The regularly scheduled March 8 meeting will not take place due to the county convention scheduled for the same week. The next meeting will be Tuesday, April 12th, 7:00 pm at Art Domestique (118 S. Iowa Ave, Washington).
At the March 12 county convention, delegates and alternates (as appropriate) should plan to check in at the Washington Public Library by 10:00 am.
Questions can be directed to Vice Chair Richard Gilmore or Secretary Sonya Housholder.
Friday, February 26, 2016
Monday, February 15, 2016
Washington County Democrats Minutes - January 12, 2016
The Washington County Democrats met at Art Domestique on Tuesday, January 12, 2016 with 23 people present. Chairperson Lorraine Williams called the meeting to order at 7:00 pm and the Pledge of Allegiance was recited.
The minutes of the November meeting were approved as sent out and will be posted on the blog. Kay Ciha gave the treasurer’s report with updates on the Candidate Fund and new donations. Bills paid include the annual USPS box fee ($68), Wolf Floral ($53.50), Dodici’s ($50) and Dr. Anson/Dr. Vittetoe ($20). Additionally, the 2015 ethics has been filed in Des Moines. In 2016, we are required to file ethics quarterly instead of annually. As a reminder, member dues of $20 are expected in January-February.
Guests were introduced:
Michael Beasley with the Bernie Sanders campaign gave an update and invited everyone to the precinct captain training on Thursday, January 14, 5:30 pm at the Washington Public Library.
Emily Blumberg and Dylan Igoe with the Hillary Clinton campaign gave an update and invited everyone to the visit by President Bill Clinton on Friday, January 15, 6:00 pm at the Northwest Junior High in Coralville. Additionally, Chelsea Clinton will be at the Iowa Memorial Union on the University of Iowa campus on Saturday, January 16 at 1:00 pm. Dylan reported that the Keota visit was a major success.
Sean McEnerney and Nicky Vogt with the Martin O’Malley campaign gave an update and invited everyone to see Governor O’Malley at Cornell College in Mt. Vernon on Friday, January 15 at 11:30 am.
Report of the Chair:
Lorraine requested a moment of silence in honor of Louise Frakes, who passed away on Dec 18, 2015. Louise was a friend to many, a passionate Democrat, avid gardener, and role model to young women. In memory of Louise, members of the Washington County Democrats, and other organizations of which Louise was a member, will be accepting donations towards the sponsorship of a chair in the new high school auditorium. Donations may be left at Art Domestique with Richard Gilmore or Robin Plattenberger.
Old Business:
Terry Philips nominated Sonya Housholder for the position of Secretary. Robin Plattenberger seconded and Richard Gilmore moved that nominations be ceased. Robert Spenner seconded and moved to elect by unanimous consent. Sandy Johnson seconded. Motion passed.
Caucus packets for precinct captains were distributed, along with the list of temporary chairs and their contact information. The caucus locations will be shared with the auditor’s office and posted in the Washington Journal on January 18th and 25th.
Washington Wards 1-4 and West Chester precincts will be caucusing at the Washington High School. Precincts have been assigned the following rooms:
Ward 1: Commons
Ward 2: Gym
Ward 3: Vocal room
Ward 4: Band room
West Chester: Ag room
Attendees must be in their precinct lines by 7:00 pm in order for their vote to be counted. Door greeters will be available to help attendees determine their precincts. Maps showing the precinct boundary lines will also be posted at the entrance. Youth attendees who will be 18 by November can participate in the caucus but must register on a separate document provided in the caucus packet. Youths who will not be old enough to vote can participate in a youth caucus. It was suggested that we used numbered name tags to assist in counting the number of attendees at the event. Each room will have painters’ tape for posting items on walls and microphones. A dry run will be held on January 20th for precinct captains.
New Business:
Members are encouraged to attend the legislative briefing at the Washington Courthouse on Saturday, January 16, 10:00 am. Updates will be provided by Kevin Kinney, Rich Taylor, Jared Klein, and Dave Heaton.
The following items were tabled until the next meeting:
Budget Audit (March)
County convention (March)
District Convention
Committee Reports:
No committee reports were given at this time.
Meeting adjourned at 8:00 pm. The next meeting is February 9th.
Attending: Lorraine Williams, Kay Ciha, Richard Gilmore, Robin Plattenberger, Sonya Housholder, Shirley Pfeifer, Ferd Marie, Linder Bennett, Karen Gorham, Jim Gorham, Chris Busch, Robert Spenner, Karen Murphy, Margaret Marie, John Greener, Mike Roberts, Mary Jo Roberts, Sandy Johnson, Terry Philips, Cat Nelson, Michael Beasley, Dylan Igoe, Emily Blumberg, Sean McEnerney and Nicky Vogt.
The minutes of the November meeting were approved as sent out and will be posted on the blog. Kay Ciha gave the treasurer’s report with updates on the Candidate Fund and new donations. Bills paid include the annual USPS box fee ($68), Wolf Floral ($53.50), Dodici’s ($50) and Dr. Anson/Dr. Vittetoe ($20). Additionally, the 2015 ethics has been filed in Des Moines. In 2016, we are required to file ethics quarterly instead of annually. As a reminder, member dues of $20 are expected in January-February.
Guests were introduced:
Michael Beasley with the Bernie Sanders campaign gave an update and invited everyone to the precinct captain training on Thursday, January 14, 5:30 pm at the Washington Public Library.
Emily Blumberg and Dylan Igoe with the Hillary Clinton campaign gave an update and invited everyone to the visit by President Bill Clinton on Friday, January 15, 6:00 pm at the Northwest Junior High in Coralville. Additionally, Chelsea Clinton will be at the Iowa Memorial Union on the University of Iowa campus on Saturday, January 16 at 1:00 pm. Dylan reported that the Keota visit was a major success.
