PCD-CC Minutes 1/09

POLK COUNTY DEMOCRATS CENTRAL COMMITTEE MINUTES

January 8, 2009

Christ's Church, Monmouth, Oregon

Acting Chair Alan Holland called the meeting to order at 7:10 p.m. and introduced the officers.

PRESENT FOR THE BUSINESS MEETING: Officers: Alan Holland (Acting Chair), Lani Kirby (Vice Chair), Fred Brown (Treasurer), and Beth Fleisher (Secretary). Fritz Ulrich, Sue Olmstead, Ron Dodge, Jackie Pierce, Suzi Price, Gloria Holland, Joanne Timshel, Kathy Smits, Walt Dawson, Clara Dawson, and David King. Also attending were Matt Buche (Co-Chair,WOU Progressive Student Alliance (PSA)) and Alicia Davis (Treasurer,WOU PSA).

Alan called for a Motion to Amend or Modify the Agenda. So moved and seconded; Motion passed.

MINUTES: Minutes of the December 10, 2008 Central Committee Meeting were presented. Walt Dawson moved for approval; it was seconded, Motion passed.

FINANCIAL REPORT: Treasurer Fred Brown advised that he was not able to make a full Treasurer's report, because he had not received the financial materials from past-Treasurer Linda Williams due to an illness in her family. He reported that the Central Committee has about $2000 as far as he is aware. A full report will be available at a later date.

STANDING COMMITTEES:

Alan asked the members to consider serving on the Standing Committees as committee chairs, and encouraged everyone that there is much work to be done and that we need people to work on fundraisers and festivals.

Beth encouraged people to not be afraid of volunteering and getting involved, and pledged to not only recruit volunteers, but to train them; and to provide adequate support for events so that no one was working alone on any event or festival shift.

Alan advised people to contact the past committee chairs, or another member to get involved.

ELECTION OF NEW PCPs:

Alan called for the election of new PCPs for currently unfilled precincts, and gave the requirements to so serve: The person shall have attended two consecutive Central Committee Meetings, and be elected by a majority vote of elected PCPs present.

The following people were nominated or volunteered to serve:

Fred Brown - Precinct #162

Gloria Holland - Precinct #146

Joanne Timshel - Precinct #118

Kathy Smits moved that these nominees be accepted as PCPs, it was seconded; Motion passed.

GOAL SETTING:

2009 Goals were brainstormed and discussed:

Recruiting - Volunteers and Members
1. Diversity
2. WOU Progressive Student Alliance
Voter Registration
Fund Raising: Goal: $15,000.
Legislative Record Comparison (Record vs. DPO Platform)
Community festival involvement.

Joanne Timshel moved, and it was seconded, to approve these goals as presented; Motion passed.

IDEAS FOR PRESENTATIONS:

The following ideas for presentations during the first 45 minutes of CC Meetings were brainstormed, and Alan instructed that they be fully listed in the Minutes for the meeting:

Land Use
Local Community Topic
Town Hall Meeting sponsorship
Healthcare reform
Greg Diamond
Training for PCPs
Wyden Town Hall
Schrader Town Hall
Stan Butterfield
Jim Thompson
Agricultural Industry - local
Chancellor's Office: College costs
Social Security/Medicare -- Steve Novick
Education/No Child Left Behind - Chemeketa's current President

IDEAS FOR FUNDRAISERS:

The following ideas for fundraisers were brainstormed, and Alan instructed that they be fully listed in the Minutes for the meeting:

Pentacle Theater - Wednesday, July 15, 2009
Tax Credit mailing
Joint Event with Benton County
Winery event
Buena Vista Dinner/Auction - Alan will Chair
Wine Tour with Steve Evans (Jim Gallagher has a bus and might do tour)
Lower-cost, more accessible Dinner & Silent Auction
Airlie Winery - Kathy Smits and Joanne Timshel will Co-Chair
Sustaining Donations - automatic, monthly

BUDGET: The proposed Budget for 2009 was presented for discussion and the Meeting considered particularly the following items:

Expense line item of $2,000 for computers and a projector
Expense line item for $240 for Child Care
- Child care during the CC meetings to foster participation by young families
Expense line item for $500
- For Travel for Delegates to State Central Committee
- To make it possible for those who are not wealthy to attend

Fred Brown suggested amending the Budget by deleting the $2,000 line item for Computers.

Suzi Price suggested amending the Budget by inserting a new Expense line item for Fairs and Festivals of $450, which had been inadvertently omitted.

