Minutes May 3, 2022

Johnson County Democratic Party
Business Meeting
May 3, 2022


Call to Order:

Greg Haas called the meeting to order at 7:01pm.

Attendance:

Greg Haas, Mitch Black, Suzi Black, Pat Barndt, Lois Petersen, Dudley Case, Sharon Case, Vikki Chenette, Shirley Gorman, Ernest Champlin, Lynda Champlin, Mary Van Auken, Mary Carlson

Chair Announcements:

Greg Haas asked people to introduce themselves, since there were a number of new attendees.

Greg then read the thank you card the JCDems received from the Hoofprints of the Past Museum for the JC Dems $350 donation to the museum in memory of Bill McIntyre.

Greg also brought attention to the April 28th Guest Columnist article in the Buffalo Bulletin by Cale Case, in which he opposes the Republican politics of hate and disparagement. He encourages moderate Republicans to run as precinct committee men and women and for public office.

And finally, Greg mentioned that Nina, the Communications Director in the Wyoming Democratic Party, has apparently taken employment elsewhere and he has not heard if the WDP will be opening that position.

Secretary Report:

Greg Haas asked if there were any changes to be made to the April 5 meeting minutes. Hearing none, the minutes were entered into the record.

Treasurer’s Report:

Suzi Black reported the balance currently in the bank account, the dollar amount of donations over the past month, which are earmarked for the William D. McIntyre Memorial Scholarship.

There was an invoiced, as yet unpaid, for three ads placed in the Buffalo Bulletin for the County Convention. Suzi reported the cost of each and the total due.

Suzi also reported the cost of the room rented at the Buffalo Senior Center for the County Convention.

Old Business:

JCDems County Convention Review by Greg Haas, Convention Chair

There were 13 Johnson County Democrats who participated in the convention. The convention voted to have 5 delegates participate in the State Convention. Greg will send the delegates’ contact information to the state party. The delegates are Lois Petersen, Mary Van Auken, Mary Carlson, Kathleen (Kate) Sherwood and Greg Haas.

The convention also voted to incorporate some changes into the JC Dems Platform, and these changes will be made by the Platform Committee and posted on the JC Dems website.

And finally, the convention voted to proceed with the William D. McIntyre Memorial Scholarship, to use the scholarship documents presented at the convention, to begin scholarship fundraising and to create any press releases necessary to the operation of the scholarship. As a side note, Greg stated that the scholarship was intended, at some point, to be expanded into adult education.

Greg also mentioned that he has started putting the scholarship documents onto the website, except for the Scholarship Committee Guidelines and Rules, which will remain an internal document and not be publicly displayed on the website. Greg will also send out the press release announcing the scholarship as soon as the website is ready, hopefully this week.

Lois Petersen will also get the finalized scholarship documents to Dixie McIntyre as soon as she can.

New Business:

Planning:

Greg Haas said he would like to start doing some social events planning for the rest of this year in order to help get more Democrats to participate in the party and he asked for suggestions for social events.

Vikki Chenette suggested a Labor Day Picnic.

It was suggested the luncheons that Bill McIntyre had started somehow continue.

Lois mentioned perhaps having another joint event at Kearney Hall with the JCDems and the Sheridan County Democrats.

Lynda Champlin then asked what the responsibilities of a precinct committee person were. Greg explained that the Democratic Party organization starts at the neighborhood level by organizing counties into precincts. He also explained that there should be both a precinct committee man and woman for each precinct. And that they represent and vote on matters for their precinct members at the JCDems monthly meetings and also vote for county party officers at election time. In the past they would also keep their precinct members informed of JC Dems meetings and events, but now that is being done mostly by emails to members who are on the listserv and by means of Facebook and Twitter. Precinct committee men and women are also listed on the county election ballot and voted on there. If there are not two precinct committee people for each precinct then the county chair can appoint precinct committee men and women.

Announcements from the Floor:

Suzi Black said that since she is setting up a separate bank account for the scholarship that she will need to have three signatories on the account and that any check written on the account will need two signatures. It was suggested that since the Party Chair, Secretary and Treasurer are the signatories on the JCDems bank account that they also be the signatories on the scholarship bank account. Everyone seemed to be in agreement on this suggestion, so she will set it up that way.

Upcoming Meetings:

The next JCDems monthly meeting will be held on June 7 in Room 108 of the Bomber Mountain Civic Center. The Party Chair may not be at this meeting and the Secretary will not be at this meeting. Lois Petersen has graciously consented to filling in for the Secretary at this meeting.

