Tuesday, June 9th, 2009
June Minutes
Minutes of June Meeting
The Washington County Democrats met at the Day Lounge at Halcyon House on Tuesday, June 9th, 2009 with 20 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 “God Bless America”.
Minutes of the last meeting were provided in written form for the group. Minutes were also posted on the blog. Motion was made by Ferd Marie and seconded by Bob Spenner, 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 $1,824.74 and will be filed for audit. The 2-year Budget will be covered later in the meeting.
The Treasurer gave a membership report. We had 61 households who have paid their 2009 dues. Membership written report will be filed for record. Copies are available for those needing them.
The Chairperson called for reports from the standing committees, as follows:
Affirmative Action – Kathleen Salazar, Chairperson – Kathleen indicated she was developing an outline of a plan to better incorporate the Hispanic community in the democratic process and presented a few ideas we might try, to encourage the members of the Hispanic community to attend events.
Platform – Matt Schaeffer, Chairperson – It was noted that Matt was not present and no written report was available.
Candidate Development – Rose Jaynes, Chairperson – It was noted that Rose was not present and no written report was available.
Community Events – Harold Frakes, Chairperson – It was noted that Harold was not present and no written report was available. The 2-year plan would be presented later in the meeting.
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 little interest in the group participating in the Ridiculous Day Parade. Many members were out of town, etc. It was noted that a new signup sheet was available at this meeting for people to signup for future parades. As a side note the Republicans did not participate either. Larry Marek was represented in the parade as State Representative. Also, Pete Morrison stated that Bob Krause, who is planning to run for U.S. Senator has been notified about events in Washington County over the next year so he will be able to participate with the Washington County Democrats if he desires and can arrange his scheduling. An informational list is being compiled on Sen. Charles Grassley for members use if the senator visits Washington County.
It was emphasized that the parade signup will enable us to better prepare for the events. Please indicate the events you plan on attending. Please note that there is a separate signup sheet for the Washington County Fair. We need people to fill the various time slots.
Robin Plattenberger will not be able to run the Relay for Life event, and Bonnie Bannister has been asked to take over and she has agreed to do so. If you would be willing to help, please contact Bonnie.
It was noted that due largely to unexpected cost, the participation with the RAGBRAI event had been cancelled. The various costs were explained by the Chair.
Shirley and Mimi completed quilt blocks, and Doris Parks indicated that she planned on making the cake quilt block.
The Chair reminded the group that we had open spots for those providing treats for the monthly meetings. Everyone was encouraged to signup for providing treats on the sheet if they could. It was noted that Margaret and Ferd Marie were providing treats for this meeting.
The Chairperson called for other old business and finding none moved to new Business.
New Business:
The Chair indicated that the Executive Committee developed a 2-year budget and that copies were available for review. The Chair went through each line item to explain each item of both income and expense for the period July 1st, 2009 through June 30th, 2011. Brief questions and discussion occurred regarding handouts for the Fair, etc. Motion was made by Bob Spenner and seconded by Ferd Marie that the Executive committee be authorized to select appropriate handout items and purchase larger quantities for both years Fair’s as the per item price would be much lower in bulk. Motion passed. Motion was made by Steve Maxon and seconded by Dave Ciha that the 2-year Budget be approved. Motion passed.
The Chair indicated that the Executive Committee developed a 2-year Operational Plan and that copies were available for review. The Chair went through each line item to explain each item described monthly for the period July 1st, 2009 through June 30th, 2011. Brief questions and discussion occurred regarding events, including coffees for Barb Edmondson that she had requested and the fundraiser that Becky Schmidt had requested. It was noted that other requests by candidates would be added as they materialized. It was clarified that the October 18th, 2009 Fund raising dinner would be held from Noon-2:00 p.m. to give both in town and out of town guests an opportunity to participate, and that the Executive committee was currently looking for a speaker. It was noted that in addition to the Washington Lighted Parade in November, Kalona also hosted such and event. Motion was made by Ferd Marie and seconded by Steve Maxon that the 2-year Budget be approved. Motion passed.
The Chair indicated that the next meeting would be held Tuesday, July 14th, 2009, at 7:00 p.m. at the Halcyon House.
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, Margaret and Ferd Marie were in charge of the refreshments and treats for this evenings meetings. 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 8:00 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Peter G. Morrison, Secretary