Effect of Amendments: A net Decrease in Expenses of $1,550.00.

Fred Brown moved to accept the Budget as amended, Ron Dodge seconded; Motion passed.

NATIONAL DAY OF SERVICE:

Beth presented the EC's proposed National Day of Service Event to celebrate President-Elect Obama's Inaugural, in keeping with his call for service to honor the lifetime of service of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. The event is to be a Highway Cleanup along Hwy. 22 at the Rickreall Interchange, Sunday, January 18^th, beginning at 1:00 p.m. and lasting until approximately 4:30 p.m., with a fellowship and fun get-together for all participating volunteers following the cleanup. This will be a joint event with the WOU PSA.

The membership agreed by consensus to support this event. Members were encouraged to sign up.

NEW CC MEETING DATE:

Alan presented the EC's recommendation to change the CC Meeting date so it would not interfere with the Progressive Film Festival in Salem, nor other surrounding county CC meeting times. The proposal was thoroughly discussed, with possible dates suggested in a brainstorming session:

1^st Tuesday
1^st Thursday
4^th Tuesday
3^rd Tuesday
4^th Thursday

After more discussion, the members decided by consensus that Alan should investigate available dates and places, make a decision, and announce/advise of the result.

The meeting was adjourned at 9:00 pm.

Submitted by:

Beth A. Fleisher, Secretary

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PCD-CC Minutes 2/09

POLK COUNTY DEMOCRATS CENTRAL COMMITTEE MINUTES

February 3, 2009

Alternate Location: Walery's Pizza, Salem, Oregon

Acting Chair Alan Holland called the meeting to order at 7:10 p.m.

PRESENT FOR THE BUSINESS MEETING: Officers: Alan Holland (Acting Chair), Lani Kirby (Vice Chair), Fred Brown (Treasurer), and Beth Fleisher (Secretary). Fritz Ulrich, Ron Dodge, Jason Brown, and Aaron Felton were also present. Tom Ferron attended as a visitor.

MINUTES: Minutes of the January 8, 2009 Central Committee Meeting were presented for approval. Moved and seconded; Motion passed.

AGENDA: Alan announced that given the small turnout, he would dispense with some committee reports.

NATIONAL DAY OF SERVICE: Report and Volunteer Appreciation. Alan applauded all the volunteers who turned out for the Highway Cleanup Event for the National Day of Service - 34 volunteers worked on the highway cleanup, bagging 47 bags of garbage, and another 3 volunteers - led by Sue Olmstead - provided a wonderful dinner for all the volunteers after the work was done. Alan also commended Beth Fleisher and Fred Brown for all of their work in recruiting volunteers and organizing the event.

FINANCIAL REPORT: Treasurer Fred Brown advised that he has not received any of the books from Linda yet, so is unsure of the current account balance. Alan Holland advised that the last figure he had from Linda was $1,500.00, not including the outstanding $500.00 check to Pentacle Theater for the July fundraiser event.

DPO CONFERENCE CALL REPORT: Alan reported on the recent conference call with the Democratic Party of Oregon. Apparently, there has been a problem getting the volunteer contact information from the Obama campaign, and Trent Lott will be following up on that. Beth Fleisher commented that our local Obama Field Coordinator, Daniel Tawfik, had made the Google document list of volunteers available to her, and said that we could use it.

Alan also reported that the DPO recommended each county party have a Monthly Day of Service, similar to the recent National Day of Service, and the DPO announced themes for each of the months. The two main reasons are to get more Democrats registered and, therefore, more votes; and also to raise money for the DPO. However, all criteria does not have to apply to all events. The themes are also just suggestions, not mandatory.

Alan said that we could continue to do the Hwy. 22 Cleanup. Lani added that we could also do other projects, and that the DPO encouraged counties to do more.

STATE CENTRAL COMMITTEE MEETING: Alan announced that the State Central Committee Meeting will be held March 15, 2009, in Albany, at the Linn-Benton Community College.

UPDATE ON CC MEETING PROGRAMS:

Lani presented an update on monthly programs, and these were thoroughly discussed.

