Green-Rainbow Party Mobilizing in the Berkshires
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Local Green-Rainbow Party activists are hoping to keep voters thinking green with a "public mobilization" on Tuesday night from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at the Lenox Library to lay the groundwork to grow at both the state and local level.
Lee Scott Laugenour of Lenox, one of the organizers and the Green-Rainbow candidate for state representative in the last election, said the response so far has been great.
"I'm thrilled with the RSVPs we've had," he said recently, adding that the party's platform seems to be connecting with voters. The meeting has been moved to the library's Welles Gallery to accommodate the expected turnout. "It's about tax fairness, and real health care and real infrastructure improvement and education ... it sounds like something radical but these are the larger issues that people did respond to."
The party's gubernatorial candidate Jill Stein and Membership Director Patrick Burke will be attending the meeting, which will include forming town and ward committees.
The Green-Rainbow Party of Massachusetts' showing in the November election boosted it to "major party" status, meaning that it will now be automatically listed on voter registration forms along with the Democratic and Republican parties. People could select the party before but they had to check a box and write it in.
It was Nat Fortune's 5 percent polling for state auditor that put the party back on the forms (where it resided for a couple years after the 2002 election) and gubernatorial candidate Jill Stein took 1 percent but there's no mistake that Berkshire County was far more enamored of the party's possibilities.
The best showings came from Laugenour, who polled 18 percent against popular incumbent Rep. William "Smitty" Pignatelli in the 4th District, and Mark Miller, the former Berkshire Eagle editor who came within striking distance of Rep. Christopher Speranzo with 45 percent of the vote in the 3rd District.
"They came out for Nat Fortune and Jill Stein a little bit more than average," said Laugenour, who also noted his and Miller's showing. "We're thrilled with those results. Those people who voted Green for the first time are breaking a habit and it isn't all that easy for voters to break that habit."
To keep major party status — and make it easier for people to break old habits — the Green-Rainbow Party has to register at least 1 percent of the state's voters. Of the state's 4.2 million registered voters, 1.5 million are Democrats and less than half-million Republicans; more than 2 million aren't registered with any party.
The Green-Rainbow Party needs about 42,000 people to check its box on the voter registration form. The way to do that is by doing more local outreach, say party activists, something major party status will help make easier.
"It's easier for people to decide to join us but it also allows us to be more active in the local community," said Laugenour, because the status allows the creation of town party committees. "Most people have considered us a party but not the way Massachusetts decides it's a full party."
The designation also lifts some campaign fundraising limits although Green-Rainbow is the only party in the state that does not accept accept corporate or lobbyist contributions and neither do its candidates.
Laugenour and Darlene Baisley of Lee, both whom were representatives to the Green-Rainbow convention last month, are hosting the meeting. They've invited Rebublicans and Democratics to provide an overview and suggestions on how local party committees work, and how they might work together. Other items on the agenda will be membership growth, voter education, and organizing for future campaign support.
Anyone interested in learning about the Green-Rainbow Party is invited to attend. RSVP is suggested to berkshiregreens@gmail.com.