The Wyoming Democratic Party’s State Convention will be held in Rock Springs on Friday, June 10 and Saturday, June 11, with the possibility that the convention may also extend into Sunday, June 12 if it can’t be finished on Saturday.

Meeting was adjourned at 8:03 pm.




Minutes April 5, 2022

Johnson County Democratic Party
Monthly Meeting
April 5, 2022

Call to Order:

Greg Haas called the meeting to order at 7:04pm.

Attendance: Greg Haas, Jim Shell, Sharon Case, Dudley Case, Mary Van Auken, Lorajane Kessler, Lois Petersen

Secretary Report:

Lois Petersen made a motion to approve the minutes from the March 1 meeting and Mary van Auken seconded the motion. Motion passed.

Treasurer’s Report:

Greg Haas reported the balance in the bank account. There were three deposits and 2 withdrawals since March 1.

Chair Announcements:

Greg Haas announced that he received a letter from the County Clerk asking for volunteers to be election judges. The Clerk also said that on July 7th at 9:00 am in the small meeting room there would be public testing of the early voting machines and on July 29 at 9:00 am in the small meeting room there would be public testing of the remaining voting machines. The early voting machines would also be publicly tested on September 29 at 9:00 am in the small meeting room, and the remaining voting machines would be publicly tested on October 6th at 9:00 am in the small meeting room. The primary election will be held on August 16 and the general election will be held on November 8.

Old Business:

1. William D. McIntyre Memorial Scholarship Report

Dudley Case reported that the Scholarship Committee (Lorajane Kessler, Lois Petersen, Vikki Chenette, Dudley Case) met on March 25 and discussed setting up a scholarship. The committee consensus was that they wanted a Johnson County Democratic Party scholarship rather than a scholarship that would be independent of the Democratic Party. The committee also decided that it did not want to use a corporation with a 501(c)(3) exemption to run the scholarship. The committee also reviewed Greg Haas’ draft scholarship documents and made some changes to the documents. Lois Petersen volunteered to take the newly revised documents to Dixie McIntyre so she could review the documents and make comments on them. A few days later Dixie called Lois and told her that she would like the name of the scholarship to continue to be called the William D. McIntyre Memorial Scholarship rather than the Johnson County Democratic Party Scholarship, and she suggested that there could be a line in the heading that stated that the scholarship was offered by the Johnson County Democratic Party. She also suggested that some mention be made in the documents that scholarships could be awarded to graduating high school students who had been home schooled and would be attending a college, trade or vocational school.

The committee decided that they would like to make the initial announcement of the scholarship at the county convention on April 23rd and if possible also kick off the scholarship fundraising effort at the county convention, assuming that the scholarship documents can be put into a finalized version that can be voted on by the convention members on April 23rd.

Greg Haas asked why the scholarship committee decided to not use an independent 501(c)(3) exempt corporation for the scholarship and instead wanted the scholarship committee to operate directly under the Johnson County Democratic Party and Lorajane Kessler explained the committee’s reasoning on this matter.

Dudley Case made a motion that the official title of the scholarship should be the “William D. McIntyre Memorial Scholarship Offered by the Johnson County Democratic Party”. Lois Petersen seconded the motion. The motion passed.

The next Scholarship Committee meeting will be held on Friday, April 15th at 11:00 am at the Johnson County Library.

2. State Central Committee (SCC) Reports

Greg Haas stated that the Wyoming Women’s Caucus brought up a resolution that was submitted to the SCC board that stated support for redistricting to be handled by an independent commission to reduce the partisanship in designing voting districts, making the strange districts set up in Sheridan this year less likely to happen in the future. The Wyoming Democratic Party, Sheridan County Democrats and Johnson County Democrats are working together to create a statement on the redistricting done in Sheridan County this year..

Lois Petersen also mentioned some of the local candidates who will be running in the election this year in various counties.

3. County Convention

Greg Haas announced that the county convention will be held on Saturday, April 23 from 10:00 am to Noon at the Senior Center in Buffalo if he can get a room reserved there. Greg Haas also passed around copies of the Johnson County Democratic Party Proxy Vote form. This form can be used by anyone who is not able to attend the convention and wishes to allow someone else to vote for them at the convention. Greg Haas also shared copies of the State Convention Delegate Nomination Form and the draft agenda to which he will add discussion and consideration of the Scholarship Committee’s scholarship documents. Johnson County will be allowed five delegates to the State Convention.