Sean McEnerney and Nicky Vogt with the Martin O’Malley campaign gave an update and invited everyone to see Governor O’Malley at Cornell College in Mt. Vernon on Friday, January 15 at 11:30 am.
Report of the Chair:
Lorraine requested a moment of silence in honor of Louise Frakes, who passed away on Dec 18, 2015. Louise was a friend to many, a passionate Democrat, avid gardener, and role model to young women. In memory of Louise, members of the Washington County Democrats, and other organizations of which Louise was a member, will be accepting donations towards the sponsorship of a chair in the new high school auditorium. Donations may be left at Art Domestique with Richard Gilmore or Robin Plattenberger.
Old Business:
Terry Philips nominated Sonya Housholder for the position of Secretary. Robin Plattenberger seconded and Richard Gilmore moved that nominations be ceased. Robert Spenner seconded and moved to elect by unanimous consent. Sandy Johnson seconded. Motion passed.
Caucus packets for precinct captains were distributed, along with the list of temporary chairs and their contact information. The caucus locations will be shared with the auditor’s office and posted in the Washington Journal on January 18th and 25th.
Washington Wards 1-4 and West Chester precincts will be caucusing at the Washington High School. Precincts have been assigned the following rooms:
Ward 1: Commons
Ward 2: Gym
Ward 3: Vocal room
Ward 4: Band room
West Chester: Ag room
Attendees must be in their precinct lines by 7:00 pm in order for their vote to be counted. Door greeters will be available to help attendees determine their precincts. Maps showing the precinct boundary lines will also be posted at the entrance. Youth attendees who will be 18 by November can participate in the caucus but must register on a separate document provided in the caucus packet. Youths who will not be old enough to vote can participate in a youth caucus. It was suggested that we used numbered name tags to assist in counting the number of attendees at the event. Each room will have painters’ tape for posting items on walls and microphones. A dry run will be held on January 20th for precinct captains.
New Business:
Members are encouraged to attend the legislative briefing at the Washington Courthouse on Saturday, January 16, 10:00 am. Updates will be provided by Kevin Kinney, Rich Taylor, Jared Klein, and Dave Heaton.
The following items were tabled until the next meeting:
Budget Audit (March)
County convention (March)
District Convention
Committee Reports:
No committee reports were given at this time.
Meeting adjourned at 8:00 pm. The next meeting is February 9th.
Attending: Lorraine Williams, Kay Ciha, Richard Gilmore, Robin Plattenberger, Sonya Housholder, Shirley Pfeifer, Ferd Marie, Linder Bennett, Karen Gorham, Jim Gorham, Chris Busch, Robert Spenner, Karen Murphy, Margaret Marie, John Greener, Mike Roberts, Mary Jo Roberts, Sandy Johnson, Terry Philips, Cat Nelson, Michael Beasley, Dylan Igoe, Emily Blumberg, Sean McEnerney and Nicky Vogt.
Washington County Democrat Meeting - November 10, 2015
The Washington County Democrats met at Art Domestique on Tuesday, November 10, 2015 with 22 people present. Vice Chair Richard Gilmore called the meeting to order at 6:00 pm. The Pledge of Allegiance was recited.
The minutes of the October meeting were approved as sent out. Kay Ciha gave the treasurer’s report with an update on the candidate fund and the outcome of the fundraising event.
Guests were introduced:
Christine with the Bernie campaign gave an update on that campaign and invited everyone to Matt and Diane Schaeffer’s home to watch the second Democrat Debate on Saturday, November 14.
Emily and Dylan reported on the Hillary campaign. Dylan was especially excited about the Keota high school kids who are getting involved. He said Hillary will visit Keota (date unknown at this time.).
Al Bohanan was introduced. We are always glad to have him visit.
Report of the Chair (Vice Chair):
Richard Gilmore and Pete Morrison talked about the Caucus training they recently attended. Both thought it was very helpful. Caucus site for Wellman will be at the Municipal Building. It was not known where the Brighton, Ainsworth, or Kalona caucus would be held.
Old Business:
Discussion was held about the October Fundraiser. Some of the ideas given were that perhaps September would be a better time than October; there needs to be better advanced planning; and advanced ticket sales is crucial. Other comments: it was a bad week-end (following the JJ dinner so many were still in Des Moines); it would have cost nothing to have been held at Art Domestique instead of the expensive 4-H building; and why not do 2 Fundraisers — one in the Spring and one in the fall. Louise moved and Terry Philips seconded that we have a committee composed of Robin, Sandy and two other people of their choice, to bring fundraiser plans to the February meeting. Motion passed.
Pete Morrison reported on the application for the 2nd District Convention. He said it has been completed and sent in. Al Bohanan said he was fairly certain that we would get the bid. It will be voted on at the Workshop on November 21. The Second District Workshop was discussed. This is a great workshop that will provide valuable information on a variety of subjects. Everyone was encouraged to pre-register NOW so that appropriate planning can take place (especially for rooms and food). A sign up sheet was passed around for people to sign up for what they will bring to the “Wine Down”.
New Business:
Jim Gorham moved that the Christmas Party be held at Art Domestique on Saturday, December 12 at 6:30 pm. Motion was seconded and passed. This would be an especially good time to invite others to join us. Richard said he would ask Lorraine to do the main dish and for everyone else to bring something to go along with it.
Louise moved that we move $600 into the Candidate Fund. Kay Ciha seconded. There was a lot of discussion. Motion failed.
Louise announced that she was resigning as secretary and that a new secretary would be to be appointed before the January meeting.
