Johnson County Democrats Central Committee Minutes

Thursday, August 1, 2013

30 People signed in

Gerry Kuhl welcomed the Johnson County Democrats to North Liberty

• North Liberty is the 2^nd fastest growing Community in the state
• There will be many great improvements to 965 in the next few years

Gubernatorial candidate Representative Tyler Olson made his 2^nd official Johnson County visit since announcing his run for Governor of Iowa (his first visit was early that day at Gus’s in Coralville).  I will share some of the notes I took (I’m sure there is a lot of paraphrasing).

• He is from Cedar Rapids Iowa and works at his family business of 4 generations.  He has served 7 years in the State Legislature.
• We need to look ahead to the next 30 years not the last 30 – Iowa’s future is not in the past but in the future
• Economy needs to be built from the middle out.  We cannot continue to go for the short-term big win.  Innovation and creativity are needed.  Innovation in agriculture will be very important.
• There is value in our skills – we need to make sure our people are educated in the skills needed.  Support Educators.  Skills are different now than they were in 1982.
• Tyler said he would like to represent those people who don’t have a connection with the community.
• We need to treat people with mental issues before it becomes a Justice Issue.

1. Approval of Agenda – without objection
2. Approval of July 11, 2013 Minutes – without objection
3. Chair – Report
   1. It has been a busy summer with a lot of great volunteering – thank you!
   2. We need to be ready for the Governor’s race.  We need a Democrat in office.
   3. We need to get the skills to get our people elected
4. Treasurer – Report – without objection
5. Exec. Committee Reports (if any) – None
6. Recognition of Elected Representatives – Brad Kunkel, Janelle Rettig, Lonnie Pulkrabek, Mitch Gross, Pat Hughes and Gerry Kuhl
7. Old Business
   1. Free Lunch -‘pass the box ‘raised $86 (Fri., Aug 2) – Contact Robin.Roseman@gmail.com if interested in helping.  Have had an average of 130 people over the last few months.
   2. Election(s) of Central Committee representatives (if any) – We need active Democrats.  We have a lot of members who do not show up for meetings and are not involved.  If we have people who are interested in being an active part of the Central Committee but their precinct is filled by someone who is not active with the party we may ask the non-active member to step aside and become an Associate.  The only difference between a CC Member and an Associate is that the Associate cannot vote.
      1. Emily Brunner (IC22) has resigned.
      2.  John Deeth nominated Sam Odyemi for IC10 CC.  2^nd by Karla Smith.  Approved.
      3. Karla Smith nominated Danielle Holliday for CV5 Associate.  2^nd by Bill Budelier.  Approved
      4.  John Deeth nominated Megan Schwalm for IC12 Associate.  2nded. Approved.
      5. John Deeth nominated Jim Tate for IC6 CC.  2^nd by Dennis Roseman.  Approved.
   3. Election(s) of 2^nd District Central Committee representatives (if any)
      1. Steven Damm nominated Melva Hughes.  2^nd by Robin Roseman.  Approved.
   4. Two more vacancies.  If anyone is interested please email info@JCDems.org.

 

1. New Business
   1. ICE – Continuing working on the jcdems.org website.

i.      “Act Blue” is now functioning if you would like to make a donation.

ii.      New Volunteer forms will be up in the next week or two

iii.      Any suggestions/corrections can be sent to info@JCDems.org and will be forwarded to Mike, Gerene and Karen.

1. Parades – have gone very well.  Please keep coming.

i.      Please see Parade info at the end of the minutes and join us if you can for future parades.

1. Johnson County Fair- July 22-25 – LOTS of people – we never stopped making popcorn except when we ran out

i.      Went through 200 lb of popcorn and 4000 bags.

ii.      We couldn’t engage with the people as much as we liked because we were always making popcorn

iii.      Next year we need a bigger booth, 3 people working and a JC Fair Committee

iv.      Thanks to all of the volunteers.

