Chair Ivan Weiss called the meeting to order at 7:03PM.
The agenda was amended by acclamation to include a report from the Candidates Forum Committee.
Adoption of the minutes and Treasurer's Report were moved, seconded and approved by voice vote.
Chair's Report
The 34th District has a table at the White Center Food Bank Dinner and Auction on Saturday, October 20th, at 5:30PM. The location is the Brockey Center at SSCC. Ivan urged the District to support this event.
First Vice-Chair's Report
Our sister District (15th) continues to organize and is finding good candidates. They are supporting George Fearing, who is challenging Republican Congressman Doc Hastings. Tanya conveyed their thanks and appreciation for our help.
King County Honors Banquet
King County Chair Suzie Sheary reminded us of this event on Sunday, October 28th. The theme is “Celebrating and Honoring the American Dream.” Reception and silent auction is at 5PM and dinner is at 6PM. Governor Christine Gregoire will be a special guest and Dow Constantine will emcee. Location is the Aerospace Machinists Hall in South Park. Tickets are available on the King County Dems website www.kcdems.org.
Community Health Clinics
Jessica Hauffe spoke of President Bush's recent veto of the legislation to renew the Children's Health Insurance Program. Washington has 130 clinics and sees 600,000 uninsured patients a year. She urges everyone to contact members of Congress regarding this or go to www.SaveHealthCareInWA.org.
Senator Erik Poulsen
Our outgoing Senator thanked the district for our support and memories. He will continue to be visible in the district. A tribute was given by Representative Joe McDermott.
GOTV
Literature packets for PCO's will be available Sunday from 1-4PM at the High Point Library. Call Jackie Dupras if you didn't receive yours. Voterfile accounts for PCOs appointed in October will be available soon.
Precinct Caucuses
Tim Nuse reported that State Chair Dwight Pelz has set our attendance goal at 5200 in 2008. Finding sites is the current priority. Subcommittees are Outreach, Identifying area caucus coordinators, Greeters, and and Refreshments. Tanya Aguilar is the Affirmative Action Chair. The next meeting will be at 7PM on November 1st at Puget Ridge Co-Housing at 7020 18th Ave. S.W. The precinct caucuses are set for February 9th.
King County Prosecutor candidate Bill Sherman was enthusiastically welcomed back. He thanked us for support and said current numbers show his lead at 47% - 35%.
PCO Appointments
Julia Peeler and Nels Ekroth both applied for precinct SEA34-1439. Julia won the appointment by vote.
October appointments are:
• Aquaview - Paul Francis
• Bernadette - Kim Waligorska
• BUR 34-0276 - Phil McEachern
• BUR 34-0489 - Michael Heinisch
• BUR 34-1104 - Charles Torres
• BUR 34-1150 - Robert Barton
• SEA 34-1245 - Lisa Herbold
• SEA 34-1254 - Mike Sweeney
• SEA 34-1257 - Heather Woodruff
• SEA 34-1258 - Layne Bautista
• SEA 34-1409 - Shamah Gamrath
• SEA 34-1411 - Clay Eals
• SEA 34-1414 - John Lang
• SEA 34-1427 - Sam Foucault
• SEA 34-1429 - Wendell Sprigg
• SEA 34-1432 - Sharon Larson
• SEA 34-1435 - Gary Gesellchen
• SEA 34-1437 - Shauna Causey
• SEA 34-1439 - Julia Peeler
• SEA 34-1440 - Barbara Wilson
• SEA 34-1448 - Brenda Scallon
• SEA 34-1449 - Alice Crawford
• SEA 34-1451 - Dan Jensen
• SEA 34-1458 - Veronika Kalmar
• SEA 34-1460 - Kathy Humphrey
• SEA 34-1462 - Doug Walsh
• SEA 34-1463 - Ann Huston
• SEA 34-1474 - Susie Tennant
• SEA 34-1479 - Stefanie Freatman
• SEA 34-1489 - Philippa Nye
• SEA 34-1494 - John Spalding
• SEA 34-1501 - Steve Herndon
• SEA 34-1504 - Regina LaBelle
• SEA 34-1508 - Beverly Smith
• SEA 34-1509 - Cynthia Mitchell
• SEA 34-1511 - David Montoure
• SEA 34-1514 - Sharon Maeda
• SEA 34-1516 - Brian Duncan
• SEA 34-1518 - Lessie Anne Woodruff
• SEA 34-1519 - John Fawcett-Long
• SEA 34-1523 - Susan Saffery
• SEA 34-1524 - David McLanahan
• SEA 34-1527 - Georgie Kunkel
• SEA 34-1528 - Pablo Lambinicio
• SEA 34-1530 - Gary Gardner
• SEA 34-1532 - Jack Block Sr.
