Green Party of the United States - National Committee Voting

Home	Vote	Results	History	Contacts	Admin
	National Committee Voting

Login

Ranked Choice Vote Details

Ranked Choice Vote ID	326
Ranked Choice Vote	Online Election to Fill Co-chair Vacancy on GPUS Steering Committee
Type	Open Ballot
Number of Seats	1
Ranked Choice Vote Administrator	Holly Hart
Phase	Closed - 1 Elected
Discussion	11-01-2007 - 11-11-2007
Voting	11-12-2007 - 11-18-2007
Presens Quorum	Two Thirds of Active Accredited States/Caucuses
Candidates	Cat Woods Clifford Thornton Michael Cavlan Pat LaMarche Tamar Yager

Background

This election is to fill a co-chair position on the GPUS Steering Committee, determined vacant on October 1, 2007. This election is for one seat, using Instant Runoff Voting. Voters may rank one or more candidates by preference.

Candidate Information

Cat Woods
If elected, I pledge to further pursue the cause of improved
transparency and accountability of the GPUS Steering
Committee to the National Committee (NC) and the Green Party
membership. The goals of proposal 217, which achieved
majority support last year, need to be reformulated into a
new "sunshine" proposal for Steering Committee operations
and guidance. My concern regarding SC accountability has
grown, and I believe greater leadership in this direction is
needed within the NC, and greater receptivity to this is
needed within the SC.

I will attend all SC meetings unless unable to, in which
case, I will state my reason for missing a meeting. I will
share in the administrative work of the SC and make every
effort to ensure that policy-making decisions are left to
the National Committee.

I am committed to helping this party move toward greater
organizational competence, so that on the day that we have a
real opportunity to share in power, we will have shown
ourselves to be fit to govern. This means fixing flaws in
the bylaws, rules and procedures and adhering to those rules
fairly and even-handedly.

I see my role on the SC, as on the PCSC, as one of trying to
keep doors open rather than trying to set policy as an
individual or as part of a small administrative group.
Democracy is INHERENTLY a risk. There is no getting around
that. You have to risk losing in order to have a fair system
of decision-making. My administrative goal is to keep the
system fair and avert any attempts to stack or manipulate
it. My goal as an individual is to make my best case for the
path I think the party needs to take and then let the matter
be decided democratically. I am meticulous about keeping
these roles separate.

I believe that representation on the SC is currently
unbalanced relative to the NC. The constituency for greater
transparency, accountability and improved democratic
standards that elected Kristen can not afford to forfeit her
seat. I believe that filling this seat with a representative
of the same constituency will shift the balance toward
greater fairness, since it often comes down to needing a
certain critical mass of voices to make a case in order for
other SC co-chairs to give it credence.

I am running for the SC co-chair position with the following
understanding: since it is vital that Kristen's seat be
filled by a representative of the same constituency, and
since I have ascertained that both Cliff Thornton and
Michael Cavlan also represent this constituency and its
principles, I ask all those who support me to also rank
Cliff and Michael high on their ballots.

Thank you,

Cat Woods

Clifford Thornton
Clifford W. Thornton, Jr., 62, an international expert on drug policy, is a retired African-American businessman who ran for Governor of Connecticut on the Green Party line in 2006. In the last three years Thornton has spoken to over 400,000 people on drug reform in some 450 venues all over the US, Columbia, Canada, Europe, and New Zealand, and has been interviewed on 500 radio shows. He is described as "America's foremost anti-Drug War African American activist" by Amherst College's online newspaper. Thornton also speaks on the drug war, education, and health care.
Thornton encourages citizens to re-examine drug policy, challenges the mentality of the drug war, and promotes open discussion of alternatives and public-health awareness. Marijuana policy reform is at the core of most of his presentations. Although he speaks about the need to change the laws regarding all drugs, a large portion of each presentation is devoted toward the reasons to end marijuana prohibition. He believes that marijuana law reform is the key to all drug policy reform. In 1995, Thornton founded Efficacy, a non-profit to educate the world about drug policy reform.

Prior to working full-time in drug policy, Mr. Thornton was a middle-level manager with Southern New England Telephone Corporation, in Connecticut. He was in charge of the delivery of all internal telecommunications to the corporation, serving some 10,000 employees with a $50,000,000 annual budget, supervising 23 people. He worked at SNET for 25 years. He was (and is) very active in community projects as well. He served as Vice President of the Greater Hartford Festival of Jazz for three years. He also served as Parliamentarian of the Greater Hartford African American Alliance and was president of Jazz Radio New England.

