The Green Party of Suffolk

Green Party of Suffolk Coordinating Committee member Matthew Lavery elected to National Green Party House Campaign Committee

The Green Party of Suffolk is proud to announce that Suffolk Green Party Executive Board member Matthew Lavery has been elected to the National Green Party House Campaign Committee (NGPHCC). Lavery is the Islip Town co-representative to the Coordinating Committee of the Green Party of Suffolk. The NGPHCC exists to promote the campaigns of Green Party candidates running for the United States House of Representatives, to support ballot access drives to enable such campaigns, and to support other party-building activities.

For several years as an expatriate American, Lavery had been active for years with the Green Party in Norwich, Norfolk England. Norwich was voted the “Greenest” city in England in 2006. Norwich also has one of the most successful local Green Parties in Britain—Greens are the official opposition party on the City Council, controlling 13 of 39 seats, two less than the majority Labour Party. Most recently, Lavery has served as an advisor to the European Parliamentary Campaign for Rupert Read, who is a Norwich City Councillor. Read is also the official aviation policy spokesman for the Green Party of England. Since returning to the United States, Lavery has become very active in local and national Green Party politics, and was elected a Presidential Delegate to the 2008 Green Party Presidential Convention. (Read full announcement.)

The Green Party of Suffolk is opposed to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) decision to deny the requests of the New York State Department of State (NYSDOS) and the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC) to be heard on the Broadwater Energy liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal. The NYSDOS and NYSDEC wanted to speak in opposition to the March 20, 2008 FERC order authorizing the Broadwater terminal to be built in the Long Island Sound.

The Green Party of Suffolk in its platform opposes building any new fossil fuel facilities such as Broadwater, and demands that investment be made instead in building renewable energy facilities.

The Green Party of Suffolk (GPoS) is the electoral arm of the Green movement. GPoS supports candidates at the local level. The Green Party is an alternative to the Democrats and Republicans, an alternative to politics as usual. Green Party candidates do not accept contributions from corporations.

Voters may join the Green Party by checking the box that says "other" on a voter registration form, and writing in the word "Green." There are currently about 37,000 registered Greens in New York state. As a party devoted to diversity and grassroots democracy, there are many opportunities to volunteer; run for office; and serve in various committees at the local, state and national level.

In addition, Suffolk Greens may also petition to become State Committee members, so they can represent their area at GPNYS.

Help the Green Party of Suffolk Reach out to Suffolk Greens

If you have been an enrolled Green in Suffolk for a while, you know that those of us helping to organize the party in Suffolk try to reach out to all Greens in Suffolk County as much as we can. We use this web site, email (sign up at right if you haven't yet) and other means to keep Greens in Suffolk informed. As a way to reach all of Suffolk's Greens, we mail to every enrolled Green in Suffolk County periodically. (If you haven't received a mailing from us, please check your voting registration address, or contact us.)

Everyone who registers to vote has a mail address so we can contact and inform them. We believe every Green in Suffolk has the right to know about and participate in their party. The Green Party believes in grassroots democracy. Unfortunately, postal mailings cost money. Just one mailing to all of Suffolk's Greens can cost over $1200.

If you look in the column at the left, you will see a chart on our fund drive to pay for the GPoS's next mailing. The mailing needs to go out in time to notify Greens of our next countywide meeting, and the April fundraising party. (See below) Hopefully everyone can contribute what they can to push us over the top so the GPoS can continue to reach out.

To contribute by credit card, just click on the "DONATE" link at the left of this column. (This is a secure transaction.) To contribute by check, please make your check payable to "Green Party of Suffolk County," and mail to 14 Robin Drive, Huntington, NY 11743-4712. Please include your name and address. We are all volunteers, and all money raised goes to Green Party expenses. Thank you. -Roger Snyder, Chair, Green Party of Suffolk