E-Board Meeting Minutes

Meeting notes from 34th Democrats Executive Board monthly meetings

Executive Board Meeting

2023-10-18 Executive Board Meeting Minutes

400 300 34th Democrats

Minutes of the 34th District Democrats Board Meeting

October 18, 2023, held virtually on Zoom.

Attendees:

Graham Murphy, Rachel Glass, Jordan Crawley, Ted Barker, Bunny Hatcher, Chris Porter, Julie Whitaker, Steve Butts, Hannah Cameron, and Rebecca Rego.

7:06 pm – Call to Order by Chair Graham Murphy

  • The agenda was reviewed and approved without objection.
  • Minutes from the June board meeting were presented and were approved without objection.

December Service Project – Rachel Glass

  • Rachel reported that she is interested in pairing with the organization Stephanie’s Lifeline for our annual service project. She was to have a meeting with the Executive Director the following day to discuss a possible collaboration.
  • She will hold a Zoom meeting with those who have volunteered to help.

Annual Awards – Chris Porter

  • Nominations were starting to come in through the online Google form. There were 7 as of the meeting.
  • Reminders will be sent out via weekly emails.
  • Hannah Cameron asked if more description of the various categories could be provided for newer members. Chris will post short descriptions in Slack.
  • Discussion about award types ranged from glass pieces to honey and jam preserves as alternates for awardees to choose from.
  • Graham had been looking for a space for the November year-end party. The Masonic Temple appeared to be the best choice to date. He posted a link for day-of volunteers.

State Party Report – Ted Barker

  • State Party Meeting was September 29 and 30 in Spokane
  • Senate Majority Leader Andy Billig spoke about the legislative progress the state has made since the Democrats have been in charge. He noted that Spokane is a Blue dot in Red Eastern Washington. He also pointed to the fact that the 3rd LD has the lowest median income of any LD in the state.
  • The state party has been reorganized and some of the intermediate links in the organizational chain have been eliminated allowing more direct reporting to Chair Shasti Conrad.
  • Fundraising records have been set; Shasti is an aggressive fundraiser, especially with asks to high-profile electeds.
  • The party wishes to hire more local activists as organizers.
  • DNC Member Javier Valdez reported that Washington has a representative on all major committees, only one of 18 such states.
  • Resolutions were passed in support of these subjects:
  • State Forest Carbon Sequestration
  • Mature Forest Retention
  • Rent Control
  • A Wealth Tax
  • A Ban on Corporate Stock Buybacks

Ted also spoke of comments made by a tribal member in Eastern Washington tangential to the Land Acknowledgement. He spoke of the high mortality rate among Native people and the lack of grandparents within those peoples. Chris Porter offered that we include history in our meeting statements, using the degradation of the Duwamish River into a Superfund Site as an example.

KCDCC Report – Bunny Hatcher and Chris Porter

  • Bunny said that her report from the September KCDCC meeting was previously submitted to and published in the October newsletter. Her work was with the Endorsement Committee as they considered new candidates, primarily to fill General Election slots as some of KCDCC’s endorsees did not clear the Primary.
  • Chair Murphy reported that the 34th has until the end of November to submit a letter regarding the rule that allows the KCDCC to endorse in races with jurisdictional overlap between LDs.
  • Chris has been working on this issue.
  • This is an issue for the 34th because a single precinct in Seattle Council District 1 falls outside the 34th LD, allowing the KCDCC to override our endorsement in that race. It is desired that this rule be altered to compel the KCDCC to accept endorsements of LDs when the overwhelming part of any district is within one LD.
  • Ann Martin was to be recruited to help draft the letter.

October 21st Canvassing Event – Graham

  • Doorbelling materials were to be available for PCOs and any who wish to canvass at C&P Coffee.
  • Graham asked for volunteers to distribute door hangers to PCOs unable to attend. Nick Bonazza had already taken the material for Vashon Island. Steve Butts, Karen Richter, Hannah Cameron, and Chris Porter also volunteered.

Bylaws Review – Graham

  • Any suggested changes to the Bylaws were to be given to Bylaws and Rules Committee Chair Jordan Crawley in time for a review before submission to the membership early in 2024.
  • The Code of Conduct would also be re-examined for possible modifications to sanctions to allow for social justice solutions as alternatives to suspension or other punitive sanctions designed to punish inappropriate behavior.

Good of the Order

  • Hannah rose to ask if there is any individual action that could be undertaken to help solve the frequent service disruption on the Vashon ferry run. Bunny responded that it is a persistent problem due to crew shortages. She suggested individuals contact lawmakers involved in transportation issues and ask them to provide for more funding.
  • Graham expressed pleasure that the King County Council is looking at raising the minimum wage in the county.
  • Rachel said that she can arrange for help with voting for anyone with sight issues. She noted that she recently provided the voice recording for an audio Voters Guide as part of her job.
  • Chris mentioned that he had recently attended training at King County Elections to be an Election Observer. He said that some of the questions being asked during the class were conspiratorial in nature, laying doubt about our election system. Suspicions that our elections are subject to corruption are growing among some groups, and we need to be informed and ready to counteract this disinformation.