A Hartford native, Thornton and his wife Margaret now live in Glastonbury. He has five daughters and two granddaughters. Thornton, an Army veteran, earned a bachelor's degree in Marketing from Waterbury's Post University in 1986.

Efficacy
PO Box 1234
860 657 8438
Hartford, CT 06143
efficacy@msn.com
www.Efficacy-online.org
www.votethornton.com

Michael Cavlan
To understand me, you must meet my parents.

My mother and father were both Catholic from northern Ireland who moved to the US in the 50's. My father was involved in the Civil Rights Movement here in the US during the late 50's, long before it was "chic" to do so. He was a shop stewart with the Teamsters in California. Various other family members have been active in the trade union movement. In the late 60's when the Catholic population of northern Ireland started our own Civil Rights Movement, my father moved us to northern Ireland and he was active in that growing movement. He very quickly became disenchanted and joined with Oglaigh N'Heireann, or as you know them the IRA. He went on the run from the British authorities until the northern Ireland Peace Process. It is only because of this that I even mention him.

My mother, on the other hand was the radical in the family and she taught me politics. In our house the name Bernadette Devlin was Saint Bernie. Bernadette Devlin is known here for coming to the US, receiving the keys of some city (Philadelphia, I believe) and going immediately to Angela Davis in prison and giving her the keys. Bernadette, as my mother and myself always opposed the actions of the IRA, while NEVER condemning them because the causes of the conflict in Ireland had never been dealt with. That is what makes my mother so radical.

Myself, first got involved in politics at the age of 10, when my father brought me to a Civil Rights Rally for Catholics in northern Ireland. Raised in Catholic Housing project. In Europe involved in various groups, including the CND Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament, which led to the creation of the GP, as an aside.

In the United States, I have been active in the peace and justice movement here, first in California. I became a Registered Nurse, specializing in Burn and Trauma Intensive Care. Ironically, after 9-11, I treated victims of the Pentagon, burned in the 9-11 attack. I have often joked that it shows how shoddy their security is.

In Minnesota, I have been active in the community here, including cofounder of the Counter Propaganda Coalition, fighting corporate media bias. I have also been active in various other groups, such as CUAPB Communities United Against Police Brutality. I am currently very active and a leader in Impeach For Peace.

In the Green Party, I ran as a Green candidate for Minnesota House in 2002 (beaten in a Primary by a former Democratic mayor who ran as a Green), was intrically involved in the Ray Tricomo for US Senate campaign (who ran against Paul Wellstone and the rest of the corporate structure)helped the Farheen Hakeem campaign for Mayor, other Green campaigns here in Minnesota, was the campaign coordinator for David Cobb in Minnesota and a national delegate in Milwaukee 2004. I was the Green party endorsed candidate for US Senate here in Minnesota 2006. I am currently active in organizing for Cynthia McKinney AND Ralph Nader in Minnesota (I am a rabid McKinney fan) and am now running again for US Senate 2008, until a better candidate comes along. Oh yes, and now I am a National Delegate, obviously.

I have, through all this gained the reputation of being "Accountability Mike."

I have always taken the position that "if no one else will do it (what ever the job) then damn it, I'll do it." Till someone better comes along.

If this sounds busy, well if you want something done, ask the person who is too busy. They are the ones who will get the job done. Until someone better comes along.

So folks, there is my bio.

Vote for me, till someone better comes along.

Michael Cavlan
Minnesota

Pat LaMarche
Biography of Pat LaMarche
Author of “Left Out in America”

Pat LaMarche is a business manager, journalist, educator, author, and broadcaster who has spent her adult life working to improve the lives of her fellow Mainers.

Whether it is finding kidneys for dying children, raising money for neighbors who cannot afford heating oil, or supporting the brave members of the Maine National Guard, she has lived up to her mother's credo: that every ounce of strength we have should be put to the use of those less fortunate.

Pat graduated from John Bapst High School in Bangor, where her father worked as Medical Director at the Eastern Maine Medical Center. She went on to get a bachelor's degree at Boston College and studied European History in the graduate program at the University of Amsterdam, but always returned home to Maine.

Pat has been recognized as an outstanding business manager in both the for-profit and non-profit sectors. As the director of Maine's largest children's charity, The Children's Miracle Network at the Eastern Maine Medical Center, she worked to secure needed services and equipment for ill and injured children throughout central and northern Maine. Through her efforts, a program that had been rated near the bottom nationally became the most successful, and it became the only program in a city under one million residents (Bangor has approximately 40,000) to be recognized on the CMN's national telethon.

