[Lpk-execomm] Conventions 2019

[Ken Moellman]

District Party Chairs and members of State ExecComm -


I know our current set of rules are insanely long, complicated, and 
jumbled, and there are some serious problems with timelines and 
triggers.

However, Annual Conventions are one of two key parts to the party 
(membership being the other part), as it's the time when membership 
actually gets a say on how the party acts on their behalf, so it's the 
primary check-and-balance on the party.

The Convention Plan provisions exist to ensure our members get a say, 
that members are given proper notice, and current leadership doesn't 
extend their own term by calling late conventions (which has happened).  
(The process needs to be streamlined and made human-readable, but that's 
a different story.)

In the mean time, here's the streamlined version as it exists today:



The initial Convention Plan is created by that Party's Chair.  This is 
then taken to that Party's ExecComm for a ratification vote.

Here's what every Party Chair should have at this point:

County party: Declared convention plan by November 1st, 2018
District party: Declared convention plan by November 15th, 2018
State party: Declared convention plan by December 1st, 2018


A convention plan must contain the "date(s), time(s), location, agenda, 
convention attendance fees, and the expected income and expenditures 
related to the convention"


The currently-defined date ranges for 2019 conventions are:

County party: January 5th - February 16th
District party: February 2nd - March 9th
State party: March 2nd - April 13



When the plan is brought to your respective Executive Committees, the 
Executive Committee can veto any part of the plan by 3/5ths vote.  
(Gaping hole here in the current rules being that there's no timeline 
for this veto)

If any part is vetoed, then Chair must present a new Convention Plan 
within 6 days, as long as it's done by:

County Party: November 3rd, 2018
District Party: November 17th, 2018
State Party: December 1st, 2018



If the details are still missing, there's a timeline for emergency Exec 
Comm meetings to get a ratified Convention Plan.  For 2019 Conventions, 
those meetings are to be held on:

County Party: November 10th, 2018 at 7PM local time
District Party: November 24th, 2018 at 7PM local time
State Party: December 8th, 2018 at 7PM local time

At that meeting, all details are decided by Instant Runoff Voting where 
a majority is all that is needed to make that the final detail.  All 
details for your 2019 Annual Convention must be completed and ratified 
by these dates.



Three days after the plan is finished, it must be transmitted to the 
Chartering Party Executive Committee and the State Party Secretary. That 
deadline for 2019 Conventions is:

County Party: by November 13th at 7PM local time
District Party: by November 27th at 7PM local time
State Party: by December 11th at 7PM local time



Per the Constitution:

"Any Affiliate Party failing to call a convention in accordance with 
this constitution shall be considered disbanded, or at the option of the 
State Executive Committee, that its offices are deemed vacant and 
subject to temporary appointment by the State Executive Committee for 
the purpose of organizing and calling a convention on the Default Date 
set forth above."  (That date for County Parties is February 9th, and 
for District Parties is February 23rd.)

"If the State Party fails to call its annual convention in accordance 
with this constitution, the State Party Annual Convention will be held 
at the Paul Sawyier Public Library in Frankfort, Kentucky, on the second 
Saturday of March at 10 A.M. Eastern Time." (And this contains some 
teeth in following provisions.)



At this point, I'm mostly concerned with the Graves County Party.  There 
is an easy remedy, but we need to help Affiliate Parties comply with the 
Constitution.

Affiliate Parties were created to help the State Party accomplish its 
goals.  We also have to help them help the State Party.

If you're an Affiliate Chair, and don't have your Convention Plan 
together, I will be happy to assist you, but you need to act quickly.


---
Ken C. Moellman, Jr.
LPKY State Party Treasurer