Bylaws of the Vermont Progressive Party‑ Burlington
As amended Sept. 2001, Jan. 2003, Sept. 2015
Article I: Name
The full and proper name of the organization shall be the Vermont Progressive Party, Burlington City Committee. The organization shall be known also as the Progressive Party‑Burlington.
Article II: Legal Standing and Affiliations
The Progressive Party‑Burlington shall be organized in the state of Vermont under Title 17 of Vermont’s statutes as a local committee of the Vermont Progressive Party. The organization shall be affiliated with County and State Committees of the Vermont Progressive Party in years those committees are duly formed.
Article III: Party Membership
1. Members. The Membership of the Party shall be any resident of the city of Burlington who is a member of the Vermont Progressive Party.
2. Powers & Responsibilities. The Membership shall have the power to:
a. Reorganize and dissolve the City Party;
b. Elect and remove members of the City Committee;
c. Endorse candidates for city office;
d. Amend the City Party Bylaws as allowed under Article X;
e. Adopt resolutions directing the Steering Committee to take action; and
f. Conduct any other business not reserved for the City or Steering Committees.
Article IV: Membership Meetings
1. Definition. A duly warned meeting of the Membership shall also be called a City Caucus.
2. Types of Meetings.
a. Odd‑Year Meetings. Title 17 of Vermont’s statutes requires Vermont parties to reorganize in September of each odd‑numbered year. The purpose of the odd‑year organizational meeting is to elect a governing committee for the following two‑year period, and for any other business that should come before the Membership.
b. Mayoral Election Meetings. The Membership shall meet in the December or January prior to a Town Meeting Day election in which the office of mayor is up for election. This meeting shall be for the purpose of endorsing a candidate for mayor, and for any other business that should come before the Membership.
c. Special Meetings. The Steering Committee may call a Special Membership Meeting for any reason. Party Members may require that the Steering Committee call a Special Membership Meeting for any reason by presenting a petition to the Chair or Vice‑Chair with at least 25 Member signatures. The petition must state the purpose of the Special Meeting.
3. Warning. Warning for Membership meetings shall be made by placing a notice at least seven days in advance in a newspaper of general circulation in Burlington. Additional warning shall be given whenever possible. The notice shall include the following:
a. The date, time and place of the meeting;
b. The purpose of the meeting;
c. A phone number or email address to contact for more information; and
d. Any information required by local or state law in order to conduct the business for which the meeting is called.
4. Quorum. A quorum shall be any number of members who attend a duly warned Membership Meeting.
5. Decision Making. Decisions shall be made by holding a vote of those present, with a simple majority prevailing, except for votes to amend the bylaws as stated in Article IX and for votes to amend the Charter as stated in the Charter.
6. Record Keeping. Pursuant to Title 17 of Vermont’s statutes, within 72 hours after the caucus, the Chair and Secretary of the City Committee shall mail to the Secretary of State and the Chairs of the State and County Committees a copy of the notice calling the meeting and a certified list of the names and mailing addresses of the officers and members of the Town Committee and of the delegates to the County Committee.
Article V: City Committee
1. Members. Members of the City Committee shall be those members of the Party who reside within Burlington who are elected by the members of the Party at a Membership Meeting (caucus), or subsequently added by a majority vote of the Steering Committee.
2. Powers & Responsibilities. The City Committee’s primary function is to elect the Ward Representatives, At-Large Representatives, and officers of the Steering Committee as described in Article VI. City Committee members may also serve as delegates to the State Convention as provided by the State Party Bylaws. The City Committee shall also carry out any other responsibilities assigned by law or the State Party Bylaws.
3. Officers. The Officers of the City Committee shall also be the Officers of the Steering Committee, as enumerated in Article VI. Officers shall be elected by the City Committee as described in Article VI.
4. Quorum. A quorum shall be any number of members who attend a duly warned Meeting.
Article VI: Steering Committee
1. Members. Members of the Steering Committee shall be: a) up to one Ward Representative from each ward, b) up to seven representatives elected at large, and c) those individuals holding the offices of Mayor, City Councilor or State Legislator who reside in Burlington, who were identified as Progressives on the ballot. The City Committee may appoint individuals holding the offices of Mayor, City Councilor or State Legislator who ran as independents and who reside in Burlington if the elected officials are members of the Progressive Party. The City Committee shall appoint to the Steering Committee all other elected officials who were identified as Progressives or are party members but who were identified as independents on the ballot so long as those elected officials agree to attend meetings in person or by proxy. All seats expire at the following Odd‑Year Annual Meeting, or when a successor is chosen.
a. Election of Ward and At-Large Representatives. Members of the City Committee shall meet among themselves according to the ward they live in. Each ward shall nominate to the full City Committee at least one candidate for Ward Representative. Where there is more than one candidate for Ward Representative, the City Committee shall use instant runoff voting to determine which person will serve as the ward representative. Following the election of the Ward Representatives, nominations for the At-Large Representatives shall take place. If there are seven or fewer nominees for At-Large Representative, the City Committee may vote on the nominees as a slate. If a slate is not used, then each nominee will be voted on individually and a nominee will be elected if they receive a majority of the votes of those City Committee members present. If there are more than seven nominees, the City Committee shall use instant runoff voting to elect the seven At-Large Representatives. The Steering Committee as a whole shall be composed of individuals adhering to subsection (d) regarding Diversity and Inclusion. If, after the election, the Steering Committee does not meet the requirements set forth in that subsection, the City Committee must revote on the Ward and At-Large Representatives as needed.
