Local resident receives nomination for co-chair of the national Green Party

Brighton, NY — Jason Nabewaniec, 28 and a resident of Brighton, has recently been nominated to serve as co-chair of the Green Party of the United States. Nabewaniec represents Greens in western New York on the Green National Committee (GNC) and is also a member of the By-Laws, Rules, Policies, and Procedure Committee and Merchandising Committee of the GNC.

Nabewaniec has served as liaison between the New York State Green Party and the Green Party of Monroe County for the past two years and is also a campaign and strategic planning advisor to the New York State Green Party.

Nabewaniec served as chair of the Green Party of Monroe County for eighteen months prior to his election. In January 2006, he accepted a position as co-vice chair of the Monroe County division. He intends to help lead the party’s focus on electoral reform and the implementation of the Help American Vote Act (HAVA) of 2002, which includes the purchase of new voting machines in western New York.

The Green Party is the world’s largest unified political party. The Green Party of the United States formed in 2001 and is committed to environmentalism, non-violence, social justice, and grassroots organizing, without the support of corporate donors.

"Currently, the Green Party requires leadership with a calm demeanor and a steady hand,” said Greg Gerritt, former national secretary of the Green Party and current GNC delegate from Rhode Island. "I nominated Jason because he has shown a level head in stressful situations and an ability to help everyone work through their differences.”

In 2004, Nabewaniec introduced presidential candidates Ralph Nader and David Cobb at the Rochester area campaign visits. Nabewaniec and two other Green Party members are candidates for co-chair of America’s third largest political Party in an election to be held between January 30 and February 6.

Nabewaniec's national goals for 2006 include improving methods of communication to increase effectiveness and efficiency in the consensus building process, caucus empowerment, committee transparency, and a more dynamic approach to leadership on a national level. Locally, Nabewaniec has focused on coalition building around the issues of racism, violence, participatory democracy, and the right to marriage.

Nabewaniec is a civil engineer completing his Masters Degree in Environmental, Health and Safety Management at the Rochester Institute of Technology. His wife, Misty, also works at RIT as a sign language interpreter.

For more information, please contact David Atias at 585.966.9067 or visit www.gp.org