1. Fall BBQ:  Sun. Oct 13, 3-7 pm JC Fairgrounds, BBQ Committee needs to meet!

i.      BBQ Committee – (Mike Carberry, Jim Tate, Kingsley Botchway, Angela Laffey, Brad Kunkel, Steven Damm, Robin Roseman, Melva Hughes, Janelle Rettig) will be meeting August 12 at 5:30 at the Mill in Iowa City

ii.      We need to make the BBQ fun again.  If you have any ideas please send them to info@JCDems.org and I will forward to the Committee.

iii.      Keynote speaker will make a big difference.  Mike is working on this.  Ideas at the meeting included Al Franken, Russ Feingold, Tammy Baldwin, Amy Klobuchar and Hillary Clinton

iv.      Scheduled to be there – Tyler Olson, , Jack Hatch, Bob Krause, Bruce Braley and David Loebsack

v.      Entertainment during event?

1. Johnson County – Cedar County Dems Potluck Picnic the evening of this Sat. Aug 3 at 5 pm in West Branch, 326 N. Fourth St., West Branch, IA 52358.  Gov. Candidates Tyler Olson & Bob Krause will be there as will Bob Dvorsky& David Johnson.
2. Harkin Grant: Up to $2k. Outreach for Rural, Minorities and Youth

i.      Mike and Gerene will be meeting in the next few weeks to fill it out.

1. 2^nd District HOF nominations Lori Bears, Minnette Doderer, Jean Lloyd Jones, Bill & Pat Sueppel and Kim Painter
   1. Not sure when the HOF will be held
   2. 2^nd D Workshop 8/24 Wm. Penn College, Oskaloosa. Daylong event. Carpools.
      1. Need big turnout!!!
      2. The second district central committee has selected the date of August 24, 2013, to hold the district workshop. It will be at the technology center at William Penn University in Oskaloosa, Iowa.
      3. There will be a suggested and recommended $20 registration fee to attend the workshop.  If you are interested in attending please send an email to info@jcdems.org ASAP and I will forward on to Gerene.  We want to send in 1 form with all of us listed as a group.
      4. A $10 lunch will be available on-site by the campus food service (Roast Beef, Turkey, Tuna Salad or Vegetarian Club sandwich with salad, chips and drinks).
      5. The program will consist of presentations concerning campaigns, technology, party building, organization and affirmative action, and the Affordable Care Act. There will be a “wine down” after the workshop to allow those present and anyone else to discuss the topics presented at the workshop.
      6. Please see more information after the minutes
      7. North Liberty outreach potluck picnic with JC County elected officials and Congressman Loebsack. Mails and expenditures? Date mid Sept?
         1. Dennis moved to pay to mail 2600 postcards.  2nded.  Approved
         2. Need to get this to the press
         3. Janelle Rettig spoke about the Court House and Jail.  Johnson County will be holding events where people can share their ideas.  Visit www.johnson-county.com for more information.  Doing nothing is not an option.
         4. Speakers – Jim Tate (IC School Board candidate), Sara Barron (IC School Board candidate), Jason T. Lewis (IC School Board candidate) and Kingsley Botchway III (Iowa City City Council candidate)

Meeting Dates

Exec. Committee – Thurs., Aug. 29, 2013 @6pm. Iowa City Public Library, Room E

Central Committee -Thurs., Sept. 5, 2013 @ 7pm, Iowa City Public Library, Room C

 

2013 Parade Schedule

Saturday, August 17             11am parade 10am lineup                Lone Tree Fall Festival

                   Lineup at American Legion Parking Lot on north side of town.