b. Election of Officers. Following the election of the Steering Committee members, the City Committee shall vote for officers among those Steering Committee members. The officers shall be Chair, Vice-Chair, Secretary, and Treasurer. Two Co-Chairs may serve in place of a Chair and Vice-Chair. A single member may hold both the Secretary and Treasurer positions. Elected officials who are members of the Steering Committee may serve as officers.
c. Alternates. Members of the City Committee may elect up to four alternate Steering Committee members. An absent Ward or At-Large Steering Committee member may designate an alternate to vote at a Steering Committee meeting in her/his absence. If no designation has been made, any elected alternates may fill absent Ward or At-Large Steering Committee member slots. If there are more alternates attending than there are absent Ward or At-Large Steering Committee members, the regular Steering Committee members in attendance shall select which alternates may vote.
d. Diversity and Inclusion. The Progressive Party-Burlington is committed to being a party that reflects our diverse city. In recruiting and electing officers and members to the Steering Committee, City Committee members shall consider the importance of having a diverse and inclusive leadership body that reflects a diversity of race, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, national origin, ancestry or place of birth, mental or physical disability, age, marital and familial status, and income. At a minimum, the Chair or Vice-Chair (or one of the two Co-Chairs) and one other officer shall be Burlington residents whose gender is other than that of cis-gendered men.[1] The Ward and At-Large Representatives to the Steering Committee as a whole, as well as any alternates, must be made up of at least 50 percent residents whose gender is other than that of cis-gendered men. Further, no more than four Ward and At-Large Steering Committee members may live in the same ward.
e. Removal. A member may be removed from the Steering Committee for cause by a vote of two-thirds of its members.
2. Powers & Responsibilities. The Steering Committee shall have full authority to act in the name of the City Committee on all matters and have the specific powers and responsibilities to:
a. Recruit candidates for office;
b. Endorse candidates for office as allowed under Article IX;
c. Appoint additional members to the City Committee, and individuals to fill vacancies on the Steering Committee;
d. Responsibly manage the finances of the City Party and to authorize expenditures of Party funds, except where such power is given to the Executive Committee in Article VII;
e. Make a concerted effort toward raising funds for the City Party
f. Serve as a liaison between the party membership and elected officials;
g. Conduct those activities which promote the purpose, objectives, and principles of the Party;
h. Amend the Bylaws as allowed under Article X;
i. Keep the membership informed about the activities of the City Committee and Steering Committee;
j. Call meetings of the City Committee with at least seven days notice to all City Committee members; and
k. Arrange for appropriate trainings around privilege as well as interpersonal and systemic oppression.
3. Meetings. The Steering Committee shall meet no less than once each calendar quarter. The Steering Committee or the Executive Committee may convene additional meetings of the Steering Committee as necessary to carry out its responsibilities. Meetings shall be warned no less than seven days in advance. The seven-day warning requirement may be waived for Steering Committee meetings by a consensus of the Steering Committee. Warning shall be provided by any means chosen by a consensus of the Steering Committee. A quorum shall be eight members of the Steering Committee. Members may participate in person or by telecommunication devices in whole or in part.
4. Decision Making. At meetings, decisions shall be made by holding a vote of those present, with a simple majority prevailing. Between meetings, the Steering Committee may take action on urgent or time-sensitive matters by written consent of Steering Committee members. Voting may be conducted via email. Steering Committee members shall be given at least three days to vote after receipt of notice. If not otherwise confirmed, a phone call shall attempt to confirm the Steering Committee member's receipt of notice. The motion shall be tabled until the next in-person Steering Committee meeting should two or more members oppose the motion.
5. Proxies. Steering Committee members who are publicly elected officials may appoint proxies who may vote and speak on their behalf at meetings. Proxies must be standing members of the Steering Committee.
6. Record Keeping. A record of decisions made at Steering Committee meetings shall be kept by the Secretary. A decision made between meetings shall be reported by the Chair to the Steering Committee by email as soon as possible and at the first meeting following the decision. The decision shall be recorded in the minutes of that meeting.
