Cadre for the Party and PWW: An Engraved Invitation

Opening to the National Committee

I have been asked to report to the National Committee on cadre. Throughout the weekend, in many different reports, the word and subject of cadre has come up. The ability or inability to head key areas of work or build key collectives for the Party has a material impact on the role of the Party as well as our collective ability to make the contribution that history is calling upon us to make.

As an aside, I looked up cadre in the e-thesaurus attached to Microsoft Word and found the word "force" as a synonym. I've been getting into the electronic thesaurus lately and actually credit it for helping me to write. Technology can be a wonderful thing.

But to reflect on the word "force" for a minute: That's what communist cadre are - a real, political and ideological force in the class struggle, the movement for social change and socialism.

In the last year, while taking a fresh look at policies, programs, political and ideological attitudes, structure and organization, the new leadership has taken a fresh look at cadre. We are looking at strategic deployment (Elena Mora's phrase) of resources and cadre while experimenting, decentralizing and reaching out in a new way for more cadre on a full-time and volunteer basis.

At the last NC meeting, in an effort to make that fresh attitude real, many comrades were invited to a dinner to discuss their future. The point being comrades should give serious thought to working full-time for the Party. And in cases where this is not possible for comrades, to give serious thought to volunteering to head-up some key area of work.

I wanted to make an invitation that said, "What are you waiting for? An engraved invitation?" But I think an appropriately less edgy invitation was sent out.

So here we are months later and urging all of you to consider such a commitment. If not us, who? If not now, when?

In the meantime, the National Office was not idly waiting and standing by, but made some significant cadre decisions which you may or may not be aware of. Some have been mentioned in previous reports but formally I'd like to announce the cadre additions and/or assignment changes that have been made so far with the eye of strategic deployment - to better fit the Party's needs of today - and to give new attention to the functioning of the Party organization on the district, club and national level.

Additions:
Lead off: Pete St. Marie came all the way from Colorado to take the daunting task of systems manager. Pete is a media activist who met the Party through Changing America's work in the Independent Media Center.

Libero Della Piana is the co-coordinator of the Young Communist League - longtime YCL and Party leader, (it's a kind of a paradox to say longtime YCLer). Libero has already made a great contribution in one of the hardest assignments of the Party.

Ray Leos, a staff member of the Southern California District, came to the aforementioned cadre dinner and volunteered that night to work for the Party. And I know the Southern California District is so happy, Evey in particular. Southern California is a key district for the Party and to get cadre to help the organization is "strategic deployment." Another strategic part Ray plays is writing for the PWW.

Marc Brodine is the kind of cadre who can't work full-time yet for the Party, but has agreed to volunteer to become District Organizer for Washington State. In consultation and on the urging of BJ Mangaong, Marc stepped up to take on a leadership transition in Washington and is playing an important role nationally, especially on the Structure and Organization Committee.

Changes of assignment:
Cadre scarcity sometimes means making hard decisions: moving one cadre from an important assignment to another more important assignment. How do you decide which is more important? I guess it's a matter of triage - which patient is in the worst condition, bleeding the most profusely or which area of work would qualitatively change the Party and put us on better struggle footing.

I feel like this is an announcement of trades...
Traded from Changing America, Noel Rabinowitz is now heading up the Internet Department. But Changing America has options. As you have heard, the Internet work and wiring of the Party would put us in a qualitatively better organizational footing.

Heather Witham has gone from Administrative Secretary to Webmistress, and is an integral part of the Organization and Internet Departments.

Lee Dlugin, previously our International Secretary, has agreed to become the Party's Comptroller. One of the priorities was to staff the Finance Department, another strategic move. The National Board collectively agreed that to make breakthroughs in finances we needed to add capable and politically experienced cadre, like Lee and...

Pat Barile, who has also joined the Finance Department. Pat worked for a long time on Party finances, then made a contribution to the Labor Commission, as he will continue to while on his new assignment. Pat agreed to head up a special fundraising campaign for the Convention.

Marilyn Bechtel is now the International Secretary. Marilyn worked part-time for the Northern California District and part-time for the National Office as Literature Coordinator. She has agreed to head up this important area of work. Marilyn has lots of experience in international affairs from her days at the PWW.

Israel Smith went from co-coordinator of YCL to Managing Editor of Political Affairs. Israel is helping Joe Sims and the Editorial Board take PA to a new level in terms of content and circulation.

Jen Barnett, formerly the YCL Membership Coordinator, is now on the People's Weekly World staff. There was a question for a while whether or not Jen could work full-time. The situation changed for the better and Jen announced last week that she can stay at PWW. While she doesn't have a formal title at this time, she has been working as an Assistant Managing Editor and making a great contribution at the PWW.

Carole Marks, assistant to Gus for many years, agreed to take on an assignment that everyone appreciates, the minutes for the National and Executive Boards and the administrative work for the National Office.

John Bachtell, currently the New York District Organizer, has agreed to move to Illinois and, after much consultation with the Illinois and New York districts, become the Illinois District Organizer, with an eye to making Chicago a Midwest regional center and helping to build the Party in that region.

Lance Cohen, current Illinois District Organizer, has agreed to become the Midwest PWW Distribution Coordinator and help build the readership of the PWW in the Midwest and work with Fred Gaboury and others to develop a Midwest bureau.

And lastly, me, Terrie Albano. I am the PWW Associate Editor, and there is no assignment change for me, but as I told my mom and dad, "I got a lateral move within the company." So the rumors that people go to New York never to return home again can be put to rest.

There are still many others that hesitate working for the Party, due to money or the thinking that the move would take them away from mass struggle or building at the grassroots or whatever the question is. Let's discuss it.

Just a word on volunteers: They are in many ways innovators. Holding down a full-time job and still seriously heading up a Party position of leadership is hard. But they are also helping to forge new paths for working-class people to become involved in political and revolutionary change, something which this system makes very hard to do. It is hard to get working-class people politically involved for many reasons. Time pressures are one of them. So in many ways you are forging new paths not just for the Party but for the working class.

Yesterday, Sam said the leadership is gelling. I think through the many years of struggles, a new leadership is coming forward and reaching a new level of political maturity. And with political maturity comes wisdom. I said yesterday in a conversation that no one ever accused me of being wise - maybe a wise ass - so I'm hypothesizing on this. With maturity comes wisdom and I hope that you - collectively - who have lots of wisdom also consider the wisdom of making a commitment to full-time party organizing.

If not you, who? If not now, when? This is your engraved invitation.