After discussion, a final calendar was agreed upon by consensus:

MEETING	PROGRAM	PCD TO CONFIRM
March	Bailey Payne: Waste Reduction/Recycling	Alan
April	Archimedes Project Speaker	Lani - firm
May	Jim Thompson	Fred?
June	Stan Butterfield	Fred?
July	Val Unger, Polk County Clerk	Alan?
August	Oregon Dept. of Education speaker	Alan?
September	PCP Training by DPO	Alan?
October	Peter Courtney	Alan?
November	Ron Dodge	Firm
December	Holiday Party	Firm

STANDING COMMITTEES

AND VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES:

Beth presented recruiting and volunteer strategies, reassuring the group that we will have the necessary volunteers for campaigns if we begin now to employ effective recruitment strategies:

"Each One, Reach One," a process encouraging every person currently involved to invite their friends and neighbors to our programs/meetings as a way of broadening our base, and also our volunteer pool
Monthly volunteer opportunities essential to keep volunteers active and engaged prior to election cycle
Challenge: 5 hours of volunteer time per person per month as minimum
Make CC meetings more interesting and enjoyable so they can be used as outreach tool
- Populate and Activate Standing Committees and Empower them to explore ideas and conduct thorough discussions, reaching a Committee Decision, and then reporting to the full CC - thus cutting down on time spent on business minutia discussions at CC meetings
- Give Program Speakers more time, business meeting less time
- Provide a short break between Program and Business Meeting so those who want to leave can do so without guilt and without disrupting meeting.

After discussion, these suggestions were agreed upon by consensus. Beth will present them to the March CC Meeting.

PCD EVENTS/FUNDRAISERS:

Alan asked for input regarding fundraisers/events.

Ron Dodge strongly urged that PCDs consider the Polk County Fair as the most important event of the year, as it provides an important outreach to lots of people who attend the fair. Ron will call Jack Straus about working on it.
Pentacle Theater - Fred Brown to organize. Fred and Beth will discuss organizing a phone bank to boost attendance and to get volunteers.
Wine Tour with Steve Evans - Alan will call Steve.
The Independence Mexican Festival, 1^st weekend in September, was added to the list of fairs, as an important opportunity for visibility and recruitment in the Latino community.

These suggestions were agreed upon by consensus.

ADDITIONAL AGENDA ITEMS:

Consideration of Election of Chair - Tabled, by consensus, until March 3^rd meeting.
Consideration of having leadership work/planning meeting - Consensus decision that this is unnecessary; Deleted.
Presentation of PCD Calendar of activities and programs - to be kept updated on web page.
PCP Recruitment: Lani Kirby, Fred Brown, Fritz Ulrich to be reported to Val Unger, County Clerk - Consensus to do so (Beth).
Discussion of Carpooling to CC meetings - Tabled, by consensus, for March 3^rd meeting.

ONE MEETING PLACE: The Executive Committee presented the suggestion that if we want to achieve greater involvement and more unity in the Polk County Democrats, a single meeting place for monthly meetings, attended by all, would greatly facilitate that aim.

With the current practice of two meeting places, one in Monmouth and one in West Salem, we effectively have two, separate PCDs - not one unified PCD. This halves our effectiveness now and during the election cycle.
Although in theory everyone can attend every meeting, many - most - people only attend the meeting closest to where they live.
Agenda items are effectively discussed and voted on by only half of the PCDs, although the entire group is bound by their decision.
The current practice of two meeting places, as presented on the web page, is very confusing for potential new attendees - they have to not only figure out when and where the meeting is, they have to think about whether it's an odd month or even month and two separate meeting locations.

After discussion, it was decided by consensus that:

The Executive Committee's comments were well taken.
The Executive Committee should investigate possible locations for a single meeting place and report back to the CC Meeting for further discussion. Suggestions included:
- Independence Library
- Rickreall Grange
- Vineyard Church Multi-use Building
The target for instituting such a change to a single meeting place would be sometime after July 2009.

FOR THE GOOD OF THE ORDER:

Lani Kirby reported about an organization called Blue Oregon, whose mission is to provide training for Democratic women who want to run for office. For more information, Google their website or email: contact@emergeamerica.org.

The meeting was adjourned at 8:45 pm.

Submitted by:

Beth A. Fleisher, Secretary

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PCD-CC Minutes 3/09

POLK COUNTY DEMOCRATS CENTRAL COMMITTEE MINUTES

March 3, 2009

Christ's Church * Monmouth, Oregon

Vice Chair Lani Kirby called the meeting to order at 7:05 p.m.

INTRODUCTION OF VISITORS: Lani introduced Mayor John McArdle of Independence, our program speaker for the evening. She also introduced John Maluski, Chair of the Marion County Democrats, and Cindy Kimball, also from the Marion County Democrats, who announced the MCD Annual Auction, invited Polk County Dems to attend and donate items for the silent auction, and explained the donation process.

