Plan for the Party

Announcement Released 9/16/2019

An Open Source Plan for Saving Our

Alabama Democratic Party

I’m not the head of the party. I’m not even on the SDEC. So until now I have avoided taking leadership around approving new bylaws and calling for a new election. I don’t have the authority nor the right. Only the SDEC does. But the SDEC needs a leader to get this done. And time is running out.

Today I am stepping up to provide that leadership. I am publishing a detailed plan for how the SDEC members could pass new DNC-approved bylaws, implement a Comprehensive Affirmative Action & Outreach Plan, and vote on a Chair and Vice Chair. The plan demonstrates my leadership style and values.

1. I will be transparent. Plans will be made public so that people can plan ahead and identify any problems before they are too late to be fixed. No secret back-room deals. No under-the-table alliances.

2. I will raise the necessary funds to pay for a process that reflects the seriousness of the matter and the professionalism of the party. I will produce high-quality products and when necessary, hire external experts to handle processes that are best done by a third party.

3. I will demonstrate inclusion by ensuring that meeting spaces are accessible, that materials are made available in advance in multiple formats and that meetings have real-time interpreters and live-captioning to ensure full participation.

4. I will utilize the gifts and talents of volunteers by inviting volunteers to share their wisdom, experience, and energy to make the process better.

Along with the plan, I am also offering the necessary infrastructure to implement the plan. But I am requiring your participation. If I were to do this unilaterally, it would not and should not succeed. The members of the SDEC must participate fully for the process to be legitimate.

The future of the Alabama Democratic Party is bright. Let’s get started on it together.

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The plan itself can be found here

Additional supporting materials can be found here

The Structure / Timeline

OVERVIEW

This is a large project, with lots of detailed tasks to complete. It will work only if a significant number of Alabama Democrats step up to complete them. The process will only be trusted if it is 100% transparent, so plan on participating openly. There are four ways to get involved: by participating in a decision-making team, by participating in a one-time work day, by leading a work day (a high level of responsibility for a very short-term project), or by becoming a benefactor and funding a piece of the work.

I provided a Webinar to go over the Plan on Wednesday, September 18th. A video recording of the meeting is available here.

TEAMS

Four Teams will meet at least weekly by phone to talk through the plan, identify any unforeseen hurdles, problem-solve issues as they arise, and make decisions. I have set up conference call lines and set times for these meetings so that no time is wasted on scheduling meetings. For each meeting, a member of my team will be present to start the meeting and record it in its entirety. A second volunteer will be responsible for taking notes, recording any decisions made.

Some action will need to be taken between meetings. It is our hope that Team Members will volunteer to take on these tasks. However, the Team can also choose to ask the Team Tabitha facilitator to complete the task. If the task MUST be completed by a SDEC member, that fact is noted below. Getting behind schedule is NOT an option, so please make decisions quickly recognizing that our top priority is getting this done, even if it’s not perfect.

The recordings of meetings will be posted in this folder. Anyone and everyone can listen to those recordings. A brief written summary of decisions made will also be posted for every meeting, within the appropriate Team folder.

• Team One: Bylaws & Compliance – Restricted to SDEC Members only

Team One is done meeting. Please Consider joining Team Four!

• Team Two: Affirmative Action & Outreach

• Thursdays at 6pm, starting 9/19/2019

• To join from a computer, go to https://zoom.us/j/166657174

• To join from a phone, call (929) 205-6099 and enter Meeting ID: 166 657 174

• Team Three: Meeting Logistics

• Fridays at Noon, starting 9/20/2019

• To join from a computer, go to https://zoom.us/j/211049956

• To join from a phone, call (929) 205-6099 and enter Meeting ID: 211 049 956

• Team Four: Process & Procedure

• Saturdays at 9am, starting 9/21/2019

Now meeting on Wednesday evenings at 7pm

To join from a computer, go to https://zoom.us/j/396882000

To join from a phone, call (929) 205-6099 and enter Meeting ID: 396 882 000

GROUP WORK DAYS

There will be several opportunities for groups of Democrats to gather to complete a task (getting a mailing ready to go) in a single setting (or two). They can be done anywhere in the state!

A coordinator will be needed for each Group Work Day. Their job is to gather volunteers in advance, print the materials, obtain the stamps, oversee the group in assembling the materials (stuffing the envelopes), and ensure the envelopes get in the mail on time. The Coordinator will be assisted by a Team Tabitha facilitator as needed.

• Tuesday, September 24: Envelope Stuffing Party #1 (connected to Team One)

• September 28 or 29: Envelope Stuffing Party #2 (connected to Team One)

• September 28 or 29: Postcard Labeling & Stamping Party #3 (connected to Team One)

• October 14, 15, or 16: Envelope Stuffing Party #4 (connected to Team Four)

BENEFACTORS

This project is estimated to cost approximately $13,000. Benefactors are needed to donate money and/or make in-kind donations.

Donations can be made here: https://paypal.me/pools/c/8igDXYxs85

Detailed budget can be found here.

For those on Teams or Coordinating Work Groups, if you want Team Tabitha to pay for something, you can either plan ahead to have us pay for it or you can submit a receipt (within the budget shown above) to request reimbursement. None of the money received will benefit Tabitha’s campaign for Party Chair.