The meeting was adjourned at 8:29 PM.

Executive Board Meeting

2023-06-21 Board Meeting Minutes

400 300 34th Democrats

Minutes of the 34th District Democrats Board Meeting

June 21, 2023, held virtually on Zoom.

Attendees:

Graham Murphy, Rachel Glass, Jordan Crawley, Chris Porter, Bunny Hatcher, Ted Barker, Julie Whitaker, Steve Butts, Carla Rogers, Gina Topp.

7:06 pm – Call to Order by Chair Graham Murphy

  • The agenda was reviewed and approved by unanimous consent.
  • Minutes from the April board meeting were presented and approved by unanimous consent.

July Fundraiser Update, Gina Topp

  • As of the meeting, there are 17 RSVPs; 70 would be desirable.
  • There was to be a meeting Tuesday June 27th to nail down particulars. Tacos will be part of the food offering; the location will be in the back garden area of C&P Coffee.
  • Carla Rogers will be actively promoting the event in correspondence to members.
  • Rachel Glass will be managing the volunteers.
  • Executive Board Members are expected to buy tickets and/or volunteer at the event.

KCDCC Review, Bunny Hatcher

  • Bunny has been spending up to 20 hours a week with the KCDCC Endorsement Committee, which will be concluding its work soon. Endorsements and agenda items from the May meeting were published in the June Newsletter.

Outreach Events, Steve Butts

  • We will do 2 parades in July: The Burien Independence Day Parade and the West Seattle Grand Parade.
  • We have a booth at the Vashon Strawberry Festival.
  • We hope to participate in the Duwamish River Festival in South Park in August.
  • White Center Jubilee Days events have not reappeared since the pandemic.
  • Except for Presidential Election years, we have not been accepted to West Seattle Summerfest since 2013.

Endorsed Candidates Support

Carla Rogers spoke about encouraging PCOs to walk their precincts, and that we should concentrate on the 3 Burien City Council races, both for the Primary and the General Elections.

We will decide in August on donations for the General Election. 

Gina Topp believes it is important to track “doors knocked”, given that PCOs can utilize MiniVAN to input their voter contact information.

Chris Porter noted that problems with Bylaws in other district organizations hindered his ability to secure endorsements in his re-election run for the King Conservation District earlier this year. We need to ensure that that our Bylaws don’t impede our ability to elect Democrats…our main organizational objective.

Endorsements

Ted Barker expressed disappointment that we were unable to endorse in King County District 8 in our June meeting, as we fell a vote shy of a 60% outcome to support Teresa Mosqueda.

Graham stated that he sees things in our Endorsement Rules that we may want to review. He also posed a question about whether the Executive Board could make donations by itself in an emergency. Others noted that it should be up to the membership to give authority on how much and to whom donations are to be given.

Graham said we will do additional endorsements for the General Election in August:

  • Burien Council Positions 2 and 4
  • King County Council District 8
  • Highline School Board

Bunny stated that she feels that Brittany Williams in Burien Position 2 is a strong candidate but has not been able to campaign recently due to a death in her family. Patricia Hudson in Burien 4 is impressive and can mount stiff opposition to Kevin Schilling.

It was decided that the Executive Board will need to meet in July, however there will not be a Membership meeting that month.

Good of the Order

Carla Rogers informed us that the Bite of White Center is Saturday, June 24th, and that the Seattle Pride Parade is Sunday June 25.

Chris Porter was in the process of making “24-hour cookies” in recognition of Summer Solstice which occurred the day of the meeting.

Ted Barker had the opportunity to watch the forum held by the 43rd District Democrats, hosted by Erica C. Barnett. Ted said “it was really bad” in comparison to ours on June 10th.

Meeting was adjourned at 7:59pm.

Executive Board Meeting

2023-07-19 Board Meeting Minutes

400 300 34th Democrats

Minutes of the 34th District Democrats Board Meeting

July 19, 2023, held virtually on Zoom.

Attendees:

Graham Murphy, Rachel Glass, Ted Barker, Roxanne Thayer, Bunny Hatcher, Preston Anderson, Julie Whitaker, Steve Butts, Carla Rogers, Ann Martin, Dorothy Gesick, Gina Topp, and Hannah Cameron.

7:05 pm – Call to Order by Chair Graham Murphy

  • The agenda was reviewed. Ann Martin moved to approve; seconded by Dorothy Gesick. Approved by unanimous consent.
  • Minutes from the June board meeting were presented. Ann Martin moved to approve; seconded by Bunny Hatcher.  Approved by unanimous consent.

Membership and Hospitality Chair Vacancy

  • Hannah Cameron has agreed to fill the role and will be put up for confirmation at the August Membership meeting.

