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Friends--
August 2023
In order to
assess the Green Party progress with building the party, Chris
Robinson (Philadelphia), GPPA Communication Team co-leader, asked
county leaders, “How do you feel about our 2023 Goals?” Robinson
explained, “I am trying to get a sense of what we are doing right, and
what we still need to work on.” Robinson received an interesting
report from Chair Riley Mahon, Green Party of Allegheny County
(GPOAC), “We are on track to reach all of the goals except for the 500
signatures one. I'll go through the goals one by one here...”
READ MAHON’S FULL REPORT
HERE
PA Green News
By Chris Robinson
At their
General Membership Meeting on June 27, the Green Party of Philadelphia
(GPOP) decided by consensus to join the Philadelphia Rent Control
Coalition. The coalition consists of a dozen community organizations
which plan to demand rent control legislation from Philadelphia City
Council . . . . "The idea of rent control is gaining more popularity,
even before the COVID-19 pandemic made worse this country's affordable
housing crisis," said long-time Green Party and Philadelphia Tenants
Union member, Asantewaa Nkrumah-Ture (Cedar Park) . . . . The Green
Party membership also appointed by consensus Alex Casper
(Francisville) to be their liaison to the Rent Control Coalition,
Casper said: “The City of Philadelphia currently has a 20-year
waitlist for public housing access. We are one of the fastest
inflating housing markets...” READ THE FULL STORY
HERE
PA Greens Celebrate Pride
Month
Allegheny Greens at Pittsburgh Pride on June
3
Greens at Lancaster Pride on June
17
Greens of Bucks and Montgomery Counties at BucksMont Pride
on June 25
Greens of Berks County at
Reading Pride in Jim Dietrich Park on July 16
Team
Report
Edited
by Patrick O. McNally
 Communication Team by Chris
Robinson and David Ochmanowicz Jr.
The GPPA ComTeam is now recruiting
new writers who need to express their Green Party perspective on local
politics, PA policy or world affairs. Please attend a ComTeam meeting
or send a draft to [email protected]
 Please join the Communication Team
right here
 Core Team by Theron Gilliland,
Jr.
The next Green Party of Pennsylvania Core Team meeting will be
scheduled shortly. Anyone who is interested in joining the Core Team
can email me at [email protected]
- our first major project will be aiding the GPPA Steering
Committee in updating information about the GPPA State Committee
delegates. We will also need to discuss the logistics for the
in-person September 2023 GPPA State Committee meeting in Philadelphia.
This will include providing remote participation support for the
meeting, working out any kinks that may be inherent in hybrid meeting
voting, and overall ensuring that accessibility and security concerns
are addressed.
Please join the Core Team right
here
 Green Wave Team by Theron Gilliland,
Jr.
The Green Party of Pennsylvania Green Wave Team recently met to
discuss the processes associated with GPUS presidential campaigns. Tim
Runkle gave an overview from the 2020 elections, and we discussed what
decisions will need to be made over the next several months to ensure
a smooth primary. This included deadlines and procedures from the GPUS
and GPPA by-laws, and state and federal election regulations.
Discussions will begin in earnest at the September 2023
in-person/hybrid GPPA State Committee meeting. The next Green Wave
Team Meeting will be on Thursday, August 24. In addition to the GPUS
presidential primaries, we also discuss providing support for local
Green Party candidates throughout Pennsylvania.
To learn more about the GPPA’s Action
Teams, please visit here
 Finance Team by Tre Schumacher
My term as GPPA Treasurer will soon be at its end, and between
being a full-time law student and juggling other responsibilities, I
will not run for re-election. As GPPA Treasurer, I have learned basic
and universal skills about finance, accounting, and law. I have truly
gained a lot from being Treasurer, and I can recommend the role as a
way to learn essential skills like bookkeeping and financial reporting
(which are technical, but not difficult), and as a resume builder.
These are skills that are good to have for any career.
If you are interested in being the next Treasurer, I will train you
-- the sooner the better. If you know someone who may be interested
in being the next GPPA Treasurer, please reach out to them and share
this opportunity.
Among the Finance Team’s goals for 2023 are the hosting of two
in-person fundraisers and six phone banks to urge Greens to become
dues-paying members. The Finance Team does not meet on a regular
basis, but rather on an ad hoc basis. If you would like to
participate on the Finance Team by fundraising, organizing a phone
banking drive, or assisting in duties such as managing the
merchandise, drafting the annual budget, bookkeeping, or compliance
and reporting, please sign up at the link below.
Please
join the Finance Team right here
Campaign
Updates
Edited
by Chris Robinson
Below are the four candidates who have already
contacted GREEN STAR at [email protected].
2023 Election, November 7
Michael Bagdes-Canning for
Re-Election to Mayor of Cherry Valley
Borough
Butler
County
Michael told GREEN STAR,
“Tiny boroughs like Cherry Valley are not well served by entities like
the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. One-size solutions just don’t
fit-all, and the state is incapable of addressing our needs. PA takes
– and encourages others to take – and gives us little in return. The
last 40 years have hollowed out our community – we’ve bled jobs and
young people; we’ve been ignored and patronized by politicians of red
and blue hues. In the face of climate chaos and the social breakdown
already knocking at our door, we cannot count on the state to know how
to respond. Our future depends on rekindling neighborliness and mutual
aid. My aim as Mayor is to start the process of re-connecting us to
each other and to our homeplace – Cherry Valley.”
