Summer 2009 Illinois Green Party Membership Meeting

July 17-19, 209

Champaign-Urbana

About the Meeting

The Illinois Green Party is excited to announce that it will hold its statewide meeting in Champaign-Urbana July 17th-19th.   At this meeting attendees will have the chance to participate in the recognizing of the Green Party statewide candidates in 2010, including candidates for Governor and U.S. Senate.  In addition, a number of interesting workshops will be held on a variety of Green issues, values, and campaigning. 

A pdf version of the meeting mailing can be downloaded here.

Who Should Attend

Green Party members, students, prospective candidates, educators, professionals, media, environmental activists, social justice groups, community activists and leaders, social workers, public health workers, and all others interested in the Green Party and/or Green issues and values are invited to attend the three day event.

Registration

The cost to attend all three days is 25 dollars.  There is a 10 dollar option for low-income attendees.  The cost for the fundraising dinner on Saturday night is an additional 25 dollars with a 10 dollar low-income rate.

Please register online OR by filling out this form and returning it by mail.

Locations

Friday night social:

Crane Alley
Top Floor
115 W Main St.
Urbana 61801

Saturday all day events and Fundraising dinner:

Amtrak Station in Champaign,4th Floor

45 E University Ave

Champaign 61820

Sunday all day events:

Eastland Suites Hotel and Conference Center

1907 North Cunningham Avenue

Urbana 61802

Meeting Schedule

Schedule subject to changes.  Check www.ilgp.org for updates

Friday, Crane Alley

6:30pm  Green Party mixer

10pm  End time

Saturday, Illinois Terminal

9am   Registration
10am  Welcome, Introductions, Agenda Approval
10:30am  Nominations and Speeches
12:30pm  Lunch (on your own)
2:00pm  Voting for Candidate Recognition
3:30pm  Press Conference
4pm   Electoral Strategy Session
7pm   Fundraising Dinner
10pm  End Time
Workshops will also be held concurrently from 2pm through 6:30pm.

Sunday, Eastland Suites

9am   Breakfast
10am  Plenary
11:30am  Lunch (included)
1pm   Party Building Workshops

Silent Auction

We will be holding a silent auction at our fundraising dinner.  We are asking attendees to donate quality items to auction off in order to raise money for the party.  Past items have included: gift baskets, handmade jewelry, wine, art, autographed books, gift certificates, etc.  

Please bring your item to the meeting and drop it off Saturday before lunch at the registration table.

Recognition of Statewide Candidates

The 2010 election cycle has already begun.  At the July 2009 meeting, the ILGP will be recognizing candidates for statewide office.  This will allow us to more efficiently collect petition signatures for our selected candidates.  The offices up for election include: Governor, Lieutenant Governor, U.S. Senator, Attorney General, Secretary of State, Treasurer, and Comptroller.  

Candidates will be recognized by the state party membership on Saturday, July 18th, 2009.  If you are interested in nominating yourself for one of these posts, please contact Phil Huckelberry: phil.huckelberry@ilgp.org, 309-268-9974.  See the included Call For Candidates for more information.

Workshops

Workshop Topics will include:

Issues Workshops –  Gardening and Local Foods: Practices and Politics, The Coop Alternative, Transition Towns,
Green Health Care Solutions with Rich Whitney

Campaign School – Putting Together a Campaign Team, Public Speaking and Debates, Fundraising for Fun and Progress, Working with the Media: Old and New

Party Building – Building/Re-building a Local, State Party Strategic Planning, Membership Recruitment/Retention, Forming a Campus Greens,

Lodging

The Illinois Green Party has blocked off rooms at the Eastland Suites Hotel and Conference Center.
Eastland Suites Hotel and Conference Center
Call and Reserve at:  1-800-253-8331
Online reservations: https://res.eastlandsuitesurbana.com/
 • Remember to tell them you are with the Illinois Green Party in order to get the group rate.

 • Eastland Suites provides a free shuttle to and from the Amtrak station where Saturday’s events are being held.  We encourage attendees to take the train to Champaign and to utilize the hotel shuttle.  Champaign-Urbana also boasts a strong public transportation system and we encourage you to take advantage of it: http://www.cumtd.com.

 • Sunday’s events are held at this hotel and lunch will be included.  In addition, the hotel provides a free continental breakfast. 

