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GPCO proposals 003, 005, and 007 mark a troubling trend in internal Colorado Green Party affairs. I have held my tongue about the behavior of our GPCO co-chairs on social media since I joined the Colorado Green Party on May 1, 2013. But in light of these proposals for mutual-destruction, I need to speak out.Proposal 003-16 to endorse ColoradoCare, Amendment 69: Andrea Merida took an early position against ColoradoCare. In June 2015 Andrea alleged that, with ColoradoCare, employees would pay more health care tax than their employer. This is not true; employers will pay twice as much as employees. Andrea alleged that the Governor of Colorado would appoint the entire interim Board of Trustees and the Colorado Secretary of State would control election of the permanent Board of Trustees. These allegations are all false, as anyone who has read the text of Amendment 69 knows. Andrea has consistently refused to acknowledge these misstatements. Mysteriously, proposal 003-16 was never voted on by GPCO Council. Andrea used her dominant position in the party to suppress the vote so she wouldn't have to admit her ignorance of the actual amendment. Proposal 005 to impeach Co-chair Bill Bartlett:The constant flaming of people on social media with accusations of sexism and racism has been a problem for years. Bill and Andrea both have long-standing reputations for rude, profane statements on the GPUS discussion group and their personal pages. Andrea's reputation for sexist and racist slurs is well known. The GPUS discussion group has had to delete entire conversations that Andrea turned into battles over race and gender. In 2014, I requested a meeting with co-chairs Bill and Andrea about the harm caused their aggressive behavior. Andrea refused to meet, claiming that her behavior was “not legitimate party business”.We must have party leaders who take seriously their responsibility to model Green Party values. A person's skin color and gender must not be a litmus test for party membership. Proposal 007 to elect interim co-chairs:GPCO desperately needs a leadership team that can function in service to Greens in Colorado. But I'm not convinced that electing interim co-chairs on such short notice is the best way to go about it. The latest GPCO reorganization meeting was in August, 2015. There were 5 candidates: myself, Andrea Merida, Bill Bartlett, Larry Dunn, and Tom Hall. When it was obvious that Andrea would be elected, because she was the only Green woman in Colorado willing to serve, I dropped out prior to the voting. Serving with Andrea would have turned me into a nervous wreck. Tom, Larry, and Bill have subsequently resigned their offices.I have a two-fold suggestion:1. Convene the 2017 annual reorganization meeting as soon as possible in 2017. It is normal for political parties to reorganize (elect officers) in February or March, to get a good start on the next election cycle. An early annual meeting will help the party be more effective and also addresses our problem with warring co-chairs.2. Assemble a slate of officer candidates that will work together cooperatively in the interest of the Colorado Green Party and mold it into the grassroots, decentralized, feminist organization that the 10 key values demand. Here are some questions for a new leadership team to consider (see GPCA 10 KV): 1. How can we replace the cultural ethics of dominance and control with more cooperative ways of interacting?2. How can we encourage people to care about persons outside their own group?3. How can we promote the building of respectful, positive and responsible relationships across the lines of gender and other divisions? 4. How can we encourage a rich, diverse political culture that respects feelings as well as rationalist approaches?If you want to help put together a leadership team that can actually work together toward a grassroots party, please let me know.Harry Hempy303-459-0172
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