PROGRAM: Mayor John McArdle of Independence held an informal conversation with those attending about the vision for increased economic development in Independence; plans for improving infrastructure, particularly roads; and joint projects between Independence and Monmouth that are benefiting both communities, such as the Minet Cable project. The information he provided was encouraging and his comments were well received by those who attended.

PRESENT FOR THE BUSINESS MEETING: Officers: Lani Kirby (Vice Chair), Fred Brown (Treasurer), and Beth Fleisher (Secretary). Lisanne Pearcy, Kathy Smits, Jackie Pierce, Ron Dodge, Clay Morod, Rob Breyer, Sue Olmstead, Timothe Seelbach and Peter Wells also attended.

AGENDA: Lisanne moved that the Agenda be accepted; seconded; Motion passed.

MINUTES: Minutes of the February 3, 2009 Central Committee Meeting were presented for approval. Kathy Smits moved they be approved; seconded; Motion passed.

FINANCIAL REPORT: Treasurer Fred Brown reported that he does not have the books from Linda Williams yet, so is unable to provide a report at this time. He announced that he has purchased a table for the Marion County Auction and has tickets available for purchase. He also reminded everyone of the Pentacle Theater Fundraiser on Wednesday, July 15^th, with tickets $20.00 each. Ticket packets will be available at the next CC Meeting, and he will attend the Marion County CC Meeting to advertise the event.

STANDING COMMITTEES

AND VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES:

Beth reported on Standing Committees and the important opportunities for PC Dems to serve on these critical working committees for the good of the organization. She explained that having a functioning Standing Committee structure is crucial if:
- we want to be prepared to run the various fundraisers and fair events over the summer months,
- and if we want to have things in place to be effective for Democratic candidates in the next election cycle.
She challenged members to commit to five (5) hours of volunteerism for PC Dems each month, and discussed some of the specific opportunities.
She encouraged each person to invite friends, family and neighbors to the CC Meetings and to get involved.
Beth also explained that the EC had been directed by the February CC Meeting to implement the EC proposal of shortening the business meeting portion of the monthly CC Meetings, allowing more time for the program/speaker and also for a 15-minute break between the program and the business meeting. However, in order to do that and still move forward with the business of the organization, the Standing Committees need to be populated and then function on an ongoing basis to thoroughly consider, discuss, and make proposals on items in their respective arenas, which will then be brought to the CC Meeting in BRIEF FORM for approval
Vice Chair Lani Kirby explained about the signup sheets for each Standing Committee and each fundraiser and event that were hung around the room, with marking pens attached, so that everyone could sign up for those events they wanted to volunteer for. (Thanks to Lani for making all of the posters and putting them up!)
The last 15 minutes of the Meeting will be utilized for signups.

FIFTH CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT REPORT: Sue Olmstead reported on the meeting of the 5^th Congressional District Committee.

Committee Vacancies:
- There is a delegate needed for the Finance Committee.
- There is also a delegate needed for the Rules Committee.
- A Second Alternate isneeded for the Platform and Resolutions Committee.
5^th Congressional District needs funds.
- Asked each county democratic party to give $50-$100.

After discussion, the group decided by consensus to table action on the request for funds until the April CC Meeting.

PROCESS AND RULES COMMITTEE: Lisanne Pearcy reported that the Process and Rules Committee was working on some changes and proposed rules, and would probably be able to bring those before the CC at the May meeting.

ELECTION OF CHAIR: Lani announced that there would be an Election held for Chair of the Polk County Democrats at the April meeting.

She explained that Alan Holland, Acting Chair, had requested of the Executive Committee that an election now be held, which was postponed previously because there were no volunteers for Chair and no nominations made.
Alan has continued to serve because of the Bylaws' provision that the prior officer is to continue to serve until a new officer is elected.
Lani further explained that Alan has said if no one else wants to serve as Chair, he would be willing to continue; however, if someone else would like to serve as Chair, he would be happy to turn the reins over to him or her.
She encouraged anyone interested in the position of Chair to attend the April CC meeting, and for those present to let missing members know about the election.

DPO DAYS OF ACTION PROJECT: Beth proposed a Food Canvassing Project to support local food banks be undertaken as one of the DPO Days of Action projects by PC Dems. This project would be ongoing, and would take place each month, EXCEPT FOR months in which the Highway Cleanup Project takes place.

This project would include two main thrusts:
- Door-to-door canvassing
- Donation collection locations, possibly at local grocery stores or other locations.

After discussion, it was decided by consensus to table this matter for the April CC Meeting.