State Party Update, Ted Barker and Roxanne Thayer

  • Ted said we are awaiting a White Paper on delegate selection. Ted will post it in Slack for review.
  • Ted brought up what he feels is the lack of clarity regarding the endorsement process regarding those candidates who do not identify as Democrats. Discussion followed.
  • It was noted that Burien City Councilmember Cydney Moore, who chooses not to identify as a Democrat, has been endorsed by the 33rd District Democrats and by the King County Democrats.
  • The 34th is unable to endorse non-Democrats due to our Bylaws. We had been instructed in 2021 by then State Chair Tina Podlodowski that we were not to extend any privilege to an endorsed non-Democrat that touches on VoteBuilder in any way. 
  • Carla Rogers recently received information from Drew Estep, Operations Manager at Washington State Democrats, that they will defer judgment to the chairs of the local party organization about providing resources to an endorsed non-Democrat, including VoteBuilder access, given the variant circumstances of individual races and legislative districts.
  • Roxanne told us that the State Party will be meeting at the end of July and in August.

KCDCC Report, Bunny Hatcher

  • A report of the June 27th meeting was published in the July newsletter.

July Fundraiser Update, Graham Murphy

  • Fundraiser ticket purchases are slightly down from last year.
  • Dow will donate $1000.
  • A VIP event will be held from 3 to 5pm.
  • Rachel Glass will coordinate volunteers; she has a full roster.
  • Rep. Emily Alvarado will give the pitch for donations.

Outreach Events, Steve Butts

  • The next two events are the West Seattle Grand Parade on July 22nd and the Duwamish River Festival on August 5th.

Campaign Contributions

A list of recommended donations will be presented to the membership at the August meeting. We have a limit of $5,500 approved by the membership at our April meeting. Graham presented the following:

  • King County D8 – $500 total for all candidates endorsed
  • Seattle D1 – $300 for Rob Saka’s campaign (The voucher program limits contributions to this amount)
  • Seattle School District Director No 6 – $1,175 for Gina Topp’s campaign
  • Burien City Council Position 2 – $1,175 total for candidates endorsed
  • Burien City Council Position 4 – $1,175 total for candidates endorsed
  • Burien City Council Position 6 – $1,175 for Krystal Marx’s campaign

Discussion about the breakdown revealed that “Moms for Liberty” have preferred candidates in 2 Highline School Board races. There is also a race for a position on the Vashon School Board. We should prioritize contributions for races which need the most help.

Following discussion, Graham moved to approve a new donation proposal; Carla Rogers seconded. It was passed by acclamation.

  • King County D8 – $250 total for all candidates endorsed
  • Seattle D1 – $250 total for Rob Saka’s campaign
  • Seattle School District Director No 6 – $1,175 for Gina Topp’s campaign
  • Burien City Council Position 2 – $750 total for candidates endorsed
  • Burien City Council Position 4 – $750 total for candidates endorsed
  • Burien City Council Position 6 – $750 for Krystal Marx’s campaign
  • Highline School Board Position 1 – $500
  • Highline School Board Position 4 – $500

A remaining amount of $575 is available for other donations.

August Meeting Candidate Endorsements

Candidates who have filled out the appropriate KC Democrats questionnaire and are therefore eligible for endorsement consideration at our August meeting are:

  • Vashon Island School District Director Position No 5
    • Juniper Rogneby
  • Highline School District Director, District No 1
    • Michael T. Lewis
    • Stephanie Tidholm
  • Highline School District Director District No 4
    • Carlos M. Ruiz
    • Joey Martinez
  • Burien City Council Position 2
    • Brittany Williams
    • Linda Akey
  • Burien City Council Position 4
    • Kevin J. Schilling
    • Patricia Hudson
    • Daniel Reed Martin
  • King County Council District 8
    • Teresa Mosqueda
    • Sofia Aragon

Seattle Housing Levy

  • Nimco Bulale from the Renew the Seattle Housing Levy! – Yes for Homes campaign joined us and introduced Patience Malaba, Executive Director of the Housing Development Consortium, who gave a presentation on the Seattle Housing Levy as well as provided data from the previous levy that was passed in 2016.
  • Ann Martin moved to endorse the levy; Rachel Glass seconded. The motion was passed by acclamation.

Good of the Order

  • Carla Rogers urged us to canvass for the Primary.
  • Ann Martin announced that the West Seattle Democratic Women are holding a Seattle Council D1 Forum on Thursday July 27th. 

Meeting was adjourned at 8:34 PM

2023-05-24 Executive Board Meeting Minutes

150 150 34th Democrats

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.
    • 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.

The meeting was adjourned at 8:18 PM.

Executive Board Meeting

2023-04-15 Executive Board Meeting Minutes

400 300 34th Democrats

2023-04-15 Executive Board Meeting Minutes

March 15, 2023, held virtually on Zoom.

Attendees:

Graham Murphy, Rachel Glass, Jordan Crawley, Roxanne Thayer, Chris Porter, Bunny Hatcher, Ted Barker, Preston Anderson, Julie Whitaker, Steve Butts, Carla Rogers, Ann Martin, Dorothy Gesick, Gina Topp

7:05 pm – Call to Order by Chair Graham Murphy

  • Agenda reviewed and approved by unanimous consent.
  • Minutes from February meeting approved by unanimous consent.
  • Chair spoke briefly about the Executive Board’s upcoming team building and ideation session on March 18. Members are to bring a small work assignment to share. It will be at the Launchpad Co-Working space in the Morgan Junction.

