Tuesday, December 1, 2009

News Release - Governor Culver and Lt. Governor Judge


For Immediate Release

Sunday, November 29, 2009

Contact: Jesse Harris, Culver/Judge Campaign

Phone: (515) 240-2104

jesse@chetculver.com


Shadowy Republican Group Continues to Mislead Iowans

On Sunday, the Iowa Progress Project, a conservative organization that has consistently refused to disclose its donors, began a new round of patently false attack ads.

As Governor Culver and Lt. Governor Judge confront the worst national recession in 70 years, Republicans in Iowa including the Iowa Progress Project continue to play cheap political games with Iowa’s future.

Iowans expect and deserve better.

With this new round of attacks, will the group finally disclose its donors so that Iowans know exactly who is funding these advertisements? Is the organization simply funneling out of state and corporate money into Iowa for expensive attacks ads? What is the Iowa Progress Project hiding and why have they refused up to this point to disclose the names?

We challenge those who hide behind these irresponsible ads to make themselves known and provide the same type of transparency required of all Iowa candidates, political parties, and other political organizations. The Iowa Progress Project should immediately provide a list of their donors.

While Iowans wait on their response, here are the facts:

  • Iowa’s budget is balanced and has been every year Governor Culver has been in office

  • Unlike past governors, Governor Culver refused to raise taxes on Iowans. As revenues declined throughout the country, he instead ordered a 10% across the board cut in state spending including his own salary.

  • This month, the Pew Center on the States released a study placing Iowa in a tie for second place among all states for its fiscal strength.

  • Citing Governor Culver’s strong fiscal management, Standard and Poor’s, the leading independent credit analysis provider, re-affirmed Iowa’s AAA bond rating. Iowa is one of only 11 states in the nation to receive such a rating, which is S & P’s top possible rating and allows us to borrow money at lower interest rates.

  • Governor Culver and Lt. Governor Judge have made significant investments in Iowa’s educational system. By next year, 90% of Iowa’s children will have access to pre-school programs which is up from 5% when Governor Culver took office in 2007. The Culver/Judge Administration increased teacher pay to keep the best educators here in Iowa.

Saturday, November 14, 2009

Jefferson-Jackson Day event 2009

We want to remind everyone that the upcoming Jefferson-Jackson Day dinner. The Iowa Democratic Party’s annual Jefferson Jackson Dinner is our largest event of the year. We are excited this year to welcome Vice President Joe Biden back to Iowa. This will be the first time he has returned to our state since last year’s historic election where Iowans helped deliver him and Barack Obama to the White House.
Proceeds from our JJ Dinner will go to help fund the 2010 Coordinated Campaign. Next year will be a tough year, and it is important that we keep Iowa moving forward by re-electing Governor Chet Culver, defeating Senator Chuck Grassley, re-electing our outstanding Democratic Congressmen, winning back the 4th and 5th Congressional Districts and expanding our majorities in the Iowa House and Senate.

Event Details:

Date: November 21, 2009

Time: Receptions begin at 5:30pm; Dinner begins at 7:00pm

Location: Hy-Vee Hall, 730 3rd St, Des Moines, IA



Individual Tickets:

All individual tickets include 1Jackson reception ticket

General - $100,

Student - $30, with valid ID


Club Memberships:

All Club Memberships (except for Sustaining I) include 2 Dinner tickets


Sustaining Fund I - $120 annual membership, includes 1 Jackson reception tickets

Sustaining Fund II - $240 annual membership, includes 2 Jackson reception tickets

Majority Club - $400 annual membership, includes 2 Jefferson reception tickets

Humphrey Club - $750 annual membership, includes 2 Jefferson reception tickets

Governors Club - $1,200 annual membership, includes 2 Jefferson reception tickets

Millennium Club - $2,500 annual membership, includes 2 Jefferson reception tickets

Century Club - $5,000 annual membership, includes 2 Jefferson reception tickets


“VICTORY 2010” PARTY TO FOLLOW JJ DINNER

U.S. Senate Candidates to be featured at first-ever JJ after-party

DES MOINES, IA – The Iowa Democratic Party’s 2009 Jefferson Jackson Dinner will feature the debut of a new event – a Victory 2010 after-party highlighting the party’s outstanding candidates for U.S. Senate, Iowa Democratic Party chairman Michael Kiernan announced Tuesday.

