Follow Up and Background on the Resolution sent to the State Party
By Stan - Date: 2002-12-02 16:36:32

As the Chair of the Progressive Populist Caucus, I would like to provide you further background behind the issuing of the Resolution on November 29, calling for the State Chair's resignation.

The decision to do so was reached after over an hour's deliberation from our Steering Committee meeting in Austin on November 23. The Steering Committee includes an elected Chair from each of our four major metro-area regional groups. Those chairs were elected to represent the view of the grassroots participants in our regional Caucuses.I posted the language of the Resolution on our web site on November 27 and sent it by email to each of you, anticipating comment before making the final decision to distribute. I received no comments over those two days. I did subsequently hear from 3 of our members after it was distributed, each expressing reservations either about the time frame or some language, but even those comments did not disagree with our call for resignation. So, I feel comfortable that the statement reflects the view of a majority of our movement, as it also was passed by the Steering Committee unanimously.

Our goal is to rebuild the grassroots of this party and the authority of the SDEC which has laid fallow for nearly a decade. The statement was issued to coincide with a polling of SDEC members on the desirability of leadership change. Those doing the polling advised that it would be timely to distribute on November 29.

It was also issued in conjunction with discussions another committee of our Caucus is having with prospective candidates for Party Chair. We will honor the privacy of those considering our draft until they are ready to announce and present themselves publicly and to our Caucus. The point here is that the Resolution is part of a systematic plan the Steering Committee and others in our group are actively pursuing.

There is ample evidence that those currently in party leadership, including the Chair and her campaign advisors, apart from the elected SDEC members, ceded major decisions representing the rank and file to those consultants. The decisions made resulted in the outcome we experience. We all share the "blame", not Molly Beth alone. She has many talents which can serve this Party's rebuilding effort going forward and we hope they will be utilized to our mutual benefit.

Given the history of the past 10 years, in our view, it is time for systemic change within the Party, from top to the grassroots. Central to those changes is returning significant power and responsibility to each SDEC member and their committees. This rebuilding must be completed well before the 2004 Convention.

To effect the changes necessary in structure, rules, resolutions, platform and local empowerment, the Party we love must be opened up and power returned to the people it is designed to serve.

These are initiatives the Progressive Populist Caucus stand behind and I welcome your participation to help us get this job done.

Stan Merriman, Chair