Greg Haas also announced that the Platform and Resolutions Committee so far has one change to the platform that will be voted on at the convention. If anyone else has any other platform changes or resolutions that they would like to see brought forward at the convention, please contact either Linda Wilson or Greg Haas.

Dudley Case mentioned that a list of Johnson County Democrats as of April 8 and April 19 will be needed to determine who is qualified to be a State Convention delegate and who is qualified to vote at the county convention.

Greg Haas also would like to place an ad about the convention in the Buffalo Bulletin and the “Around Town”.

Lois Petersen suggested that there should be some food and drinks for convention attendees. Both Lois and Mary van Auken volunteered to coordinate the food and drinks for the convention.

4. Platform/Position Paper

Greg Haas mentioned that this paper is on hold right now.

New Business:

Lois Petersen made a motion that the Johnson County Democratic Party should donate $100 to Sheridan College in thanks for them allowing the party to use Room 108 for its monthly meetings. Mary van Auken seconded the motion. Motion passed.

Adjournment:

Greg Haas adjourned the meeting at 8:30 pm.




Minutes March 1, 2022

Johnson County Democratic Party
Monthly Meeting
March 1, 2022

Call to Order:

Greg Haas called the meeting to order at 6:00 pm by Greg Haas, Chair.

Attendance in person: Greg Haas, Jim Shell, Suzi Black, Sharon Case, Dudley Case, Mary Van Auken, Kay McCormick, Lorajane Kessler, John Sherwood, Kate Sherwood, Linda Wilson, Lois Petersen, Vikki Chenette

Secretary Report:

Lois Petersen made a motion to approve the minutes from the February 1 meeting and Suzi Black seconded the motion.

Treasurer’s Report:

Suzi Black reported the checkbook balance and the amount that is earmarked for flowers for William McIntyre’s funeral and for the William D. McIntyre Memorial Scholarship fund.

Chair Announcements:

Greg Haas did not have any chair announcements.

Modification of the Agenda:

Greg Haas announced that in order to finish the meeting by 7:00 pm, so that members could get home to watch the State of the Union Address, he was going to put off until the next meeting the following agenda items:

  1. Chamber of Commerce – Lois Petersen
  2. Platform/Position Paper – Greg Haas
  3. Tourism Association is hiring

Greg asked if anyone objected to this change in the agenda. No one objected.

William D. McIntyre Memorial Scholarship:

Greg Haas said he talked to Bill’s wife, Dixie, on the phone and she said there was a lot of animosity towards Democrats in Kaycee and that she didn’t want a scholarship recipient to have that animosity directed towards a student for applying for and receiving a scholarship sponsored by the Democrats. As a result of his conversation with Dixie he said there are three possible options to take with respect to the scholarship.

  1. Make a donation to the Hoof Prints of the Past Museum in Kaycee of the $350 we have in the treasury, since Bill McIntyre was very active in this museum.
  2. Have a scholarship sponsored by the Johnson County Democrats that would not use William D. McIntyre’s name.
  3. Set up an organization independent from the Johnson County Democratic Party to organize and operate the William D. McIntyre Memorial Scholarship.

Suzi Black made a motion to have the JC Dems donate $350 to the Hoof Prints of the Past Museum in Kaycee in Bill’s name and set up a scholarship committee to work on organizing and operating the scholarship fund. Vikki Chenette seconded the motion. After some discussion the motion passed unanimously. Dudley Case said that he has an inactive non-profit 501(c)(3) corporation that could be used for this scholarship program.

Lois Petersen, Vikki Chenette, Lorajane Kessler and Dudley Case volunteered to be on the committee.

Call to Committee for SCC (March 26 at 1:30 pm via Zoom):

Greg Haas said that the JC Dems get 4 votes at the Democratic State Central Committee meeting. Voting by proxy is allowed, so if one of the four members who can legally vote at this meeting cannot attend the meeting, they may designate another member to vote for them. Because of Bill McIntyre’s death there is one opening for a JC Dems member to attend this meeting and vote. Greg said he would check to see which four members among the JC Dems members can legally vote at this meeting.

County Convention:

Greg Haas said that the Wyoming Democratic Party will allow the county conventions to be held in person or online (e.g. Zoom) or by a combination of in person and online. Greg Haas said it is too much trouble to set up a hybrid meeting (in person and online). Greg Haas made a motion to hold the county convention in person. Lois Petersen seconded the motion. After some discussion to motion passed unanimously.