“We have an excellent chance to defeat Sen. Chuck Grassley next year and great candidates competing for the chance to be the party’s Senate nominee,” Kiernan said. “We want to recognize and support our announced candidates and have some fun at the same time.”

This will be a less-formal get-together of Iowa Democrats at a site adjacent to the dinner, Kiernan said.

The Victory 2010 event will be held at Hy-Vee Hall at the Iowa Events Center in Des Moines at 9:00 p.m. on Saturday, November 21. Vice President Joe Biden is the featured speaker at the dinner. The Jefferson Jackson Dinner is traditionally the largest annual gathering of Iowa Democrats.

November Meeting - Washington County Democrats

Tuesday, November 10th, 2009

November Minutes

Minutes of November Meeting

The Washington County Democrats met in the Game Room at Halcyon House on Tuesday, November 10th, 2009 with 20 members present. The Vice-Chairperson Dave Schweitzer, acting in the place of the Chair, Louise Frakes, due to a death in the family, called the meeting to order at 7:00 pm with the group reciting the Pledge of Allegiance.

Minutes of the last meeting were provided in written form for the group. Minutes were also posted on the blog and sent to all of those with e-mail addresses. A request for any changes or additions was made and hearing none, the minutes were approved.

Treasurer Kay Ciha presented the current Treasurer’s Report, and written copies were provided to the group, said report reflected a balance of $2,663.42 and will be filed for audit.

The Chairperson called for reports from the standing committees, as follows:

Affirmative Action – Kathleen Salazar, Chairperson – It was noted that Kathleen was not present and no written report was available.

Platform – Matt Schaeffer, Chairperson – It was noted that Matt was not present and no written report was available.

Candidate Development – Rose Jaynes, Chairperson –Rose stated that the first priority of the committee was to find candidates for all positions. She talked with committee members by phone, about attending a committee meeting after this meeting but no members were able to attend.

Community Events – Harold Frakes, Chairperson – It was noted that Harold was not present and no written report was available.

Veterans Caucus – Terry Phillips, Chairperson – It was noted that Terry was not present and no written report was available.

Old Business:


Kay Ciha gave a short report on the Fund Raising Dinner.

It was noted that the place for the County Convention would be the Washington Public Library, and held on March 13, 2010, at 1:00 p.m.

It was further announced that the Precinct Caucuses would be held Saturday, January 23, 2010. It was noted where each precinct caucus would be held and further announced that the Kalona and English River caucuses would be held in the Kalona Library.

The results on the meeting place, date and time, survey was revealed from the few members that responded. A motion was requested regarding a change in the date, place or time and the chair finding none, declared that the date, place and time would remain the same.

It was indicated by the chair that the December meeting would be a Christmas function potluck similar to last year and be held again at Richard & Robin’s who have again volunteered to host and will be a potluck. Motion was requested on the matter and Mimi Jacoby, and 2nd by Jim Gorham that the December meeting be held as requested. Motion carried. The meeting/function will be held at 6:30 p.m. on December 8, 2009.

The Chairperson called for other old business and finding none moved to new Business.

New Business:

The Chair indicated that the group had planned to participate in the Washington Christmas parade, but the consensus was that the logistics prevented us from participating this year.

A small amount of information was provided about the Jefferson Jackson Dinner, and it was noted that everyone on the e-mail list was provided full information on the event.

The chair asked for any additional new business and found none.

Members were invited to stay for “refreshment and treats” and continue their discussions of the evening’s business after the meeting is adjourned. Nan Stark was in charge of the refreshments and treats for this evenings meeting.

The Chair called for any other business and finding none the meeting was adjourned at 7:47 p.m.

Respectfully submitted,

Peter G. Morrison, Secretary

Sunday, October 18, 2009

2009 Washington County Democratic Fund Raiser


Washington County Democrats gather for their annual dinner and fund-raiser.

The group attending the event had a wonderful time enjoying the company of fellow Democrats and other visitors. The great food provided by the committee in charge of the food, included pork loin, pasta, salad, deserts, and beverage.

Our Congressman, Dave Loebsack gives an important update on the issues developing in Washington, D.C. Of course the important efforts that he and fellow Democrats are trying to make, including the inclusion of a Public Option in the Heath Reform Bill, were of interest to everyone.

Francis Thicke, attended the event and spoke about his desire to be a candidate on the Democratic ticket in 2010 as Iowa Secretary of Agriculture. Mr. Thicke is a farmer in the Fairfield area and gave us an interesting presentation on the State of Iowa and agriculture and its role in Iowa.