Friday, October 4                  5:30pm                                               UI Homecoming

*All dates and times are subject to change. All start times are approximate

 

Second District Workshop

 

August 24, 2013

William Penn University Technology Center, Oskaloosa, Iowa

(See www.idp2nd.com for Directions and advance registration)

• 9:00 a.m.  REGISTRATION OPENS  (Suggested Registration Fee:  $20 per person)
• 10:00 a.m.  WELCOME: Alan Bohanan, Second District Chair
• 10:10 a.m.  PARTY BUILDING IN IOWA: An Overview, By:  Jean Pardee, Vice Chair of the Iowa Democratic Party and the Second District of Iowa

By:  Jean Pardee, with more specifics

Affirmative Action and the Caucus Organization System

By: Kevin Geiken, IDP Field DirectorRecruiting

–  Finding and developing candidates using grass-roots exploration.

By:  Norm Sterzenbach, the Elder

12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m. LUNCH: Provided by William Penn Food Service, with possible guest speaker

Covers basics of creating lists:  calling and walking, updating, printing and saving lists

By Garrett Fardon , IDP Data and Technology Director

FUNDRAISING

Basics of setting goals, low and higher dollar events and maintaining a donor base.

 

By:  Jennifer LunsfordScheduling/Time Management

–  Fundraising (how to ask)

–  Volunteer recruitment

–  Targeting

–  Becoming a targeted campaign

–  Mistakes to avoid

–  Reporting/Disclosure

–  Message formation

By: Norm Sterzenbach, the Elder

 

Covers best practices, creating and using activist codes, search criteria and advanced features.

By Garrett Fardon

 

 PARTY ORGANIZATION 101

Why do what we do on the County, District and State levels.

By:  Sandy Dockendorff, State Rules Chair

 STAFF:  Volunteers and staff training, By: Kevin Geiken, IDP Field Director

• 3:20 p.m. – 4:30 p.m. The AFFORDABLE CARE ACT:  How to best explain the act and its consequences in the coming campaigns (Panel Discussion with Sister Pat Miller, Dr. Karen Metcalf and Ken Croken, VP at Genesis Hospital in Davenport)

 

• 5:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. “WINE” DOWN RECEPTION, including guest speakers

 

NOTES:  Substitutions and other participating leaders may well be added to this schedule.

IDP staff present will enhance some of these presentations as well.

August 24, 2013

 

William Penn University Technology Center, Oskaloosa, Iowa

(See www.idp2nd.com for Directions and advance registration)

LUNCH:   To be provided by the William Penn Food Service, $10.00 which can be paid in advance through Bob Beisch.  Lunch will consist of sandwiches, salad, chips and drinks.  We need to know which type of sandwich is preferred for each participant, as the food service wants to know.  Please indicate your preference(s) on the registration form.

 

CHILD CARE:  Child care will not be provided for the workshop.

REGISTRATION: Please register as soon as possible by getting your registration forms to Bob Beisch. 

Registration forms can be mailed (best option) or e-mailed to:  Bob Beisch

2062 Great Oak Drive

Ottumwa IA 52501-3770

641-682-9962

rlbeisch@mchsi.com

PAYMENT OPTIONS:

• Enclose a check with your mailed registration form.
  • Advance payment can be processed thru PayPal to Treasurer@idp2nd.com. Check our website for PayPal link.
  • Pay with your Visa/MasterCard on our website (www.idp2nd.com) even if you don’t have a PayPal Account.

 

2013 WORKSHOP REGISTRATION FORM   NAME:  _SEND INFORMATION TO info@jcdems.org AND WE WILL SEND AS  A GROUP___   ADDRESS: ____________________________________________________________   COUNTY: ________________________   PHONE: ______________________________    EMAIL:  ___________________________   SUGGESTED WORKSHOP FEE:   $20.00 for each registrant.   Number of registrants _____ (Workshop fee includes all tracks)   I am / We are interested in:   Track 1 _______      Track 2 _________   Track 3 ________ (Please indicate by placing the number of your registrants interested in each track)   Sandwich Preference(s)  Roast Beef ____Turkey____ Tuna Salad ____ Vegetarian Club____ (Please indicate by placing the number of your registrants interested in each option)   Total Enclosed  $___________   (Make checks payable to:  Second District of Iowa Democrats)

 

