Johnson County Democratic Party
Business Meeting
May 4, 2021
Meeting was called to order at 7:05 pm by Greg Haas, Chair.
Attendance in person: Lorajane Kessler, Mitch Black, Suzi Black, Jim Shell, Bill McIntyre, Mary Van Auken, Lois Petersen, Sharon Case, Dudley Case, Greg Haas
Attendance online: Vikki Chenette
Greg lead the group in the Pledge of Allegiance.
Treasurer Report – Suzi Black
As of May 4th, there was $1,764.59 in the bank account. There is also a check from Act Blue for $96.05 and an anonymous donation of $100.00.
Secretary Report – Dudley Case
Lois Petersen made a motion to approve the minutes for the April 6th business meeting. Mary Van Auken seconded the motion. Motion passed.
Chair Announcements – Greg Haas
All the JC Dems officers have signed the signature cards at the bank.
If you are interested in attending the WDP Labor Caucus meeting by Zoom contact Greg Haas for details.
The Bighorn National Forest Steering Committee will be holding a virtual meeting on May 5th from 10:30 am to 3:15 pm via Microsoft Teams. If you are interested in attending the meeting contact Greg Haas for details or visit the Bighorn National Forest website. [Correction: Was the BLM, not Nat’l Forest. My mistake. -Greg]
On Saturday, May 16th from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm (Pacific Time) the National Democratic Training Committee is holding the Western Regional Boot Camp training if you are running for office or working on a campaign in 2021 or 2022. If you are interested in attending contact Greg Haas for details.
Old Business:
1. June 1st JC Dems Business Meeting – Greg Haas
In lieu of the 7:00 pm June 1st JC Dems Business Meeting Greg has arranged for Shannon Anderson from the Powder River Basin Resource Council (PRBRC) to make a presentation about the PRBRC.
Mary Van Auken made a motion to approve Shannon Anderson as a speaker in lieu of the normal business meeting. Vikki Chenette seconded the motion. Motion passed.
Vikki Chenette made a motion to hold this meeting at the Johnson County Public Library in the large conference room and have it open to the general public. Lois Petersen seconded the motion. Motion passed.
Suzi Black made a motion to allow the JC Dems Central Committee to find an alternate venue should the public library room not be available. Lorajane Kessler seconded the motion. Motion passed.
Vikki Chenette, Greg Haas and Lois Petersen volunteered to work on the publicity (community calendar, flyer, press release, etc.) for this event.
2. May 19th JC Dems Luncheon Forum – Bill McIntyre
The luncheon forum will be held at noon at the Par & Grill restaurant at the Buffalo Golf Course.
Thirteen democrats attended the April 21st luncheon forum at the Par & Grill.
3. Sheridan County and Johnson County Democrats Concert Update – Lois Petersen
This event will be held on Saturday, June 26 at Kearney Hall from 4:00 to about 8:00 pm. There will be a live band, dancing, a raffle, food and outdoor activities. The hall is located on old Highway 87 and may be accessed from the Piney Creek exit off of I-90.
Lois Petersen asked that items for the raffle be given to her before June 1st.
The hall and band will each cost $200, and tables may need to be rented. There will also be publicity costs for such things as postcards, and food costs for such items as sloppy joes and hot dogs. Therefore, a $10 donation will be requested from each attendee.
Attendees are asked to bring a dish to pass around.
On June 1st there will be a planning meeting at 3:00 pm. If you are interested in attending, please contact Lois Petersen.
Volunteers will be needed for cooking, desserts, recycling, set up and clean up.
There will be an effort to get young people to attend this event.
Lois Petersen made a motion for the JC Dems to financially help with this event up to $200. Jim Shell seconded the motion. Motion passed.
4. Precinct Highlights – Dudley Case
Democratic members in precincts 2-14, 5-9 8-11 and 9-12 were contacted.
Dudley called 21 members and got two new email addresses and discovered three wrong phone numbers.
There were two suggestions for guest speakers. One, was to have someone talk on the issue of lack of access to Wyoming public lands, and, two, to have someone talk about the transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy.
Several Democratic members also said that they would try to make one of the luncheon forums.
New Business:
Greg Haas mentioned that Erin O’Doherty has started a Wyoming Dems Book Club. There will be a meeting of the club on May 23rd at 4:00 pm. The first book that will be discussed is Harvest the Vote by Jane Kleeb, which is about how Democrats can win back rural America.
If you are interested in more information about the book club, please contact Greg Haas. Mitch Black, Vikki Chenette and Bill McIntyre expressed an interest in getting more information about the club.
Announcements from the floor:
Lois Petersen stated that a Sheridan Committee Action Team has been formed. The committee will be lobbying local officials on Medicaid expansion in Wyoming. They will be formulating a script for calls made to officials.
Greg Haas announced that he had attended the WDP precinct committee training. As part of the training the instructor said that Dems should not be afraid to wear Democratic hats and t-shirts.
Jim Shell stated that he still has some copies of the book On Tyranny by Timothy Snyder if anyone would like a copy.
Announcements of upcoming meetings:
1. June 1st JC Dems Guest Speaker meeting at 7:00 pm. Location: TBA
2. May 19th Luncheon Forum at the Par & Grill restaurant at the Buffalo Golf Course at noon.
3. June 26th Sheridan and JC Dems Concert event at Kearney Hall at 4:00 pm.
4. July 6 JC Dems Monthly Meeting.
Lois Petersen made a motion that this meeting should be a business meeting in part to talk about future guest speakers for our meetings. Bill McIntyre seconded the motion. Motion passed.
Next Monthly Meeting:
June 1st at 7:00 pm. Location: TBA
Adjournment:
Greg Haas adjourned the meeting at 7:56 pm.