|
February 8th Meeting
Official Minutes
Resolution - Felon Rights
Agenda
Chair Ivan Weiss's Message
for February OFFICIAL MINUTES
Feburary 8th Meeting
Call to Order: 7:00 PM
Flag Salute led by Tom Rasmussen
Chair's Report - The chair highlighted volunteer activities available within the District and reminded everyone of the page in our newsletter devoted to this. The Chair also updated attendees on the upcoming KCDCC honors banquet for which the District has purchased a table and there are still 4 seats to fill, the Legislative Action Day planned in Olympia on the 20th which Toni Lysen is organizing, and a fundraiser for Congressman Jim McDermott at Gail Katz's house.
Treasurer's Report - In the Treasurer's absence, The Chair relayed the information on the District's current account balance. The report was approved by membership.
Program - Housing Issues
Presentation by Velma Veloria, Executive Director of the International District Housing Alliance (IDHA)
Velma runs the White Center office of the IDHA. The Alliance offers: home ownership classes in 7 languages, financial literacy workshops, coordinating of matching funds programs with the City of Seattle and other agencies, and coordinates with various land trusts to create parcels that are restricted for low-income housing use. The guiding belief of the IDHA is that increasing home ownership among lower income citizens brings solidity and vibrancy to the community. Velma further mentioned that there are many volunteer opportunities, particularly for individuals with experience in the mortgage industry. The IDHA would like to forge closer connections with the 34th in an effort to create greater cultural connections within the District.
Presentation by Adrienne Quinn, Director of the City of Seattle Office of Housing
Adrienne informed the membership that the Housing Office administers Seattle's low-income housing levy, partners with many organizations, such as Habitat for Humanity, to create more low-income housing, runs a special program to assist teachers in finding affordable housing, partners with other entities to provide low-interest loans (3%) with flexible repayment terms to qualifying homeowners for repair and rehab, and helps to develop public policies for low-income housing. Highlighting accomplishments in West Seattle, she pointed out the work that has been done with the Croft Place TownHomes, the Vivian McLean Apartments, and the Youngstown Center (the Old Cooper School).
Presentation by Tom Rasmussen, Seattle City Councilmember and Chair of the Housing, Human Services and Health Committee
Councilmember Rasmussen shared with membership both past accomplishments of the Council, as well as some of the ideas for the future. He passed out a document highlighting these ideas. Among them were: creating a land acquisition fund for low-income housing, creating a task force to look at code changes that could encourage affordable housing, using underdeveloped properties for affordable housing, launching an on-line affordable housing search engine similar to one that has proven very successful in Portland and encouraging co-location of affordable housing and municipal services/structures, e.g. libraries.
Presentation by Elana Dix, Seattle Alliance for Good Jobs and Housing (SAGE)
Elana handed out a document titled "Principles for Responsible Development In Downtown Seattle." The key objective of this effort is to ensure that the Mayor's plan to increase density downtown benefits residents of all incomes. SAGE supports Councilmember Peter Steinbruck's proposal to levy a charge of $20 per square foot for buildings that exceed certain height limits. After hearing Elana's presentation, a motion was made to suspend the rules in order to pass a motion developed by SAGE. The motion called on the Mayor and the City Council to ensure that revisions to the Downtown Seattle Development Plan allowing more development include impact fees. The fees would force developers who benefit from these changes to also shoulder the fair burden of the public cost of new development (e.g. decreased affordable housing, increased municipal transportation expense and other impacts). The motion to suspend the rules passed by a vote of 39 to 11. The motion passed 41 to 2.
Motion to Pass a Resolution "On the Restoration of Order in Restricting Voter Rights for Incarcerated Felons"
Dan Fievez and other members spoke to this motion, pointing out that Washington's' current laws are unduly onerous on ex felons in the restoration of their voting rights. Current laws have too many restrictions based on so-called credit worthiness and other issues extraneous to an individual's privilege to vote. The resolution called for passage of Senate bill 6651 and House bill 2873. See full text below. The motion passed 54 to 2.
Other Matters
Budget Presentation - Walter Sive presented the board-approved fiscal/calendar year budget. The budget was approved by a vote of 42 to 0.
Election of Treasurer - Nominations were made for Greg Doss and Ann Owchar. Greg received 29 votes, Ann 18. It was suggested since there were two members interested in the position that we create a position of Assistant Treasurer. The Chair made an executive decision to do so.
PCO Appointment - Carol Frontiero of Burton Precinct on Vashon Island was appointed as a new PCO.
Old Business and Good of the Order
-
Tim Nuse made a presentation on the Washington Energy Security Initiative. This is an attempt to get an initiative on the ballot to encourage greater use of cost effective conservation strategies.
-
Karen Farnsworth raised concerns about the effort of City agencies to get Social Security numbers from the homeless. She cited, in particular, one social service organization which has refused to implement this policy. In response to this comment, Ann Corbitt pointed out that the City and other government agencies need to do this to support their efforts for federal funding assistance and that the process for gathering these Social Security numbers ensures anonymity.
