Articles
2009 State Convention
by Laura Knudsen
The Future of Independence
The next stage in the life of the Independence Party will begin at the annual State Convention on April 18th. Delegates and supporters will decide how to restructure our party to create a more effective organization and elect our party’s leadership. These critical steps will decide the next stage for the Independence Party of Minnesota and help increase our footprint in Minnesota politics.
Two elements related to restructuring the organization will be presented in the morning session. The purpose of these motions are to create an organization that operates more like a candidate’s campaign committee.
The first suggested change is the creation of an advisory committee made up of former candidates and party officers. The committee will provide guidance to the party and bring in the voices of people not able to be involved in the daily operational duties of the organization.
The second set of changes will focus the Party Chair on representing the party publicly and create a director position to run the organization. The Chairs sole responsibility would be to drive our exposure. Daily operations would be over seen by the Party Director. Similar to the positions of Campaign Chair and Campaign Manager for a candidate.
Our conventions are open to everyone but only delegates are able to vote on motions. If you have questions, please contact
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, State Party Secretary at
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.
Consider running for an Executive Committee Position
The afternoon will focus on the election of party leadership. The remaining positions, Secretary, Treasurer, and the four At-Large positions, will not be affected by the proposed structure changes discussed during the morning session . The Secretary assists in the organization of meetings, documents meeting through notes, and tracks motions. The Treasurer is responsible for keeping all financial records, filling reports, and paying party bills. The at large positions have no assigned responsibility. At large members should be willing to lead tasks related to their talents as they arise. Serving on the Executive Committee is a two year commitment. Meeting schedules are decided by the committee members. If you are interested in running for any of these postions, please contact
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at
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.
Convention Location:
Lakeville Arts Center
20965 Holyoke Ave.
Lakeville, MN 55044
Mapquest Link
Here
Convention Schedule:
9:30AM to 10AM - Check In
10AM to Noon- Constitutional and Bylaw Changes
NOON to1:00PM - Chili Feed Fundraiser. There will be a suggested contribution of $10 for lunch.
1:00 PM to 3:30PM Election of Officers
Proposed Constitution and Bylaw Changes as derived from the member Strategy meeting on February 28th.
On Saturday, February 28th, Independence Party members from Koochiching to Olmstead Counties traveled to St. Louis Park to help develop the next stage of the Independence Party. The Executive Committee members sat with
great interest and participated with other members and facilitators. The proposed changes below are one of the results
of the meeting. Party members wanted to better facilitate volunteer efforts while creating an executive body better able
t o take strong positions on our platform values.
Below are the results, written to fit into portions of our Constitution and Bylaws. While we don’t normally send out full
proposals for the Constitution (only for Bylaws), we included both changes below.
In addition to setting the stage for the next two years at the Convention and electing officers, you will also get to consider
the changes below and revise them if you wish. We will keep the discussion as short as possible and a rules committee
will help all of us with fitting any language change you approve into our documents.
CREATION OF STEERING COMMITTEE AND EXECUTIVE CHANGES
THE CREATION OF AN ADVISORY COMMITTEE
ADVISORY COMMITTEE:
There shall be an advisory committee. The advisory committee shall consult, advise and provide broad
leadership of party direction. The advisory committee shall provide guidance and review directly to the
executive committee and shall produce a state of the party report to each convention.
Members of the Advisory Committee:
Members of the advisory committee shall include at least two past endorsed candidates for state-wide office, at least two
past candidates for local office, at least one member who is on the board of a non-profit or issue advocacy organization
(not another political party), and at least one past executive committee member. There shall be no more than twelve
members of the advisory committee. The Party Chair shall serve as an ex-officio member of the advisory committee.
The Party Secretary shall serve as ex-officio secretary of the advisory committee.
Appointment of the Advisory Committee:
The advisory committee shall be appointed with appointments allocated as followed: The State Convention may appoint
four member of the advisory committee, the Party Chair two, the Party Director two, and a meeting of all former endorsed
party candidates still members shall appoint four. Any appointing body or officer may defer appointment to another body
or officer.
THE PARTY CHAIR
The Party Chair shall be the highest executive of the party. He or she will serve as the liaison between the party and the
media, public, and government. The Chair will also serve as head of the State Convention. Party Spokesperson to be
appointed by Party Chair:A Party Spokesperson may be appointed by the Party Chair. The spokesperson shall have no
conflict with any other political position.The Party Chair shall be a voting member of the Executive Committee
THE PARTY DIRECTOR
The Party Director shall by the highest executive of party governance. He or she will serve as head of the Executive
Committee and Central Committee of the Independence Party. The Director shall manage the day to day operations of
the Executive Committee.
ELECTION OF PARTY CHAIR AND DIRECTOR
The Party Chair and Director shall be nominated and elected as a ticket by the State Convention.
ELECTION OF STATE PARTY DEPUTY CHAIRS AND DEPUTY DIRECTORS
The Executive Committee shall nominate and elect deputy chairs and directors. One deputy chair and one deputy
director shall be determined to be the vice-chair and vice-director respectively. The vice position shall assume the roles
of Party Chair or Party Director in absence of the executive.
CONSTITUTIONAL CLEANUP
After many years of changes, our Constitution needs some organizational changes (not content). A rules committee will
make recommendations of changes.