Tara Yaney for Re-Election to
Edgewood Borough
Council
Allegheny
County
Jubalyn ExWilliams for
Harrisburg School Board
Dauphin
County
Jubalyn (she/her) told
GREEN STAR, “I am a member of Capital Area Greens, and a
member-at-large of the GPPA Steering Committee. In 2021, I ran for
office in a special election to fill a vacant office on the Harrisburg
School Board.”
Alex Noyle for Election to Auditor of East
Norriton Township
Montgomery County
Alex told GREEN STAR, “I am excited to announce that I am
running for East Norriton Township Auditor, having been bestowed the
endorsement of the Green Party of Montgomery County. I was raised in
East Norriton and have been an active contributor to the community for
many years. The local Cub Scout pack got me interested in volunteering
at a very young age. I have been attending food drives, community
events and clean-ups. I helped start a community garden and put
up historical documentation in the Norristown Farm Park.
I have a long-term vested interest in this town's wellbeing and future
prosperity because I work and pay taxes here.
What sets me apart
is that as a Green, I accept no money from corporations, lobbyists, or
super-PACs. The Green Party has no institutional power in East
Norriton or anywhere else in Montgomery County. Thus, I will have no
incentive as Auditor to cover up any irregularities. I believe it is a
bad idea for the parties in power to regulate themselves. We need a
third party to hold our government accountable. If elected, I promise
to be an independent, ethical watchdog of the township's
finances.”
National Green News
Edited by David Ochmanowicz
Jr.
Debunking the Lesser Evil Myth
Jill Stein’s keynote address to the
Green-Rainbow Party Convention, MA, on May 6.
WATCH THE VIDEO
HERE
Declaration of Independence from Fossil Fuels
 We hold these truths to be
self-evident, that the burning of fossil fuels is a leading
contributor to climate change. As a result of our addiction to fossil
fuels, extreme weather, melting ice caps and glaciers, global sea
level rise, diminishing food and water supplies, forced migration, and
damage to public health threaten the world’s populations. A new
climate organizing handbook by the Green Education and Legal Fund –
Putting Out the Planetary Fire – lays out the existential
threat to human life and civilization posed by climate change while
providing the tools to win the needed changes. Please join the March
to End Fossil Fuels in NYC on September 17 at the UN Climate Ambitions
Summit. READ
THE FULL STORY HERE
Happy Inter-dependence Day California
As Greens we do want to acknowledge and
celebrate the rejection of monarchy as a form of government. May we
resign the concept of "Divine Right of Kings" to the dustbin of
history forever. So this July 4th many of us will be celebrating a
"Declaration of Interdependence" to acknowledge that we are all
connected to all other people, even those with whom we disagree.
Deeper still, we are all part of an interconnected web of life that
includes all living things and natural elements. READ THE FULL STORY
HERE
Global Green News
Edited by Hal Brown
English Greens Oppose Closure of Railway Ticket
Offices
Rail operators remain in conflict
with unions, but the government has pushed rail companies to press
ahead with a controversial reform, with little progress in
negotiations and more strikes to come. The RMT and TSSA unions said
they would “strongly oppose” the proposals. Read The Full Story
Here
In Australia, Greens oppose Northern Australia
Infrastructure Facility Bill
“The Greens will not support the
Labor Party’s plan to pump an extra $2 billion into the NAIF without
railings to ensure it cannot be used to finance coal and gas. The NAIF
is a Abbott-era fossil fuel slush fund that the coalition government
tried to use to fund the Adani coal mine” Read The Full Story
Here
Ireland: Green Party celebrates 3 years of Significant
Climate Action achievements in Government
…We are not just meeting, but exceeding, our ambitious renovation
targets. Without the Greens in Government there would not be the
singular focus on climate that we must have if we are to deliver, not
just on our emissions targets, but on our promise and commitment to
future generations… Read The Full Story
Here
GPPA Meeting Dates for 2023
All State Web Conferences will begin promptly at
noon.
Sunday,
September 24 in Philadelphia.
Sunday, November 12, via
Zoom.
GPPA Communications
Team
Issue Credits
Editors: Hal Brown, Patrick O. McNally, David Ochmanowicz,
Jr. and Chris Robinson
Contributors: Michael Bagdes-Canning, Alex
Casper, Jubalyn ExWilliams, Theron Gilliland Jr, Riley Mahon,
Asantewaa Nkrumah-Ture, Alex Noyle,
Chris Robinson and Tara Yaney"
Layout: Hal Brown, Sherri Miller, and David Ochmanowicz
Jr.
Graphic Arts: Kevin Richardson
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Pillars and Ten Key Values If you find that you share these ideals,
come and join the movement.
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however, a monthly sustaining donation helps to fund a solid
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The GREEN STAR is an official
publication of the Green Party of Pennsylvania Communications
Team
Green Party of Pennsylvania
https://www.gpofpa.org/
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