-
Leslie Harris told the membership that she presented to our "electeds" (Joe McDermott, Dow Constantine, Erik Poulsen and Eileen Cody) a proposals that they contribute funds towards an effort to inform likely Democratic voters in precincts without a PCO of the upcoming caucus on March 4th. The "electeds" have agreed to fund the cost of the effort.
Meeting Adjourned: 9:00 PM
Respectfully Submitted
Walter Sive, Acting Secretary
FELON RIGHTS RESOLUTION
RESOLUTION ON THE RESTORATION OF ORDER
IN RESTRICTING VOTER RIGHTS FOR INCARCERATED FELONS
WHEREAS Washington State’s system for determining the eligibility of ex-felons is too complicated to ensure that the intent of the law is carried out, and
WHEREAS Washington State’s system for allowing ex-felons to reacquire their voting rights is the most restrictive in the nation, and
WHEREAS restoring the right to vote to ex-felons is one of the most important things we can do to encourage a return to society and its obligations, and
WHEREAS in the Washington State Senate SB and its companion House Bill have been introduced and when passed will simplify the record keeping in the State and County offices responsible for maintaining accurate voter files, and
WHEREAS these bills would make the restoration of voting rights automatic once a felon is released from imprisonment, now then
BE IT RESOLVED that the 34th District Democratic Organization supports the passage of SB6651 or HB2873, and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the 34th District Democratic Organization urges State Representatives Eileen Cody and Joe McDermott and State Senator Erik Poulsen to join in the sponsorship and passage of this legislation.
It is the intent of the passage of this Resolution be forwarded to the State Committee, our members of the Legislature, the Governor and the Secretary of State.
AGENDA
6:30 PM - Social - drinks provided, please bring potluck food to share
7:00 p.m. - Call to Order
-
7:00 PM - Call to order, flag salute, approval of agenda and minutes (January meeting). 7:05 PM - Chairman's report.
-
Note: Other reports from State Committeepersons, County Committeepersons, Treasurer, Outreach Committee, etc. will not be rendered in person at the meeting. See the newsletter for these reports, or click on the links to go to a page on the website with the latest reports.
7:30 p.m. - Program: Housing
-
Velma Veloria, former 11th District State Representative will speak about the International District Housing Alliance's White Center Operation, right in the heart of our district. Includes a slide show. Adrienne Quinn, Director of the City of Seattle Office of Housing and a 34th District Democrats member, will brief us on her office's efforts to maintain affordable housing in Seattle.
Elana Dix of SAGE - Seattle Alliance for Good Jobs and Housing for Everyone-will give a status report on her group's view of the Downtown Development plan.
-
More details: see the Chair's message below.
8:20 p.m. - New Business
-
Election of Treasurer
-
PCO Appointments
8:55PM - Old Business, Good of the Order, Adjourn
Upcoming Meetings
MESSAGE FROM THE CHAIR
In 2004, we experienced an exciting, empowering outpouring of citizen activism when we packed our precinct and District caucuses with determined, committed Democrats. We hit the streets, banged the doors, and manned the phones. We stuffed envelopes and wrote checks. We punched data into computers, and - most important - we engaged our neighbors.We did our jobs in the 34th District and in Washington State. The 34th had an 85 percent turnout and the District voted 72 percent Democratic. The rest of the country did not do as well, as we know, and therefore our work is not finished.Precinct caucuses are upon us again, and once again we issue the call to action. We must turn out and show our muscle. The stakes go higher with every day Bush is in office. The right wing has Washington in its sights. We have Maria Cantwell's Senate seat to hold, a possible pickup in the House in the Eighth District, and we need to keep the Legislature in Democratic hands to strengthen Governor Gregoire's re-election bid in 2008-not to mention the Presidential election.Again we issue the call for Precinct Committee Officers. If your precinct does not have one, please consider stepping up. If a precinct near you is vacant, please consider stepping in. It might be easy to claim political fatigue from all the calls to action. We all have lives, after all. We have families to feed, bills to pay, jobs to do. But I think we all might agree that the going is getting tough. You know the rest of that saying.
-0-
Housing-in our neighborhoods - is on the agenda for the February meeting. Velma Veloria, former Democratic State Representative from our neighboring 11th District, will bring us up to date on the activities in White Center of the International District Housing Alliance, which she now represents.Adrienne Quinn, Director of the City of Seattle Office of Housing and a 34th District Democrats member, will brief us on her office's efforts to maintain affordable housing in Seattle. Elana Dix of SAGE - Seattle Alliance for Good Jobs and Housing for Everyone-will give a status report on her group's view of the Downtown Development plan.We hope to have other speakers on housing-related issues at future meetings. As long as people need roofs over their heads and a decent standard of living, housing will remain a political and a community issue.See you Wednesday, February 8, for "all the democracy you can handle."
Ivan Weiss, Chair, 34th District Democrats
|