Bob Krause, who is running for the U.S. Senate in 2010 against Charles Grassley talked about his past work and his efforts so far in his bid to defeat Senator Grassley in 2010. Bob is from the Fairfield area and has a long history in the Iowa legislature and working in Iowa.

Ryan Crane of One Iowa and Louise Frakes are attending the event. Louise acted in her capacity as the Chairperson of the Washington County Democrats orchestrating the event and introducing speakers.

A number of our members have the opportunity to talk directly with both candidates and elected officials. Tom Fiegen is seated on the left across from Ferd Marie. Tom Fiegen is running in 2010, for the U.S. Senate seat, now held by Charles Grassley. Tom talked about his history and indicated that we would be seeing more of him in Washington County in the future.


Larry Marek spoke about developments in the Iowa House and changes in agriculture. Larry is on the Agriculture Committee in the Iowa House. He has indicated that the State of Iowa is going to have to tighten its belt further with the new 10% across the board cuts recently announced.


Becky spoke about the difficult decisions that would have to be made in the upcoming session. Both the House and the Senate will have to develop plans for reducing the budget and incorporating greater budget cuts due to recent revenue short fall reports.







Thursday, October 15, 2009

Survey on meeting Time, Date and Place

Survey

Washington County Democrats

Issue: The Washington County Democrats have been meeting on the second Tuesday of every month for some time. The place of meeting has been the Halcyon House in Washington, Iowa. Should it be changed?

Subject: The time, date and place of the meeting must be determined by the membership. The time, date and place of the meeting should be a convenient location, have adequate facilities, including parking. The time and date of the meeting should accommodate the greatest level of attendance of the members, with the least amount of conflict with members other duties and responsibilities.

Time Options:

[ ] 6:00 p.m.

[ ] 6:30 p.m.

[ ] 7:00 p.m.

Date Options: Monday, Tuesday or Thursday and, the week of the month

[ ] Monday

[ ] Tuesday

[ ] Thursday

--------------------------------------

[ ] First week of the month

[ ] Second week of the month

[ ] Third week of the month

[ ] Forth week of the month

Place Option:

[ ] The New Washington Library

[ ] The Halcyon House

Please send an e-mail with your preference to: peter.morrison@mac.com

Washington County Democrats - October Meeting

Tuesday, October 13th, 2009

October Minutes

Minutes of October Meeting

The Washington County Democrats met in the Game Room at Halcyon House on Tuesday, October 13th, 2009 with 21 members present. The Chairperson Louise Frakes called the meeting to order at 7:00 pm with the group reciting the Pledge of Allegiance and singing “America the Beautiful”.

Minutes of the last meeting were provided in written form for the group. Minutes were also posted on the blog and sent to all of those with e-mail addresses. A request for any changes or additions was made and hearing none, the minutes were approved.

Treasurer Kay Ciha presented the current Treasurer’s Report, and written copies were provided to the group, said report reflected a balance of $1,169.57 and will be filed for audit.

The Chairperson called for reports from the standing committees, as follows:

Affirmative Action – Kathleen Salazar, Chairperson – It was noted that Kathleen was not present and no written report was available.

Platform – Matt Schaeffer, Chairperson – It was noted that Matt was not present and no written report was available.

Candidate Development – Rose Jaynes, Chairperson –Rose provided information from the 2nd District event and commented that we needed to try and find candidates for all positions up for election in 2010. She made a point to let voters have a choice this next election. Rose also indicated that she would be having a meeting of all members of the committee meet after the November meeting to discuss committee issues and make future plans.

Community Events – Harold Frakes, Chairperson – Harold was present and noted several items, as follows:

· The Becky Schmitz event was held on the 10th of September and that further information would be provided on the event in old business.

· Ferd Marie held his annual wiener roast this past month and Linda Brown held a meeting presented by One Iowa and both should be given a time to talk about their events in the old business section.

· There will be additional information relating to finalizing the Fund Raiser dinner in old business.

Veterans Caucus – Terry Phillips, Chairperson – It was noted that Terry was not present and no written report was available.

Old Business:

The Events chair noted that the wiener roast was held at the Ferd Marie farm and asked Ferd to make a few comments. The indication was that the event was well received, but the group was smaller than anticipated.