Committee Reports:
Candidate Development: Jim Gorham announced that Mike J. has decided not to seek election. We need to find someone else to run against Jared Klein.
Community Events: John Greener announced that there are four candidates running for the US Senate primary. He will try to be sure all candidates get to Washington. He also announced that Kevin Kinney is doing a fund raiser by selling raffle tickets at $20 each for a chance to win half a 4-H hog (one of 3 halves; he is donating the remaining half). Richard has tickets if you want to purchase a chance to win. John also said that the Des Moines Register had a nice article on Kevin.
Platform Committee: Steve said he wants someone else to present the platform at the County Convention. Again he reminded people to get planks for the platform written and ready to present at Caucus.
Terry Philips stressed the importance of this election, not just the Presidential but for all positions. We need to get the vote out and support all our candidates and we need candidates at all levels.
Meeting adjourned at 6:59 pm. Everyone was invited to stay for conversation and ice cream &
brownies furnished by John Greener and cookies from Emily.
Respectfully submitted,
Louise Frakes, secretary
The minutes of the October meeting were approved as sent out. Kay Ciha gave the treasurer’s report with an update on the candidate fund and the outcome of the fundraising event.
Guests were introduced:
Christine with the Bernie campaign gave an update on that campaign and invited everyone to Matt and Diane Schaeffer’s home to watch the second Democrat Debate on Saturday, November 14.
Emily and Dylan reported on the Hillary campaign. Dylan was especially excited about the Keota high school kids who are getting involved. He said Hillary will visit Keota (date unknown at this time.).
Al Bohanan was introduced. We are always glad to have him visit.
Report of the Chair (Vice Chair):
Richard Gilmore and Pete Morrison talked about the Caucus training they recently attended. Both thought it was very helpful. Caucus site for Wellman will be at the Municipal Building. It was not known where the Brighton, Ainsworth, or Kalona caucus would be held.
Old Business:
Discussion was held about the October Fundraiser. Some of the ideas given were that perhaps September would be a better time than October; there needs to be better advanced planning; and advanced ticket sales is crucial. Other comments: it was a bad week-end (following the JJ dinner so many were still in Des Moines); it would have cost nothing to have been held at Art Domestique instead of the expensive 4-H building; and why not do 2 Fundraisers — one in the Spring and one in the fall. Louise moved and Terry Philips seconded that we have a committee composed of Robin, Sandy and two other people of their choice, to bring fundraiser plans to the February meeting. Motion passed.
Pete Morrison reported on the application for the 2nd District Convention. He said it has been completed and sent in. Al Bohanan said he was fairly certain that we would get the bid. It will be voted on at the Workshop on November 21. The Second District Workshop was discussed. This is a great workshop that will provide valuable information on a variety of subjects. Everyone was encouraged to pre-register NOW so that appropriate planning can take place (especially for rooms and food). A sign up sheet was passed around for people to sign up for what they will bring to the “Wine Down”.
New Business:
Jim Gorham moved that the Christmas Party be held at Art Domestique on Saturday, December 12 at 6:30 pm. Motion was seconded and passed. This would be an especially good time to invite others to join us. Richard said he would ask Lorraine to do the main dish and for everyone else to bring something to go along with it.
Louise moved that we move $600 into the Candidate Fund. Kay Ciha seconded. There was a lot of discussion. Motion failed.
Louise announced that she was resigning as secretary and that a new secretary would be to be appointed before the January meeting.
Committee Reports:
Candidate Development: Jim Gorham announced that Mike J. has decided not to seek election. We need to find someone else to run against Jared Klein.
Community Events: John Greener announced that there are four candidates running for the US Senate primary. He will try to be sure all candidates get to Washington. He also announced that Kevin Kinney is doing a fund raiser by selling raffle tickets at $20 each for a chance to win half a 4-H hog (one of 3 halves; he is donating the remaining half). Richard has tickets if you want to purchase a chance to win. John also said that the Des Moines Register had a nice article on Kevin.
Platform Committee: Steve said he wants someone else to present the platform at the County Convention. Again he reminded people to get planks for the platform written and ready to present at Caucus.
Terry Philips stressed the importance of this election, not just the Presidential but for all positions. We need to get the vote out and support all our candidates and we need candidates at all levels.
Meeting adjourned at 6:59 pm. Everyone was invited to stay for conversation and ice cream &
brownies furnished by John Greener and cookies from Emily.
Respectfully submitted,
Louise Frakes, secretary
Washington County Democrat Meeting - September 8, 2015
Washington County Democrats met at Art Domestique on Tuesday, September 8 , 2015 at 6:00 pm with 17 County Democrats and 4 guests present. Chair Lorraine Williams called the meeting to order with the reciting of the Pledge of Allegiance.
Minutes of the last meeting were approved as sent out. The Treasurer’s report was approved. Harold Frakes once again suggested that people contribute to the Candidate Fund on their birthday or Anniversary. Lorraine Williams reminded everyone to “pay your dues, if you have not done so”.
Lorraine gave each candidate representative 5 minutes to talk about their candidate. Hillary, Bernie Sanders, O’Malley, and Webb were all represented. As an aside, Lorraine mentioned that Huckabee had had a “meet & greet” at her restaurant last week. That brought much laughter and many comments.
Old Business:
The 2nd District Workshop was discussed. It will be Nov. 21 at the Kirkwood center. Lorraine will be furnishing the main meal with the County Democrats providing the desserts. The cost of the meal is $10 with any profit given to the County party. Kay Ciha moved the County party pay the registration fee ($20) for up to 10 Democrats to attend. All are encouraged to attend. Motion was seconded and passed.
