Chief Justice Cheri Beasley to address People’s Alliance April 22
North Carolina Chief Justice Cheri Beasley will address members of the People’s Alliance and People’s Alliance PAC on Monday, April 22 at Motorco (723 Rigsbee Ave in Durham) at 6:30pm (doors open at 5:30). Membership meetings of the People’s Alliance and People’s Alliance PAC will follow to consider changes to the PA bylaws and the rules governing PA PAC endorsement meetings (see below for details on the five proposed changes under consideration). There will also be an election for PA PAC coordinators to serve two-year terms (through the 2020 election cycle).
About Chief Justice Cheri Beasley
Chief Justice Cheri Beasley began her 20-year judicial career as a District Court judge in Cumberland County, North Carolina in 1999. After ten years of service, she was elected to serve as an Associate Judge on the North Carolina Court of Appeals. She was then appointed by Governor Perdue to fill the vacancy on the North Carolina Supreme Court created by the retirement of Justice Patricia Timmons-Goodson in 2012.
In the Supreme Court’s 200-year history, Chief Justice Beasley is the eighth woman and only the second African-American woman to serve on the Court. With her appointment by Governor Cooper in March 2019, Beasley became the first African-American woman to serve as Chief Justice of the state’s highest Court.
About the People’s Alliance and People’s Alliance PAC membership meetings
The People’s Alliance and the People’s Alliance PAC have reviewed the requirements for membership and voting in endorsement meetings and are proposing a series of changes that we believe will make the process fairer. These changes are the result of over a year of conversations with people within and outside PA and were informed by the results of a survey completed by over 200 PA members. Read more about why we believe these changes are necessary and how they will affect the endorsement process here.
We are offering the following changes to be voted on by the membership on April 22
The People’s Alliance board of directors, which sets the requirements for membership, sets and collects dues, and manages volunteer opportunities proposes to make three changes: limiting members to persons, and excluding corporations, associations, and other organizations from membership; prohibiting a person from paying PA membership dues for another person; and prohibiting officers of the People’s Alliance board from personally endorsing candidates not endorsed by the People’s Alliance PAC. Details on these proposals are available here.
The People’s Alliance PAC, which determines which members can vote and sets the process by which endorsements are debated and determined proposes to set the membership requirement to vote in PA PAC elections at 60 days, from 30 days and prohibiting People’s Alliance PAC coordinators from personally endorsing candidates not endorsed by the People’s Alliance PAC. Details on these proposals are available here.
We are not proposing changes to PA membership dues and we are not proposing participation requirements. You can read in more detail why we believe these changes are not necessary or appropriate here.
How these changes will be decided
We believe that each of these changes listed above if adopted by the membership, will help assure new members and long-time members alike that all candidates have an equal chance to seek and secure the PA endorsement.
The proposed changes to the People’s Alliance (c)(4) (the “Chapter”) bylaws must be adopted two-thirds of the members in attendance. Members may offer amendments to each of the three proposals.
Following that vote, the People’s Alliance Chapter will conclude business and a meeting of the People’s Alliance PAC will begin.
The two changes offered by the People’s Alliance PAC must be adopted by a majority vote of the members in attendance. Members may offer amendments to the proposals.
Who may attend and vote on these changes
Only members of the People’s Alliance may attend and vote and the meeting. All current and paid-up PA members are eligible to vote and there is no restriction period for newly-joined members. All memberships expire at the beginning of each calendar year. If you have not renewed your membership for 2019, you can renew online or at the door. To avoid a long renewal line, all members are encouraged to join online in advance of the meeting.