Green Party of Monroe County By-Laws The Green Party of Monroe County shall be the Monroe County Organization of the Green Party of New York State. All the duties and powers pertaining to county organizations according to the Rules and By-Laws of the Green Party of New York State shall, for Monroe County, NY, be vested in the Green Party of Monroe County. PRINCIPLES: The Green Party of Monroe County shall recognize the Four Principles of the Green Movement: 1) Grassroots Democracy, 2) Social Justice, 3) Ecological Wisdom, and 4) Nonviolence. The Green Party of Monroe County also recognizes the Ten Key Values as defined by the by-laws of the Green Party of New York State. II. MEMBERSHIP: A. Membership in the Green Party of Monroe County shall be comprised of all those who are currently enrolled with the Board of Elections in Monroe County, NY, as Green Party voters. Current enrollment shall be understood as those enrolled in time to be included in the most recent quarterly report of the Monroe County Board of Elections. B. Only members of the Green Party of Monroe County shall be authorized by the Green Party of New York State to elect from their membership officers of the Green Party of Monroe County, and to otherwise officially represent the Green Party in Monroe County, NY. III. COUNTY ORGANIZATION: A. The Green Party of Monroe County shall be the county organization of the Green Party in Monroe County, NY, and shall have general authority and responsibility for the Green Party organization within the county. B. The Green Party of Monroe County will establish committeess to carry out the business of the party as well as to promote the participation of its members. C. The Green Party of Monroe County shall elect for one-year terms from its membership by a simple majority preferential vote at a meeting of the Green Party of Monroe County any officers it deems necessary to conduct Green Party business, including at a minimum a Chair, a Secretary and a Treasurer. It shall also seek other officers to assist in the building of the party in the County, as well as in outreach and in issue work. D. These elected officers, plus the Green Party State Committee members from Monroe County, shall serve as the County organization of the Green Party of Monroe County. This committee shall be the County organization provided for under New York State Election Law. It shall have the ability to take action in emergency situations, such as nominating and designating candidates in special elections. The County organization, or any committee it appoints for the purpose, may perform the day-to-day business of the Green Party of Monroe County. E. The Green Party of Monroe County shall meet at least once a year. F. A meeting of the general membership of the Party, or the County organization, may establish a regular monthly meeting of the Green Party. G. A special meeting of the Green Party of Monroe County related to the nomination or designation of candidates in a regular election may be convened by the Chair, by a regular meeting, by the County organization, or by a petition signed by 5% of the members of the Green Party of Monroe County. The annual membership meeting of the Party related to the election of party officers may be convened in the same manner. The officers of the Green Party of Monroe County shall do their best to notify the membership of such a special meeting. A quorum for any such meeting shall consist of five (5) members, two of whom must be officers of the organization. H. All meetings of the Green Party of Monroe County and its subcommittees shall be open to members of the Green Party of Monroe County, except during an executive session of the County organization that is preceded by an open and explicit vote to exclude those members. IV. OFFICERS A. The Chair shall be responsible for filing all required notices with the State and County Board of Elections, except those that have to do with financial matters, or that by law or by party by-laws or rules are required to be filed by some other officer. The Chair shall be the Presiding Officer of the Green Party of Monroe County. B. The Secretary shall maintain a list of members, as provided by the County Board of Elections, updated according to Section II A, and shall keep the minutes of all meetings of the Green Party of Monroe County. Within ten days after the adoption of any county rule or amendment thereto, a certified copy thereof shall be filed by the Secretary with the office of the state Board of Elections and with the county Board of Elections. C. The Treasurer shall be responsible for the collection of funds for party purposes and for the County Organization. The Treasurer shall see that such funds are properly disbursed, and shall file with the proper offices and with the board of elections all financial reports and statements required by law. In general, the Treasurer shall perform the duties ordinarily performed by the Treasurer of a political party, and such other duties relating to financial matters as the Green Party of Monroe County may require. D. The State Committee members from Monroe County shall represent the Green Party of Monroe County on the State Committee of the Green Party of New York State. State Committee members shall be elected according to the Rules and By-Laws of the Green Party of New York State and State Election Law. E. Pursuant to Sec. 2-116 of the state election law, any member or officer of the Green Party of Monroe County may be removed for disloyalty to the party or for corruption in office, after notice is given and a hearing upon written charges has been had. The hearing shall be held by the Green Party of Monroe County, or by a committee thereof established for that purpose, which committee shall report its finding to a meeting of the Green Party of Monroe County. A two-thirds vote at a meeting of the Green Party of Monroe County shall be needed for removal. F. An officer of the Green Party of Monroe County who, without notifying the steering committee in advance, misses two consecutive meetings (including general membership and steering committee meetings), or misses four meetings (including general membership and steering committee meetings) in any six-month period, with or without notification, will be suspended until the Chair can meet with the missing officer to review the officer's commitment. The Chair must meet with the suspended officer within twenty-one (21) days of the final missed meeting. If the suspended officer is the Chair, the duty of meeting with that person shall fall to the Vice Chair (if said position is filled), or to the Secretary. In that case, if a Vice Chair exists, that person will assume the Chair's duties. If no Vice Chair exists, the Secretary will assume the Chair's duties. Following the meeting of the Chair and the suspended officer, the remaining elected officers must meet to decide the final outcome of the suspended officer's role. This decision must take place at the next steering committee meeting, or within fourteen (14) days, whichever is sooner. If a vote is required, the outcome must be approved by a simple majority of the remaining members of the steering committee. This committee is empowered to remove the suspended officer, and to appoint a provisional officer in that person^Òs place. (In the case of the Chair, the office will be filled as described earlier in this section.) The vacancy will then be permanently filled at the next general membership meeting, as per Section V. V. VACANCIES A. In the case of resignation, death, enrollment in another party, declination, or removal for any other cause, of an officer of the Green Party of Monroe County, except for State Committee members, the vacancy created thereby shall be filled by the Green Party of Monroe County. Vacancy on the State Committee shall be filled according to the Rules and By-Laws of the Green Party of New York State, and New York State Election Law. VI. VOTING METHODS A. Voting: All party elections shall use preference voting, unless otherwise specified in Election Law. "None of the above" will be a choice in all elections. B. Proxies: Proxy votes are not allowed. VII. AUTHORIZATIONS FOR PUBLIC OFFICE A. Authorizations of enrolled Green Party members for public office on the Green Party line to be filled by voters of political jurisdictions solely within the county shall be determined within said jurisdictions as specified in New York State Election Law and by the Rules of the Green party of New York State, and pursuant to Section VI A above. B. The Chair and Secretary of the Green Party of Monroe County shall have the authority to sign authorization for candidates who have been approved pursuant to these bylaws. III. AMENDMENTS A. These by-laws shall continue to be the by-laws and rules for the Green Party of Monroe County until they are amended or until new by-laws are adopted by a successor County Organization. B. These rules may be amended by a two-thirds vote at a meeting of the Green Party of Monroe County. So certified and witnessed: _____________________, Secretary, Green Party of Monroe County Dated: _______________ ____________________, Chair, Green Party of New York Dated: ________________ Officers of the Green Party of Monroe County elected _____________ for the year 2002, terms expiring 31 January 2003: Chair and Presiding Officer: ____________________ Secretary: ____________________ Treasurer: ____________________