Pat has worked in both television and radio, and has taught Public Relations at Husson College's School of Communications. She served as the first and only female host at Portland's heritage talk radio station, WGAN, and is known in central Maine as Genny Judge, the pseudonym she adopted so that she could keep up her mother's tradition of community service after her mom passed away in 1998.

In the world of political activism, Pat ran for Governor of Maine on the Green Party ticket in 2006, and used her candidacy for Vice President on the Green ticket in 2004 to tour the 14 homeless shelters described in the book "Left Out: Being Homeless in America."

Pat secured party status for the Greens in Maine with her 1998 gubernatorial candidacy and after a decade of gaining and losing status, the Maine Greens have maintained it ever since her run. Maine has also had the highest percapita number of Greens of any state in the country. Pat served several terms on the Maine s.c.

Pat travels the nation speaking for Green locals and helping them to fundraise. Pat was the MC of the counter inaugural in McPhearson Square in January of 2005. She and David
Cobb worked hard to travel the country spreading the Green message during the re-count of Ohio which their candidacy called for following the 2004 election.

Pat is a contributor to a newly (last week) published anthology about Franco-American culture and history in the United States.

Pat currently writes a weekly political column for a number of papers and a frequent contributor to Common Dreams. The column can be read at www.bangornews.com

Pat is currently working as a freelance writer, speaker and consultant based in Yarmouth, Maine. She has two children in college, Rebecca and John, and is working with her dad, Dr. Paul LaMarche, to improve the quality of health care delivery in Maine.

Tamar Yager
I am honored to be running for the SC Co-Chair and thank Leslie for nominating me and for others who encouraged me to run

Here is my bio - If you have any questions please email me off-list at greenyager@gmail.com or call me at 502-296-3849.

I am 48 years old and a life-long progressive. My work, volunteer and political experience is broad and I can bring a moderate, balanced view to the Steering Committee. Most of my experience has been administrative and behind-the-scenes but I have also been in the trenches at marches, organizing justice activities, licking envelopes and running phone banks.

Besides my work with the local, state and national Green Party, most of my recent activism has been working with a progressive, Catholic Church reform group with a paid membership of 25,000 (Call to Action - www.cta-usa.org). I became involved with CTA in 1996, formed a local chapter in my hometown of Louisville, Kentucky and was named to the 12 member board of directors in 2001. I have or currently serve on several committees including fundraising, personnel and finance and I currently serve as Treasurer. CTA has a paid staff of 14 so even though the board is a working one, it is not overwhelming. Most work is completed at the 4 board meetings which are held on weekends throughout the year and at our national conference. (Besides, if you want someone to work hard, ask a busy person.)

In the early 80s I was active in a number of local political endeavors including an effort to defeat the merger of Louisville and Jefferson County governments (we prevented the merger but it subsequently passed some 15 years later). I also organized phone banks for several local Democratic candidates during this time. (Note that Louisville is a pretty progressive city in a red state and most of the Democrats there lean left rather than center). There was not an active Green party and while I was a registered Democrat, I found out several years later that I resonated more with Green values.

I have long been active the peace movement in Louisville, Kentucky, largely through my involvement with my church, which is a very well-known, progressive Catholic church. Members of St. William were largely responsible for organizing the Louisville Peace Action Committee and have been long-involved in many justice organizations including Witness for Peace, Bread for the World, Pax Christi, Fellowship of Reconciliation and others. In 2003, I was instrumental in organizing and executing a local event that was replicated in a number of other cities; Imagine America was a speaking tour headlined by Dennis Kucinich, Marianne Williamson and John Robbins. It was largely through this speaking tour that Dennis Kucinich's idea for a "Department of Peace" gained strength.

In 2005 I worked with the Coalition of Imokolee Workers on their successful campaign to get Taco Bell (and subsequently all YUM Brands restaurants) to pay a fairer wage to tomato pickers. Along with that campaign I did volunteer work with Jobs with Justice.

When I met my husband Tom Yager (at a Call-to-Action event!!!), whom many of you know, in 1999, I came to more fully understand the 10 Key values and realized I really was a Green. We were friends for several years because we lived in different cities (he in the DC area and myself in Kentucky) but began dating long-distance in 2002. Not long after that I began to be more involved in the Green Party. When we became engaged and decided I would move to the DC area (specifically northern VA), I immediately became active on the local and state level I was elected to be an NC Alternate at the July 2006 meeting and later was elected a delegate in April 2007.