Date	Who	What	Debits	Credits	Balance	Bank Balance
07/05/13	IDP 2nd Dist CC	ad in workshop program	$   50.00		$    8,162.24	$   8,162.24
07/07/13	Verizon Wireless	phone	$   49.40		$    8,112.84	$   8,112.84
07/08/13	Adcraft Printing	business cards, stickers, banner	$ 859.91		$    7,252.93	$   7,252.93
07/12/13	Verizon Wireless	refund for over-charge	$  (39.89)		$    7,292.82	$   7,292.82
07/12/13	Dahm for Supervisor	BBQ sponsorship		$     206.66	$    7,499.48	$   7,499.48
07/13/13	Gerene Denning	reimb – lunch NEW Leader Conf.	$ 236.21		$    7,263.27	$   7,263.27
07/21/13	Adcraft Printing	roll labels (stickers)	$ 512.90		$    6,750.37	$   6,750.37
07/22/13	USPS Postmaster	20 forever stamps	$     9.20		$    6,741.17	$   6,741.17
07/26/13		ActBlue donations		$       20.00	$    6,761.17	$   6,761.17
07/26/13	ActBlue	fee		$        (0.80)	$    6,760.37	$   6,760.37
07/27/13	Verizon Wireless	phone	$   25.26		$    6,735.11	$   6,735.11
07/29/13	Rettig for Supervisor	county fair expenses		$     100.00	$    6,835.11	$   6,835.11
07/31/13	Interest			$         0.68	$    6,835.79	$   6,835.79

