Minutes of the 34th District Democrats Board Meeting
May 24, 2023, held virtually on Zoom.
Attendees:
Graham Murphy, Rachel Glass, Roxanne Thayer, Chris Porter, Bunny Hatcher, Ted Barker, Preston Anderson, Julie Whitaker, Steve Butts, Ann Martin, and Dorothy Gesick.
7:06 pm – Call to Order by Chair Graham Murphy
- An amended agenda reviewed and approved by unanimous consent.
- Chris Porter asked to amend the agenda to add discussion regarding meeting Zoom links. Links sent in meeting notices are not usable to all board members, and a consistent place to post links is needed. It was decided that future meeting links will be placed in Zoom in the Executive Board channel.
- Minutes from April board meeting were presented and approved by unanimous consent.
- A reminder of the Code of Conduct was given.
State Party May Meeting Review, Roxanne Thayer, and Ted Barker
- The Party Modernization Committee is looking at ways to use technology such as Zoom for hybrid in-person/remote meeting attendance to increase meeting turnout and participation.
- Ongoing discussion is under way concerning the allocation of delegates:
- The initial plan put forward by the Rules Committee called for equal numbers of delegates from each LD. A complaint about this method is that it would lessen inclusion of minorities.
- An amendment was passed rewarding LDs which meet affirmative action goals to be granted additional delegates.
KCDCC May Meeting Review, Bunny Hatcher, and Chris Porter
- The KCDCC will not take up Seattle Council endorsements until its June 27th meeting, giving us a chance to endorse in District 1 before. Although one precinct in D1 is in another LD, the KCDCC will respect our endorsement.
- Teresa Mosqueda was given a sole endorsement for County Council Position 8.
- Candidate Questionnaires are due by June 2. KCDCC may not be able to review late submissions, but LDs will be able to use them in their endorsement processes.
- Chris Porter criticized the LD endorsement process in reorganization years based his experience as a candidate. LDs are not well-prepared to evaluate candidates and endorse in elections early in the year, such as for the King Conservation District Board.
July 22nd Fundraiser Update, Graham Murphy
- The space at C & P Coffee has been secured. It will be an indoor/outdoor event and C & P will have a newly constructed deck by the date of the event.
- Carla Rogers has secured a location for a prior VIP gathering.
- 15 tickets had been sold as of the date of the meeting.
Candidate Forums, Seattle Council D1 and County Council District 8
- Questions have been selected.
- The space at Youngstown Cultural Center is confirmed.
- Volunteers are needed. Board Members are expected to help.
- The West Seattle Blog will be on hand to tape the event.
- Only those candidates that fill a King County Democratic questionnaire and who identify as Democrats will be allowed to participate.
- Table space will be provided for information on our 34th organization.
- The last prep meeting will be on June 7th
June Meeting Endorsements
- A slate of candidates will be presented to members to be considered as a block.
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- Coreen Wilson, KC Superior Court Judge, Pos. 30.
- Joe Campagna, KC Superior Court Judge, Pos. 39.
- John Wilson, King County Assessor.
- Sam Cho, Port of Seattle Pos. 2, was pulled for separate consideration, should he seek our endorsement, at the request of Roxanne Thayer.
- Ann Martin moved to present the block to members; Chris Porter seconded. The motion was passed via voice vote.
- Candidates in other races may be eligible for endorsements provided they identify as Democrats and have submitted a questionnaire to the King County Democrats.
- Ann Martin announced in the Good of the Order that she will host an endorsement run-through at her home on June 3rd.
Good of the Order
Dorothy Gesick rose to question candidate statements in social media to their supporters that they could become members for little or for no dues fees. Ann Martin pointed out that the State Party believes no one should be hindered from participation due to inability to pay, and our Bylaws states similarly.
Dorothy also spoke about the general sense of anxiety many are feeling regarding the Debt Ceiling standoff between Congress and the Administration.
Chris Porter felt that members of the 34th District Democrats should go beyond the Land Acknowledgement and begin to pay rent as individuals, and as an organization to the Duwamish Tribe for occupying their ancestral land. Rachel Glass noted that she has been offering ways that members could take action to help local tribes through donations. Ted Barker brought up the fact that there is ongoing controversy between other tribes in the region and the Duwamish due to historical disagreements.
Chris is also collecting donations for The Trevor Project, an LGBTQ youth suicide prevention program. He is participating in its 50-mile bicycle challenge.
Steve Butts noted that there were several outreach activities in the month of June.
Roxanne Thayer announced a June 5th PSARA Webinar featuring Wendell Potter, an advocate for health insurance reform. She also noted that Canada has just expanded its healthcare benefits, and it is also now including dental care to those making less than $70,000.