The Fall Fund Raiser was discussed. Jim Gorham moved that we change the dinner to Sunday, Oct., 25 beginning at 12:00 noon. Motion passed. Bob Spenner moved that it be held at the 4-H building. Doris seconded. Motion passed. Lorraine asked John Greener to contact the Mayor of Davenport, Andy McGuire,and Sue Dyvorsky for speakers as well as the various people running for office and try to get them for speakers. Bob Spenner moved and Jim Gorham seconded that Lorraine do the main food with everyone bringing desserts. Motion passed. Gary Murphy agreed to be auctioneer for the auction. Everything needs to be thinking about what they can put on the auction.
Caucus sites were discussed. Washington and West Chester precincts will be held at the Washington High School. Jim Gorham will check to be sure we have those rooms. The Caucus will be Monday, Feb. 1, 2016.
Farmer’s Market was discussed. Dylan said it was great and we should do it again. Lorraine will check to see if we can get one more Thursday.
New Business:
The Second District Fall meeting will be at Art Domestique on Sept. 19, 2015.
The Democrat Debate is the night of our next meeting. It was decided that we will have the meeting and then watch the debate as a group. The meeting will be at 6:00pm at Art Domestic. We will then move to the Restaurant where Lorraine will have a big screen TV and watch the debate. Everyone is encouraged to bring finger food to share.
Committee Reports:
Affirmative action: Two Hispanics did help at the last Farmer’s Market which really helped. We were reminded that anyone 17.5 years old can vote at the Caucus. We need to get into the schools and be sure Seniors are aware of that.
Candidate Development: Jim Gorham said that for the next meeting he will try to bring the person who is thinking of running against Jared.
Community Events: Sept. 12, Sara Morrison will hold an event for Hillary Clinton. There will be another Hillary event on Oct. 3 at the Wooden Wheel Winery from 3:00-8:00 pm. All are encouraged to attend these events.
Platform Committee: Everyone is encouraged do bring ideas for resolutions to the Caucus. These
should be written down: Whereas……..Therefore be it resolved that….
Our next meeting will be Oct. 13, 2015 at 6:00 p.m. at Art Domestique. Robin volunteered to bring a special treat as it is her birthday !!
Meeting adjourned at 7:10 pm.
Respectfully submitted,
Louise Frakes, secretary
Minutes of the last meeting were approved as sent out. The Treasurer’s report was approved. Harold Frakes once again suggested that people contribute to the Candidate Fund on their birthday or Anniversary. Lorraine Williams reminded everyone to “pay your dues, if you have not done so”.
Lorraine gave each candidate representative 5 minutes to talk about their candidate. Hillary, Bernie Sanders, O’Malley, and Webb were all represented. As an aside, Lorraine mentioned that Huckabee had had a “meet & greet” at her restaurant last week. That brought much laughter and many comments.
Old Business:
The 2nd District Workshop was discussed. It will be Nov. 21 at the Kirkwood center. Lorraine will be furnishing the main meal with the County Democrats providing the desserts. The cost of the meal is $10 with any profit given to the County party. Kay Ciha moved the County party pay the registration fee ($20) for up to 10 Democrats to attend. All are encouraged to attend. Motion was seconded and passed.
The Fall Fund Raiser was discussed. Jim Gorham moved that we change the dinner to Sunday, Oct., 25 beginning at 12:00 noon. Motion passed. Bob Spenner moved that it be held at the 4-H building. Doris seconded. Motion passed. Lorraine asked John Greener to contact the Mayor of Davenport, Andy McGuire,and Sue Dyvorsky for speakers as well as the various people running for office and try to get them for speakers. Bob Spenner moved and Jim Gorham seconded that Lorraine do the main food with everyone bringing desserts. Motion passed. Gary Murphy agreed to be auctioneer for the auction. Everything needs to be thinking about what they can put on the auction.
Caucus sites were discussed. Washington and West Chester precincts will be held at the Washington High School. Jim Gorham will check to be sure we have those rooms. The Caucus will be Monday, Feb. 1, 2016.
Farmer’s Market was discussed. Dylan said it was great and we should do it again. Lorraine will check to see if we can get one more Thursday.
New Business:
The Second District Fall meeting will be at Art Domestique on Sept. 19, 2015.
The Democrat Debate is the night of our next meeting. It was decided that we will have the meeting and then watch the debate as a group. The meeting will be at 6:00pm at Art Domestic. We will then move to the Restaurant where Lorraine will have a big screen TV and watch the debate. Everyone is encouraged to bring finger food to share.
Committee Reports:
Affirmative action: Two Hispanics did help at the last Farmer’s Market which really helped. We were reminded that anyone 17.5 years old can vote at the Caucus. We need to get into the schools and be sure Seniors are aware of that.
Candidate Development: Jim Gorham said that for the next meeting he will try to bring the person who is thinking of running against Jared.
Community Events: Sept. 12, Sara Morrison will hold an event for Hillary Clinton. There will be another Hillary event on Oct. 3 at the Wooden Wheel Winery from 3:00-8:00 pm. All are encouraged to attend these events.
Platform Committee: Everyone is encouraged do bring ideas for resolutions to the Caucus. These
should be written down: Whereas……..Therefore be it resolved that….
Our next meeting will be Oct. 13, 2015 at 6:00 p.m. at Art Domestique. Robin volunteered to bring a special treat as it is her birthday !!
Meeting adjourned at 7:10 pm.
Respectfully submitted,
Louise Frakes, secretary
Washington County Democrat Meeting - August 11, 2015
The Washington County Democrats held their monthly meeting on Tuesday, August 11 at Art Domestique. Vice-Chair Richard Gilmore called the meeting to order at 6:02pm with the reciting of the Pledge of Allegiance and singing “America”. There were 14 County Democrats present plus 5 guests.