The state party told Greg Haas that the county convention must be held In April and that we need to set a date for the convention. After some discussion, Vikki Chenette made a motion to hold the convention on Saturday, April 23 between 10am and Noon. Linda Wilson seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously.

Greg Haas stated that normally three committees must be set up to organize and operate the convention: 1) Platform and Resolutions Committee 2) Ballot and Credentials Committee 3) Bylaws Committee. Greg Haas said that forming a Bylaws committee would not be necessary since we use the State Party Bylaws for the convention. Greg Haas then asked for volunteers to serve on the other two committees. Greg Haas and Linda Wilson volunteered to serve on the Platform and Resolutions Committee. Mary Van Auken, Suzi Black, Vikki Chenette and Dudley Case volunteered for the Ballot and Credentials Committee. Dudley said he was chair of this committee for the 2020 convention and had the paperwork for this committee.

Training Report:

Dudley Case said he attended the Zoom training course entitled Wyoming Candidate Information Session on February 9. Sarah Hunt and Nina Herbert conducted the session. Dudley reviewed the highlights of the session and stated that the session was recorded for anyone who missed the session. One important point covered was that Federal, State and County offices are partisan. City, town and special district offices are non-partisan and precinct committee positions are partisan. Deadlines, campaign logistics, fundraising, voter contact, public appearances, resources, and costs were all covered during the session, which lasted for about one hour. The presenters gave links to the Wyoming County Commissioners Guide, the Wyoming Candidate Guide, which includes filing fees, the Wyoming Clerks Guide, and Wyoming 2022-2023 Election Calendar.

Adjournment:

Greg Haas adjourned the meeting at 6:55 pm.




Minutes February 1, 2022

Johnson County Democratic Party
Business Meeting
February 1, 2021

Meeting was called to order at 7:00 pm by Greg Haas, Chair.

Attendance in person: Greg Haas, Jim Shell, Lois Petersen, Suzi Black, Mitch Black, Sharon Case, Dudley Case

Treasurer’s Report:

Suzi Black reported the balance in the bank account, that there is a check from Act Blue that has not been deposited yet. Also, the amount remaining from donations that were received for Bill McIntyre’s funeral flowers.

Greg Haas said he will ask Dixie if she needs help with any of the funeral expenses.

Old and New Business:

Electioneering/Campaigning – Greg Haas said the Wyoming Democratic Party has set up three training sessions for potential candidates: February 2 at 7:00 pm, March 10 at 11:30 am, and April 6 at 7:00 pm.

Wyoming Democratic Legislative Watch Committee – Greg Haas stated that the Wyoming Democratic Party is setting up its annual Legislative Watch Committee. The committee tracks bills during the legislative session and works with the Wyoming Democratic Party staff to create Action Alerts, mobilize activist, and help hold our legislators accountable. The committee is looking for volunteers. If you would like to volunteer, please contact the Wyoming Democratic Party. The deadline for volunteering is February 10.

Redistricting – The Wyoming Democratic Party is looking for volunteers to write letters to the editor about the Wyoming Legislature’s redistricting plans. Please contact the Wyoming Democratic Party if you are interested in volunteering.

JC Dems Platform/Position Paper – At the December 7 meeting the six priority issues that were identified in the platform were: vaccines, women’s health, gun rights, voting rights, racism and climate change. Greg Haas volunteered to pull out those sections of the platform which best apply to these issues and to put together an outline of the topics to cover under each of these issues when we talk to JC Dems members.

Chamber of Commerce – Lois Petersen said she is interested in the JC Dems joining the Chamber of Commerce so that the party can get some free advertising thru the chamber. The Republican Party is already a member of the chamber. Jim Shell made a motion for the party to investigate joining the Chamber of Commerce, including what the annual membership fee is. Suzi Black seconded the motion. After some discussion the motion passed unanimously.

William D. McIntyre Memorial Scholarship:

Greg Haas presented to the members the four documents that he and the scholarship committee created in connection with this scholarship, namely, the Scholarship Application, Committee Guidelines and Rules, Roster of Scholarship Committee Members, and Donation Form.

Greg then reviewed each form and asked for the members comments and input on each form.

The group decided that for now no logo and/or photo of Bill McIntyre would be put on the forms. Also, that the application and supporting documents and any donation checks would be mailed to the William D. McIntyre Memorial Scholarship rather than to the Johnson County Democratic Party but using the party’s P.O. Box. Greg said he will make the necessary changes on all the documents.