 • The hotel offers a variety of room choices, many of which we have blocked off.  Please inquire when you call.

 • We encourage room-sharing.  Please email Susan Rodgers at susanraerodgers@gmail.com in order to connect with other Greens looking for a roommate.

 • In order to receive the group rate reservations must be received no later than June 30th!

Home-stays for low-income attendees

There will be limited free lodging with Greens in the area available to low-income attendees.  Please email Susan Rodgers at susanraerodgers@gmail.com if you are in need of a place to stay.  Free lodging cannot be guaranteed.

Other Hotels

There are many other hotels in the area if you are looking for another option.  Some others include Holiday

Inn, La Quinta, Sleep Inn, the Illini Union, and the I-Hotel.

Transportation

Champaign-Urbana is accessible via mass transit from several areas across the state.  We strongly encourage you to take mass transit or carpool to the convention.  Saturday’s events will occur at the train station and the other venues are accessible via local public transit and the hotel shuttle.  Below are some of the mass transit options:

Amtrak: http://www.amtrak.com
Greyhound: http://www.greyhound.com/
Illini Shuttle: http://www.illinishuttle.com/
Lincolnland Express: http://www.lincolnlandexpress.com/

When in town, you can use the local public transit system at a minimal cost:
Champaign-Urbana Mass Transit District: http://cumtd.com/

The 5E Green connects the train station to Crane Alley, while the 13W Silver takes you from Crane Alley to Eastland Suites.  The hotel will provide shuttles to and from the train station, but the CUMTD also connects the two locations with a transfer.

A map of the area and the venues can be found here.

http://tinyurl.com/oe6547

Transportation questions can be directed to Tom Abram: tom.abram@ilgp.org,
217.417.7118
 

Call for Candidates for 2010 Elections

The Green Party is one of three ballot-qualified parties in Illinois.  In 2010, the Green Party will have the opportunity to run candidates for every partisan race in the state, including U.S. Senator, Governor and Lieutenant Governor, Attorney General, Secretary of State, State Treasurer, and State Comptroller; all 19 U.S. House seats; 20 Illinois Senate seats; all 118 Illinois House seats; and hundreds of county-level office, including County Clerk, County Treasurer, and County Sheriff in most counties, and about half of all County Board seats across the state.

In 2008, 56 Green candidates appeared on the ballot somewhere in Illinois.  For 2010, we would like to double that number.  We are hoping to field a full slate of statewide candidates, candidates in most congressional races, candidates in at least 20% of all state legislative races, and dozens of candidates for county office!

Given the perpetual state of corruption in Springfield, the perpetual failure of Washington to end the occupations of Iraq and Afghanistan and to even consider Single Payer Health Care, and so many other problems at all levels of governance, it is critical that Greens challenge the status quo – by challenging status quo candidates.

At the July 18-19 meeting in Champaign, there will be much discussion about petitioning, fundraising, and more.  Prospective candidates for all offices are strongly encouraged to attend the meeting and the workshops offered at the meeting, and to interact with other Greens who may be

in a position to provide volunteer or financial support.

IF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN RUNNING FOR STATEWIDE OFFICE, you will need to submit a relevant questionnaire to Phil Huckelberry, Illinois Green Party Chair.  To be considered for recognition as an official Green candidate, you will need to submit your questionnaire by the time of the July 18-19 meeting, and preferably by July 1.  You can get a copy of the questionnaire at www.ilgp.org or by emailing phil.huckelberry@ilgp.org.  The Illinois Green Party will only recognize candidates who are party members.

IF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN RUNNING FOR CONGRESSIONAL, LEGISLATIVE, OR COUNTY OFFICE, a relevant questionnaire can similarly be received at www.ilgp.org or by emailing phil.huckelberry@ilgp.org.  The state party generally does not recognize candidates for offices which are not statewide; this is a function that is generally left to local parties. 

Candidates should be aware of what expectations rank and file Greens will have for their campaigns, and about what can be expected in terms of party, volunteer, and financial support.  All of these things will vary based on the size of the office, the strength of the local party, and other circumstances particular to the race.  We want to help candidates determine what the best office to run for might be and what running for office will consist of – so do not hesitate to contact us!

If you have any questions about running for office, please do not hesitate to contact your local party, or to contact Phil Huckelberry at phil.huckelberry@ilgp.org or 309-268-9974, or check out the prospective candidates page at www.ilgp.org.