Hi Nadja--have you heard how many caucuses passed your resolution? I
received it so late Tuesday--and the form was unusable and a not-editable
pdf--so I had to give up and leave it behind.
The state DFL platform committee--which ultimately receives all resolutions
after they have passed from caucuses to congressional district
conventions--issued strong suggestions last year for formatting
resolutions. Adopting their suggested format saves time on all sides.
I have attached the official resolution form in editable .docx form. When
a resolution is carried to the caucus it should have the top section filled
out completely. This tells the folks at the next two state levels who,
exactly, carried the resolution to the caucus, and it gives contact
information so the carrier or author can be reached. We also need to know
that individual's congressional district (1 thru 8), their organizing unit
info (in StPaul, for instance, it would be with state legislative district
64 or 65) and precinct number. By the time the process reaches the state
level, the committee is working with thousands of resolutions--all on
paper--and without that identifying info, ultimately the resolution stalls
and all your work is out the window.
The resolution itself should be written in plain English--no more whereases
and be it resolveds. The resolution should put forth exactly what the
action is supposed to be, describing a piece of legislation to be created
or an action to be done. The resolution cannot conflict with the state
platform and action agenda, which are available on the DFL website. The
resolution also should not simply repeat something already on the state
platform or action agenda. A resolution should either be new or should
somehow refine something on the platform or action agenda. A resolution
should not be a mere feel-good suggestion, like "the DFL supports
affordable housing".
Legislation is written at the statehouse, not in a resolution. A sample
resolution might be "The DFL should support a beverage-container redemption
bill" For illustration you could add, "....similar to that in New York
State" (and give a relevant url). More and more resolutions are taken to
caucuses every year and we need to be able to BE BRIEF BUT COMPLETE.
Every year's caucuses are about a different level of government; this year
is primarily focused on the state. So your resolutions should address what
works on the state level (or can be done by those we send to Washington).
Next year will be local government, so resolutions should be addressed to
what people can achieve in their cities, towns, and counties.
Does this all make sense? Ideally, your group would begin thinking about
resolutions for the early February caucuses no later than December. You
should be asking for help or suggestions from your members at the beginning
of January, and have your completed resolutions--on the forms voters will
carry--available on your website at least a week before the caucus.
Your group's strategies should realize that most people don't really
understand the process. That's why you want the resolution form all ready
to go. You need to tell them they have to fill in the relevant
identification info. Again in the state platform committee, we realize
that to succeed at the state convention, a resolution needs to show that it
has legs. We now ask that for consideration, resolutions come to us from
at least five precinct caucuses in at least two congressional districts.
That's why your group needs to have them prepared and available and sent
out to your members by a week in advance, so they will be spread across the
state.
Various DFL committees are working to make this information available to
groups like your well in advance. This is not an official letter--I am
just a supporter of your group and I would like to see its resolutions
succeed. Please let me know if I can help you prepare next year.
Diggitt McLaughlin
St Paul, city resolutions committee
CD4, resolutions committee
DFL state platform committee
On Tue, Feb 6, 2018 at 11:07 AM, Nadja Berneche <<email obscured>>
wrote:
Rest of post
> Hello community garden friends,
> Many of you know that I love caucuses. I love them because they are our
> opportunity to engage at the most grassroots level and impact our political
> system.
>
> Did you know: A party's platform is built starting by resolutions
> introduced at the precinct caucus level?
>
> And, today is the day in Minnesota! Caucuses start at 7pm in your
> neighborhood. You can sign in starting at 6:30pm If you haven't already
> found your location you can do so here
> <http://caucusfinder.sos.state.mn.us/>
> First-timers are encouraged and welcome!!
>
> Make sure to share the MN Food Systems Caucus Resolution
> <https://www.iatp.org/sites/default/files/2018-02/MN%
> 20Food%20Systems%20Caucus%20Resolution%20and%20Resource%202018.pdf>
> to
> introduce. You can print it out and take it with you. If you've never
> introduced a resolution before, you can learn more by watching the Food
> Systems Caucus 101 webinar that took place on January 31st. For those of
> you who were not able to attend the webinar live, we have a recording of
> the webinar here
> <https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1cBOSbzws0CkmNbsoVCzHW7zJGUDaPe33
> >.
>
> If you have been frustrated by the lack of discourse around food and
> farming issues in our political conversations, this is your chance to get
> that conversation moving!
>
> With love,
> nadja
>
>
> Nadja Berneche
> West 7th, St. Paul
> About/contact Nadja Berneche: http://forums.e-democracy.org/
> p/nadjaberneche1
>
>
>
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"We need not think alike to love alike"
is attributed to Ferenc Dรกvid
and is quoted here in honor of
the 450th anniversary of the Edict of Torda,
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