It was also decided that the giant reusable check to be presented to scholarship winners would have the title William D. McIntyre Memorial Scholarship.

Dudley Case made a motion to approve the scholarship documents as presented by Greg Haas with the changes agreed to at the meeting. Motion was seconded by Suzi Black. Motion was passed unanimously.

Announcements from the Floor:

Lois Petersen announced that there will be a seminar entitled Investing in Solar Energy for your home, farm and business sponsored by the Sheridan County Democrats and the Wyoming Solar Energy Association on Wednesday, February 16 at 7:00 pm.
Lois Petersen announced that there will be a Zoom presentation entitled America at a Crossroads presented by Jonathan Greenblatt with Madeleine Brand on Wednesday, February 2 at 5:00 pm. This presentation is being sponsored by Jews United for Democracy and Justice. Jonathan Greenblatt is the author of the book “It Could Happen Here – Why America is Tipping from Hate to the Unthinkable and How We Can Stop It”. The book can be ordered on Amazon and other booksellers. You may sign up for the presentation at the sponsor’s website: http://jewsunitedfordemocracy.org.




Minutes November 2, 2021

Johnson County Democratic Party
Guest Speaker/Business Meeting
November 2, 2021

Meeting was called to order at 7:05 pm by Greg Haas, Chair.

Attendance in person: Mitch Black, Lois Petersen, Sharon Case, Dudley Case, Greg Haas

Attendance online: Vikki Chenette, Ted Hanlon

Secretary Report:

Minutes from October 5 do not need to be approved since it wasn’t an official business meeting.

Treasurer’s Report:

Mitch Black gave the report for Suzi Black. Mitch reported current bank account balance including recent donations.

Chair Announcements:

Greg asked if anyone had names of possible candidates for elective offices. Lois Petersen said she has put together a list of names of potential candidates.

Greg proposed having an election or candidate committee meeting to discuss potential candidates. Mitch and Lois volunteered to be on the committee. Dudley Case suggested that the precinct committee people should be on the committee. Greg Haas said that we should try to get as many precinct committee people on the ballot as possible.

Introduction of Guest Speaker:

Greg Haas introduced the guest speaker, Ted Hanlon, who spoke on Precinct Committee Seats. Ted is from Laramie County and is a precinct committeeman. Ted is a native Wyomingite and has a passion for precinct committee people.
Ted said if we don’t get two people from each precinct to be precinct committee people then we will lose elections. We need to canvass Democrats and find people willing to serve as precinct committee people and then have them sign up for training.
He suggested for the 2022 election we should concentrate on getting precinct committee people on the ballot, because organizing at the local level is really important for winning elections. We can use Vote Builder to get the contact information for Democrats so we can contact them. Ted recommended the book “Plunket of Tammany Hall” to find out how to organize to win elections.
Ted suggested sending postcards to all Democrats in a precinct and he showed an example of such a post card. He said it might cost $150 to $200 to print and mail the postcards. Ted said that mini grants might be available for paying this cost. Then after the postcards are sent out you would need to go door to door to talk with Democrats.
Ted also suggested having social events for the precinct people to help make it fun for people to be precinct committee people. These events would help foster a sense of community. Lois Petersen described the social event that the JC Dems and Sheridan County Dems ran during the summer. Greg Haas suggested small quarterly social events in the county or a precinct.
Ted said we need a ground game at the precinct level over a number of years to be successful and we can’t count on the National or Wyoming Democratic Parties to do this for us.

Platform/Position Paper on Top Five Priorities:

Dudley Case suggested health care in Johnson County as a priority. Vikki Chenette suggested economic issues since coal plants are closing and people are losing their jobs. Vikki Chenette volunteered to write a draft paper on a few platform issues that are important in Johnson County.

Announcements from the Floor:

Mitch Black bought some books to hand out such as, “On Tyranny”, “Plot to Destroy Democracy” and “Our Endangered Values”.

Upcoming Meetings:

December 7 in Room 108 of the Bomber Mountain Building. Craig Cope will be speaking. Lois Petersen said she will write one or two sentences on Craig’s topic and send it out to JC Dems.

January 4, 2022 will be a business meeting.

Adjournment:

Greg Haas adjourned the meeting at 8:10 pm.




Minutes August 3, 2021

Johnson County Democratic Party
Guest Speaker/Business Meeting
August 3, 2021

Meeting was called to order at 7:00 pm by Greg Haas, Chair.

