Welcome to the first edition of the official quarterly e-newsletter of the Maine Green Independent Party. This publication is intended to serve as your source of infomation on MGIP initiatives, positions, upcoming events, and more.
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Androscoggin Grange Hall, Greene – May 1, 2010
9:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.
The Convention will feature a community dialogue on the theme, “New Direction for the Future,” charting goals and ways to get there for the next five to ten years. The Convention will also feature presentations by the party’s 2010 candidates for the Maine House and Senate. There will be an address by Paul Weiss on the work of the Maine Rail Transit Coalition promoting commuter rail in Maine; an address by Sandy Amborn on the Sierra Club’s initiatives to preserve Maine’s woods and wetlands; and an address by State Grange Historian, Stanley Howe. The Convention will elect Steering Committee officials and will elect delegates to the United States Green Party’s National Committee.
Admission is $15.00 / pre-regristiation, $20.00 at the door, lunch included in the price of admission. Sliding scale and scholarship available for financial hardship
For more info, or to pre-register, visit: mainegreens.org/
MGIP Opens Party Office in Portland
February marked the first month of use in the new part-time office of the MGIP. The office is located at 415 Congress St., in the heart of downtown Portland, steps away from City Hall and the U.S. District Court. It is located within the Maine Business Center, in a historic building, which also houses a Masonic Temple. The office features 24/hr. membership access to first-rate technology including a conference room with video conference capabilities.
View more pics: CLICK HERE
Water Rights Position Statement
Issued by Claire Mortimer
Presented at 2009 Annual State Convention
Water is essential for life, both for people and for ecological systems, which give life to all species. We all have a duty to safeguard the water both on and beneath the Earth’s surface, and in the process protect the rights of the people in the communities of Maine, and the rights of the ecosystems of which we are a part.
The Maine Green Independent Party opposes the commodification and corporatization of water supplies. We believe that privatization of water and large-scale extraction of ground water resources for corporate profit should be prohibited, especially when it causes damage to natural communities and ecosystems.
Read More… CLICK HERE
By John Rensenbrink
The Maine Green Independent Party entered the year 2010 with high hopes for a strong year, led by Lynne Williams their candidate for governor, a well spoken, widely acclaimed, and down to earth lawyer active on behalf of many grassroots groups in the state. But in January and February their hopes were blunted and at first seemed dashed altogether. Lynne’s campaign was not able to qualify for Clean Election Funding and, in spite of heroic efforts on the part of several signature gatherers, with John Olsen in the forefront, did not get enough signatures to put Lynne on the ballot. For the first time in five gubernatorial election cycles, MGIP will not have a candidate on the ballot in November.
But the disappointment soon turned to renewed hope and a resurgence of energy. Party activists, spurred by Ben Chipman and Anna Trevorrow, the Party Chair, were able to recruit and assist 18 Greens around the state to gain qualified ballot status as candidates for the state House and Senate. Not only that, but Lynne Williams was able to shift her sights from the race for governor (a very long shot) to a possibly winning campaign for a Senate seat in Hancock County.
But just as important, the disappointment also led to creative soul searching — seeking to learn from what happened. The party needs to re-focus its thinking on the grassroots and now turn its attention in a serious way to building the party starting at the town level and on up to the county level. Town committees need to be formed in as many towns as possible, starting with the nucleus of one or two party members in the 93 towns in which ballot signatures for Lynne Williams were gathered — and moving on from there to other towns and then also the forming of county committees.
Ten Key Values
Grassroots Democracy
Social Justice and Equal Opportunity
Ecological Wisdom
Non-violence
Decentralization
Community-based Economics and Economic Justice
Feminism and Gender Equity
Respect for Diversity
Personal and Global Responsibility
Future Focus and Sustainability
About the MGIP
MGIP Home Page
Party Platform
Party Candidates
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Featured Candidate
Fred Horch, District 66
Brunswick
As a citizen, parent, home owner, and small business owner, I am deeply devoted to Brunswick and committed to our Town’s future. As a former attorney, I understand the importance of good government. I’m running for office to bring a new perspective to Augusta so we and our children can enjoy a healthy environment, excellent schools and a robust local economy.
Read More… fredhorch.org/
Greens in the News:
Sandy Amborn on CMP’s tranmission upgrade plan
“This is a wetlands issue, but it’s also an energy issue,” Amborn said. “We’re serious about protecting wetlands and supporting a more diverse energy plan for Maine.”
Read the full Portland Press Herald Article: www.pressherald.com/news/sierra-club-fights-cmp-project_2010-03-24.html
Kevin Donoghue on the Problem of Parking Lots in Portland’s Old Port:
Donoghue said shuttle buses running along Commercial Street could connect the eastern waterfront with Angelo’s Acre and other points, including the Portland Transportation Center.
Read the full Portland Press Herald Article: www.pressherald.com/news/parking-parking-everywhere_2010-03-04.html
Are you a Green Independent that has been in the news lately? Send a link to info@mainegreens.org
Featured Candidate
Erin Cianchette,
District 108, Cumberland
How can Mainers afford food, medicine and other necessities when the price of fuel continues to rise each week? Erin Cianchette’s approach to these challenges balances the needs of Maine’s businesses, energy consumers at all income levels, and the long-term health of the planet.
Read More… www.cianchette.org/
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