[okeefe-updates] What's new, a suggestion, a belated thanks and some important info!

Tue Mar 18 01:20:43 EST 2003

What's new, a suggestion, a belated thanks and some important info!

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1.  What have I been doing?
2.  Intensive Campaign Training, March 22-23, Amherst MA
3.  A Belated thanks!
4.  What am I going to do with the mailing list and web site?
5.  Opt out of getting your contact info sent to the Greens
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1.  What have I been doing?
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Other than dreading that we have less than fourty three hours till our illegal 
invasion of Iraq starts, I have been getting back to some semblance of a normal 
life.  Life with family and work.  

I have been thinking about what to do next and I am still active in the renamed 
Green-Rainbow Party.  I have been working with a bunch of dedicated folks on 
the candidate development committee figuring out how we can run many successful 
candidates for the 2004 election.  You can find out more at:

http://www.green-rainbow.org/Committees/Candidate_Development_Legal

If you are interested in running, fill out the form at:

http://www.green-rainbow.org/Elections/runforofficeform.html

What with Bush Co.'s rush to war and the growth of people willing to support 
Green politics in Massachusetts in the last year, there is a real need to make 
sure people have the skills to run issue and political campaigns.  On that note 
I would like to suggest that you attend the following training session THIS 
WEEKEND.  We held it last August and it was both well attended and received.

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2.  Intensive Campaign Training, March 22-23, Amherst MA
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http://www.green-rainbow.org/calendar/1046961479.46

The Green-Rainbow Party of Massachusetts is bringing Karen Kubby, an
experienced campaigner and teacher with the Independent Progressive Politics
Network, to lead an exciting two-day workshop on how to run a political or
issue campaign. If you are running for office, helping with an issue campaign,
or if you want to learn more about community organizing, this is for you!

The workshop is a dynamic combination of discussion, small group tasks and
skills practice. It is an experiential workshop, so participants are expected
to come ready to stretch themselves and try some new things.

Karen Kubby has been a community activist in Johnson County, Iowa since 1979.
She served eleven years on the City Council in Iowa City, Iowa. She is the
major author of the IPPN campaign manual. Karen is an experienced
teacher/trainer and has developed and led many activist experiential learning
workshops across the country. She is currently on the National Committee of the
Socialist Party, USA, a Steering Committee Member of the IPPN and belongs to
the Johnson County (Iowa) Green Party.

WHERE

The Hitchcock Center for the Environment, 525 So. Pleasant St. (Rte. 116),
Amherst (map and directions at www.hitchcockcenter.org). If you need a place to

stay, please let us know when you enroll.

WHEN

March 22-23. Saturday 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Sunday 8 a.m. to noon.

TUITION

$50, includes campaign training handbook, coffee & bagel breakfasts, and
Saturday pizza dinner. Bring your own lunch and snacks. Tuition is refundable
on or before 3/18/03; tuition is transferable.

HOW

RSVP as soon as possible and not later than 3/18, by:

o  Calling local coordinator Lara Valigorsky at (413) 665-8787 to confirm your
registration and to receive further information; and

o  Mailing your tuition (checks payable to Karen Kubby) to Lara Valigorsky, 44
So. Silver Lane, Sunderland, MA 01375.

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3.  A Belated thanks!
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One thing I have been doing is searching for the names of the many people who 
helped out with the campaign.  I thanked a number of them at the election day 
party and the web site is a constant thanks to the 163,000 people who voted for 
me.

But it is time to move on to other projects and I need to put down my thanks to 
those who helped in so many ways.

First, Melanie, my wife, and Liam, my son, for enduring all of the hours the 
campaign took away from us.

Second, Mary Ann Benda, my mom and my mom-in-law-and-love, Denise Campbell.

Third, my campaign managers, Vanessa Bliss and Shelley Fite, without whoes help 
the campaign would not have been as successful as it was.

Fourth, my campaign chairperson, Rich Macchi, for his many tireless hours 
making sure things went right.

Fifth, the O'Keefe/Stein/Lorenzen crew who got us to election day in so many 
ways:  Nancy Banton, Laura Jennings-Cranford, Kate Vacanti, Pat Keaney and 
Michael Gainer.

Sixth, the O'Keefe/Stein/Lorenzen crew who got us on the ballot and nearly to 
qualifying for Clean Elections:  Stephen Muise, Clare Shipley, Andrew Hinkel as 
well as Brian, Tom, Paul, Corey and Leah.

Seventh, Keri Koenig and Yale Zussman for their many hours getting the campaign 
finances setup.

Eighth, Christine Dorchak, Carey Theil, David Dionne, Gil Obler, Elie Yarden, 
Vince O'Connor, Grace Ross and Andreas
for their sound advice and tremendous help.

Nineth, the Web site/Mailing List/Graphic Design Crew:

David Beemon 
Stacy Crosby
Elisabeth Parker
Gregory Dennis
Jason King
Dan Keshet
Dan Melnechuk
Jeff O'Neill

Tenth, my fellow candidates:

Jill Stein
Tony Lorenzen
Michael Aleo
Sue Bartone
Paul Lachelier
Jonathan Leavitt
Peter White

Eleventh, the volunteers who gave way more than they should have:

Rose Gonzalez
Devon McCullough
Eli Beckerman
Aimee Smith
Jenn Pipp
Dave Strozzi
Garrett Quinn
Michael Castronova
Ken Ostrander
Michelle Kawka
Hal Reed
Karen Woodland
Nancy Lee Wood
Leah Chiavacci
Cris Shuldiner
Richard Cranford
Lisa Goldstein
Laurie Beth Brunner
Bill Bumpus
Regis Donovan
Olive Patrick
Pat McSweeney

Twelfth, the folks who were always willing to lend me their knowledge on the 
issues: 

Brian Corr
Mel King
Gray Hicks
Rob O'Leary
Shelley Alpern
John Berg
Simon Billenness
Jim Campen
Robert Zevin
Mike Prokosh

And last, but definitely not least, John Bonifaz, David Donnelly and the folks 
at Mass. Voters for Clean Elections and the National Voting Rights Institute 
for fighting to get the legislature to abide by the will of the people and to 
fund the Clean Elections law.

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4.  What am I going to do with the mailing list and web site?
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I hope to turn the web site into one that focuses on the Green Party and Green 
movement.  I have been connected to the Greens in one way or another since 1992 
or so and thought that I might be able to spread my knowledge of Green politics 
and Green history to a wider audience.  Well see.  Lots of more pressing things 
as you no doubt know.

The mailing list is going to go away except in as much as the archive will 
stick around for posterity's sake.  I have this thing about privacy and feel 
that once the list is done, any record of its addresses should go away.  As 
such, I recommend that if you are interested in receiving email about the Green-
Rainbow Party of Massachusetts, you should sign up to the announcements email 
list.  You can find a sign up form at:

http://www.massgreens.org/mailman/listinfo/announcements

Pat Keaney does a good job of sending out a good weekly announcement of what is 
going on in the Green-Rainbow Party.  The archives are here if you want to see 
what you are getting into:

http://www.massgreens.org/pipermail/announcements/

However, I may send out another email once I get the web site updated with its 
new purpose.

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5.  Opt out of getting your contact info sent to the Greens
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If you gave a contribution to my campaign, we plan to give the Green Party, and 
only the Green Party, your contact information unless you have told us not to.  
If you would prefer to opt out so that we won't give your contact information 
to the Green Party, please fill out the form at:

http://www.jamesokeefe.org/privacy/optout.html

peace,

Jamie