Discussion about King County Proposition 1 – The Crisis Care Centers Levy

PCO Chair Dorothy Gesick expressed concern that the county wasn’t promoting the levy enough, but she learned that there will now be a mailing to voters not initially planned. She felt we should make an  effort to recruit volunteers for phone and text banking. Her inquiries about involuntary commitment procedures were not answered. 

State Party Report – Given by Roxanne Thayer and Chris Porter, Committeepersons

  • Roxanne Thayer will be on the State Party Modernization Committee.
  • Chris Porter noted that the next meeting will be in Seattle on May 6. The Delegate Selection Plan is to be submitted to the DNC in April.

KCDCC Report – Given by Bunny Hatcher, Committeeperson

  • The KCDCC Code of Conduct Committee has been reelected.
  • PCOs were effective in helping to pass I-135 in Seattle. However, the levy for the Enumclaw School District was soundly defeated.
  • King County Crisis Care Centers Levy was endorsed.
  • Candidate Questionnaires are completed and will be submitted to the KCDCC for approval at the next meeting. Volunteers are needed to review the candidates’ submissions as they are received.
  • Candidate interviews will begin on April 15th. The 34th can have an additional member on the KCDCC Endorsement Committee.
  • Chair Carrie Barnes stressed the importance of having a candidate to compete in every race.

Budget for the 2023 Fiscal Year.  (May 2023-April 2024)

The budget will be submitted to the membership at the April meeting. The goal is to have approximately $16,000 on hand at the end of the fiscal year in April 2024. Estimates of Income and major expense items, are as follows:

  • Membership revenue: $15,000
  • Fundraising revenue: $25,000
  • Elections/Campaigns: $14,500
  • In-person membership meetings
    and holiday party expense: $5,000
  • Outreach expense: $1,500

Members may move to make changes at the meeting.

Bunny Hatcher moved to adopt the budget; Dorothy Gesick seconded. The motion was carried by a voice vote.

Updates to the Governing Documents

Bylaws Chair Jordan Crawley walked through the changes he proposed including suggestion submittals from members to be made to the following documents:

  • Executive Board Standing Rules
  • Virtual Meeting Standing Rules
  • Code of Conduct
  • Bylaws

The board will approve changes to the Executive Board and the Virtual Meeting standing rules at the April board meeting. A 30-day notice of changes to members for review and comment is required prior to adoption by the board.

The Code of Conduct and Bylaws must be approved by two-thirds of the PCOs. These documents have been held over for more board discussion at the April meeting, then presented to the PCOs for adoption in May.

Good of the Order

Ann Martin gave notice that the West Seattle Democratic Women will be holding their meeting on April 23, 6pm on Zoom. Patsy Whitefoot will speak on “Beyond the Land Acknowledgement”

Carla Rogers needs a tentative Outreach events list to send out to members to increase volunteer involvement. She would also like us to submit items of interest for weekly emails to members.

Meeting adjoined at 8:35pm

 

Executive Board Meeting

23-04-19 Executive Board Meeting Minutes

400 300 34th Democrats

Minutes of the 34th District Democrats Board Meeting

April 19, 2023, held virtually on Zoom.

Attendees:

Graham Murphy, Rachel Glass, Roxanne Thayer, Chris Porter, Bunny Hatcher, Ted Barker, Preston Anderson, Julie Whitaker, Steve Butts, Carla Rogers, Ann Martin, Dorothy Gesick, Gina Topp

7:05 pm – Call to Order by Chair Graham Murphy

  • Agenda reviewed and approved by unanimous consent.
  • Minutes from March board meeting presented and approved by unanimous consent.
  • A reminder of the Code of Conduct was given.

May Membership Meeting Agenda

  • May membership meeting to potentially feature a session with our state representatives.
    • To date, Senator Nguyen has indicated his availability.
    • Jordan Crawley will moderate a Q/A session; others were invited to provide questions.
  • Attorney General Bob Ferguson may be available to attend to speak and take questions.
    • Chris Porter will facilitate AG Ferguson’s visit.

Executive Board Strategy Guidance Document

Chair Murphy presented a distillation derived from the Executive Board Retreat that took place on March 18th based on input from the brainstorming of those present there. It will serve as a touchstone as we move forward to appraise our effectiveness regarding these strategic commitments:

  • Community Engagement.
  • Diversity, Belonging, and Social Justice.
  • Voter Care.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1BC3ixtCIkQ6HJ9C824ogXbdZvAG0myG4J3OE0xooohg/edit?usp=sharing 

Burien Minimum Wage Resolution

This resolution would ask the Burien City Council to pass a minimum wage ordinance in that city to raise the current minimum wage and structure it to be comparable to neighboring jurisdictions.

  • Resolution was introduced by Katie Wilson, General Secretary of the Transit Riders Union
  • Sponsored in the 34th LD by Chris Porter, PCO
  • Ann Martin moved to submit to membership as “Do Pass”; Seconded by Chris Porter.
  • Resolution is approved via voice vote.