I have worked with the GPUS on various fund-raising efforts and as a result I secured the largest single donation at the ANM this year. I helped "woman" the merchandise table at the ANM. Additionally, I helped with finance/office management issues with the national office in DC, including successfully negotiating a significantly lower-cost communications package.

On a practical level, my work experience has been largely in the non-profit sector mostly in fundraising and non-profit marketing for arts groups and direct service providers. I currently work for an educational institution maintaining a large, alumni database and planning special events. I have also served on a number of boards of directors of non-profits and trade associations in the past. These experiences have honed my leadership abilities. Also largely due to this volunteer involvement, I have gleaned significant experience in board and organizational development and in public speaking. After graduating from college, I served for two years as a VISTA volunteer doing community organizing in a poor neighborhood of Louisville.

For those of you that are new, I ran for SC co-chair in Reading. Before the election Greg Gerritt said that he would like to know the answers to a number of questions. I used these questions as a template for a candidate statement. My answers are below.

Vision for the party
I have many dreams and aspirations for the party. There are several that I think are achievable in the next few years. We need to have affiliated parties in all states. My hope is that we run a solid presidential candidate that makes a difference in our election in 2008. Whatever we may think of One Green One Vote, we can all agree that One Green One Dollar is not enough to provide us with the financial resources we need to achieve our visions. My vision is that every Green be a donor - and it STARTS with each of us on the National Committee being a sustaining donor.

Factionalism and where I stand?
I don't see myself as a member of a "faction". Factionalism has been harmful and divisive to our party and to other progressive organizations. If we want to be a national party that has a positive impact on our political system, then we must unite. I think that I have the ability to see both sides of an issue. This makes it easy for me to listen and facilitate compromises. Most people know from my posts that I am level-headed and provide a sense of unity instead of competition.

How can I serve you? How can I help the NC do its work better?
I have many years of experience serving on boards and working for non-profits in the areas of fundraising and office management. I have also been in the trenches licking envelopes and making phone calls, marching for peace, and organizing justice events.

Detailed examples of how others you work with have become more effective through your leadership of projects. How organizations have grown, become more effective, found their voice, changed the world?
I have been on the board of the national membership organization Call To Action ( www.cta-usa.org) - One of the things I have done is to help implement a structure of working board committees to aid the staff and to facilitate more volunteer involvement. As treasurer of the board, I have recommended several things that either saved us money or helped us leverage more $$$ for grants (for example, I suggested itemizing expenses that were not reimbursed from board meetings). I have also written or helped write several grants for our Anti-Racism project (all were funded). I was instrumental in organizing the Kentuckiana chapter of CTA (southern Indiana and Louisville areas).

I was a founding board member (and later served another 3-year term on the board) of Just Creations. Just Creations is a non-profit store that sells fair trade crafts, coffee, clothing and other retail items. I was on the board at the time we made the decision to double the size of the store and hire several more workers making it one of the most "profitable" stores in the nation. ( www.justcreations.org) While on the board my primary responsibility was to handle the marketing efforts. When I left, the store budget was about $500,000 a year and about 10% a year was used for marketing.

I served in many top leadership positions, including President and Chairman, respectively, in the Louisville Direct Marketing Association (LDMA) and the Postal Customer Council (PCC). At the time I was selected to be President of LDMA, there were a number of vacant board positions due to previous leadership (or lack of). 'During my tenure, I worked at cultivating and appointing new board members and re-organizing the structure of the board so duties were more spread out. This resulted in us having every leadership position filled and a number of volunteers that were ready to take over as terms expired.

I was a founding member of ArtCentric which was a group of young professionals that represented 3 local visual arts groups in Louisville. The founders (which was later called the Task Force) were selected to bring their expertise in marketing and outreach to create special events that enticed young adults to experience the visual arts. Ultimately, the goal was to provide a foundation whereby arts lovers would become collectors, docents and donors to the respective organizations. This group is still helping these organizations after 12 years. (I moved to Virginia last year so that's why I left the group).

Can you work with presenters of resolutions to make them better?
I have worked with a number of organizations on proposals and by-laws. Resolutions are similar to this so my past experience should help. Also, I have the ability to take a step back and look at all sides of an issue. This will help me craft resolutions that would appeal to many.

Are you willing to pick up the phone and call disputing parties, helping them to work out their differences so they can come back to the NC with something that moves us forward rather than driving wedges?
Absolutely and I've done that so far as an NC Delegate - especially with 272 and 295

--
Tamar Byczek Yager
GPVA Delegate

The voting software used by the Green Party of the United States is free software, licensed under the General Public License v2 (GPL).