Johnson County Democratic Party Meeting
September 5, 2023
Call to Order: Chair Greg Haas called the meeting to order at 6:05 pm, followed by the Pledge of Allegiance.
Agenda: There were no additions to the agenda.
Attendance: Greg Haas, Lois Petersen, Dudley Case, Sharon Case, Suzi Black, Vikki Chenette.
Secretary Report: The Minutes of August 1 were approved and will be entered into the record.
Treasurer Report: Dudley reported income and expenses for general and scholarship accounts as of 9/1/23, providing a Balance Sheet for filing.
Chair Announcements: Powder River Basin Resource Council requests public comment for the Bureau of Land Management’s proposed bonding policy revisions.
Rodger McDaniel was guest speaker at SCDP’s annual potluck picnic on 8/12.
RUN WYOMING provides training for potential candidates for elected office.
Old Business:
Lois reported on our Adopt-a-Highway clean-up scheduled for September 16th or 17th.
Having received notice from two different college Registrar offices that our 2023 William D. McIntyre scholarship recipients have enrolled, Dudley mailed each their $500.00 scholarship award checks. The Scholarship committee will meet soon to consider fund-raising for 2024 awards.
Usage is up at Friends Feeding Friends (FFF) mini food pantry maintained by JCDP volunteers sited at Cornerstone Pharmacy .
On 9/20 at 5:00 pm anyone can join in our turn to help FFF pack food bags for kids to use on weekends.
Strategic Plan work will continue following tonight’s meeting. Officers have access to our Strategic Plan Draft via Google Drive.

New Business:
Upcoming Meetings:
Comms Call on Tuesdays at 7:00pm CCC 11/7 at 6:00pm
County Officer Round-table Zoom October 11th
Our next meeting will be held October 3rd at 6:00pm.
Announcements from the floor:
Suzi attended a recent Food Forest event at Thorne Rider Park, Sheridan.
Adjourn
The meeting was adjourned at 7:20 pm.

Johnson County Democratic Party Meeting Agenda
October 3, 2023 at 6:00 PM
Bomber Mountain Civic Center, Rm 108

6:00pm Call to order and Pledge

6:02pm Approve Agenda

6:04pm Minutes (Secretary) & Money (Treasurer)

6:07pm Chair Announcements

Public Comment – BLM (LINK)

Training Opportunity – Intro to Deep Canvassing – Oct 24, 2023

6:12pm Old Business

JC-FFF Volunteering – Sept 20th

Adopt-a-Highway Dates

William D. McIntyre Memorial Scholarship Update, Fundraiser

Strategic Plan*

• Info Cards
• Spreadsheeted Plan

6:47pm New Business

6:55pm Announcements from the Floor

Upcoming Meetings

Next Monthly CCC Meeting – Nov 7, 2023 at 6:00pm

Comms Call – Tuesdays at 7pm

County Officer Round-table – Zoom – Oct 11 at 6pm

Other?

7:00pm Adjourn

* Strategic Planning Committee to follow the regular meeting.

I also received this tip in an email from the same Political Activist I mentioned elsewhere:

Have you heard of the national organization Red Wine and Blue? I wasn’t sure about them a couple of years ago because their website looked so ‘funky’, but I stand corrected. They do great work. They created a ‘sisterhood’ that is rapidly spreading across the country, giving women of all walks of life all the tools they need to successfully organize in their respective communities. They stand for equity and honesty in education, for reproductive rights. They fight against voting restrictions, against library closing and book banning. 

“We exist to lift each other up,” they write in their value statement. 

You might want to share their website with women in your county who’d like to play a role, who are tired of being pessimistic and afraid, who simply want to do their part.

They are already well established in MI, NC, OH, PA and VA, but are calling to women across the country to organize their community and are sharing a lot of helpful tools/resources to ensure their effectiveness. Here is their link:

https://redwine.blue

Democratic Political Activist

I received the following in an email yesterday. I think it is worth sharing!

Michael Moore created a podcast in his Rumble series in which he reassures ‘Liberals’ that the bleak news about Biden’s polling numbers is not to be trusted. You might want to listen to it. Here is the link to the podcast:

https://www.michaelmoore.com/p/self-help-for-frightened-liberals

In it he highlights the role that young voters will play in upcoming elections. 

I listened to a webinar organized by the Rural Youth Voter Fund, that was created in 2022 by the Rural Democracy Initiative and launched in 2023. “Rural young people are among the most persuadable and least contacted voters of any demographic group, and young rural voters of color lean strongly towards progressive candidates and issues”, this group wrote, and “activating” such voters could “be the difference in many close elections.” 

Are you at all familiar with their work? Are they in your community, in your State? They are non-partisan but are there Democratic youth in your community who’d like to get involved in civic engagement work?

Democratic Political Activist

It is important to share the work of other progressives around Wyoming. Remember, we’re Here For Good, and we’re not alone!

