Hi, I’m Eliana Meirowitz Nelson, a member of the Executive Committee and also the Organizing sub-committee.

NYSD 17 for Progress is having its annual election for treasurer and executive committee members. I’m here to tell you about how it works.

You get to nominate yourself by emailing us at [email protected] or telling a current Executive Committee member in person by April 8^th. Then, at the April 16^th meeting you get to make a 1 minute speech. If you get 2/3 of the people to vote for you at that April 16^th meeting, you’re on the team!

There’s no limit to the number of members of the committee, and people who are voting can vote for as many people as they want. So we’re not running against each other at all.

If you can’t come to the April 16^th meeting, you can submit a paragraph about yourself that will be read at the meeting before the vote. Some people got elected that way last year, so it does work.

Who is eligible to vote and who is eligible to run?

To vote and/or run for Executive Committee or Treasurer, you must have:

• Attended at least two general meetings, committee meetings, or combination thereof, within the last year (between April 2018 and today)
• Donated at least $25 to the organization, to the best of their ability. (There’s still time to donate before the April meeting.)

To run for Executive Committee or Treasurer, you ALSO must have:

• Participated in at least one initiative of the group: such as organizing campaigns or advocacy issue initiatives.
• Lives in Senate District 17 this year.
• Is not a sitting politician or someone currently running for elective office. (That doesn’t include County Committee. County Committee members can run for this.)

What does an Executive Committee Member do?

The executive committee shapes the direction of NYSD 17 for Progress. While the organization relies on individual members to step up and take ownership of projects, the executive committee determines whether those projects follow the mission of the group and sets goals for near future.

The role and responsibilities of an executive committee member are as follows:

1. Determine goals of the group, working together to form consensus.
2. Determine whether actions follow the group’s mission.
3. Participating in and appointing heads of committees.
4. Keep up with the executive committee, entire group, and district. Specifically, they should be able to meet the following responsibilities:

• • Attend at least 75% of all in-person steering committee meetings (one per month)
  • Attend at least 50% of all general meetings (one per month)
  • Be a member of at least one non-executive committee
  • Check Slack and e-mail at least once a day, five days a week
  • Respond to steering committee-related correspondence within 48 hours

What does the Treasurer do? We’re filing official paperwork to formalize this group and there will be state laws governing how to handle our money. To run for treasurer, a background in numbers or finance is helpful, but ultimately the position must be held by someone who will commit to transparency and accountability, and who will help determine the best ways to handle the funds.

The Treasurer will be responsible for:

1. Possession of all money and help the group determine the best way to store the funds.
2. Creating a methodology for transparent recordkeeping of all funds, donations, and disbursements that is in compliance with the law and then executing that methodology.
3. Collecting and storage of all physical records including receipts.
4. Proposing and executing of rules and procedures for the disbursement of funds.  
5. Fundraising! Be a member of the fundraising committee and help plan and execute fundraising events and drives.
6. Reporting to the steering committee on the group's financial status.
7. Representation in situations and communications in which financial actions and matters are involved.
8. Membership on the executive committee.

Who are the current executive board members?

Raise your hands, team.

The current executive committee consists of Bex Ames, Ellen Bilofsky, Jess Byrne, Gerald Cook, David Goldberg, Eliana Meirowitz Nelson, Julio Peña III, Naomi Rabeeya, and Ben Theodore. All have submitted themselves for consideration for this year’s executive committee.

I have to say, I joined the Executive Committee last year and I’m so glad I did. Most of what I know about NY city and state politics, I’ve learned from these lovely people. It’s sometimes hard to make new groups of friends, but I genuinely like these folks and am so glad to be on this mission, building local power and fighting for progress together with them. I’m really grateful to be on this team. If this sounds like the kind of thing you’d like to do, I really hope to step up to the plate. We’ve got a big year ahead of us.

Now what questions can we answer?