Minutes of the previous meeting were approved. Kay Ciha said the treasurer’s report had no changes.
Introduction of Guests:
Ann Dietrich spoke about Tom Fiegen who will be running for the US Senate seat. Tom’s main focus is on supporting local food production. She stated that Iowa has 208 Farmer Markets.
Shawn said that Gov. O’Malley is a strong progressive. He has come to Washington once and hopes to return soon.
Emily spoke on behalf of Hillary Clinton. She said people are very excited about Hillary’s new education policy.
Dylan is also with the Hillary campaign. He introduced himself and hopes to get to know us better.
Jacob is with the Bernie Sander’s campaign. He hopes to set up individual meetings this coming week. He also stated that the first Democrat debate will be Oct. 13. He said there will be a Bernie Sanders event at the Library this Thursday at 6:00 pm. He encouraged people to attend.
Report of the Chair:
Lorraine spoke about the 2nd District Caucus Training and said there will be more later.
She thanked those who helped with the fair: set up, tear down, worked at the booth, etc. She said the flashlights went well.
Old Business:
The Second District Workshop date has ben changed. She believes it will be Nov. 14 and she will double check that date. It will still be held at the Washington Kirkwood Center with our county party responsible for the lunch, etc. Harold explained that this workshop has many interesting topics and encouraged all to attend.
This coming Thursday, August 13, is our day for the Farmer’s Market. Richard will have the table set up with a patriotic cloth on it, the black board there, etc. John will bring the flashlight stickers, the flashlights, and the cowboy cards. In an effort to reach out to the Latino population, Harold suggested contacting Jackie A. & Heather L. He will work with Gary Murphy on that. Lorraine said she would
contact Sonja.
New Business:
We discussed our Fall Fund Raiser. Sunday, Oct 11 was suggested for a possible date. Lorraine will check to see if that interferes with any other city/county activities. As in the past Dodici will cater the main meal with all Democrats bringing desserts. There will be an auction and Lorraine will ask Gary Murphy if he will be auctioneer that day. We discussed inviting various speakers: Kevin Kinney, Dave Loebsack, and other possibilities. Lorraine made a plea for candidates to come. If we have actual National candidates, we will chance locations (probably to the 4-H building) where there would be more room for a larger crowd.
Committee Reports:
Affirmative Action: Lorraine thanked everyone who had worked on getting the cowboy cards done:
this committee, plus Louise Frakes, Robin Plattenberger, Richard Gilmore, her son, and Mary Patterson. Karen Gorham asked if we have the list of those who attended the first caucus of the Obama campaign. She thought we could get a lot of Latino names from that. Lorraine will check on it. Harold said the committee has not met for a long time. He will check with Gary Murphy.
Candidate Development:
Jim Gorham stated that this committee has not met again either. Jim will follow up with the person who is considering running against Jared Klein. He said there are open seats on the Washington City Council this fall and 3 for Supervisors next year. We need to be locating candidates. We have heard that Ceanne will be moving so Lorraine will need to appoint a new chair for this committee. This
committee should make contact with the other two democrats who are planning to run in 2016 Primary for the U. S. Senate.
Community Events:
• Ice Cream Social this Sunday, August 16, from 3:00-5:00 at Richard & Robin’s. Fundraiser for Tom Fiegen. Robin asked if some would bring cookies or bars to go along with their homemade ice cream and for some to come help set up and tear down.
• Gov. O’Malley was here last Friday afternoon. The Des Moines Register had a nice article about it and pictures, too!
• Hillary event Saturday, Oct. 3, at the Wagon Wheel Vineyard at 3:00 pm
• Emily is hosting “coffee and conversation” at Dodici Shop every Friday at 1:00pm She asked people to come and join her. However there will not be a meeting this Friday, August 14.
• Gloria and her tack need a home for the winter. Richard volunteered his back room.
Platform Committee:
Steve asked everyone to begin thinking about planks they want to submit at the Caucus.
Sept. 8 is School Board election. Early voting can be done now. Lorraine asked everyone to vote for her for the Kirkwood position and to spread the word. Karen Gorham gave a glowing endorsement of Lorraine. Some of her talking points include: there needs to be gender balance on the board. Right now there are only 2 women (there used to be 4), but more importantly Lorraine brings enthusiasm and fire. She is a “do-er”. She is community minded. She was unanimously voted upon to fill Karen’s position when she resigned. She has already gone to Washington DC for training. She is a business owner and actively involved in Washington. Karen encouraged everyone to go to the Court House and vote now.
Next meeting will be Sept. 8 at 6:00 pm at Art Domestique. Mary Jo Roberts has signed up to bring treats. We thank Lorraine for the coffee tonight. Meeting adjourned at 7:15 pm.
Respectfully submitted,
Louise Frakes, secretary
Minutes of the previous meeting were approved. Kay Ciha said the treasurer’s report had no changes.
Introduction of Guests:
Ann Dietrich spoke about Tom Fiegen who will be running for the US Senate seat. Tom’s main focus is on supporting local food production. She stated that Iowa has 208 Farmer Markets.
Shawn said that Gov. O’Malley is a strong progressive. He has come to Washington once and hopes to return soon.
Emily spoke on behalf of Hillary Clinton. She said people are very excited about Hillary’s new education policy.
Dylan is also with the Hillary campaign. He introduced himself and hopes to get to know us better.
Jacob is with the Bernie Sander’s campaign. He hopes to set up individual meetings this coming week. He also stated that the first Democrat debate will be Oct. 13. He said there will be a Bernie Sanders event at the Library this Thursday at 6:00 pm. He encouraged people to attend.
Report of the Chair:
Lorraine spoke about the 2nd District Caucus Training and said there will be more later.
