SHAWNEE GREEN PARTY
[As revised March 27, 2007]
ARTICLE I: Name and Purpose
A. Name and Affiliation.
The name of this organization shall be the Shawnee
Green Party.It is affiliated with both the Illinois Green Party and the
Green Party of the United States.The
Shawnee Green Party shall coordinate its activities with the SIU Campus
Shawnee Greens.
B. Purpose.
The purpose of the Shawnee Green Party is to promote,
in Southern Illinois, the Ten Key Values of the Greens, as defined in the
Platform of the Illinois Green Party
[see Appendix].The Ten Key Values are Ecological Wisdom, Social Justice,
Grassroots Democracy, Nonviolence, Decentralization, Community-Based Economics,
Feminism, Respect for Diversity, Personal and Global Responsibility,
and Future Focus.
ARTICLE II: Membership
A. Members.
The Shawnee Green Party shall be composed of individual
members who reside in the counties of Alexander, Jackson, Perry, Pulaski,
Randolph, Union, and
Washington of the state of Illinois.
B. The highest decision-making body of the Shawnee Green Party shall
be the Membership, which shall be composed of all members in good standing,
shall meet at
least monthly, and shall elect the four Officers and a fifth member
of the Coordinating Committee once every two years.A membership meeting
shall not be
empowered to take action unless all members in good standing have seven
days’ prior notice of the meeting.
C. Values.
All members must be committed to the Ten Key Values.
D. Application.
Individuals wishing to become members must submit an application to the Membership Chairperson.
E. Dues.
1.All members must pay dues or request a dues waiver
based on need.
2.The amount of dues shall be established by the
Coordinating Committee (Sec. IV.B).
3.Members who have paid current dues or received
a dues waiver as certified by the Treasurer are members-in-good-standing.
F. Privileges of Membership.
All members-in-good-standing may participate in decision-making
provided they have been a member-in-good-standing for at least three months
after their
admission, have paid current dues or received a dues waiver, and have
attended at least one regular business meeting.
G. Removal.
1. Any member can be removed from the organization
by a vote of four of the five members of the Coordinating Committee (Sec.
IV.B), or by a 3/4
majority in a secret ballot vote of the members at a regularly scheduled
Membership meeting.
2. The member affected shall have the right
to hear the charges against them, the right to be heard and to present
evidence, and the right to confront witnesses
against them.
3. A member may only be removed for a clearly defined cause based on the stated values of the organization.
4. If a member is removed by the Coordinating
Committee, the member can appeal that removal to a Membership meeting.
ARTICLE III: Officers
A. The Shawnee Green Party shall have officers charged with specific
duties and responsibilities and elected by the Membership at a meeting
in the first quarter of
each odd-numbered year, for two-year terms. The officers are:
1. A Chairperson, who will (1) plan — in collaboration
with the Secretary — an agenda in advance of each meeting, (2) appoint
a Facilitator for each
meeting, (3) be the organization’s primary spokesperson for authorized
communication with the general public, and (4) be responsible for maintaining
the
basic functioning of the organization and seeing that its decisions
are carried out.
2. A Secretary, who will (1) plan — in collaboration
with the Chairperson — an agenda in advance of each meeting, (2) keep minutes
of meetings and
disseminate them to the Membership, (3) publicize Party meetings and
events, and (4) act as the Shawnee Green Party’s official correspondent
and maintain
its United States Post Office box and e-mail box.
3. A Treasurer, who will (1) collect membership
dues, (2) maintain the Party’s checking account, (3) issue monthly financial
statements detailing income and
disbursements, and (4) file required financial forms where required.The
Treasurer can disburse funds only with the approval of the Membership or
the Coordinating
Committee.Recurring expenses, such as subscriptions, should be reapproved
annually.
4. A Membership Chairperson, who will (1) manage
applications for membership, (2) maintain a list of current members-in-good-standing,
to be given to all
members, and (3) engage in outreach and recruitment of new members.
5. An At-Large Member of the Coordinating Committee, who will participate as a member of the Coordinating Committee in its decision-making.
B. Vacancies
If a vacancy occurs in the position of any of the
Officers, that vacancy will be filled for the remainder of the term by
a special election at the next business meeting.
ARTICLE IV: Committees
There shall be a Coordinating Committee composed
of the four Officers plus a fifth member elected by the Membership at a
meeting in the first quarter of
each odd-numbered year, for a two-year term.The Coordinating Committee
shall be empowered to take action in the name of the Membership between
the
Membership meetings.Any member of the Coordinating Committee can call
a meeting of the Committee.The Coordinating Committee is not empowered
to
take action unless all members of the committee have received reasonable
notice of the meeting or of the proposal at issue.
ARTICLE V: Decision-Making
Decisions made by the Shawnee Green Party and its
committees will be by consensus among members present at a business meeting.In
the event consensus
cannot be reached, then a proposal may be approved by a 2/3 majority
vote, except as otherwise designated in these Bylaws.
ARTICLE VI: AMENDMENT
These Bylaws may be amended by a 3/4 majority vote
at a regular business meeting, provided that the Membership has been notified
of the proposed
amendment at least 25 days prior to the meeting.
Appendix: The 10 Key Values
(as defined by the Illinois Green Party at
www.greens.org/illinois/keyvalues.html)
1) Ecological Wisdom. The Greens recognize that the
Earth sustains all life processes. Green ecology moves beyond environmentalism
by understanding the
common roots of the abuse of people. Whatever we do to the web of life,
we do to ourselves.
2) Social Justice. Greens want to replace the worldwide
system of poverty and injustice with a world free of all oppression based
on class, gender, race,
citizenship, age, or sexual orientation.
3) Grassroots Democracy. The powerless suffer the
most from resource depletion and toxic pollution. Greens believe in direct
participation by all people in
the environmental, political, and economic decisions that affect their
lives
4) Nonviolence. Greens reject violence as a way of
settling disputes -- it is shortsighted, morally wrong, and ultimately
self-defeating. We are working to
create a world where war is obsolete.
5) Decentralization. Power and responsibility must
be restored to local communities within an overall framework of ecologically
sound and socially just
values and lifestyles.
6) Community Based Economics. Greens seek a new economics
based upon the natural limits of the Earth, which meets the basic needs
of everyone on the
planet, under democratic, localized community control.
7) Feminism. The Green movement is profoundly inspired
by feminist values. The ethics of cooperation and understanding must replace
the values of
domination and control over others.
8) Respect for Diversity. Greens honor the biological
diversity of the Earth and the cultural, sexual, and spiritual diversity
of Earth's people. We aim to
reclaim this country's finest ideals: popular democracy, the dignity
of the individual, and liberty and justice for all.
9) Personal and Global Responsibility. Greens demonstrate
a commitment to global sustainability and international justice through
political solidarity and in
personal lifestyles based on self-sufficiency and living lightly.
10) Future Focus. Greens seek a society where the
interests of the seventh generation are considered equal to the interests
of the present. We must reclaim
the future for our children and ourselves.