Minutes: TU Board Meeting
March 29, 2018
Home of Megan O’Reilly
All present: Bob Bresnahan, Marjorie Luckey, Megan O’Reilly & Melissa Moe.
Phone meeting with Lisa O’Brien
Discussion regarding legal status of Taos United
Taos United is currently a non-profit corporation. Shall we obtain 501c3 or 501c4 status?
501c3: participant based organization, may raise awareness around issues but not lobby for or endorse political candidates, ability for donors to obtain charitable deductions. Must offer speaking opportunity to all candidates, not just preferred candidates.
501c4: membership based organization, may participate in elections, endorse candidates, donors may not claim a charitable deduction.
Lisa will report back with further info regarding preferred designation this afternoon.
Further discussion: what do we wish to be? An organization that will help people fight back politically. Educate our community to provide them with the information they need to be political activists.
Bob suggested TU focus on the Health Security Act, Renewable Standards, PRC adoption of the social cost of carbon, and Education.
Board consensus: be driven by what we wish to be, adopt legal designation to suit our purpose.
Megan moved we become an organization that can take political action, participate in elections, endorse candidates, and advocate specific legislation. Marjorie 2nd, all yea.
Agenda
Call to order by Bob
Minutes accepted from Feb 19th and Feb 20th Board meetings. Decisions made verbally and electronically:
- Co-sponsor Public Regulatory Commission Educational Forum and Candidate Meet & Greet on March 13th.
- Community co-sponsor of Student March against Gun Violence on March 14th.
- Acceptance of proposal by Beth Levine to proceed with the creation of a new website for Taos United Inc. Authorization of down payment, March 19-21, 2018.
- Co-sponsor Nuclear Watch meeting at SOMOS and Taos Town Council Workshop, 4/2.
Board member resignations have been received from Brantly Goodwin and Mary Lane Leslie. Bylaws. Upon decision re legal designation, Bob will review and make proposal for bylaws.
Officers. Bob will set Board meeting agendas, a responsibility to be rotated. Members may forward agenda items. Melissa elected Secretary.
Forum.
I. We need a Steering Committee to organize monthly meetings, recruit speakers, various details. Melissa will ask for volunteers at the next Forum.
II. Melissa announced team organized to run the meeting April 3rd. MC – Stan Riveles, Timer – Bea Balsamo. Note taking/recap – Phyllis Wilson, Marianne Furedi, Melissa Moe.
III. Special 10 min speaker possibilities: student organizers of Ending Gun Violence and Bill McCamley, candidate for State Auditor.
IV. We seek Hispanic & Native American involvement. Pascualito Maestas would be a great addition if he is available.
Deep Wells. Megan suggested this important topic is part of a larger discussion regarding what we in Taos wish to be – an agricultural community or oriented toward growth & development.
Consideration: will growth of our community sacrifice the health of our aquifer? Let’s take political & community action for a better world. Use these issues to have a discussion about what we want our town to look like. Bike trails.
Do we wish Taos to be a livable community where our children can find jobs – what steps do we take now to create this? Vision 2030.
Website. Megan & Beth Levine will work together on this. There are 3 different lists of participants in TU on Marjorie’s computer. Discussion regarding switching to MailChimp as a communication tool. Beth could implement a plugin which would be useful for posting to Facebook.
Letter to Cristy Holden & Dan Pritchard. Board members reviewed and signed a letter acknowledging their dedication and hard work helping to establish Taos United.
TU Pecha Kucha. Community oriented and lots of fun, this is a series of 6 min 40 sec (per person) presentations composed of 20 slides for 20 seconds each. Jane Farmer and Marjorie are organizing a Taos United Pecha Kucha, dedicated to things that matter, things that bring us together to stand up and take action. They plan to have equal participation from Pueblo & Hispanic communities. Donations will be requested to be used for speakers to give tickets to friends and family. Participants so far include Lila June Johnston, Pueblo poet activist and CJ
Bernal & Megan Yakovich of Ballet Taos. Alice Martinez, new Pueblo precinct chair, will talk about how she became a political activist.
April 22nd, earth day.
It is three short weeks until Earth Day. Environmental issues are a good activator for kids. Perhaps a member of the Environmental issue group might take the lead on this. A request could be made at the next Forum.
Gubernatorial candidate round table.
Awaiting word from Nat Troy about candidate availability and date. We might act as co-sponsor.
Values. Agenda item for next meeting. Consider the tenor of the NM Resistance Espanola.
Next meeting. Monday April 16th, 10 am, to be confirmed
Meeting adjourned.
Melissa Moe, secretary