7. Officers. The officers of the Steering Committee shall be the officers of the City Committee.
8. Individual Powers and Responsibilities of Officers
a. Duties of the Chair. The Chair shall convene meetings of the City Committee, Steering Committee, and the Membership. The Chair shall ensure members regularly attend meetings. In between meetings, the Chair shall check in with any active subcommittees of the Steering Committee to ensure they are working on their delegated tasks. The Chair shall see to it that all reports required to be filed with government offices are filed in a timely manner.
b. Duties of the Vice‑Chair. The Vice‑Chair shall act as Chair in the Chair’s absence.
c. Co-Chairs. In the event that two Co-Chairs serve in place of the Chair and Vice-Chair, the duties of the Chair, as defined in subsection (a) of this section, shall be shared by the Co-Chairs.
d. Duties of the Treasurer. The Treasurer shall keep the financial records of the City Party and shall prepare finance reports as required by government offices. All records shall be kept in the central electronic place of the Party and shall be passed from each Treasurer to her/his successor.
e. Duties of the Secretary. The Secretary shall keep the minutes of all actions of the City Committee, Steering Committee, and Executive Committee. The Secretary shall also cause to be kept all records of decisions by caucuses and subcommittees of the Party. The Secretary should maintain a list of all those individuals living in the city who have participated in Party activities in the past year. All records regarding important institutional memory, current and past versions of Bylaws, meeting minutes, and current and past Steering Committee members shall be kept in the central electronic place of the Party and shall be passed from each Secretary to her/his successor.
Article VII: Executive Committee
1. Members. There shall be five members of the Executive Committee. The members shall be the officers of the Steering/City Committee, plus one non-officer member of the Steering Committee. If one Steering Committee member holds both the positions of Treasurer and Secretary, an additional non-officer member of the Steering Committee shall be on the Executive Committee. All non-officer Executive Committee members shall be selected by the entire Steering Committee.
2. Powers & Responsibilities of Executive Committee. The Executive Committee shall have the powers and responsibilities to:
a. Administer the day‑to‑day functioning of the Party;
b. Propose agendas for meetings of the City Committee and Steering Committee;
c. Authorize expenditures of up to $500 per item if the expenditures are for current Party initiatives;
d. Coordinate and provide support to Party subcommittees;
e. Convene meetings of the City Committee and Steering Committee;
f. Perform other functions as delegated by the Steering Committee; and
g. Take action on time-sensitive matters.
3. Meetings. The Executive Committee shall meet in person or through electronic telecommunications at its convenience in order to meet its responsibilities. Executive Committee meetings shall be open to all members of the Steering Committee. Meetings do not have to be warned in advance; however, all members of the Executive Committee must be notified of the meeting. A quorum shall be three members of the Executive Committee.
4. Decision Making. At in-person meetings, decisions shall be made by holding a vote of those present, with a simple majority prevailing. Voting may be conducted via email if the matter is time sensitive, with a simple majority prevailing.
5. Record Keeping. A record of decisions made by the Executive Committee shall be submitted to the Secretary and shall be distributed to the Steering Committee at its next meetings. An email shall be sent as soon as reasonably possible to the rest of the Steering Committee informing them of the subject matter and any decisions reached.
Article VIII: Ward Caucuses
1. Meetings. Progressive Party members living in any ward of the city may convene a Ward Caucus as necessary for the purpose of conducting ward Party business.
2. Warning. Ward Caucuses shall be warned seven days in advance. At a minimum, the warning shall be made to all those individuals living in the ward who have participated in Party activities in the past year. The Secretary shall keep or cause to be kept such a list.
3. Quorum. A quorum shall be three individuals. Decisions shall be made by holding a vote of those present, with a simple majority prevailing.
4. Record Keeping. A record of decisions made at Ward Caucuses shall be submitted to the Secretary following the Caucus.
Article IX: Candidate Endorsements
1. General Provisions. The Progressive Party-Burlington shall have the authority to endorse, or not endorse, candidates for elected city offices. Any endorsement shall be based on the following factors:
a. The candidate’s affirmative endorsement of the Vermont Progressive Party Statement of Principles;
b. The candidate’s commitment not to work in opposition to any provision in the Progressive Party Platform;
c. The candidate’s commitment not to work against Progressive Party-endorsed or nominated candidates; and
d. The candidate’s commitment to caucus regularly with other Progressive elected officials.
2. City Offices.
a. Citywide Offices. Endorsement of candidates for mayor or justice of the peace shall be made by a majority vote of the Membership at a City Committee meeting.
b. Ward Offices. For ward offices, a Ward Caucus shall be called according to the provisions in Article VIII for the purpose of recommending a candidate to the Steering Committee for endorsement. The Steering Committee shall approve or reject the recommendation, but shall not endorse a candidate that has not been recommended by the Ward Caucus, unless the Ward Caucus has failed to endorse a candidate.
3. State Legislative Offices. Endorsement or nomination of candidates for State Legislature shall be made as prescribed by Title 17 of Vermont’s statutes regarding primary elections.
4. Statewide and National Offices. The Progressive Party‑Burlington, except as a part of a larger State Party, is not authorized by state law to endorse or nominate candidates for county, statewide, or national offices.
Article X: Amendments to Bylaws
1. Process. These bylaws may be amended by a two‑thirds vote of the Membership at a meeting warned at least 30 days in advance. The warning shall include the statement: “Vote to be taken on proposed bylaw amendment.” The proposed language of the amendment shall be made available by the Secretary or the Chair to any person requesting it for the 30 days before the meeting. The Steering Committee shall formalize any amendments approved by the Membership, making only technical corrections.
[1] Cisgender or cissexual (often abbreviated to simply cis) describes related types of gender identity perceptions, where individuals' experiences of their own gender agree with the sex they were assigned at birth. (Wikipedia)