Steve Greenfield, delegate to the GPUS from New York State, continues to attack the Green Party of Utah. While his motives are unclear, one can only speculate. Here is the series of emails from Greenfield and others today, with my response at the end.
(I’d like to make one thing clear: The Director of Elections in Utah did not send our filing officer a “cease and desist” letter. His letter was in response to a letter that our filing officer sent him, explaining the Elections Office position and what the affiliated GPUT will have to do to be recognized, in accordance with state elections law. We are doing as instructed and are nearly completed with our petition drive. The letters can be seen HERE.)
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The State of Utah can make any decision it wants, but it does not have anystanding within the GPUS. As for membership in the GPUS, the NC decides based on a vote by the delegates. greg gerritt gpri
Yes, anything but a vote by the membership, and whenever necessary, as the Utah situation illustrates, the NC can just sever an entire state, approve two new delegates with no constituents, and due to a complete and willful disregard for state election laws, guarantee that the GPUS Presidential candidate will never have a Green Party line in Utah.
So here is what the “5 plus 20%” controlling SC/NC power structure has provided: over 1000 actual self-identified registered Greens in Utah, who successfully conducted the difficult drive required by GPUS bylaws to bulfill any state requirements needed to achieve party status, may not be part of GPUS, and handful of spiteful people who have never been able to complete a petition and have no constituency (Green or otherwise) are voting on behalf of Utah in our national affairs and as a matter of law may not ever provide GPUS with the state ballot line our own bylaws require. Plus, at any point we may actually be sued for disregarding the recent cease-and-desist order from the State of Utah’s Elections Division informing
Tom King that he may not use the name “Green Party of Utah” or any name that sounds like it.
Yep, the Green Party is DEFINITELY on a path to challenge both the duopoly and the military-corporate behemoth it administers. You’re the best, Greg. Really. A true radical. You’re actually too smart for this kind of work.
Steve Greenfield
New Paltz, NY
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In fact, the Director of Elections has informed the Green Pary of Utah that
we may continue our petition drive (almost completed, fyi) under the name
Green Party of Utah, per the procedure of the election code, and when our drive
is declared by **us** (as the Director of Elections has instructed) as complete, only then will the name issue be addressed.
Deanna Taylor, Co-Coordinator, Alternate Delegate
Green Party of Utah
Yes, and since it is established by your Director of Elections as a matter of law that should you ever actually complete a petition, that on that day you will be officially forbidden from filing it under the name “Green Party of Utah” or anything that sounds like that. So you will then either give up,
or perpetrate a huge fraud against your signatories by changing the name to something else after they signed in good faith under the belief that they were joining the Green Party of Utah.
Nothing is beneath you people. Seriously. Nothing. It turns my stomach. But evidence suggests that it is precisely BECAUSE nothing is beneath you that Greg and the “5 and 20%” that are in control of the Green Party want so desperately to continue your presence on the National Committee. You’ll reliably do the undemocratic thing at all times.
Steve Greenfield
New Paltz, NY
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Worth noting: as of the August 2004 emergency convention, the conveners of said convention recognized only 48 individuals as party members. 812, I believe, were registered as Greens by the time of that August convention. According to Ben Fulton, the GPUT had approximately 300 members as of February, 2003.
Green and Growing.
Owen R. Broadhurst (MA)
Ben Fulton, editor of the Salt Lake City Weekly, and someone who historically has not been friendly to the party, is hardly an authority on the Green Party.
While there may be around 1,000 registered Greens, membership in Utah is defined as being part of a registered local in the state,not how one is registered. In fact, party affiliation is not even listed on a Utah voter’s registration card.
At the time of the emergency convention in 2004 there were 48 card-carrying members.
It would be appreciated if folks from other states would stop posting erroneous facts and check them out before stating things that are not true, including the issue over the name. The Director of Elections has issued instructions and they are being followed, inclusive of informing the public.
Deanna Taylor, Co-Coordinator, Alternate Delegate
Green Party of Utah
Deanna Dee-Dee Taylor 
Baloney
A fellow delegate from another state gave me some sound advice:
Don’t respond to certain people and their accusations on the list.
