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.