She thanked those who helped with the fair: set up, tear down, worked at the booth, etc. She said the flashlights went well.
Old Business:
The Second District Workshop date has ben changed. She believes it will be Nov. 14 and she will double check that date. It will still be held at the Washington Kirkwood Center with our county party responsible for the lunch, etc. Harold explained that this workshop has many interesting topics and encouraged all to attend.
This coming Thursday, August 13, is our day for the Farmer’s Market. Richard will have the table set up with a patriotic cloth on it, the black board there, etc. John will bring the flashlight stickers, the flashlights, and the cowboy cards. In an effort to reach out to the Latino population, Harold suggested contacting Jackie A. & Heather L. He will work with Gary Murphy on that. Lorraine said she would
contact Sonja.
New Business:
We discussed our Fall Fund Raiser. Sunday, Oct 11 was suggested for a possible date. Lorraine will check to see if that interferes with any other city/county activities. As in the past Dodici will cater the main meal with all Democrats bringing desserts. There will be an auction and Lorraine will ask Gary Murphy if he will be auctioneer that day. We discussed inviting various speakers: Kevin Kinney, Dave Loebsack, and other possibilities. Lorraine made a plea for candidates to come. If we have actual National candidates, we will chance locations (probably to the 4-H building) where there would be more room for a larger crowd.
Committee Reports:
Affirmative Action: Lorraine thanked everyone who had worked on getting the cowboy cards done:
this committee, plus Louise Frakes, Robin Plattenberger, Richard Gilmore, her son, and Mary Patterson. Karen Gorham asked if we have the list of those who attended the first caucus of the Obama campaign. She thought we could get a lot of Latino names from that. Lorraine will check on it. Harold said the committee has not met for a long time. He will check with Gary Murphy.
Candidate Development:
Jim Gorham stated that this committee has not met again either. Jim will follow up with the person who is considering running against Jared Klein. He said there are open seats on the Washington City Council this fall and 3 for Supervisors next year. We need to be locating candidates. We have heard that Ceanne will be moving so Lorraine will need to appoint a new chair for this committee. This
committee should make contact with the other two democrats who are planning to run in 2016 Primary for the U. S. Senate.
Community Events:
• Ice Cream Social this Sunday, August 16, from 3:00-5:00 at Richard & Robin’s. Fundraiser for Tom Fiegen. Robin asked if some would bring cookies or bars to go along with their homemade ice cream and for some to come help set up and tear down.
• Gov. O’Malley was here last Friday afternoon. The Des Moines Register had a nice article about it and pictures, too!
• Hillary event Saturday, Oct. 3, at the Wagon Wheel Vineyard at 3:00 pm
• Emily is hosting “coffee and conversation” at Dodici Shop every Friday at 1:00pm She asked people to come and join her. However there will not be a meeting this Friday, August 14.
• Gloria and her tack need a home for the winter. Richard volunteered his back room.
Platform Committee:
Steve asked everyone to begin thinking about planks they want to submit at the Caucus.
Sept. 8 is School Board election. Early voting can be done now. Lorraine asked everyone to vote for her for the Kirkwood position and to spread the word. Karen Gorham gave a glowing endorsement of Lorraine. Some of her talking points include: there needs to be gender balance on the board. Right now there are only 2 women (there used to be 4), but more importantly Lorraine brings enthusiasm and fire. She is a “do-er”. She is community minded. She was unanimously voted upon to fill Karen’s position when she resigned. She has already gone to Washington DC for training. She is a business owner and actively involved in Washington. Karen encouraged everyone to go to the Court House and vote now.
Next meeting will be Sept. 8 at 6:00 pm at Art Domestique. Mary Jo Roberts has signed up to bring treats. We thank Lorraine for the coffee tonight. Meeting adjourned at 7:15 pm.
Respectfully submitted,
Louise Frakes, secretary
Washington County Democrat Meeting - May 12, 2015
The Washington County Democrats met at Art Domestique on Tuesday, May 12, 2015 with 13 county Democrats present. Chairperson Lorraine Williams called the meeting to order at 7:03 pm. The Pledge of Allegiance was recited followed by the singing of “God Bless America”.
Jim Gorham moved to approve the minutes as sent out, seconded by John Greener. Motion passed. Kay gave the treasurer’s report. She has paid for a double fair booth and there were 2 new memberships.
Report of the Chair:
1. The cost of having the 2nd District workshop at the Washington Kirkwood center would be $150. We would be expected to provide the lunch which participants would purchase. The fund raiser for the county party would be the Wine Down afterwards where we would serve wine, soft drinks, and appetizers. It would cost participants to attend the wine down. The date will be set by June 30. The location is between us and Oskaloosa.
2. Lorraine suggested we purchase 14 30-second ads to run on KCII through June. The cost would be $109.12. There was much discussion about the pros and cons of doing that at this time. Robin moved that we defer buying radio ads at this time. John seconded. Motion passed.
3. Lorraine said the radio is a great way to reach out to people and asked that each person bring one idea to the June meeting of the message we want to get out.
4. Lorraine announced that Dave Loebsack will be at the Coffee Shop on Saturday, May 16 from 10:00 - 11:00 am.
Old Business:
1. Cowboy Cards. Neither Terry or Matt was present so there was no presentation on this. However it was suggested that one side be in English and the other in Spanish.
2. Farmer’s Market was discussed. It was suggested that we try to do one Thursday each month June through September. Lorraine will contact Bob Shepherd for exact dates. When we are not part of the official market, we will set up outside of Art Domestique. We will hand out flashlights and cowboy cards.
New Business:
1. County Convention size. Louise moved that we have it be 65. Bob Spenner seconded. Motion passed. Lorraine will contact Josie and relay that message.