Lapsed Membership Renewal Outreach and Increasing Meeting Attendance

  • Chair Murphy shared a list of 2022 members who have not renewed for this year. He was to divide it between board members to make calls encouraging people to renew their membership for 2023 and remind them they need to do so prior to the June 14th endorsement meeting.
  • We have been getting new member sign-ups recently, perhaps due to a surge of supporters of candidates looking for our endorsement.
  • Some Ideas to increase turnout at meetings were put forward included:
    • Have a continuing presence at the farmers market.
    • Extend invitations at the meetings of other groups.
    • Continue with the standalone pre-meeting programs.
    • Seek members in the new areas of the LD to make up for those we lost in Burien.
    • Programs of interest with prominent elected officials.
  • Gina Topp reported from an ad hoc committee which met to discuss ways of conducting hybrid in-person/virtual meetings at which those attending remotely had equal access to participation. 
    • A trial run for such was debated for August. 
    • Concerns were raised about our staffing ability for an ongoing hybrid meeting scenario.
    • The committee will reach out to the State Party for guidance and re-meet.

State Committee Report

  • Roxanne Thayer gave a report from the State Modernization Committee at which the subjects of how to increase attendance and hybrid meetings were discussed.
    • The State is favorable to hybrid meetings which could increase attendance.
    • Meetings should be issue-driven, less procedural.
  • There was discussion regarding comments in the media made by Maria Gluesenkamp Perez in which she lamented the lack of appeal the Democratic Party has in rural areas among non-college educated people, who favor the GOP at a 2:1 ratio and consider the Democratic Party as elitist.  

June Candidate Forum

  • The candidate forum will be on June 10th at the Youngstown Cultural Arts Center and will proceed as follows:
  • 1:00pm to 1:45pm – County Council District 8, moderated by Chris Porter
  • 2:05pm to 4:00pm – Seattle City Council District 1, moderated by Rachel Glass.
  • Several people are needed to prepare/select questions.
  • Volunteers are needed at the beginning and at the end to set up and clean up.

July Fundraiser

  • The event will be from 5pm to 7:30pm at C&P Coffee, pending a contract.
  • There will be a “Raise the Paddle” donation opportunity.
  • We will try to collect “experiences” for a silent auction.
  • Working title for the event (since it follows the West Seattle Parade) is “Keep on Marching.”
  • We will use dynamic ticket pricing.
  • Planning a pre-VIP reception at a nearby winery.
  • Volunteers are needed for set up/take down.

Review of Governing Documents

  • Discussion and approval of the revised documents for submittal to members/PCOs was postponed until later in the year. 
  • We will use existing bylaws and rules for the June 14th endorsement meeting.

Good of the Order

  • Chris Porter rose to say he feels that our organization is “too vanilla”, and if we wish to grow, we need to take more direct actions such as marches and other activities to draw activists in.
  • Carla Rogers announced that the 34th is signed up of the One Seattle Day of Service by assisting at the White Center Food Bank.
  • Roxanne Thayer said we should work with other organizations to achieve common goals.
  • Steve Butts mentioned that the 34th will have a booth at the White Center Cambodian New Year Festival on April 29th.

Meeting Adjourned at 8:45pm

 

2023-01-18 Executive Board Meeting Minutes

150 150 34th Democrats

Minutes of the 34th District Democrats Board Meeting

January 18, 2023, held virtually on Zoom.

7:06 pm – Call to Order by Chair Graham Murphy

Attendees:

x Graham Murphy x Bunny Hatcher x Carla Rogers
x Rachel Glass Preston Anderson x Ann Martin
x Jordan Crawley Leah Griffin x Lauri Hennessy
Chris Porter x Julie Whitaker x Dorothy Gesick
x Roxanne Thayer x Steve Butts x Gina Topp
x Ted Barker

 

Welcome, Agenda Review, and Meeting Expectations

Committee Chair Appointments for Membership Approval

  • Jordan Crawley, Bylaws and Rules
  • Carla Rogers, Communications
  • Lauri Hennessey, Fundraising and Events
  • Jordan Crawley, Platform and Legislative Action
  • Steve Butts, Outreach
  • Dorothy Gesick, PCO Committee
  • Rachel Glass, Programs
  • Ann Martin, Resolution and Endorsements
  • Gina Topp, Parliamentarian
  • Open Roles to be filled:
  • Community Partnerships Committee Chair
  • Equity and Social Justice Committee Chair
  • Membership and Hospitality Committee Chair
  • Elections and Caucus Committee Chair
  • Young Democrats Liaison

Introductions

Board members introduced themselves. Each member was asked to lay out their hopes for the district organization and goals for their roles and committees.

Communications Requirements, Tools, and Norms.

Communications Committee Chair Carla Rogers laid out procedures for board communication and her requirements from board members.

  • Email setup for those in new positions using the @34dems.org addresses. A setup instructional document has been prepared. Out-going email for 34th LD business should be sent out from those accounts.
  • Head shots are needed for the website.
  • Use of 34th’s Slack channel for communication was encouraged.
  • Documents created on, or uploaded to, Google Drive are favored for files to be shared.

Budget Development

Graham set a deadline of February 8th to submit committee expense requirements. This will allow for discussion at the February board meeting before presenting a budget for membership approval at the March meeting.