CARPOOLING: Lani discussed the need for carpooling for the CC Meetings, stating that some members were unable to drive at night to attend the meetings when they were not in their own city, and even sometimes when they were. She asked that all members be sensitive to those who might appreciate a ride to the meetings, and to offer. She also encouraged anyone who would like a ride to let one of the Executive Committee officers know and it would be arranged.

The meeting was suspended at 8:45 pm to allow members to sign up for Standing Committees, fundraisers and events.

The meeting was adjourned at 9:00 p.m.

Submitted by:

Beth A. Fleisher, Secretary

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PCD-CC Minutes 4/09

POLK COUNTY DEMOCRATS CENTRAL COMMITTEE MINUTES

April 7, 2009

Salem Electric Building * Salem, Oregon

Acting Chair Alan Holland called the meeting to order at 6:59 p.m.

INTRODUCTION OF VISITORS: Chris Brantley, Candidate for Salem/Keizer School Board, and Dr. Mike Grady, of the Archimedes Movement.

PROGRAM: Lani introduced the evening's program speaker, Dr. Mike Grady, Archimedes Movement, who spoke regarding, "Health Care Reform in the 21^st Century." Dr. Grady presented a comprehensive, thoughtful and thought-provoking view of health care challenges both in Marion County and in Oregon; and also in the nation as a whole. It is no surprise that Archimedes Movement research finds that there are many millions of uninsured and underinsured Americans, who do not have access to viable health care under the existing system. However, while Dr. Grady laid out the case for health care reform in a very fact-based format, he did not stop there. He also shared some of the possibilities for change in health care delivery, and that was very encouraging and inspiring. After the presentation, the Central Committee and guests were clearly engaged with this topic, and asked many questions related to health care reform, which Dr. Grady answered.

Because of time constraints, Dr. Grady significantly condensed a much longer and more detailed presentation to fit the time he was allocated at our meeting. Given the enthusiastic and engaged reception he received by the Polk County Dems, Lani Kirby suggested it might be a good idea to bring him back sometime in the future, and allow time for the entire presentation.

MR. CHRIS BRANTLEY, Candidate for School Board, was recognized to address the meeting. He spoke about his commitment to quality education for all children. He is involved with the Stand For Children Group, which considers and advocates for how schools should work to meet the needs of all kids. He had campaign literature and donation envelopes available on the front table for anyone who was interested.

BREAK

BUSINESS MEETING

CALLED TO ORDER: Alan Holland, Acting Chair, called the business meeting to order at 8:25 p.m.

PRESENT FOR THE BUSINESS MEETING: Officers: Alan Holland (Acting Chair), Lani Kirby (Vice Chair), Fred Brown (Treasurer), and Beth Fleisher (Secretary). Lisanne Pearcy, Jackie Pierce, Ron Dodge, Sue Olmstead, Gloria Holland, Dale Derouin, Lois Derouin, Fritz Ulrich, Walt Lawson, Peter Wells and Jason Brown also attended. Phil Halverson, Bev Halverson, Chris Brantley, and Shawn Range attended as visitors.

AGENDA: The Agenda was amended to add Fritz Ulrich. Lani moved that the Agenda be accepted as amended; seconded; Motion passed.

MINUTES: Minutes of the March 3, 2009 Central Committee Meeting were presented for approval. Fred moved they be approved; Jason seconded; Motion passed.

CONSIDERATION OF ELECTION OF CHAIR:

Lisanne Pearcy was present as the representative from the Process and Rules Committee to conduct the election of Chair. After a short orientation of the process - that only PCPs could vote - nominations were opened.

Jason Brown was nominated and accepted the nomination.

Lani Kirby was nominated and declined the nomination.

Beth Fleisher was nominated and accepted the nomination.

Alan Holland volunteered his name for nomination; then he was nominated from the floor and accepted the nomination.

The slate of nominees, therefore, were:

Jason Brown

Beth Fleisher

Alan Holland

Jason Brown asked Lisanne if it would be appropriate to allow for candidates to give a brief statement. This was deemed appropriate, and each candidate was allowed to speak to the CC for 2-3 minutes, with Fritz Ulrich serving as timer.

Following the presentations, there was a round of questioning of each of the candidates.

Since it was a contested election, voting was done by secret ballot. Jackie Pierce suggested that Lisanne recuse herself from the counting, which Lisanne agreed to do. Thereupon, Sue Olmstead and Walt Dawson counted the ballots.