This is great advice and usually I don’t respond, but sometimes my impulses get the better of me.
Greenfield has again written in with the post below. My response:
The Green Party of Utah has legal rights to the name. It is incorporated and trademarked. Greenfield can say whatever he wants and use whatever intimidating tactics he wishes – that fact is not going to change. It is the Elections office that is breaking the law. The Green Party of Utah has until February 15, 2006 to complete its petition drive. Read the election code. Even with its vagueries on recognitioin of political parties, it is clear on the process of having to choose a new name.
Period.
Likewise, since we as NC delegates have to vote on which Utah Green Party
will be the “official” GPUS member group, we would appreciate it if you
provide us with some of this information so that we may do our jobs
properly.
One thing I’d like to know is this: if you are indeed returning to all of
your original petition signers to inform them that “your” party cannot be
called the Green Party of Utah or anything that sounds like it because the
Utah Director of Elections has already assigned that name to another group
of at least 1000 people, and that you would like them to sign up a second
time under a new name:
1) what are you telling them the new name will be?
2) what are you telling them when they ask why they thought they were
signing up for the Green Party but now you are asking them to sign up for
something called by a different name?
3) what are you telling them when they ask you “what do you mean they’re not
the “real” Utah Green Party and somehow “stole” the name by “stealing” the
website?” I mean, how do you make that make sense to them in the minute or
two you have their attention? What do you say if they ask you why they
should just take your word for it?
4) what are your plans after you get your petitions done with whatever name
you end up using and the “other” Green Party of Utah that is using that name
starts running candidates on ballot lines that say “Green Party?” Are you
going to get in touch with all of “your” petition signers to make sure they
don’t vote for those people?
5) Presumably in 2008 you and Tom are planning to run whomever the Green
Party convention nominates for President. But you won’t be able to run that
person on a ballot line called “Green Party.” How do you plan to help the
Utah voters understand that if they want to vote for a Green Party
presidential candidate that they shouldn’t be throwing switches under the
ballot booth column called “Green Party?”
Continued in next comment.
Re: Baloney
Continued from comment prior to this.
In short, before you start making demands on NC delegates who are trying to
discuss this information based on the little information that has been made
available to us by the Lt. Governor of Utah (who we have no reason to
consider an unreliable source) and representatives of the 1000 Greens who
disagree with your position, in keeping with the requirements of our
position to be informed and act accordingly, why don’t you try actually
giving us some information we could work with. So far you just keep telling
us “don’t believe what you’ve been reading, we’re working on it” but you’ve
told us absolutely nothing about what you’re working on or where you expect
it to lead. Addressing the five questions above would be a good start. I’m
sure there will be others as things develop. To help you appreciate the
importance of these questions, please pause to recall the words of your Lt.
Gov./Director of Elections sent to Tom King:
“While you may collect signatures, the party that you seek to register must
have a name and emblem distinguishable from other registered political
parties. Utah Code Annotate section 20A-8-103(1) defines distinguishable as
“a reasonable person of average intelligence will be able to perceived a
difference between the proposed name or emblem and any name or emblem
currently being used by another registered political party.”:
Please notify us when you have completed collecting signatures. After
receiving your complete petition, we will review the petition to ensure that
you have collected the required number of signatures. Wee will also review
your proposed party name and emblem. If the name and emblem are not
distinguishable from other registered parties, you will have seven days to
submit a new name and emblem.”
So please stop keeping us in the dark. There is already a party in Utah
called the Green Party and they may soon seek accreditation. We cannot
simply reject their request unless you provide some answers, some real,
concrete answers about why we should do so.
And in the meantime, I remind you, Tom, and everyone here in GPUS that the
fact that Tom and Deanna may not legally use the name Green Party of Utah
and that the authority of Utah state law has granted full control of the use
of that name to an existing registered Utah political party, the continued
use of that name in reference to another group and without the permission of
the legal holders of the party name creates a risk of a very embarrassing
and unpleasant lawsuit, should Jeff choose to go that route. In this one
regard, at least, he currently holds all the cards.
Steve Greenfield
New Paltz, NY