The Becky Schmitz fund-raiser was a success despite, lower than expected participation. The chair read a note from Becky thanking the group for their participation and acknowledged the money raised was in excess of $2,400.00

The Events chair recognized Linda Brown, who stated that she hosted a One Iowa event on September 23rd, 2009 at her home. She indicated that the speaker was Ryan Crane, who at spoken last month at the August meeting and she felt the group attending was of one mind and the presentation went well.

Information was provided that everything was ready to go for the annual fund-raiser. It was indicated, that to-date, somewhere in excess of 50 tickets had been sold. It was stressed that we really need to sell 200 tickets to make the event a success and provide the group with the budgeted funds for the upcoming year.

The issues relating to the WEB site, was again brought up by the Chair. Pete talked on the matter of changing site providers and had met with Carol Butler of Riverside who was willing to help with web development and data location and updating. The chair asked for a motion on fixing the web site problem and enhancing and upgrading the web site for the group, and other relating links, etc. Ferd Marie made the motion and Bob Spinner seconded, and the motion carried. Pete and Kay would work on seeing that the issues were properly resolved.

The Chairperson called for other old business and finding none moved to new Business.

New Business:

The Chair indicated that Carol Butler had asked for a moment to speak about the web site, etc. but was not in attendance. Pete indicated that he had received and e-mail from her and that she indicated that she had the flu. He noted that he had discussed some of the issues previously in the meeting.

Chairman Frakes stated that Rosemary Elliot, a long-standing member of the Washington County Democratic party, had died and that she had attended visitation on behalf of the Washington County Democratic party. At the visitation, Louise had visited with Jo-Anne Zager who suggested that the party purchase a book, and place it in the Washington County Public Library in memory of Rosemary Elliott. Prior to tonight’s meeting Jo-Anne emailed Louise saying that she had purchased the book on the life of Ted Kennedy and placed it in the library with a label that said it was in memory of Rosemary Elliot from the Washington County Democratic Party. Chairman Frakes thanked Jo-Anne for doing this.

It was noted by the Chair that the location and the time of the County Convention to be held in March of 2010 need to be sent to the IDP in the very near future so we need to find a place and relay that information. Chairman Frakes requested that the Committee chaired by Tami Schweitzer get this matter arranged and to let her know of the location before the end of October. Some members suggested looking into the new library as a possible meeting place for this event.

The Chair indicated that the next meeting would be held Tuesday, November 10th, 2009, at 7:00 p.m. at the Halcyon House, in the “Game Room”.

We also will be requesting information on possible new locations and dates for our meetings in 2010. Chairman Frakes informed the group that there had been a request that we consider moving our monthly meetings to the Public Library and possibly changing the date of our meeting. Following discussion of this matter, Chairman Frakes instructed secretary Pete Morrison to send out a questionnaire to our membership asking how people felt about this and what night of the week (Monday, Tuesday, or Thursday) and which week (first or second) would work best for the majority of the people.” A survey will be e-mailed to all members with e-mails and Pete will present the results of this survey at the November meeting and the group will act on it at that time. If those members without e-mails will ask another member to vote on their behalf it would allow all members to have a say.

Members were invited to stay for “refreshment and treats” and continue their discussions of the evening’s business after the meeting is adjourned. Dave and Kay Ciha and Mimi Jacoby were in charge of the refreshments and treats for this evenings meeting.

Nan Stark and Rose Jaynes are responsible for refreshments and treats next month.

The Chair called for any other business and finding none the meeting was adjourned at 8:07 p.m.

Respectfully submitted,

Peter G. Morrison, Secretary

Friday, September 11, 2009

Washington Democrats Fund Raiser for Becky Schmitz

Washington County Democrats Soup Supper for Senator Becky Schmitz


Hard at work, preparing for the event.

Signing in begins as people arrive.

People enjoy the soup supper with many home made soups to chose from and other items.

Mike Gronstal, the Senate Majority Leader, present very compelling arguments for a majority House and Senate, citing numerous accomplishment of those bodies over the past few years.

The Mike Gronstal, elected state officials for our area and the Washington County Democrats Executive Committee, gather for a picture. [Featured from left to right, Pete Morrison, County Party Secretary, Mike Gronstal, Iowa Senate Majority Leader, Iowa State Senator Becky Schmitz, Kay Ciha, County Party Treasurer, Louise Frakes, County Party Chairperson, Dave Schweitzer, County Party Vice-Chairperson and Iowa State Representative Larry Marek]

------------------------------

The special Fund Raiser for our own State Senator Becky Schmitz, provided with the support of the Washington County Democrats, was held at the 4-H Building at the Washington County Fairgrounds on September 10, 2009 at 5:00 p.m.

