Executive committee meeting 2021-12-27

[These minutes were approved by the executive committee on 1 February 2022.]

Adelante Progress Caucus Executive Committee

Minutes of regular meeting

27 December 2021

The Executive Committee of the Adelante Progressive Caucus of the Democratic Party of New Mexico convened for a regular monthly meeting on Zoom from 6:30 pm to 8:00 pm on Monday 27 December 2021.

Attendance

Present

Executive Committee members:

  • Athena Christodoulou (Political Director)
  • Patricia French (Vice-Chair)
  • Cheryl Harris (Chair)
  • Dimid Hayes (Treasurer)
  • Samuel Nevarez (Congressional District 1 Chair)
  • Nicole Olonovich (Administrative Director)
  • Michael Sperberg-McQueen (Secretary)

Other caucus members:

  • ViAnn Beadle
  • Cricket Courtney
  • Frances Gonzales
  • Karlyne Nordholm (webmaster)
  • Maurreen Skowran

Absent:

  • Colton Dean (At-Large Officer)

Agenda

The agenda as distributed follows.

  1. Call to Order and Quorum Check/ Roll Call- Michael
  2. Welcome all- visitors, members, officers- Cheryl
  3. Adoption of Agenda- Cheryl
  4. Reading and Approval of Oct and Nov minutes- Michael
  5. Officer Reports:
    • Treasurer- Dimid
    • Chair
    • Any others as needed
  6. Unfinished business:
    • A. Set a new date for membership tracking committee to meet
    • B. Review of Redistricting- any final observations and comments?
    • C. Legislative Committee (Athena):
      • Survey of priority legislation
      • Governor’s call
      • Green Amendment status and meeting on Jan 8th with EJ Caucus
    • D. Invitation to join the national coalition of progressive caucuses- Jan 12 at 6 pm (Pia)
      Speaker is Rep. Nina Turner, former State Rep from Ohio and Chair of the Bernie Sanders 2020 campaign and Judith Whitmer follow up on Nevada party situation
  7. New Business:
    • A. Endorsements–which races? what format? dates? committee? money? time?
    • B. Working with CD2 Blue NM (Dimid and/or ViAnne)
    • C. SCC and elected delegates to 3-5-22 Convention
    • D. SPARC new platform to be presented at SCC meeting (Jay)

      preview it with us at a monthly meeting?
    • E. Newsletter schedule and improvement and help
    • F. Social Media training- can we spend money if necessary to hire a trainer?
  8. Announcements: General Meeting with ABQ Mayor Tim Keller on Jan 6th , also possible protests?
  9. Adjournment

Minutes

1 Call to order and quorum check

The chair called the meeting to order at 6:32 pm. Roll was called; six of eight EC members being present, the meeting had a quorum.

2 Introduction of guests, members, and executive committee members

There were no guests, so no introductions were needed.

3 Adoption of agenda

The agenda sent by the chair was reviewed and adopted with two amendments.

  • The political director asked to cover agenda item 6C in an officer’s report.
  • Maurreen Skowran asked for time to make a proposal; this will happen immediately after the officers’ reports.

The agenda was approved without dissent (moved by NO, seconded by PF).

4 Reading and approval of minutes

In accordance with the policy adopted on 22 November, the EC reviewed the draft minutes of recent member meetings to correct them before publication and adoption by a future regular member meeting. The draft minutes of the member meetings of 7 October 2021, 4 November 2021, and 2 December 2021 were reviewed. There being no corrections, they will be placed on the web site for approval at a future members meeting.

The draft minutes of the regular EC meeting of 22 November 2021, the emergency EC meeting of 8 December 2021, and the special EC meeting of 15 December 2021 were reviewed. The following corrections had been offered via email before the meeting:

  • In the minutes of 8 December, for quorium read quorum.
  • In the minutes of 15 December, include Athena Christodoulou and Samuel Nevarez to the list of attendees.

There being no further corrections, all three sets of minutes were approved (moved MSM, seconded NO) and will be published on the web site in accordance with the caucus policy of 2 October 2018.

5 Reports of officers and committee chairs

5.1 Treasurer

The treasurer reported income for the month of $141, and expenses of $17.30 (all Act Blue fees).

There is now $4857.04 in the account.