Attendance in person: Linda Wilson, Jim Shell, Dudley Case, Sharon Case, Bill McIntyre, Suzi Black, Greg Haas, Vikki Chenette

Secretary Report:

The June 1, 2021 minutes were adopted without any changes.

Treasurer Report:

Greg Haas reported that he hasn’t gotten the income and expense numbers on the Kearney Hall event yet, so he will call the Sheridan County Democratic Party. There were more than 100 people at the event. The JC Dems did get a thank you card from the Sheridan County Dems for our $200 donation towards the event expenses.

Suzi Black reported that there is $1,971.67 in the bank account.

Chair Announcements:

Greg Haas reported that he attended the Wyoming Democratic State Central Committee meeting. A number of initiatives were discussed at the meeting. First, there was a discussion about creating a resolution to enable the Wind River Reservation to have county rights. They would need to form their own caucus, if they chose to do that instead. Second, there was discussion about voter registration and the need to help high school seniors and people released from prison to register to vote. Third, there was an offer to help people become Notary Publics. There is now a test to become a Notary Public. Fourth, there was discussion about helping county Democrats with goal setting. Fifth, there was discussion about having listening sessions to which state senators and representatives would be invited. Sixth, there was discussion about finding candidates for future elections. Seventh, there was discussion about getting Democratic precinct committee people onto the primary ballots. Eighth, there was discussion about changing the Democratic State Party Bylaws’ language away from gender binary language. Ninth, there was an announcement that Democratic Party staffers are now unionized with the International Association of Electrical Worker (IAEW). Tenth, there was recognition that this year’s budget exceeds projected revenues. Eleventh, there was an announcement that Wyoming met all the criteria for a red state such that the Wyoming Democratic Party could receive extra election monies.

Greg Haas will work on finding out the filing date for precinct committee people to get on the primary ballot.

Dudley Case reported that tomorrow, August 4th, there will be election judge training in the County Courthouse at 9:00 am and 1:00 pm. Suzi Black and Dudley Case will be attending the 9:00 am session.

Old Business:

The Kearney Hall event was previously discussed under the Chair Announcements.

New Business:

The special election will be held on August 17th. According to a new law that went into effect on July 1, 2021, all voters will need to present a photo ID. Voters can vote between now and August 17th by absentee ballot or by voting in person at the courthouse.

Greg Haas asked for a volunteer to be present at the testing of the voting equipment on Friday, August 6th at 9:30 am at the courthouse. Dudley Case volunteered.

Greg Haas led a discussion of the special election sales tax increase, including where members heard about and read about the election issue. It was the general opinion of the group that the JC Dems should not take a position on this election issue.

Jim Shell announced that he and his wife would hold a potluck dinner at their house on Friday, August 27th from 5 to 8 pm. Their address is 224 S. Lobban Avenue, which is near the movie theater.

Bill McIntyre said that the next JC Dems luncheon would probably be held in October.

Adjournment:

Linda Wilson made a motion to adjourn, and Suzi Black seconded the motion. Motion passed and meeting was adjourned at 8:12 pm.




Minutes, June 1, 2021

Johnson County Democratic Party
Guest Speaker/Business Meeting
June 1, 2021
DRAFT minutes

Meeting was called to order at 7:00 pm by Greg Haas, Chair.

Attendance in person: Mitch Black, Suzi Black, Vikki Chenette, Jim Shell, Bill McIntyre, Lois Petersen, Rachel Wear, Shannon Anderson, David Romtvedt, Mary Fowlkes, Tom Spencer, Sharon Case, Dudley Case, Greg Haas

Attendance online: None

Introduction of Guest Speaker:

Greg Haas introduced the guest speaker, Shannon Anderson, who is the staff attorney for the Powder River Basin Resource Council (PRBRC).

Guest Presentation:

Shannon said that her organization is a grassroots organization that mainly does organizing work and litigation in five main areas: oil and gas, coal, uranium & the nuclear fuel cycle, agriculture & local foods, and renewable energy.

Shannon then gave a twenty-minute slide show presentation covering these five main areas. At the end of the presentation Shannon answered questions from the audience.

Shannon then announced another upcoming PRBRC webinar which is part of the Reclaiming & Growing Wyoming’s Future webinar series that continues on Tuesday, June 8, 11:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m. with “Resources & Opportunities of the New Economy.”

This webinar will explore tools available to support sustainable community development.