Chair’s Objectives Going Forward

  • Graham seeks an alignment of goals and methods between committee chairs with a common strategy for hitting main targets of:
    • Fundraising for elections.
    • Membership retention.
    • PCO Recruitment.

Items for review

  • Standing rules for virtual meetings.
  • Committee structures.
  • Organizational bylaws, rules, and code of conduct.
  • In-person vs virtual meeting cadence is to be decided.
  • Committee chairs are to submit monthly reports of their activities the second Saturday of the month, with the goal of publishing them to the membership.
  • Submit any potential business for general meetings to the Chair by the second Saturday of the month for board discussion. 
  • Newsletter articles are to be submitted by the 4th Wednesday of the month.

The meeting was adjourned by Chair at 8:30 pm.

 

Executive Board Meeting

2022-10-19 Executive Board Meeting Minutes

400 300 34th Democrats

34th District Democrats Executive Board Meeting Minutes

October 19, 2022 – Virtual meeting held via closed ZOOM

7:00 pm – Call to Order by Chair Carla Rogers 

Attendees: 

x Carla Rogers x Julie Whitaker x Sarah Koch
Aaron Garcia Virgen Karen Richter Soleil Lewis
Annie Phillips Leah Griffin x Steven Butts
x Bunny Hatcher x Nick Bonazza x Ted Barker
x Chris Porter x Rachel Glass x Trey Lykins
Deena Ledger Roxanne Thayer
Gina Topp x Sara Smith

Welcome & Introductions & Reminder of Social Contract

Review of Agenda and Minutes 

  • Last month’s minutes approved by unanimous consent 
  • Agenda for tonight approved by unanimous consent

Chair’s Report 

  • Lawsuit update: Sept 23, all 3 within the lawsuit bundle were dismissed 
  • Bank Issue (Umpqua) – MoneyMinder is a tool we use to track our funds, and due to an upgrade, appears to no longer be compatible with Umpqua with no fix on the horizon.  Suggestion to change banks when we are less busy financially. BECU and Sound Credit Union appear to be good options. Treasurer and Chair will pursue. No need for a vote for this piece of business.  
  • Updates from latest Zoom Meeting
    • All campaign donations have been made
    • Received thank-you’s from candidates
  • November 16 Board meeting – 11000 35th Ave SW, 6:30-8:30pm 
  • December POP UP Social – December 9, Can Bar in White Center

End of Year Tasks

  • Recruiting Mode! 
    • Send names to Rachel and Carla 
  • Help Organize the Holiday Service Project
  • Planning for Reorganization – current board runs through January 11, setting up the next board for success, and getting out the word to new volunteers. 
  • December  
    • KCDCC Reorg planning and PCO Election
    • Financial Tracking
    • Membership Drive
      • Need to create new forms on website with new codes, promotion/communication 
      • Must encourage everyone to re-join because memberships expire at the end of the year

Committee Reports 

  • Outreach – no new events, volunteers are not responding as much, lost touch with some folks during Covid 
  • PCO – volunteers canvassing for Leesa Manion, Friday and Saturday canvassing events for Patty Murray (press on Friday noon at C&P Coffee; Saturday at MLK Park with Senator Warren and Patty Murray), as well as phone banking, see https://secure.ngpvan.com/MqHAXiz7-U6wp5TcqGSArw2 for more information.    Need as many people to show up and canvas as possible, as some races are not going as well as we’d hoped. Turnout is vital! 
  • State Committee – Chris Porter, if re-elected as congressional district representative, will participate in the State LD reorganization, there are large costs in this role, due to driving across the state two or three times, and having to stay at hotels, which adds up for expenses.  No funds at the committee level to support those who may not have the funds to do so. Brings up the question of whether using Zoom makes more sense. 
    • King County Dems – emphasis on GOTV and upcoming elections, some discussion of LD re-orgs  
  • Endorsements & Resolutions – 30 resolutions, 18 passed by membership, 2 were initiatives, and 2 became charter amendments.  Kudos to Ann Martin, editor of the year for endorsements and resolutions.  A very effective year! 
  • Programs (Holiday Service Project) – Sean Goode with Choose 180 is interested and will get back in touch with Rachel after their major event closes soon.  Other options are coming in, and Rachel will have more information soon for the board and members. 
  • PLAC – Platform Legislative Action Committee – Carla has been working with caucus members and leads to put together their legislative pre-session Q&A (6 participants, 4 caucuses, and the 3 moderators who will be asking the questions. Carla is interested in being on this committee next year.  
  • Equity & Social Justice – Soleil not present, possibly stepping down. 
  • Fundraising & Events – Gina not present, currently heading up November 9th Eileen Cody program.  
  • Membership – getting ready for 2023 forums 
  • Communications – Carla plans to continue in this role unless someone else expresses interest. 
  • Awards – several elected officials will be present to give toasts to Eileen Cody for her 28 years of dedicated service, and members are welcome to add other toasts to celebrate her work.  The 34th is hosting the event and encourages members to bring side dishes to share.   PLEASE SUBMIT AWARD NOMINATIONS!  
  • Caucus & Elections, Young Dems, OPEN, No reports

Good of the Order 

  • None this month 

Adjourned at   8:34 pm by Carla Rogers, Chair 

Executive Board Meeting

22-08-25 Executive Board Meeting Minutes

400 300 34th Democrats

34th Dems Board Meeting Minutes

Thursday August 25, 2022 – Virtual meeting held via closed ZOOM

Attendees: Carla Rogers, Nick Bonazza, Rachel Glass, Ted Barker, Bunny Hatcher, Gina Topp, Sarah Koch, Trey Lykins, Steve Butts, Roxanne Thayer, Leah Griffin, and Chris Porter.

