Baltimore Green Party Candidates

As of the 2/3/2016 filing deadline these are the candidates seeking the Green Party nomination to run in the general election November 8th. Mayor- Emanuel McCray & Joshua Harris & David Marriott President of the City Council- Connor Meek City Council District 3- Andreas SpiliadisCity Council District 6- Richard T White City Council District 9- Jamie FriersonCity Council District 10- Amanda Maminski City Council District 12- Ian Schlakman In addition to the Baltimore City races there are Green Party candidates for US Senate- Margaret FlowersUS House of Representatives 3- Nnabu EzeUS House of Representatives 7- Myles Hoenig Registered members of the Green Party in Baltimore City will have the opportunity to participate in our Baltimore Green Party Primary. Information can be found here http://www.baltimoregp.org/bgp_primary_process_2016

Help the Baltimore Green Party Grow in 2016

The Need The Baltimore Green Party is growing fast and needs your support! 2016 provides us with tremendous challenges but also tremendous opportunity.  People are ready for a new option and new solutions, and the Baltimore Green Party is well poised to build on that energy. We are focused on three main objectives for 2016: The 2016 Election: Elections Matter- In the current election year, Baltimore City voters will participate in a general election in which Green Party candidates are listed all the way down the ballot.  In a city where it is often said “The (Democratic) primary is the election,” we seek to transform that reality in races across the city. We will contest the dynasty that Democrats have in Baltimore with candidates who show voters that there is an alternative and that the general election matters. The Party will be supporting an election that includes the following offices: (*=pending) o   President of The United States o   United States Senator o   United States House of Representatives §  MD 3 §  MD 7 o   Baltimore City Mayor o   President of the Baltimore City Council o   City Council District §  3 §  4* §  6 §  7* §  9* §  10 §  12   Issue Based Organizing:  Elections matter, but so does organized pressure on elected officials. We want to build on a strong network and train a new generation of community organizers in order to create the kind of power that puts people over profit. Green Party values serve as an essential moral compass when addressing the many problems Baltimore faces. We want to organize for a better future around those values and build the political power to back them up. Voter engagement: We need to foster a culture change in the way that Baltimore city residents are included in government. We want to create social, cultural, and educational events that invite all city residents to engage in the discussion about the future. We recognize that we are fighting against a powerful set of forces that have created a two(one?) party system. We believe that when we have the opportunity to explain Green values and Green solutions to Baltimore voters, many will join us in the fight for them.   The Ask The Baltimore Green Party and our candidates only take donations from individuals, not from PAC’s or corporations. We need individuals like you to support us. We accept donations in two ways: recurring and one-time. The recurring donations sustain us and the one-time donations help us achieve specific goals quickly. Our main priority at this point is recurring sustainer donations of $10 per month.  Funds go toward: The Baltimore Green Party Headquarters- In order to build the kind of movement that can bring about real change in Baltimore, we need an office where we can hold meetings, welcome voters, work together, phone bank, train volunteers, and more. We have located a space that will allow all us to do all of this, but we need support in sustaining it. Campaign and Election Materials- Visibility matters! We need signs, buttons, T-Shirts, pamphlets and stickers. Citizens in Baltimore need to know that the Green Party is not only an option but an agent of change. We will source our material needs locally and in accordance with party values and sustainer support helps us do it right.   Member Outreach- There are about 1100 registered Green voters in Baltimore City and we want to be able to reach out to each of them and let them know about the work the local party is doing. We will need at least one mailing in order to do this! Social, Cultural, and Educational Events- Movements are not built just around the best candidates and the best issues; they also require a social element. When people spend time together doing things they like, the movement becomes stronger. We want to be able to bring in speakers, host meetups and happy hours, book spaces for art and cultural events, and more. Sustainers help us to be able to develop and expand this program. Fundraisers- Throughout the election season and beyond we will need to do additional fundraising events and campaigns. On a shoestring budget these are hard to plan and develop effectively. Recurring payments from sustainers give us the ability to cover any costs that may be associated with fundraising.     Become  A Baltimore Green Party Sustainer   With A Monthly Recurring Donation of $10 or More  or Give a one time donation to the Baltimore Green Party    The Offer Monthly sustainers will receive: Invitation to tour our new office and discuss the Baltimore Green Party Invitation to a sustainers event at our new office Thank you email and call First notice about all Baltimore Green Party Events Recognition in our office and on our website   One time donors will receive: Thank you email and call Invitation  to tour our new office and discuss the Baltimore Green Party Recognition on our website    Become  A Baltimore Green Party Sustainer   With A Monthly Recurring Donation of $10 or More  or Give a one time donation to the Baltimore Green Party    Authority, Baltimore Green Party, Vincent Tola, Treasurer 