Hosts: Harold and Louise Frakes; and Sponsors: Kay and Dave Ciha, Jim and Karen Gorham, John Greener and Mary Patterson, Sandra Johnson and Terry Philips, Steve Maxon and Doris Parks, William McGinnis, and Shirley Pfeifer, provided a soup supper, with special guest, Senate Majority Leader Mike Gronstal.

Mike Gronstal, the invited guest speaker, spoke about the great progress the state has made in many areas over the past few years and the great progress yet to be accomplished in the upcoming year. Mike also was able to answer many questions residents attending the event asked during and after the meal.

Wednesday, September 9, 2009

Washington County Democrats - September Meeting

Tuesday, September 8th, 2009

September Minutes

Minutes of September Meeting

The Washington County Democrats met in the Game Room at Halcyon House on Tuesday, September 8th, 2009 with 24 members present. The Chairperson Louise Frakes called the meeting to order at 7:00 pm with the group reciting the Pledge of Allegiance and singing “Star Spangled Banner”.

Minutes of the last meeting were provided in written form for the group. Minutes were also posted on the blog. A request for any changes or additions was made and hearing none, the minutes were approved.

Treasurer Kay Ciha presented the current Treasurer’s Report, and written copies were provided to the group, said report reflected a balance of $909.54 and will be filed for audit. It was noted that the report had a typo as to the date and it would be changed from Aug. to Sept. 11th, 2009, the correct entry.

The Chair noted that Doris Park and Steve Maxon are providing treats tonight.

The Chairperson called for reports from the standing committees, as follows:

Affirmative Action – Kathleen Salazar, Chairperson – It was noted that Kathleen was not present and no written report was available.

Platform – Matt Schaeffer, Chairperson – It was noted that Matt was not present and no written report was available. Note: Matt arrived late and indicated that the platform committee had not been very active and apologized. He did indicate that various important platform issues were being tossed around this year and that we would have lots of issues to discuss next year in an election year.

Candidate Development – Rose Jaynes, Chairperson – It was noted that Rose was not present and no written report was available.

Community Events – Harold Frakes, Chairperson – Harold was present and noted several items, as follows:

· Approximately 4,000 people attended the “Wall that Heals” event, and he was pleased that we supported that effort with our contribution of $100.00.

· The Becky Schmitz event will be held on the 10th and that we will need a few people to set up at 4:00 p.m. at the 4-H building on Thursday just prior to the event.

· There are two events scheduled for the 25th of September. Those are the Becky Schmitz kick off in which she will announce her intention to run again for office, and the Larry Marek golf tournament. More information will be provided by e-mail closer to the events and Larry will talk about his event later in the meeting. There are some flyers available at the front table on Becky’s event, and Larry has flyers on his event.

Veterans Caucus – Terry Phillips, Chairperson – It was noted that Terry was not present and no written report was available.

Old Business:

The chair noted that there was a large crowd at the Dave Loebsack “Town Hall” event on the 29th of August. Comments were made within the meeting, regarding the very misguided comments and questions by some of those in attendance at that event, that appeared to be members of the opposing party.

The chair stated that the blog had changed, and gave Pete Morrison credit for the new blog improvements. She indicated that we needed to decide what to do about the web site. Jay Santana had created the web site and we had no original starting material, manuals, etc. We will have to ascertain what obligations we have and whether to change web site providers or have just the blog.

John Greener indicated that he had been working with Barb Edmondson on social events and would continue to do so.

The Chairperson called for other old business and finding none moved to new Business.

New Business:

Larry Marek, the Iowa House Representative was present and was asked to speak. He gave a short report on what he had been engaged in during the past month, including an interesting trip overseas and numerous meetings through out the area and the state, relating to issues that affect the state and his role as a legislator. He also, noted that he had attended the Loebsack event and found some of the questions and comments from the audience inappropriate.

Our October 18th, 2009, Annual Fund Raiser, was outlined as follows:

· We have 200 $10 tickets, which we must sell. Harold has the tickets tonight in envelopes of 10 tickets each.

· The Food Chair: Ione Burham has signup sheets. Ione outlined what would be needed for the event and asked people to sign up or she would be calling for requests.