• SEA 34-1536 - Don Fillius
• Wynona - Tom Slattery
Old Business
None
New Business
Ernestine Pearl-Rosendale suggested that Ivan Weiss acting as both District chair and candidate for public office was a conflict of interest. She made a motion that Ivan step down from his chairmanship until after the election. The motion was defeated 27 for and 37 against.
Good of the Order
• Claire Foster announced a School Board Candidates Forum at the John Stanford Center (3rd and Lander St.) on October 11th at 6:30.
• Candidate Greg Doss welcomed the new PCO's and discussed his candidacy for the vacated legislative seat. He asked for support.
• Candidate Lucy Krakowiak reminded everyone to attend the Candidate Forum on October 24th. She also suggested checking the 34th District website for information on her candidacy.
• Marcee Stone, president of Washington Public Campaigns, requested that all candidates sign the Clean Campaigns Pledge.
• Representative Joe McDermott requested attendance and support at the special meeting to fill the legislative vacancy on Saturday, October 13th at noon. Location is High Point Community Center.
• The West Seattle Helpline Annual Wine Tasting will be in The Hall at Fauntleroy on October 18th.
• Candidate Sharon Nelson asked for support in her candidacy for the legislative seat.
• Maria Ramirez announced recent endorsements and asked for our votes.
• Candidate Toni Lysen described her long history of service in the 34th District and asked for our support by selecting her to deal with important issues in Olympia.
• Richard Bartlett repeated the importance of attending the Candidates Forum on October 24th.
• Candidate Kim Becklund emphasized her background in dealing with transportation issues and asked that you consider this when deciding your vote.
• The 26th Annual Delridge Neighborhood Development Association Dinner will be Friday, October 26th at 5:30PM. Location is the Brockey Center at SSCC.
Introduction
• 6:30 PM - Social - drinks provided, please bring potluck food to share
• 7:00 Call to order, flag salute, Adoption of agenda, minutes of September meeting, treasurer's report
• 7:05 PM Chairman's report
• 7:10 PM First Vice Chair's report
• 7:15 PM King County Awards Dinner October 28th (click here for flyer)
• 7:20 PM Jessica Hauffe, Community Health Clinics
Program
7:25 PM - Thank You Erik!
We hate to lose him, but we wish him well. Senator Erik Poulsen will be at our meeting to wish us a fond farewell, tell us about his new challenges ahead, and thank us for our support.
7:40 PM - Get Out the Vote
The 34th District's plans and efforts to turn out voters in November. Literature party Sunday, October 14th.
7:50 PM - Caucus Planning - Tim Nuse Click here for minutes of the October 2nd Caucus Planning meeting
Business Meeting
• Appointment of PCOs
• Old Business
• New Business
• Good of the Order
Next Meetings:
• November 14: General Election Results
September 2007 Message from Ivan Weiss
Chair, 34th District Democrats
Even the opposition knows we rock!
"I'm not sure, if I could bring Abraham Lincoln back to life, whether he would be able to win in either of those districts."
-- Washington state Republican chairman Luke Esser, commenting on Legislative retirements in the 34th and 46th Districts.