Speakers Jay Stender of The WY Ranch (and formerly of Forward Sheridan), Kelli Roemer with the Resources and Communities Research Group at Montana State University in Bozeman, Montana, and Josh Dorrell and Ron Gullberg from the Wyoming Business Council will address various aspects of attracting and retaining economic development to communities.

This webinar will be helpful for community planners, local government officials and anyone interested in starting a business. The webinar will be moderated by Wyoming State Representative Chad Banks from Sweetwater County.

Secretary Report:

Greg Haas asked if there were any changes to be made to the minutes of the May 4th meeting. Hearing none, the minutes were approved.

Treasurer Report:

Suzi Black stated that the party had received another check from Act Blue for about $24.

Old Business:

May 19th JC Dems Luncheon – Bill McIntyre

The luncheon was held at the Par and Grill restaurant at the Buffalo Golf Course. Six people attend the luncheon and several topics were discussed.

The next luncheon will take place in September.

Sheridan County/JC County Dems June 26 picnic update – Lois Petersen

The picnic will be held at the Kearney Hall in Banner from 4 to 8 pm. Joe Barbuto, the WDP Chair, will be attending and perhaps playing some music. Tacos, drinks, chips and dips will be available. If you attend, please bring a dish to pass around. Please let Lois Petersen know what you are bringing.

There will be a live band and dancing. A $10 donation is being asked for anyone over 13 years of age.

Volunteers are needed for set up, clean up and kitchen work. Greg Haas, Vikki Chenette and Bill McIntyre volunteered for set up. Set up will be from 1 to 4 pm and clean-up will be from about 7:30 to 9:00 pm. If you wish to volunteer, please contact Lois Petersen.

If you can, please bring a table and chairs, so we don’t have to rent these items. Silent auction and raffle items are also needed, and Lois Petersen is collecting these items.

Greg Haas will ask precinct chairs to call precinct members and let them know of this event and also ask them for their email addresses.

New Business:

July 6 meeting. After some discussion, Vikki Chenette made a motion that we should skip having a July meeting. Lois Petersen seconded the motion. Motion passed.

Dudley Case said he has finished calling the Precinct 3-8 members, telling them of this meeting and the June 26 picnic. Greg Haas complemented Dudley on all his calling to precinct members.

Greg Haas said that other party members can email to the listserv, so that not all the communications are coming just from himself.

Adjournment:

The meeting was adjourned at 8:00 pm.




Minutes May 4, 2021

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.




Minutes April 6, 2021

Johnson County Democratic Party
Business Meeting
April 6, 2021

Meeting was called to order at 7:03 pm by Greg Haas, Chair.

Attendance in person: Greg Haas, Dudley Case, Sharon Case, Lois Petersen, Jim Shell
Attendance online: Trudy Wolf, Bill McIntryre, Vikki Chenette, Mitch Black, Rachel Wear, Mary Van Auken

Greg lead group in Pledge of Allegiance.

Greg asked if Agenda needed to be amended. It did not need to be amended.

Treasurer’s Report – Jim Shell for Suzi Black

As of the March 2 meeting there was $1,669.59 in the bank account. In March $73.00 in donations were received. As of April 6, there is $1,742.59 in the bank account.

Greg Haas mentioned that he has $100 from anonymous cash donors that hasn’t been deposited yet.

Secretary’s Report – Dudley Case

The minutes for the March 20, 2021 Election of Officers and Precinct Committeemen and Committeewomen were approved.

Minutes for the March 2, 2021 Business Meeting were approved.

Chair Announcements –

Greg Haas stated that he has become a Notary Public, which might come in handy if we pursue voter registration drives as a public service.

Old Business –

Elections – Greg Haas

At the March 20 meeting the JC Democratic Party elected the following officers:

Chair – Greg Haas
Vice Chair – Mary Van Auken
Secretary – Dudley Case
Treasurer – Suzi Black
State Committeeman – Bill McIntyre
State Committeewoman – Lois Petersen

Also, at this meeting the following people were elected for precinct committeeman and committeewoman for their respective precincts:

Precinct 3-1 – Lois Petersen
Precinct 3-2 – Mitch and Suzi Black
Precinct 3-6 – Greg Haas and Mary Van Auken
Precinct 4-7 – Dudley Case and Vikki Chenette
Precinct 6-10 – Bill McIntyre
Precinct 10-15 – Linda Wilson

Party Luncheons – Bill McIntyre

The March luncheon was held at the Bozeman Trail Steakhouse in Buffalo on March 24 at noon and ten members attended the luncheon. Jim Shell and Bill McIntyre both brought topics to discuss.