· The chair asked about an auction this year and discussed what was done last year. The chair asked for a motion on whether to have an auction again and John Greener made the motion, seconded by Steve Maxon, that we hold and auction and the motion passed on a show of hands. The Chair would again talk with Gary Murphy the auctioneer.

· Speakers: A Headliner, not yet fixed; Dave Loebsack, Becky Schmitz, Larry Marek, Bob Krause, Tom Fiegen, Barb Edmondson.

The chair recognized Linda Brown, who indicated that she was hosting a One Iowa event on September 23rd, 2009 at her home. She indicated that the speaker would be Ryan Crane, who at spoken last month at the August meeting, and passed out RSVP cards.

Barb Edmondson had arrived late and was asked by the chair if she would like to make any comments and she provided short comments on her position over the past month.

The Chair indicated that the next meeting would be held Tuesday, October 13th, 2009, at 7:00 p.m. at the Halcyon House, in the “Game Room”.

Members were invited to stay for “refreshment and treats” and continue their discussions of the evening’s business after the meeting is adjourned. As previously mentioned, Doris Park and Steve Maxon were in charge of the refreshments and treats for this evenings meetings.

The Chair called for any other business and finding none the meeting was adjourned at 8:07 p.m.

Respectfully submitted,

Peter G. Morrison, Secretary

Wednesday, September 2, 2009

Curt Hanson Wins House District 90






Curt Hanson was successful in defeating the Republican challenger for the House District 90 seat previously held by John Whitaker [D]. It was a campaign described as a must win for the Democrats, as the Republicans and their conservative supporters, pumped a lot of financial resources into the campaign, in an attempt to be able to say that the voters would now indicate their desire to follow the path of conservative values. I assisted the Jefferson County Democrats for several days in their efforts. I was very impressed with the group that worked to win this special election.

Saturday, August 29, 2009

Pictures of the Dave Loebsack Town Hall Meeting

About 100 attended the Town Hall meeting held at the Washington, Iowa High School Auditorium.
Several members of the audience were asked to turn in questions which would be chosen at random to be asked.


Dave answers a question about "death panels". Sorry, but the lighting on the stage was very poor.


An audience member reads a 7-8 part question.

I hope that this little summary will help all those that were unable to attend this event get a glimpse of the event.

Dave Loebsack Visits Washington, Iowa for Town Meeting

Saturday, August 29, 2009

Dave Loebsack held a Town Hall meeting in Washington, Iowa at the Washington High School Auditorium. The primary issue was the development and current progress of the Health Care Reform legislation in the U.S. House of Representatives. Dave had touched on this recently at a fund raiser held in Washington, at the Blair House. (see previous post)

Dave received numerous questions from the floor, primarily on the issue of Health Care. He started with a pass-out flyer, dispelling some of the many rumors currently circulating on the internet and in literature from right wing and mostly Republican inspired groups. It was interesting to hear that the "death panel" originating from a former politician from Alaska was denounced as a total fabrication. Ironically, the subject was still asked by a couple of conservative local's including a local pastor. I do not think the opposition planted people in the audience because the questions from these conservatives, were both unintelligible and poorly read.

I think a number of good questions were asked and Dave did answer them well.

The pictures are not the quality I would have liked, but the lighting was poor in the auditorium.

Sunday, August 16, 2009

Iowa 2nd District Democrats meet for Annual Workshop Event




Dinner event and speakers Dave Loebsack and Bob Krause

Iowa 2nd District Democrats meet for Annual Workshop Event










Iowa 2nd District Democrats meet for Annual Workshop Event

Washington County members participate in the Iowa Democrats August 2009, 2nd District Workshop meeting held in West Liberty, Iowa. Members attending this year were Kay Ciha, County Treasurer, Rose Jaynes, Candidate Development Chairperson, Terry Phillips, Veterans Caucus Chairperson and Peter Morrison, County Secretary.

The agenda of the meeting included a few brief introductory talks and panel discussion on the inclusion of younger members in the democratic process. The panel consisted of one individual from the Organizing for America group, which is an offshoot of the Obama Campaign and two others that are part of the staff of the IDP [Iowa Democratic Party].

Following the panel discussion, the Muscatine County Democrats provided lunch. During lunch a few individuals talked primarily about the importance of the special election in HD90 [House District 90].