Statement on Candidate Forums

  The Baltimore Green Party is committed to an open and transparent election process in Baltimore City. We believe that candidate forums are an important means of engaging and educating voters. For many voters this is a first or even only  impression of who is running and what they are about. We believe organizers of these forums should be transparent in how the event is organized and who is invited to participate.If these forums represent themselves as “Candidate Forums” but only present one   party’s candidates (Democrat)  running in the primary, then these forums contribute to the notion that the Democratic Primary is the election. We ask those organizing “Candidate Forums” to be explicit in their organizing and promotion. We believe that the following information should be public for any candidate’s forum: 1)Who have the organizers invited and why 2)Who is able to participate  and how do they qualify 3)Which election(s) is the forum directed toward: the primary, the general, or both 4) If the forum is for candidates in a party primary, do you plan on hosting forums for a) other parties primaries b)a general election forum in which ALL parties (including Democrats) participate. 5)The questions asked 6)What factors led to the decisions in 1-5. We respect the freedom of people and organizations to organize forums for candidates of one party in a primary election, or to set standards for which candidates are invited to participate. We ask that organizers of forums be explicit and public about who their event is for and why they have made that choice. In the case that an organization holds a democratic primary “Candidate Forum” we believe that they should also host a general election candidate forum. The democrats running in the primary should commit to participate in the general election forums. General election forums that do not include the democrat are partisan pro democrat  “Kids Table” debates and are disrespectful to voters. While our immediate concern is the inclusion of Baltimore Green Party candidates, we also stand in solidarity with Republican,Libertarian, Unaffiliated, Independent, and even Democrat candidates who are excluded from  Democrat only “Candidate Forums”. We want voters to be informed about all of the choices available to them If you would like to include Green Party candidates in your forum please contact Vince Tola at [email protected] or 443-414-2425.

Regarding The Trials Of Officers Charged In The Death of Freddie Gray

Authored By: Andy Ellis As Jury selection begins for William Porter, the first of the officers charged in the death of Freddie Gray, the Baltimore Green Party remains vigilant and committed to a just outcome. The process that is beginning in the courts will have ramifications not just for this case but for the future of policing in our city. As the trial proceeds the debate about policing and crime will heat up in the streets, the mainstream corporate media, and social media. This will occur against a backdrop of the upcoming Baltimore City elections and every Democrat running will shape a large part of their campaign around what occurs in this and future trials. While the democrats tailor their positions to appeal to a small number of voters and a smaller number of influential donors, the Baltimore Green Party stands in solidarity with the people, communities and small businesses of the city. We believe this trial is worthy of the attention of everyone in Baltimore, even if it is one instance of a set of larger issues, it occurs at a time when we all know change must come. The Baltimore Green Party will continue to seek coalitions which create a political opposition capable of implementing real community based solutions to the problems underlying this trial. The power of people and communities have pushed the politicians to demand accountability for policing and we will continue to stand in solidarity with the people through this and the other trials.  Authors Note: This statement was originally entitled "Regarding Freddie Grey Trials". That title has been changed to more accurately reflect who is on trial and for what. It was not our intention to indicate that Freddie Gray is on trial, but our initial wording did that, and as the author I apologize. Thank you to the thoughtful activists and thinkers in Baltimore who pointed out the problem of the initial wording. 

Green Party Candidate, Margaret Flowers arrested while protesting U.S Bombing of Hospital

For Immediate Release: October 6, 2015 Contact: 410-983-6895, [email protected] Dr. Margaret Flowers - seeking the Green Party nomination for United States Senate from Maryland - was arrested this morning while attending a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing at the U.S. Capitol. She was at the Capitol to demand an independent investigation of the U.S. bombing of the Doctors Without Borders hospital in Kunduz, Afghanistan that killed at least 20 patients and wounded dozens of others. Dr. Flowers spoke to media before the hearing began. She began to leave the hearing before it was called to order but was ordered arrested by committee chair Senator John McCain before the gavel struck to call the meeting to order. Approximately a dozen individuals from Code Pink and other groups were present. Dr. Flowers was the only person arrested. "Bombing hospitals is a war crime," said Flowers. Hospitals are generally immune from attack under the Geneva Convention. In 2014 the U.N. General Assembly passed a resolution reaffirming that hospitals and medical facilities should not be attacked during war. After her arrest Dr. Flowers was told she would be given a citation and released to return for a court hearing at a later date.