2. Places of the Precinct caucus are as follows:
1. Ainsworth — undecided
2. Brighton — Rose Jaynes home
3. Kalona — undecided
4. Riverside — Bob Spenner’s home
5. All 4 Washington wards — Washington High School
6. Wellman — Wellman library
7. West Chester — West Chester Community building
Committee Reports:
Affirmative Action — Sandy Johnson
Their committee (Gary M, Sandy J, Harold F., Shirley P., Isabella S) has met. Each one is to contact a bi-lingual person to help set up events. Sandy recommended that all of us attend Latino Night in the park on June 7. The committee also wants to create an event to explain the voting process. They plan to contact Louise County Democrat party for suggestions as they have had success with this. Jim Gorham suggested having a “meet & greet” with simple refreshments where we simply talk about why we are Democrats. He also suggested that we visit with the Latino people who are at the Farmer’s Market — make friends with them. Robin suggested we design a new Democrat shirt with one side in English and the other side in Spanish. Doris will work on a design. Greg D. said there are a lot of people feeling left out and we need to reach out to all. Nan said some county parties are providing identity cards and that maybe we could consider doing that.
Candidate Development — Jim Gorham
Jim reported that he has on a potential candidate for House 78 seat to run against Jared Klein. He hopes to be able to tell us who at the June meeting. The County Supervisor seats currently held by Jack Seward, Bob Yoder, and Stoops will be up for election. Everyone please be thinking of people we could run for these positions.
Community Events — John Greener
a.) April 29 Pot Luck. John apologized for not using his committee but said his contact information failed so he had Richard & Robin and Harold & Louise help him. It was a “fabulous success” with speakers Andy McGuire, Tom Fiegen and Lillie Catlin.
b.) The parade committee of Will Hart, Alesandro, and Sara Williams has not met yet, but the parades will go on. The first one is June 6th. We will set up at John’s house 603 West Washington.
c.) There is one box of candy in the closet at Art Domestique. Lorraine will order more. Motion by Bob S. Motion passed.
d.) Lillie said that she will have people from the Hillary campaign walk with us.
e.) Kay announced that Richmond is having their 175th celebration on July 25 and moved that we attend their parade. Motion passed. John will register us by July 1.
Upcoming events:
June 6 — Ridiculous Day Parade
June 9 — Democrat meeting at Arts Domestique
June 13 — FDR Revival at Lake Darling Lodge (hopefully)
June 14 — Ice Cream Social — Meet & Greet for Tom Fiegen at Richard & Robin’s home.
June 20 — Brighton parade and Kalona parade
June 27 — Trek Fest Parade in Riverside
Meeting adjourned at 8:20 pm for refreshments by Shirley Pfeiffer.
Respectfully submitted,
Louise Frakes, secretary.
Those present: Louise Frakes, Kay Ciha, John Greener, Nan Stark, Sandra Johnson, LeAnn
Hassman, Robert Spenner, Greg Davis, Steve Maxon, Doris Park, Shirley Pfeiffer, Lillie Catlin,
Lorraine Williams.
Jim Gorham moved to approve the minutes as sent out, seconded by John Greener. Motion passed. Kay gave the treasurer’s report. She has paid for a double fair booth and there were 2 new memberships.
Report of the Chair:
1. The cost of having the 2nd District workshop at the Washington Kirkwood center would be $150. We would be expected to provide the lunch which participants would purchase. The fund raiser for the county party would be the Wine Down afterwards where we would serve wine, soft drinks, and appetizers. It would cost participants to attend the wine down. The date will be set by June 30. The location is between us and Oskaloosa.
2. Lorraine suggested we purchase 14 30-second ads to run on KCII through June. The cost would be $109.12. There was much discussion about the pros and cons of doing that at this time. Robin moved that we defer buying radio ads at this time. John seconded. Motion passed.
3. Lorraine said the radio is a great way to reach out to people and asked that each person bring one idea to the June meeting of the message we want to get out.
4. Lorraine announced that Dave Loebsack will be at the Coffee Shop on Saturday, May 16 from 10:00 - 11:00 am.
Old Business:
1. Cowboy Cards. Neither Terry or Matt was present so there was no presentation on this. However it was suggested that one side be in English and the other in Spanish.
2. Farmer’s Market was discussed. It was suggested that we try to do one Thursday each month June through September. Lorraine will contact Bob Shepherd for exact dates. When we are not part of the official market, we will set up outside of Art Domestique. We will hand out flashlights and cowboy cards.
New Business:
1. County Convention size. Louise moved that we have it be 65. Bob Spenner seconded. Motion passed. Lorraine will contact Josie and relay that message.
2. Places of the Precinct caucus are as follows:
1. Ainsworth — undecided
2. Brighton — Rose Jaynes home
3. Kalona — undecided
4. Riverside — Bob Spenner’s home
5. All 4 Washington wards — Washington High School
6. Wellman — Wellman library
7. West Chester — West Chester Community building
Committee Reports:
Affirmative Action — Sandy Johnson
Their committee (Gary M, Sandy J, Harold F., Shirley P., Isabella S) has met. Each one is to contact a bi-lingual person to help set up events. Sandy recommended that all of us attend Latino Night in the park on June 7. The committee also wants to create an event to explain the voting process. They plan to contact Louise County Democrat party for suggestions as they have had success with this. Jim Gorham suggested having a “meet & greet” with simple refreshments where we simply talk about why we are Democrats. He also suggested that we visit with the Latino people who are at the Farmer’s Market — make friends with them. Robin suggested we design a new Democrat shirt with one side in English and the other side in Spanish. Doris will work on a design. Greg D. said there are a lot of people feeling left out and we need to reach out to all. Nan said some county parties are providing identity cards and that maybe we could consider doing that.