7:15 – Call to Order

  • Welcome & Review of Agenda and Minutes 
  • Last month’s minutes approved by unanimous consent 
  • Agenda for tonight approved by unanimous consent

Chair’s Updates (Carla Rogers)

  • Glen Morgan is still pursuing his lawsuit and we continue to incur legal expenses. The 34th is collaborating with three other organizations who have already had their cases heard. We will be in court on September 23.
  • We will provide information to members about a march and rally on September 24 led by Citizens for the Universal Abolition of Nuclear Weapons, however we will not be formally aligning with the group.
  • Volunteers are needed or a PCO packet collating party, either September 9th or 12th. Help will also be needed to deliver the packets.
  • Volunteers are also needed to form an Awards Committee. Gifts from Avalon Glass will again be given to honorees.
  • Board members are to decide upon their roles for the new term starting in January 2023. If they are not resuming their current position, they are asked to help find their successors. Carla stated that she will not seek to return as Chair.

Committee Reports

Outreach Committee (Steve Butts)

  • 3 more events this summer; will provide Google sign-up sheets.
    • Seattle Folklorico Festival – Aug. 27
    • Adopt-A-Street clean up party – Sept. 11
    • B-Town Fiesta – Sept. 24

PCO Committee (Nick Bonazza)

  • Preston Anderson and Soleil Lewis were making contacts in South Park and seeking PCOs. Soleil is also working on securing apartment building captains.
  • A GOTV rally will be part of the September in-person meeting, and canvass packets will be distributed.
  • Kim Schrier canvass events will take place on September 10 and 25, 11:30 to 3:30. Members will meet at Arbor Heights Elementary and carpool to Covington.

Endorsements and Resolutions (Bunny Hatcher)

  • Reviewed the Climate Emergency resolution submitted by Katherine Woolverton. The resolution was discussed, then approved by the board by a voice vote for referral to membership with a Do Pass recommendation.

Fundraising and Events (Gina Topp)

  • The November meeting will include a toast to Eileen Cody and member Achievement Awards will be given.
  • Awards planning meeting will be October 3rd at 6pm.

Programs (Rachel Glass)

  • September meeting will include a presentation by Andrew Villeneuve, founder of the Northwest Progressive Institute, and September 11 survivor and author of a book on that experience, Annabel Quintero, will also speak.
  • October meeting will feature Seattle Councilperson Lisa Herbold.

State Party (Chris Porter)

  • The quarterly State Party meeting will be held September 17 and 18, in-person only.

King County Democrats (Ted Barker)

  • The KCDCC followed our lead for endorsements for State Representative positions.
  • The August meeting will be on the 30th.
  • Plans are underway for a BBQ.
  • PCO filings in May were down from the previous term.

Membership (Trey Lykins)

  • Seeking information and assistance for the September in-person meeting, particularly regarding name tags and audio support.

Final Months of Term Plan (Carla Rogers)

  • October 21 Pop Up Social will be at Beer Star in White Center
  • Board meeting for September will be on the 21st. Carla will be out of town but will lead the meeting from her hotel room.
  • Board meeting on October 19 may be in person.
  • November 9th general meeting will feature a pre-session Q and A with our representatives. 
  • November board meeting may be an open house, interested people will be invited to attend to learn about the roles.
  • A service project is planned for December, details to be determined.
  • End of PCO and board terms is November 30. There will be no December meeting.
  • Reorganization will take place January 11, 2023.

Candidate/initiative contributions were discussed. Gina Topp moved, and Chris Porter seconded, then it was approved by the board with a show of hands that we give out the following amounts:

  • $2,000 to Leesa Manion for King County Prosecutor
  • $1,000 to Steve Hobbs for Secretary of State.
  • $1,000 to the KC Proposition 1 – Conservation Futures Levy.
  • $1,000 to Rep. Joe Fitzgibbon (who passes funds to critical legislative races in other districts).

Good of the Order

  • Chris Porter is running for re-election to the King Conservation District Board of Supervisors in 2023.
  • Gina Topp and Roxanne Thayer thanked Carla for her leadership the past 2 years.
  • Ted Barker mentioned the We Heart West Seattle event and will post information in Slack.

Meeting adjourned by Carla Rogers at approximately 9 pm.