5.2 Political director

The political director reported that we need to be preparing for the regular legislative session which begins on 18 January. The legislative action team will be meeting Sundays from 4 to 5 (meeting dates and information is on the web site). There will also be a discussion of the upcoming legislative session on 10 January from 7 pm to 9 pm combined with a meeting of the Environmental Justice Caucus.

ACTION: KN to update information on the 10 January meeting in web site list of events.

Five legislators are lined up to help train people. The big legislation expected in this session is the Green Amendment. The governor has mentioned three topics that will be on the call for the session: net zero by 2050, clean fuel standards, and the hydrogen hub.

AC has commented on these topics and will share her comments if people are interested.

KN suggested that if we are co-hosting the Jan 10 meeting, we should try to get an updated announcement in the Blue Review.

ACTION: CH / AC to take care of an updated announcement of the 10 January meeting in the Blue Review.

AC suggested that we should attempt to arrange regular meetings with our Congressional delegation; talking to them is the best way to push them towards more progressive positions.

The CD chairs could take the lead in setting up meetings with the House members, and the vice-chair in setting up meetings with the two Senators. The key tasks, she said, are scheduling the meeting and developing a list of topics in consultation with the chair and the political director.

PF said she would be happy to help with the senators.

CH encouraged people to participate in the “DPBC 2022 Legislative Action Expo” scheduled for 8 January from 9 to 11:30 am.

6 Albuquerque policing, and Mayor Keller at January meeting

Maurreen Skowran raised the possibility of writing a letter to the editor to address problems in the Albuquerque Police Department and to raise the possibility of the city shutting APD down and contracting for police services with the NM State Police.

If there is interest, she would be willing to draft a letter to the editor.

CH suggested this should be discussed in connection with the members meeting of 6 January, at which Mayor Keller is the invited guest. She noted that the meeting might turn out positively, but that it might also prove contentious. One rationale for inviting him is that with Albuquerque now split between CD-1 and CD-2, the mayor of the city needs to take a leadership role statewide; what do others think?

There was discussion. As an alternative to contracting with the state police, some thought it would be better to put all local law enforcement in Bernalillo County under the control of the sheriff, who is at least elected locally.

There were varying views on whether those outside the Albuquerque area would or should find the meeting topic of interest.

CH asked PF and SN to host the meeting and to prepare questions for the mayor, trying to focus the discussion and avoid having it turn into a recapitulation of his standard stump speech. She also asked MS to go ahead and draft her letter, and to consider a letter to city councillors in addition to or instead of a letter to the editor.

6. Unfinished Business

6.B Review of Redistricting

We discussed the special session of the legislature on redistricting.

Varying views were expressed; some were disappointed especially in the failure of the Senate to adopt any of the maps sent to the legislature by the Citizen Redistricting Committee or to offer clear reasons for deviating from the CRC maps, and in the fact that the critical negotiations in the Senate appear to have taken place behind closed doors rather than in open meetings. In all of these respects, some felt the House had done better. Others stressed that the maps adopted by the Senate had strong support from groups representing people of color and suggested that in light of that fact it was short-sighted and unprogressive to criticize the Senate’s process.

7. New business

7.A Endorsements

CH asked if we wanted to make endorsements in statewide races in 2022; there was consensus that we do, though uncertainty about whether we have the resources to do all the necessary work.

ACTION: PF to head the 2022 endorsements effort.

8. Announcements

CH noted that the legislature would be in session in January and February; members need to be prepared to lobby their legislators in favor of progressive legislation. We’ll have a better idea of what bills might fit that description once the prefiling period starts on 4 January.

Athena Christodoulou will be in charge of the caucus’s legislative effort.

If there is a constitutional amendment to set up an independent redistricting commission, CH said, we will back it.

CH pointed again to the 8 January Bernalillo County “DPBC 2022 Legislative Action Expo”.

She suggested inviting Jay Levine as a speaker in February, in his role as chair of the the DPNM SPARC.

She also noted that petition signatures for statewide offices are due 1 February and encouraged APC members to collect signatures in January for their favored candidates. For districted offices, the deadline is 8 March.

9 Adjournment

The meeting adjourned at 8:20 pm.

Summary of New Action Items

ACTION: KN to update information on the 10 January meeting in web site list of events.

ACTION: CH / AC to take care of an updated announcement of the 10 January meeting in the Blue Review.

ACTION: PF to head the 2022 endorsements effort.