The actual workshops were held in two time slots. The first between 1:00 p.m. and 2:20 p.m., and the second between 2:40 p.m. and 4:00 p.m. Each time slot offered three separate Tracks or topics, lead by a presenter. Our own Terry Phillips lead tract 2, entitled Outreach, in the 2nd time slot. I’m sure that the individuals attending the event would share their thoughts on the workshops they attended.

Between 4:00 p.m. and 5:00 p.m., an issues forum, was presented by Rep. Nate Willems, Linn County, discussed the previous legislative sessions attempt to modify the issue of federal deductibility on the Iowa Tax forms. The indication was that the issue would be revisited in the upcoming session. Rep. Willems was assisted by a representative from the Iowa Fiscal Partnership, a joint fiscal policy initiative of two nonprofit, nonpartisan Iowa-based organization, the Child & Family Policy Center in Des Moines [www.cfpciowa.org] and the Iowa Policy Project in Iowa City [www.iowapolicyproject.org] I understand that our representative, Larry Marek was fully behind the passage of this bill in the past session. Rep. Willems indicated that to his knowledge all state representatives and state senators in the 2nd District were in favor of this legislation as proposed in the past session.

The main speaker at the dinner held between 6:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m. was U. S. Representative Dave Loebsack (D). He indicated that he had held 4 Town Hall meetings that day and that a few had several trouble makers from the opposite party, but that many in attendance were very much in favor of change in the health care system.

Friday, August 14, 2009

Washington County Democrats - August Meeting

Tuesday, August 11th, 2009
August Minutes

Minutes of August Meeting

The Washington County Democrats met at the Halcyon House in the Game Room on Tuesday, August 11th, 2009 with 28 individuals present. The Chairperson Louise Frakes called the meeting to order at 7:00 pm with the group reciting the Pledge of Allegiance and singing “America the Beautiful”.

Minutes of the last meeting were available for the group. Minutes were also sent to all members with e-mail addresses and posted on the blog. Motion was made by John Greener and seconded by Ferd Marie, that the minutes be approved. Motion carried.

Treasurer Kay Ciha presented the current Treasurer’s Report, and written copies were provided to the group, said report reflected a balance of $969.51 and will be filed for audit.

The Chairperson called for reports from the standing committees, as follows:

Affirmative Action – Kathleen Salazar, Chairperson – noted that Kathleen was not present and no written report was available.

Platform – Matt Schaeffer, Chairperson – It was noted that Matt was not present and no written report was available.

Candidate Development – Rose Jaynes, Chairperson – Rose reminded the group that the 2nd District was holding a workshop on August 15th, 2009. She further noted that Alan Bohanan, the 2nd District Chairperson would be covering additional information on that workshop later in the meeting. John Greener offered to be in charge of assisting Barb Edmondson in her run for County Attorney.

Community Events – Harold Frakes, Chairperson – It was noted that Harold was not present; Louise Frakes indicated that the matter that he would have spoken about would be the Becky Schmitz fundraiser. It was noted that Becky was on the agenda and would speak more on that issues later in the meeting

Veterans Caucus – Terry Phillips, Chairperson – He had no additional information to update. It was noted that Terry would introduce Alan Bohanan, the 2nd District Chairperson.

The Chair moved to Old Business.

Old Business:

The Chair asked Pete Morrison to give a short report on the Fair. Pete indicated that the Washington County Fair had worked out well and thanked all the people that participated. He further noted that pictures and information about the Fair could be found in the blog.

The Chair asked Pete Morrison to give a short report on the Dave Loebsack event held at the Blair House. Pete indicated that the event was well attended and thanked all the people that participated. He further noted that pictures and information about this event could be found in the blog.

Chair Louise Frakes thanks Pete Morrison for his work on the blog and the great information he was providing the Washington County Democrats.

It was noted that Pete Morrison was providing treats for this meeting. It was noted that we need one more slot needs to be filled through November, for treat providers, and that the month of December would be a Christmas party again this year and arrangements would be provided later in the year.

It was mentioned by the Chair, that the 2nd District meeting would be held in West Liberty, Iowa in August 2009, and that more information would be forthcoming later in the meeting, in e-mail reminders and also the blog.

The Chairperson called for other old business and finding none moved to new Business.

New Business:

The Chair introduced our State Senator Becky Schmidt; she provided some information on events she had planned for next month, as follows:

• The Dave Loebsack event will be held this month on August 29th, 2009 at 10:30 a.m. in the Washington Public Library. She encouraged everyone to attend.