 

Executive Board Meeting

January 19, 2022 Executive Board Meeting Minutes

400 300 34th Democrats

34th Dems Board Meeting Minutes

January 19, 2022 – Virtual meeting held via closed ZOOM

7:03 pm – Call to Order by Chair Carla Rogers 

Attendees: 

x Carla Rogers x Bunny Hatcher
x Steven Butts x Colleen Hinton
x Aaron Garcia Virgen x Sarah Koch x Sara Smith
x Rachel Glass Chris Porter x Gina Topp
x Leah Griffin Karen Richter x Julie Whitaker
x Trey Lykins x Nick Bonazza
x Deena Ledger x Roxanne Thatcher

Welcome & Reminder of Social Contract

Review of Agenda and Minutes 

  • November’s minutes approved by voice vote
  • Agenda for tonight approved by voice vote

Announcements & Upcoming Dates 

  • Still no chair for Fundraising & Events committee, will be asking people to do tasks for the upcoming fundraiser. 
  • Board is suffering resignations, including Dawn (community outreach; making connections to other orgs and internally within our organization) whose job has taken even more of her time; Norman is moving out of the district so will not continue as KCDCC rep primary position. Please help recruit!
  • Membership and hospitality also need support. 
  • SJE Chair – Jeff is stepping away due to family commitments 
  • Caucus and Elections chair Colleen likely lost to redistricting but will work on the upcoming caucus
  • Rachel is very comfortable reaching out to people to recruit if we have suggestions
  • Gina volunteered to chair the fundraising and events committee if we do the event in person.
  • We may convert some 34th committees to be ad-hoc/special committees, not standing committees, so not required to participate in board meetings. 

Seattle Approves Campaign 

  • New campaign presentation by Bunny Hatcher 
  • Efrain Hudnell wants support for ‘Approval’ voting, which is different from single choice voting or ranked choice, you’d only vote ‘approve’ or ‘disapprove’ each candidate; Effrain stated there was concern in his district, but it’s not clear which district he represents.  He feels this is a simpler method.  It would only impact primaries and it would only affect Seattle.  Three cities including Fargo, North Dakota have moved to this method. Would potentially require a change in State Law.  Bunny will invite him to the March 16th board zoom meeting to provide more information https://seattleapproves.org/

Announcements/Discussion: 

  • Redistricting continues, and there is a lawsuit in the works in the lower courts (United States District Court

Western District of Washington, Case No.: 3:22-Cv-5035, Complaint for Declaratory and Injunctive Relief)

  • Please VOLUNTEER if you have an hour here or there. (Leah Griffin volunteered to do Twitter). 
  • Proposed Updates to our Bylaws and Endorsement rules will be in our next meeting. 
  • We will have an in-person Board meeting in February.
  • Caucus format can be online. Anticipating virtual caucus March 26th (State will provide instructions soon.) 
  • GREAT pre-meeting program in January. 

2021 34th Dems Executive Board Retrospective
Board members participated in a retrospective (good and to be improved) for 2021 year.

Name Things that went well in 2021
Colleen

Membership meetings on Zoom, endorsement meeting, Burien Canvas events, holiday service project, caucus work, esp EELU, programming

Julie Zoom meetings and dealing with technology, programs
Nick PCO specific: Burien work, Minivan!, Voter turnout, training, 1 to 1 communication with PCOs
Sara S Zoom meetings (allowing people to talk and share)
Sarah K Endorsement meeting
Trey Made it easy to be a member, endorsement voting, enhanced the data collected on the membership form (demos), migration to NGP8
Leah Service Project, Pop Up Socials
Steve MPCs, programs, videos of meetings (YouTube!)
Gina Voting system, Burien, financial situation
Aaron Pop Up Social, Service Project
Bunny Endorsement process/mtg
Rachel Burien effort, endorsement meeting, service project

 

Name Things that should be done differently in 2022
Colleen More volunteers in Burien, more volunteers in canvassing and campaigns, tap into people who are highly motivated to work in other districts or states (less democratic)
Julie Make sure we cover all the business issues first (we are rushing through business)
Nick Involve more PCOs in outreach activities, help with vote builder lists (data team), PCO to PCO contacts to build communities (get them working together and mentoring), more Voter Registration
Sara Meetings are long
Sarah K More participation in canvassing
Trey Recruit committee members
Leah Trim down time spent on Resolutions (only ones with policy goals)
Steve More outreach (COVID), worked well with the 33rd, problems with the website, need to increase Twitter posts, get PCOs more involved with voter reg
Bunny High membership: Call new members, contribute more earlier
Rachel Low attendance at some programs

 

Name What one thing do you want to do differently in your role in 2022
Colleen  Recruit a replacement for role, Recruit committee members, help recruit other volunteers
Julie Become more capable with technology, patience during learning
Nick above
Sara S Talk more! Participate in a different way.
Sarah K PCO – do more canvassing 
Trey work on diversity data
Leah Pick up the flair in KCDCC report
Steve Do more with neighboring districts (11th…), more Voter registration
Gina Convert members (who just did endorsement) to participate
Aaron Figure out ways to connect work with School district to 34th
Bunny Get involved earlier, being more active, get better at tech
Rachel Find ways to get people more excited and motivated about the midterms, more service projects! Maybe no programs

GOOD OF THE ORDER

    • Carla asked for flexibility from the board to accommodate a work trip. The board agreed to a Feb 23rd board meeting instead of the 16th.

8: 35 Adjourned by Carla Rogers, Chair