The April luncheon will be held at the Par & Grill at the Buffalo Golf Course on Wednesday, April 21 at noon. Bill asked that members bring a topic to discuss.

Jim Shell offered to host a get together during the summer.

Precinct Highlights – Dudley Case

Thirty-six members were called in Precinct 4-8. Six of the phone numbers were incorrect on the list. Dudley talked to eight members and left voice messages for eighteen members. Four members had no answering machines.

One member told Dudley that Cloud Peak Drive needs repair work because the sides of the road are collapsing. Another member said Hemlock Street needs to be paved because of the amount of dust being kicked up by truck traffic.

One member would like to have an environmental activist for a speaker at one of the party meetings.

Several members said they don’t live in Wyoming in the winter so they would be unable to attend winter meetings. Several members volunteered their email addresses.

Greg Haas asked that members volunteer to call precinct members in their precinct.

New Business –

Greg suggested that we go to quarterly business meetings and that the other two meetings each quarter be more informal. Such meetings might be devoted to reviewing books and movies or having a guest speaker at each meeting.

Lois Petersen made a motion to schedule quarterly business meetings and get guest speakers for the other two meetings each quarter, and that the May meeting be a business meeting and that we get guest speakers for the June and July meetings. Dudley Case seconded the motion. After some discussion about when to start having guest speakers because of the COVID pandemic, the motion was passed.

Greg Haas said that the WDP has training for writing letters-to-the-editor. If you are interested contact Greg.

Announcements from the Floor:

Lois Petersen said she had spoken with a member of the Sheridan Democratic Party (Kris) about possibly having a joint rock and roll band concert and/or dance with them on Saturday June 26 at a local hall. The general consensus was that Lois should follow up with the Sheridan party and get some more information about the location, food, costs, etc.

Dudley stated that the signature paperwork for the party’s bank account is ready to be signed by Greg Haas and Suzi Black. Dudley has already signed the paperwork.

Next Business Meeting –

Tuesday, May 4 at 7:00 pm.

The meeting was adjourned at 7:56 pm.




Minutes March 20, 2021 – Elections

Johnson County Democratic Party
March 20, 2021
County Officer Elections

Called to order at 10:24am.

In attendance: Greg Haas, Lois Petersen, Jim Shell, Bill McIntyre, Mary VanAuken, Mitch Black, Suzie Black, Dudley Case, Tara McClatchey, Mike McClatchey, Linda Wilson, Trudy Wolfe, and Vikki Chenette.

Announcements:
Lois shared facts related to the 2020 election for WY Dems to be proud of.

  • 1st time we have a blue county in WY: Teton County
  • Teton County now has more D’s than R’s as registered voters.
  • 16 Dem women ran for state house or senate
  • 6000+ new registered dems in WY
  • More Dems ran than ever before
  • 31% increase in voters in 2 years
  • 73,445 WY voters voted for Biden
  • 13 Dems were elected to town/county positions
  • 21 dems were elected to school boards
  • Albany County tipped very light blue for the Presidential election.

Guest, Johnson County Clerk Vicki Edelman, addressed the group regarding the voting process here in Johnson County and thanked all of the county workers and poll judges who made election integrity their number one priority. She noted that the Johnson County Republicans adopted a resolution regarding election integrity that apparently suggested a hint of fraud within this state and country. Several attendees spoke up, having been poll workers and judges, to compliment Vicki and the process in place here in Johnson County that assures a fair election in this community.

Election of Officers
Nominations, seconds and votes were taken to elect the Johnson County Democratic Party Officers. All were elected for two-year terms. The results are as follows:

Chair: Greg Haas
Vice Chair: Mary Van Auken
Secretary: Dudley Case
Treasurer: Suzi Black
State Committeeman: Bill McIntyre
State Committeewoman: Lois Petersen

Further Announcements:
Bill McIntyre announced and invited everyone to an informal Luncheon Forum at noon on Wed., March 24, at the Bozeman Trail Steakhouse – a social event for JC Dems to come together, meet each other, and talk about issues they may have in common. Each person will buy their own lunch off the full menu. Please come and, to help know how many to plan for, please contact Bill McIntyre at 307-267-0775 to reserve a seat.

The next regular meeting of the JC Dems will be on Tues., April 6th at 7 pm. All are encouraged to attend.

Meeting adjourned at 11:33