• An event in Washington County will be held on September 10th, 2009 in Washington, Iowa, additional information will be provided by e-mail and in the blog. She also provided a handout prepared by Harold Frakes, that will be attached to the minutes, further outlining the details of the Soup Supper event.

• Becky indicated that the official announcement regarding her desire to run for re-election will be held on September 25th, 2009 in Fairfield, at the Pony Farm and the main speaker will be Christy Vilsack. More details and directions will be provided by e-mail prior to the event.

• She noted that the special election would be held September 1st, 2009 for House District 90. She indicated that any help we could give to Candidate Curt Hanson would be appreciated.

The Chair noted that in a recent e-mail she received, Representative Larry Marek would not be able to attend this meeting. He would try to make it to the September meeting.

The Chair introduced Ryan Crane from the organization One Iowa. Ryan explained what the organization was and spoke on the work they were doing to ensure equality in Iowa. He also introduced Jennifer Merriman their Communications Director who was filming the events today. He indicated that he and others would be in Washington on August 20th, 2009 at the Farmer’s Market for an outreach and survey. He also noted that his organization would be giving a public presentation at the Blair House in Washington, Iowa, on November 5th, 2009, and more would be made available on that event by e-mail at a later date. A collection basket was pasted in support of the organization.

The Chair wanted to set a date for the wiener roast at Ferd Marie’s in September. The date that was suggested was September 20th, at 6:00 p.m., and that date met with everyone’s approval.

Alan Bohanan, the Chairperson of the 2nd District of Iowa was introduced. Alan indicated that the important 2nd District Workshop would be held on August 15th, 2009, which is this coming Saturday in West Liberty, Iowa, at the West Liberty Community Center. He encouraged everyone that could attend and especially anyone running for office or contemplating running in the future to attend these workshops. Chair Louise Frakes noted that we had budgeted as a group to cover the entrance fee for up to 10 individuals to attend this event.

2nd District Summer Workshop!
August 15, 2009
The District Off-Year Summer Workshop will be held August 15, 2009 at West Liberty Community Center, 1204 N Calhoun St, West Liberty, IA 52776. Registration begins at 9:00 a.m. 

You can download complete event details and registration forms in MS-Word/97 or PDF format to mail in with your check. Or after checking out the details, register for the Workshop, Lunch and make Dinner Reservations online. Also, please review the web site: http://www.idp2nd.com/

Alan also noted, that we need to help if we can, in the efforts to retain HD90 in that important election.

Everett Burham indicated that the Game Room may be a more suitable place to hold our meetings and made a motion to hold it there in the future, 2nd by Dave Schweitzer, and passed.

The Chair indicated that the next meeting would be held Tuesday, September 8th, 2009, at 7:00 p.m. at the Halcyon House, in the Game Room location.

Members were invited to stay for “refreshment and treats” and continue their discussions of the evening’s business after the meeting is adjourned. Pete Morrison was in charge of the refreshments and treats for this evenings meeting. Members were again encouraged to sign up to bring treats at future meetings.

The Chair called for any other business and finding none the meeting was adjourned at 8:15 p.m.


Respectfully submitted,

Peter G. Morrison, Secretary

Saturday, July 25, 2009

Dave Loebsack Visits Washington, Iowa







Dave Loebsack made another visit to Washington, Iowa and met people on July 25, 2009, gathered at the Blair House. The discussion consisted primarily of issues relating to work in the U.S Congress on Health Care. Dave described the complexities and controversies occurring over the past few months and the status of measures at this time. Dave answered a number of questions from the floor on issues of medicare, the public option, benefits now received by federal employees, focus on preventative care and the likelihood of action over the next few months.

Dave also talked about other issues such as our role in Afghanistan, noting that he had just returned from a fact finding mission in Afghanistan in early July. He expressed deep concern in our role over the long run and felt that our time there would soon have an exit strategy.

Thursday, July 23, 2009

2009 Washington County Fair




The Washington County Democrats have manned their Washington County Fair booth again this year, despite really wet weather during the first part of the Fair. Fortunately the last few days of the Fair offered much better weather.

Despite the weather and the fact that this is an off year, the booth offered a glimpse of the political picture today and the promise of an election year in 2010. Nomination petitions and issue petitions were available for next years candidates and a number of important current issues.

Kids loved the pencils and stickers available from the booth this year.