Johnson County Democrats Central Committee Minutes
Thursday, June 6, 2013
29 People signed in plus 1 Excused
Events below happened out of order – I put them back in the original order of the Agenda.
1. Approval of June 6, 2013 Agenda – Without Objection.
2. Approval of May 2, 2013 Minutes – Without Objection.
3. Chair Report – this has been a busy month
a. Hall of Fame – Thanks to everyone who came and worked the event
i. Financially it was a good turnout.
ii. It was mentioned that the coffee was turned off early – Mike will note to make sure it is left on next year.
4. Treasurer Report – Without Objection.
5. Exec. Committee Reports
a. Dennis Roseman handed out a very informative “We Proudly Support You” handout to be available at the Pride Parade on 06/15/2013 at our table. It has 2 pages with our platform views on Diversity and 1 page which contrasts the JC Republican’s platform. Mike will try to resize and get printed. I have copied it to the end of the minutes.
b. IDP may also supply materials for the table
6. Recognition of Elected Officials
a. Janelle Rettig, Travis Weipert, Patrick Hughes, Brad Kunkle, Bob Dvorsky
7. Old Business
a. Free Lunch – raised $77.25 … attendance keeps growing, now over 100
i. Looking for help for August 2nd, 10-12 or 12-2. Contact Robin.Roseman@gmail.com if available
b. Resignation of Karla Smith from IC11 and to opening in NL3. Approved. Contact info@jcdems.org if you have any suggestions for Central Committee members.
c. Still have 3 openings for the 2nd District Central Committee – Contact info@jcdems.org if interested.
8. New Business
a. Senator Bob Dvorsky spoke on the Iowa Legislative Session Review
i. Wanted to get 4 things done and got them done.
1. Education Reform
2. Expansion of Medicaid
3. Commercial Property Tax
4. Balance the budget
ii. Couldn’t get everything they wanted as it was a compromise between Governor, Senate and House
iii. 4 things they will be working on going forward
1. Elder Abuse
2. Domestic Violence
3. Food Bank
4. Water Quality Nutrient Management
b. Iowa NEW Leadership Lunch Review
i. Week-long conference which we supplied lunch one day – 50 woman in attendance
1. Mike C, Gerene D, Diana C and Kathryn V attended
2. JC Republicans were invited to attend but declined.
c. ICE: Data & Communication Committee Report
i. John D is cleaning up his data
ii. John D and Gerene D were instructed on My Campaign
iii. Donations – Brad K looked into various ways to set up on jcdems.org site.
1. Paypal and ActBlue seem the best routes – we may already have an ActBlue acct.
d. Justice Center election review
i. Janelle R spoke – 5 Supervisors with 5 different views. Etheredge believes we can build without Unions …
1. Basically we are starting over – all plans are back on the table.
ii. Thanks to Janet, Lonnie and the Board of Supervisors for all they did to try to get this done.
1. JCDems donated but didn’t do much else. We need to step up and be more involved and provided more help.
e. Hall of Fame Review
i. Pic finally made it to the Press Citizen (who cropped out the JCDem sign)
ii. Need to start planning earlier on all of our events – get more people involved Contact info@jcdems.org if you are interested in assisting with future events
f. Fall BBQ
i. Tom Larking moved to set a date of October 13, 2013 for the Fall BBQ. Seconded. Approved.
1. If need to change we still can but at least we can start moving forward with plans
ii. A BBQ Committee was set up to work on it
1. Janelle R suggested trying to make it fun again. If you have ideas or suggestions please send to info@jcdems.org.
g. Parades – (so far) up to date schedule below
i. Will hand our jcdems stickers at most parades – will include all info (facebook, email etc)
ii. Pride Parade will be beads.
iii. For the Freedom Fest parade (July 4) Pete U will pull a big trailer with bales of hay for the electeds and people who cannot walk the whole parade. Janelle R will pull the smaller trailer.
h. Board of Supervisors: Districts Special Election
i. Not going to be one now
i. Johnson County – Cedar County Dems picnic Aug 3 in West Branch
i. May be at David Johnson’s house. Potluck? Mike will have more info at next CC meeting.
j. Other new business
i. Move Central Committee around during the summer (CVL, N. Liberty etc). Provide rides if you can. If you need a ride to any event please send an email to info@jcdems.org and we will try to find a ride for you. It is important to us that you attend events!
9. Speakers and/or Announcements
a. Braley Campaign – Casey Petrashek (caseypetrashek01@gmail.com – (515) 720-5305) and John Hall (JohnRHall91@gmail.com – (608) 215-3391)
i. Believe this will be a 100 Million Dollar race – depending on groundwork
ii. Looking for County Coordinators – if interested contact John or Casey
iii. Looking for a self-motivated Intern – if interested contact Casey or John
b. Brian Kirschling – Sept 10 School Board Election
i. From IC, moved away, came back in 2000
ii. Believes IC a great community to raise kids
iii. Is running because IC schools gave him great tools to succeed and wants to give back
iv. Schools need to be proactive instead of reactive
v. Lots of challenges facilities wise. It is time for a 3rd High School
c. Jim Tate – Sept 10 School Board Election
i. Has been involved with the School Board for the last 3 years
ii. Grew up in Maryland and Virginia – 4 years with the Marines
iii. Wanted the best opportunity for his children so moved to IC
iv. Believes we need a 3rd High School but we can wait a couple more years and should spend the time getting it set up correctly. Build smaller and add on as needed.
d. Kingsley Botchway II (botchwayk@gmail.com) – Iowa City Council
i. From S. Carolina – went to UI Law School
ii. Stayed because there are a lot more opportunities than back home
iii. Police need to be out in the community more. Recruitment and Retention of minorities. Expanding the arts in Iowa City
iv. June 29th – Juneteenth Celebration at Mercer Park
10. Meeting Dates
a. Executive Committee – Thursday June 27th, 2013 @ 6 PM. ICPL Room E
b. Central Committee – Thursday July 11th, 2013 @ 7 PM. Location TBD
i. Note that meeting is a week later than normal due to 4th of July
_______________________________________________________________________________________

WE PROUDLY SUPPORT YOU.

Read excerpts from the Platforms of your local Democratic and Republican Parties. Decide for yourself: Local Democrats or Local Republicans— Which party better represents YOU?

