Meeting minutes from 8/27/07

Jersey City DFA Agenda and Minutes

Date: 08-27-07
Location: Esperanto’s Pizza

Attendees:
Cheryl
Christian
Dale
Gina
Kayla
Leila
Tavie

Meeting called to order at: 7:15 pm

1) Agenda items: See Christian’s Topic Agenda for DFA Meeting w/Sires

2) Tabled Items:

A) Health Summit – Dale can get space for Middle School #4. The late summer is a problem for scheduling for most people. Health Summit will be postponed until after Labor Day.

B) Future DFA Endorsements (pending larger group input)

3) Committee reports: Christian’s Topic Agenda for DFA Meeting w/Sires (See Summary of resolutions & assignments)

4) Summary of discussion, resolutions and assignments:

A) Dale proposed that we copy the mission suggestion topics chosen at the New Jersey DFA’s Summer Summit that Gina, Christian, Leila, Dale and Vernon attended and propose to the group as a whole that we prioritize our mission objectives based on voting for our top mission focus.

B) It was agreed that the order of the agenda items would be prioritized.

C) Dale suggested our number one issue be Iraq. It was agreed to move that item up on the list.

D) Changed the item to push for Gonzalez’s removal to support the investigation against Gonzalez, as Gonzalez resigned from office on 8/27/07.

E) On Topic 3, Voting Reform:

1) Christian suggested that we add the proposal of adopting Australia’s mandatory-voting law to the agenda. The item was added.

2) Dale suggested we also push for a National Holiday for voting.

3) Leila, Gina and Christian suggested that we have more people monitoring activity at the polls to report on what’s happening, if any violations are being observed, etc. (This requires further discussion.)

F) On Topic 5, Homelessness:

1) At the local level, Dale discussed working with Steve Fulop to get developers to increase amount of contribution for Low-Income housing and change the language used: “low income” versus “affordable housing”; the latter is used to restrict housing from those who actually need it.

2) Dale proposed building alliances with Acorn (Acorn Housing Corporation) and with the Ward F leaders, such as Viola Richardson, Councilwoman of Ward F.
Christian proposed we come up with a CPEHA (Community Partnership to End Homelessness)/ACORN plan, and Dale agreed to work on it. Leila recommended we bring these issues up with our state reps.
Links: http://acornhousing.org/TEXT/wwa.php

http://tinyurl.com/2octet

G) Christian proposed to organized issues on agenda on the federal, state and local levels as well as by priority.

H) Topic 7, Green Spaces:

1) Discussion of Embankment victory. Link: http://www.hudsonreporter.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=18721854&BRD=1291&PAG=461&dept_id=523586&rfi=6

2) Need to further adopt the Embankment cause. Dale requested that JCDFA and Downtown residents show up to upcoming Embankment meetings to make statements supporting the embankment. Tavie posted the links to the Embankment articles and website on the JCDFA blog.

I) Topic 8, Corporate Personhood

1) The Agenda item calls for abolishing corporate personhood, which isn’t a law but is being treated as such without justification from the Supreme Court. Christian recommended we read about it at the website of the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom, which is run out of Philadelphia. Tavie posted link on the JCDFA blog. Link: http://www.wilpf.org/

2) Christian volunteered to expand the topic of federal judicial reform on the agenda.

J) Dale suggested a photo op with Sires when they hold the meeting, which is in West New York, and invite the Jersey City Reporter.

5) Business to carry over to next meeting:

A) Agenda for next meeting postponed pending input of larger group

B) Future DFA endorsements, tabled by Christian.

End time: 8:25 pm