Here is the proposed constitution we will be discussing at the May 23 meeting. Please look it over and come prepared with comments. WE WILL NOT BE VOTING TO APPROVE THE CONSTITUTION, but we will be voting on whether or not to submit it to the State Committee for their approval.
Constitution and Bylaws of the Tompkins County Green Party
Article I Name
The name of this organization shall be the Tompkins County Green Party (TCGP).
Article II Purpose
All the duties and powers pertaining to county organizations according to the Rules and By Laws of the Green Party of NewYork State shall, for Tompkins County, NY, be vested in the Tompkins County Green Party.
TCGP activities shall include, but are not limited to, Green Party electoral activities.
Article III General Principles and Guarantees
A. Rights to Membership: No person shall be denied membership, on an equal basis, because of race, creed, color, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, or physical disability.
B. Freedom of Speech: Members shall suffer no impairment of freedom of speech concerning the operations of the TCGP. Active discussion of TCGP affairs shall be encouraged and protected within the TCGP.
C. Democratic Elections: Members shall have the right to fair and democratic elections at all levels of the TCGP. This includes due notice of nominations and elections, equal opportunity for competing candidates, and proper election procedures.
D. Right to Hold Office: Members shall have an equal right to run for and hold office.
E. Accounting of Funds: Members shall have the right to a full and clear accounting of all TCGP funds. Such accounting shall include, but not be limited to, periodic reports to the membership by the appropriate fiscal officers and periodic audits by officers selected for that purpose or by independent auditors not otherwise connected with the TCGP.
F. Participation in Decisions: Members shall have the right to full participation in the decision-making process, through discussion and voting, and shall receive due notice of membership meetings and have access to any information necessary for the exercise of this right.
Article IV Membership
A. All persons currently enrolled with the Board of Elections in Tompkins County, NY, as Green Party voters are considered members of the TCGP.
B. All members will have equal rights and privileges under this constitution.
Article V Meetings
A. Scheduling and Frequency:
1.Meetings shall be held at least once every two months.
2.The date, time, and location of meetings will be announced by way of the TCGP listserv and website no later than two weeks in advance.
B. Agenda
1.The agenda for each meeting will be posted to the listserv and website no later than 3 days before the scheduled meeting. Members wishing to add items to the agenda are responsible for contacting the appropriate officer.
C. Voting
1.If consensus is not achieved after 10 minutes of discussion, matters brought before the TCGP, except those involving elections, amendments, and by-laws, will be resolved by simple majority vote.
2.A member of the TCGP must be present at a meeting to vote. Proxy voting is not allowed.
Article VI Officers
A. The officers of the TCGP shall include two Co-Chairs, Treasurer, Secretary, and a Parliamentarian.
B. Officers must be members of the TCGP. Officers shall be elected by a vote of the membership and serve for a one-year term.
C. Officers shall be registered Green voters in Tompkins County.
Article VII Officers' Duties
A. Co-Chairs
1.Co-Chairs shall preside over meetings.
2.Co-Chairs shall act as or designate a member or members to act as liaisons with affiliated organizations.
3.Co-Chairs may divide these duties as they see fit, but they shall share responsibilities equally.
B. Treasurer
1.The Treasurer shall be responsible for the accounts of the TCGP. S/he shall receive and receipt for all monies of the TCGP. S/he shall prepare checks for the payment of all liabilities of the TCGP which are for purposes authorized or required by this constitution or authorized by the membership and none other. S/he shall sign all checks so prepared.
2.The Treasurer shall make regular reports to the Membership, and s/he shall make the financial records of the TCGP available for annual audit. The membership shall have access to the financial records of the TCGP in a manner specified by the by-laws.
C. Secretary
1.The Secretary shall maintain accurate minutes of the proceedings of all meetings in either a binder or on disk.
2.The Secretary shall post these minutes to the TCGP listserv and website no more than one week after the meeting.
D. Parliamentarian
1.The Parliamentarian shall advise meetings as to orderly and democratic procedure. The Parliamentarian may chair these meetings, but is not required to do so.
E. All officers are free to request assistance from other officers or Members in order to carry out the duties outlined above. However, the satisfactory completion of these duties is ultimately the officers' responsibility.