Baltimore Green Party Calls for Legislative Action to Reverse and End Water Shutoffs

 The Baltimore Green Party calls on the Baltimore City Council to take legislative action to end the water shutoff crisis. Since the announcement of 25,000 residential shut offs in March, the City has gone about its enforcement inconsistently and unfairly. If you are a commercial business with a large bill, the City will give you more time. However, the City has shut off the water of thousands for residential consumers, many of whom live in poor and working class communities in Baltimore County and Baltimore City.   “That the Mayor and City Council have allowed these shut offs to go forward is reprehensible. Shutting off water is draconian, unsanitary, and ultimately, a violation of human rights. The United Nations needs to add Baltimore to its list trouble spots in the world,” said Vince Tola, treasurer of the Baltimore Green Party.   “There can be a legislative remedy to this manufactured crisis,” said Ian Schlakman, a New Economy Maryland fellow, and co-chair of the Maryland Green Party. “We are reviewing an ordnance that was passed in Philadelphia and created an 'Income-Based Water Rate Assistance Program.' The City Council has options that would really help our low/fixed income residents, and prevent unsanitary conditions in our communities.”   The Green Party will continue to advocate for legislative remedies to the crisis that has been manufactured by the Department of Public Works. In addition, the Baltimore Green Party supports continued non-violent, civil demonstrations and resistance to prevent additional water shutoffs, and to return water service to those who have been shut off.   Keep the water running in Baltimore!      

Baltimore Green Party Urges Continued Protest and Electoral Strategy in Response to Police Violence

  The Baltimore Green Party stands in solidarity with those protesting the police killing of Freddie Gray. The party hopes that protests will remain peaceful and achieve their goal of shining a national spotlight on the need for police conduct reforms and justice for the family of Freddie Gray.While members of the Baltimore Green Party are participating in local protests, the party continues its strategy for long-term electoral reform by working to challenge city and state officials who fail to protect the citizens of the City of Baltimore.According to an investigation by The Baltimore Sun, nearly $6 million in city funds have been paid in the last five years to settle over 100 lawsuits alleging police brutality and other misconduct by Baltimore police officers. The Green Party's electoral strategy seeks to elect city officials who will prevent - not hide - police brutality.The city of Richmond, CA - led by Mayor Gayle McLaughlin, a Green Party member - established a series of reforms that has nearly eliminated police violence toward citizens while dramatically decreasing the city's violent crime rate.The Green Party is also working statewide to challenge members of the Maryland General Assembly who are unwilling to commit to the transparency required to establish trust between citizens and police.The Green Party calls for reforms to the Law Enforcement Officer's Bill of Rights, which currently shields violent and law-breaking police officers from transparent public oversight and discipline from their commanding officers.The Baltimore Green Party urges citizens who share the party's vision for long-term electoral reform to seek the party's nomination for City elections in 2016.        

Baltimore Greens to Elect Temporary Steering Committee March 30th

  The Baltimore Green Party has agreed to select a temporary Steering Committee at its next meeting on Monday, March 30th at 7pm. The five-person committee will conduct the day-to-day operations of the party until the election of the standing Steering Committee is finalized for the spring/summer of 2015. The Steering Committee consists of two Co-Chairs, a Treasurer, a Secretary, and an Organizer, each elected at-large. The duties and responsibilities of the Steering Committee are described in the party's bylaws.Any Active Member of the party may nominate his or herself or another Active Member for one of the five positions. Another Active Member must second the nomination. If more than one member is nominated for the same office, a vote by secret ballot will be taken at the party's meeting on Monday, March 30th at 7pm. If you wish to nominate yourself or another Active Member for any of the five positions, contact the party or make an announcement on the party's discussion list. Nominations made also be made in person at the start of the meeting on Monday, March 30th at 7pm.   

Want To Run For Office?

Do you want to run for Mayor, City Council, or Comptroller in 2016? The Baltimore Green Party's nomination process is available for public viewing now. Click here to find out how to win the Green Party's nomination for one of these city offices.According to state law, the first day an individual could file a Declaration of Intent for the 2016 election was January 16, 2015. Candidates for the Green Party nomination are encouraged to begin campaigning as soon as possible.