Candidate Development — Jim Gorham
Jim reported that he has on a potential candidate for House 78 seat to run against Jared Klein. He hopes to be able to tell us who at the June meeting. The County Supervisor seats currently held by Jack Seward, Bob Yoder, and Stoops will be up for election. Everyone please be thinking of people we could run for these positions.
Community Events — John Greener
a.) April 29 Pot Luck. John apologized for not using his committee but said his contact information failed so he had Richard & Robin and Harold & Louise help him. It was a “fabulous success” with speakers Andy McGuire, Tom Fiegen and Lillie Catlin.
b.) The parade committee of Will Hart, Alesandro, and Sara Williams has not met yet, but the parades will go on. The first one is June 6th. We will set up at John’s house 603 West Washington.
c.) There is one box of candy in the closet at Art Domestique. Lorraine will order more. Motion by Bob S. Motion passed.
d.) Lillie said that she will have people from the Hillary campaign walk with us.
e.) Kay announced that Richmond is having their 175th celebration on July 25 and moved that we attend their parade. Motion passed. John will register us by July 1.
Upcoming events:
June 6 — Ridiculous Day Parade
June 9 — Democrat meeting at Arts Domestique
June 13 — FDR Revival at Lake Darling Lodge (hopefully)
June 14 — Ice Cream Social — Meet & Greet for Tom Fiegen at Richard & Robin’s home.
June 20 — Brighton parade and Kalona parade
June 27 — Trek Fest Parade in Riverside
Meeting adjourned at 8:20 pm for refreshments by Shirley Pfeiffer.
Respectfully submitted,
Louise Frakes, secretary.
Those present: Louise Frakes, Kay Ciha, John Greener, Nan Stark, Sandra Johnson, LeAnn
Hassman, Robert Spenner, Greg Davis, Steve Maxon, Doris Park, Shirley Pfeiffer, Lillie Catlin,
Lorraine Williams.
Washington County Democrat Meeting - April 14, 2015
The Washington County Democrats met at Arts Domestique on Tuesday, April 14, 2015 at 7:00 pm. Harold Frakes called the meeting to order and served as Chair in the absence of Lorraine Williams who was in Italy and Richard Gilmore who was on a cruise. There were 12 county Democrats present. The Pledge of Allegiance was recited followed by the singing of America the Beautiful. Congratulations was given to Lorraine on the arrival of her new grandson.
The minutes were approved as sent out and the treasurer’s report was given. Kay reported that our old web site is no longer active. John moved and Terry seconded that we reserve a double booth at the County Fair for $200. Motion passed with one Nay vote.
Report of the Chair:
1. Harold passed out a map showing the number of pipelines in the US and how dangerous the leaks are. He said companies are using “eminent domain” to obtain land to use for pipelines.
2. The second handout showed the cost of living in Washington county. Iowa last raised the minimum wage in 2008 and the handout showed that you cannot live on minimum wage. This provoked a lot of discussion.
3. The third handout was about Nutrient Reduction of nitrate levels in our water. The legislature has set a goal of 45% reduction, but there is no baseline on which to measure nor a standard to know if the goal has been reached. Harold asked Matt Schaeffer to write a letter to the editor on this matter. Others are also encouraged to write letters.
4. A flyer was passed around about the Trivia Extravaganza event hosted by Hospice as a fund raiser on Friday, April 24 at 7:00 pm in the 4-H building. He encouraged people to join our Democrat team for this event.
Old Business:
1. There was a report on our Kite flying event in March. It was deemed successful as our first event of this kind.
2. The Pot-Luck “Banquet for the Common People” will be Wednesday, April 29 at 6:30 pm. Andy McGuire, IDP chair, will be present as will Tom Fiegen. Both will speak. John sent around a sign up sheet for food. Terry Philips volunteered to contact the Hillary people.
3. FDR Revival to be held Saturday, June 13 at Lake Darling Lodge was discussed.
4. Farmers Market was discussed. We can set up 4 times as a guest. The other times we could set up outside Arts Domestique. LeAnn suggested we have a theme each week. Diane suggested we have
something to hand out each time.
5. Harold brought up the idea of having “cowboy” cards to let people know what we stand for. We could then pass them out at the County Fair and at the Farmer’s Market. Terry and Matt will work
on how to develop this and will bring their ideas to the May meeting.
New Business:
none
Committee reports:
Affirmative Action: has not met yet
Candidate Development: Jim Gorham reported in Ceanne’s absence. They have met and discussed how to meet the 50/50 by 20/20, recruiting people for County offices, school boards, other county boards, someone to run against Klein, and that there are 3 Supervisors seats to be filled. He asked everyone to be thinking of people to contact. We need to let no position go without a Democrat running for it.
Karen Gorham announced that Lorraine has been appointed to the Kirkwood Board. She will have to run again this fall for this position.
It was suggested to have Karen Gorham talk about what Branstad is doing to education under his leadership. Leanne will share ideas for the Farmer’s Market, and the Float Design Committee will report in May.
Next meeting is Tuesday, May 12 at Arts Domestique at 7:00 pm.
Meeting adjourned at 8:05 for “Coffee & Conversation.” Treats given by Doris Park. Next month, June 9, treats will be furnished by Shirley Pfeiffer.
Respectfully submitted,
Louise Frakes, secretary
Upcoming Events:
June 6 — Ridiculous Day Parade
June 9 — Democrat meeting at Arts Domestique
June 13 — FDR Revival at Lake Darling Lodge
June 14 — Ice Cream Social — Meet & Greet for Tom Fiegen at Richard & Robin’s home.
June 20 — Brighton parade and Kalona parade
June 27 — Trek Fest Parade in Riverside
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)