From the Chair of the WDP Labor Caucus:

Letter from labor

Weston County Dems and Crook County Dems are joining efforts this coming weekend. They want to welcome you to Newcastle, Wyo for the final SCC (State Central Committee) meeting of the year. This kickoff is an icebreaker in the Cambria conference room at the Newcastle Lodge and Convention Center beginning at 5:00 p.m. on Friday the 8th. They’ll be holding a raffle Friday and Saturday. Some of the prizes are original works by celebrated artist Sarah Rogers.

Johnson County Democratic Party Meeting Agenda
September 5, 2023 at 6:00 PM
Bomber Mountain Civic Center, Rm 108

6:00pm Call to order and Pledge

6:02pm Approve Agenda

6:04pm Minutes (Secretary) & Money (Treasurer)

6:07pm Chair Announcements

Public Comment – BLM

Training Opportunity

Sheridan Picnic last month

6:12pm Old Business

JC-FFF Volunteering – Sept 20th?

Adopt-a-Highway Dates

William D. McIntyre Memorial Scholarship Update

Strategic Plan

6:22pm New Business

Scholarship Fundraising Plans

Brief Evaluation of Resources^‡

6:42pm Announcements from the Floor

Upcoming Meetings

Next Monthly CCC Meeting – Oct 3, 2023 at 6:00pm

Comms Call – Tuesdays at 7pm

State Central Committee – Sept 9 & 10, 2023 with welcome dinner on Sept 8.

County Officer Round-table – Zoom – Sept 13 at 6pm

ESPC’s “RUN WY” training – Oct 14 & 15 – Sheridan

Other?

6:50pm Adjourn

^‡ Strategic Plan Committee – Projects Brainstorming

The Equality State Policy Center is hosting RUN WY, a training for candidates and campaign staff. It will be held in Sheridan, WY on October 14 & 15, 2023. You can read more about it Here.

And here’s the direct link to the application.

You can watch the joint education committee hearing today here:

Here are the details about the entire committee meeting.

https://wyoleg.gov/Calendar/20230801/Meeting?type=committee&id=13765

Johnson County Democratic Party Meeting
August 1, 2023
DRAFT Minutes

Call to Order:
Chair Greg Haas called the meeting to order at 6:03 pm. Everyone pledged their allegiance to the U.S. Flag and all the justice and equality for which it stands.

Agenda:
Under New Business, the topic “Brief Evaluation” was tabled until our Sept. meeting.

Attendance:
Greg Haas, Mary Van Auken, Lois Petersen, Kim McCoy, Linda Wilson, Jim Shell and presenter, Terri Markham.

Secretary Report:
The Minutes of July 11th were approved as written and will be entered into the record.

Treasurer Report:
Dudley provided current financial data that was read aloud by Greg.

Presenter:
Terri Markham of Uprising WY (UWY), a statewide organization targeting human trafficking, presented current fact-based information about human trafficking causes and possible remedies. She explained that human trafficking is an ever-increasing problem everywhere, including WY, and UWY’s focus is on preventing it from happening through education and support for families in crisis. Sadly, very few of us were in attendance to hear this presentation, but information and an opportunity to donate is available on the Uprising Wyoming website: https://uprisingwyo.org/

Announcements:
Lois proposed tentative dates for our fall Adopt-A-Highway trash pick-up – either Labor Day Weekend 9/2-4 perhaps tied to a Dems Labor Day Potluck Picnic in the Park or Sept. 16-17. Greg proposed we offer 2 opportunities on whichever trash pickup weekend we choose so that more helpers can fit this effort into their schedule.

Also, each month, weekly management of the Friends Feeding Friends Mini Food Pantry is being rotated among those who volunteered to help with this effort. Linda Wilson covered this past month and Lois will cover in August.

Greg announced there will be a Sheridan Dems picnic in Kendrick Park on Aug. 8 at 6 pm. JC folks are invited and asked to bring a salad or dessert to share.

There will also be a bicycle event in Sheridan Saturday, Aug. 12, starting at 9 am at Sheridan South Park Natural Area at Brundage Lane. The goal is to foster a bike-friendly community for recreation and transportation. JC Dems are welcome and encouraged to attend.

Old Business:
Greg met with Kim McCoy, our newly appointed Precinct Committee Woman for Precinct 4-8, to explain and answer questions about the job of precinct chair. We are still in need of precinct committeemen and committeewomen in several other precincts, so let Greg know if you are interested.

Upcoming Meetings:
County Officer Round-table Zoom – Aug. 9, 6 pm
State Central Committee meeting 9/9 & 9/10, Newcastle
Next monthly meeting of JC Dems – Sept. 5, 2023 at 6 pm in Bomber Mt. Civic Center Rm 108

Adjourn:
The meeting was adjourned at 7:39 pm.

Minutes submitted by Lois Petersen