Article VIII Elections
A. All members shall be eligible to run for office.
B. In the case of single offices (Treasurer, Secretary, and Parliamentarian), a plurality of votes cast shall be required for election. In the case of offices shared by two officers (Co-Chairs), the candidates receiving the two highest votes shall be elected.
C. All elected officials of the TCGP may be recalled, subject to the conditions and procedure listed below.
1.Any member may circulate a petition requesting recall of a particular officer. Anyone desiring to recall more than one officer must circulate a petition for each officer s/he seeks to recall. Any petition to recall must receive official endorsement from at least 25% of all Members.
2.A petition which has received official endorsement from at least 25% of all Members may then be submitted directly to the Secretary, unless there is a conflict of interest in which case it may be presented to another officer.
3.All action pertaining to a petition to recall and all action regarding sustaining recall shall be conducted at a special meeting of the membership. This meeting shall occur no more than two weeks after receipt of a petition to recall and membership shall receive due notice of the meeting.
4.A secret ballot vote of two-thirds of members present at the special meeting is required to pass a recall.
5.The Secretary shall announce the results of the vote to the membership within 5 days.
6.An election to replace any recalled officer(s) must be held within one month of the announcement of a successful recall vote. The election shall be administered by the Secretary.
D. In the event of the resignation, death, or other removal of any elected officer, a special election will be held to fill the position within one month of the date of the resignation.
E. Officer elections shall be held each spring.
Article IX Committees
A. The standing committees of the TCGP shall include the Executive Committee, the Communications Committee, and the Website Committee.
B. The Executive Committee
1.The Executive Committee will consists of all elected officers.
2.The Executive Committee shall carry on the day-to-day functions of the TCGP as directed by the membership.
3.In the course of carrying out the directives of the membership, the Executive Committee may authorize expenditures for organizing materials, supplies, and other items necessary for the operation of the TCGP.
4.The Executive Committee, along with the Green Party State Committee members from Tompkins County, shall be authorized to execute any powers under the state election law that are only provided to an Executive Committee.
C. The Communications Committee
1.The primary responsibility of the Communications Committee will be the instigation of maintenance of all external communications, i.e. with the press and with the public at large.
2.The Communications Committee will also be responsible for maintaining communications with affiliated organizations.
3.The Communications Committee will be chaired by a member elected by those wishing to work in the committee. Any member may join the committee.
D. The Website Committee
1.The Website Committee will be responsible for maintaining the TCGP website and listserv.
2.The Website Committee will be chaired by a member elected by those wishing to work in the committee. Any member may join the committee.
E. Other committees (such as platform, fundraising, etc.) may be formed as the members see fit.
Article X Affiliations
Any member may suggest an affiliation at a regularly scheduled meeting. At a meeting no sooner than two weeks after the announcement, the membership will vote on whether or not to confirm the affiliation. A vote of 2/3 of members present is necessary to pass the motion. All affiliations made before the confirmation of this constitution will continue to hold.
Article XI Amendments
A. Any member seeking to amend the constitution shall present in writing a copy of the proposed amendment to an officer. The officer shall notify the Executive Committee immediately of such a proposed amendment and its consideration shall be placed on the agenda for the next meeting. The membership shall be given at least two weeks notice of the working of the amendment.
B. If a majority of the members attending and voting at the meeting vote in favor of the proposed amendment, or if 20% of the membership petition for the proposed amendment, the proposed amendment shall be voted upon by the membership. A positive vote of 2/3 of those present shall be required to pass the proposed amendment.
Article XII By-Laws
A. All changes to the By-Laws must be voted on at a meeting. Proposed changes shall be publicized through the listserv and website to the membership at least two weeks before the meeting at which the changes are to be voted on.
B. A simple majority of those present and voting shall be necessary to amend the By-Laws.
By-Laws
1. Access to Financial Records
A. Members may have access to the financial records of the TCGP.
B. Members who wish to examine the TCGP's financial records must contact the Treasurer to set up an appointment to review the records. The Treasurer, or his/her designee, must be present at all reviews to insure that the records remain whole.
C. The officers and members of the TCGP will at no time limit the rights of members to review TCGP records and to communicate their findings to other members.