Esser, of course, assumes that Lincoln, were he alive today, would ally himself with today's Republicans, who flaunt unabashedly the plantation mentality, knee-jerk bellicosity, and social elitism of yesterday's Confederates.
In his own backhanded way, he paid us a compliment. Now we have to live up to it.
We're on our way to doing that. We added 16 appointed and 2 acting Precinct Committee Officers at the September meeting, and likely will add at least that many in October.
It shouldn't stop there, just because we have a House appointment and the 2007 general election coming up. We need to recruit PCOs for every vacant precinct. The more precincts we can fill, the more recruiters and conveners we will have for our precinct caucuses February 9, and for getting out the vote in the 2008 primary and general elections.
The PCOs, and the neighbors they recruit as volunteers, can help push the 34th District to its highest-ever voter turnout, and deliver Democratic majorities that will help sweep the state for the presidential ticket, carry Governor Gregoire to a re-election landslide, and - of critical importance to the 34th District - elect a Democratic Land Commissioner.
If your precinct is vacant, please consider becoming a PCO. Call me and let's discuss it. Or just come to a meeting, fill out and sign a form, and stand for appointment. If you think a friend or a neighbor in the District might be an effective PCO, please ask them to step up. Offer to help them. We will put all our PCOs to work, but we'll be able to offer more support for them than ever before.
We all want to look back someday with pride at what we did in 2008 - the year we took our country back. As the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. said in the "I have a Dream" speech: "NOW is the time!"
Thank you, Erik!
We hate to lose him, but we wish him well. Senator Erik Poulsen will be at our meeting to wish us a fond farewell, tell us about his new challenges ahead, and thank us for our support.
From me to you, my friend: Thank you, Erik. Thank you a thousand times. You did us proud in the last session with your fight to keep our community and Puget Sound free from the ravages of a ruthless, rapacious, relentless, and remorseless corporate predator.
We haven't beaten them yet. But they haven't beaten us yet, either. We will carry on the fight, in the next session and beyond.
We appreciate the work you have done for our District and our state on all fronts, and we honor you for your service.
So what's next?
Elected and appointed Precinct Committee Officers will select a successor to Senator Erik Poulsen at a special meeting convened by King County Democratic Chair Susan Sheary Saturday, October 13 at noon, at High Point Community Center.
The PCOs will submit three names to the King County Council, as required by the state Constitution. We anticipate that the name of Rep. Joe McDermott will head the list.
Suzie says she expects the County Council to affirm Joe's Senate appointment on its first business day thereafter, Monday, October 15, whereupon Joe would resign officially from the House, effective that day.
Suzie then would then mail to all PCOs the official call for the next meeting, with the required 10-day notice. That means the House appointment would probably be voted around Halloween or just before. Trick or treat, anyone?
Obviously, we can't state the date, time, or place at this time. That would be up to the County Council. We'll keep everyone posted.
But there will be a candidate forum for the applicants for the House appointment, Wednesday, October 24, at our usual meeting place, the Hall at Fauntleroy. Stay tuned for more details on that, and please come armed with questions.
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The White Center Community Development Center's annual fundraising dinner and auction was a smashing success. We enjoyed wonderful food, the usual fabulous desserts, and the dessert auction, presided over by the inimitable Bob Watt (Last call! Fair warning!). Aileen Balahadia reports that the WCCDA netted $26,000!
We have the chance to (literally) put our money where our mouths are again in White Center, for the White Center Food Bank, Saturday, October 20, from 5:30 to 9:30 PM at the Brockey Center, South Seattle Community College.
The 34th District will buying a table, as will West Seattle Democratic Women, and we'd love to fill them up. Please call Executive Director Rick Jump or one of his staff for tickets at 206-762-2848. Please help us make this event a success for our neighbors who need us.
See you Wednesday, October 10, for all the democracy you can handle.
-- Ivan Weiss
Chairman, 34th District Democrats
PO Box 860
Vashon WA 98070
206-463-4647
"When they're working, we're working
When they're sleeping, we're working."
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