Excerpts from the
Johnson County Democrats Platform 2012

Statement of Principles
1. We believe the purpose of government is to act on behalf of the public good, to create and execute policies and laws that promote and protect everyone’s human rights equally, to protect our shared environment, to promote justice, safety and security and to oversee the equitable distribution of resources, affording all citizens the opportunity to attain their highest level of social, cultural, economic, mental and physical well being.
2. We value diversity. We are committed to the inclusion and full participation of diverse populations in our society, in the Democratic Party and in the democratic processes of government regardless of status within any protected class such as age, race, gender, religious belief, sexual orientation, gender identity, physical characteristics, associational preference, ethnicity, disability, illness or language.
3. We affirm our commitment to social and economic justice. Whenever the rights of any of our citizens are threatened, the rights of all are endangered. We take seriously the obligation to uphold the Constitution and the Bill of Rights, to preserve, protect and secure basic human rights, civil rights and civil liberties.
4. We believe in a society in which fairness and community are guiding values, where every person has an equal opportunity.
5. We believe the family, whether traditional or non-traditional, should be sustained and enhanced. We share, through government, the responsibility to assist those families who cannot adequately provide for their members.
Statement of Issues

Economy, Commerce and Labor
Job Security and Workers’ Rights
We support:

78. Equal workers’ rights and employment opportunities for GLBT people.

Education
Education Curricula
We support:
131. Comprehensive, evidence-based sex education presented by qualified personnel.
Bullying
We support:
140. Prevention of and intervention in bullying in all its forms.

Government and Law
Civil Rights and Liberties
We support:
149. Equal adoption rights regardless of sexual orientation of parents and foster parents.
Criminal Justice

We support:
167. Hate Crime Prevention Act

Marriage and Civil Unions
We support:
207. RFMA (Respect for Marriage Act) and all future bills seeking to repeal DOMA.
208. Civil marriage for same-sex couples in Iowa and the US.
201. UAFA (United American Families Act).

We oppose:
202. DOMA (Defense of Marriage Act).
212. Discrimination against GLBT on parenting rights.
213. A Constitutional Convention for the purpose of limiting marriage equality.

Veterans
We oppose:
224. GLBT discrimination.
In contrast, excerpts from the
Johnson County Republican Platform
****** Check it out yourself if you want: ******
4. Education:
4.17 We oppose the promotion of homosexual life styles in government schools.

4.18 We oppose the teaching of sex education in any form, at any grade level without written parental consent.

6. Family Values:
6.1 Traditional, marriage-based (one natural male and one natural female) families are intrinsically procreative and thereby essential to a stable, thriving, and lasting civilization. Therefore, public policy must always be pro-family, encouraging marital and family commitment, while also supporting parental rights and responsibilities.

6.2 We support an amendment to the Iowa Constitution stating that “To secure and preserve the benefits of marriage for our society and for future generations of children, marriage between one man and one woman is the only domestic legal union that shall be valid or recognized in this state.”

6.3 We support an amendment to the United States Constitution stating that “Only marriage between one man and one woman shall be valid or recognized in the United States, and that neither the Federal government, any state government, or the political subdivisions thereof may create or recognize a legal status identical or substantially similar to that of marriage for unmarried individuals.”

6.4 We encourage adoption of children by heterosexual married couples consisting of one man and one woman; we oppose adoption by same-sex couples

6.6 We believe in the sanctity of marriage and call upon the Iowa Legislature to rescind “no-fault divorce” laws.

6.9 We oppose any law, ordinance, or policy that would approve the practice of homosexuality.

10. Law and Justice:
10.14 Non-profit religious organizations should not be subject to the anti-bullying bill.

Find the complete Johnson County Democrat’s Platform 2012 at
http://jcdems.org/resources/JCPlatformAsApproved2012.pdf

Find the complete Johnson County Republican’s Platform 2010 at https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B7T8QHet2T_GUFJXVE5zOWRoMEU/edit