the April 7 vote should eventually prove to be a watershed event, a turning point in a long, arduous, often frustrating struggle to preserve what precious little is left of our heritage.

One of the 10 key values the Green Party endorses is the concept of “grassroots democracy.” (See gp.org.) Accordingly, we salute both the James Island Town Council and Public Service District Commission, as well as all the citizens who made their preferences, both pro and con, known to their elected representatives. The people have spoken; long live the people.

EUGENE PLATT
Spokesman
Charleston Green Party
Member, James Island PSD
Gilmore Court
Charleston

Public opposition to the plan has been growing. In meetings last Fall, Josh Martin, the Coastal Conservation League's land use director, noted that:

"All 526 is doing is just shifting and moving traffic around. It's not untangling the knots," says Martin. "Places like Seattle, Chattanooga, and Boston are tearing these structures down. Do we want to be the last municipality to implement 1970s infrastructure? Why not create places versus destroying places? That's what all these massive infrastructure projects are — they destroy places and rip communities apart."

The SCDOT has proposed 21 different expansion options for I526, including the option of making no change. One alternate proposal comes from the Coastal Conservation League. Their "New Way To Work", which would not extend the highway, and instead attempt to build decentralized transportation patterns, lessening the burden on main roads. Several local organizations, including the Wesley United Methodist Church, Johns Island Preservation Coalition, Coastal Conservation League, Johns Island Rural Transportation Alliance, and the Committee on Better Racial Assurance (COBRA) have come together to create Concerned Citizens of the Sea Islands, which sponsors a website: no526.com.

With the vote against sprawl by the Town of James Island Council and the continuing support of elected officials like Platt, there may be green shoots of grassroots democracy in Charleston County.

Adapted from a post to Green Party Watch: http://www.greenpartywatch.org/2009/05/06/eugene-platt-charleston-sc-greens-fight-interstate-expansion/

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Links:
*Eugene Platt's website
*http://www.no526.com/
*The Coastal Conservation League's "A New Way To Work" Plan
*"James Island Council opposes I-526 Project". Post & Courier, April 8, 2009.
*Green Party of the US

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