After the first round of voting, no candidate had received a majority. Beth Fleisher had the least votes in the first round and was eliminated.

The following candidates were still in the running:

Jason Brown

Alan Holland

After the second round of voting, Alan Holland was announced the winner of a majority of the votes of PCPs present, there being 12 total present eligible to vote, and was presented as the newly elected Chair.

COMMITTEE REPORTS:

Fred reported that he had packets of tickets for the Pentacle Theater fundraiser, and that anyone who wanted to sell tickets should see him after the meeting.

Alan read a letter from Peter DeFazio to the assembly.

MOTION TO POSTPONE BALANCE OF AGENDA:

Gloria Holland moved that given the lateness of the hour (approximately 9:20 p.m.) that the balance of the Agenda be postponed until the next regularly-scheduled CC Meeting. Fritz Ulrich seconded the Motion.

Lisanne Pearcy directed a question to Chair Alan Holland regarding the proposed speaker for June. Out-of-order discussion commenced, while the Motion languished. After several minutes of discussion, it was pointed out that this was inappropriate discussion, because this topic was not on the Agenda for this Meeting; and also because there was a Motion and Second on the floor that had not been voted upon.

The vote on the Motion to Postpone was taken; Motion Passed.

Fred Moved that the meeting be adjourned; Beth seconded it; Motion Passed.

The meeting was adjourned at 9:40 p.m.

Submitted by:

Beth A. Fleisher, Secretary

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PCD-CC Minutes 5/09

Polk County Democrats Central Committee Minutes

May 5, 2009

Christ Church, Monmouth Oregon

Chair Alan Holland introduced Malik Morris, who is running for Polk Co. Fire District #1.

Chair Holland introduced Jon Pugsley, representing US Rep. Kurt Schrader. For information related to Rep. Schrader's position on issues, contact Jon at 503-588-9100 or 1 877-301-5878 or at

Jon.pugsley@mail.house.gov

Chair Alan Holland called the business meeting to order at 8:12 pm. Present: Alan Holland, Gloria Holland, Jason Brown, Lisanne Pearcy, Dick Reynolds, Sharon Reynolds, Lois Deroin, Dale Deroin, Malik Morris, Suzanne Price, Peter Wells.

Lisanne Pearcy moved and it was seconded that the minutes of the April meeting be approved with corrections. Motion passed.

Lisanne Pearcy moved and it was seconded that the February minutes be amended to strike the sentence that said there was a consensus to approve all meeting programs through the year. The motion passed.

Report on DPO Conference Call:

Chair Holland reported that the DPO county chairs send a message that the DPO is desperate for money and would encourage contributions.

Regarding Future Agendas:

Chair Holland explained that three officers of the Polk County Democrat Central Committee have resigned: Vice Chair, Lani Kirby; Secretary, Beth Fleischer; and Treasurer, Fred Brown.

Alan then explained the pros and cons of having opposition party representatives to speak at PCD Central Committee meetings. These points were discussed because the reason for the resignations surrounded an issue involving asking a Republican Representative to speak at a PCD Central Committee meeting.*(See Addendum below) Alan opened the issue to discussion. The Process and Rules Committee will consider this issue at their May 14 meeting, to be held at 6:30 pm at Lisanne Pearcy's home. Please RSVP to Lisanne if you plan to attend.

Request for Survey Help:

Chair Holland asked for volunteers to help Suzi Price with some survey work to determine if there is a better time and place to hold PCD meetings. If anyone is interested in helping, please contact Suzi at 507-606-3176.

Election of Officers:

Lisanne Pearcy nominated Linda Williams for Treasurer. Linda has accepted the nomination in writing.

Linda Williams was elected Treasurer by acclaimation.

Gloria Holland agreed to serve as acting secretary until another person can be found to take the position. Gloria was approved by voice vote with no dissent.

Suzi Price agreed to maintain the Polk County Democrats data base, and was selected to be archivist with access to the Safe Deposit Box.

Jason Brown volunteered to serve as Vice Chair and was elected by voice vote with no dissent.

Alan will contact Truman Price to ask if Truman will serve as newsletter editor.

Jason Brown nominated Peter Wells as 2^nd alternate delegate to the State Central Committee, and Peter accepted. The nomination was accepted by the assembly elected Peter with a voice vote with no dissent.

The Chair will report these election results to the Democratic Party of Oregon, and he will contact Linda Williams, who is absent.

Fundraiser:

Lisanne Pearcy moved and it was seconded that, due to the lack of an organizer for the July 15 Pentacle fundraiser and the small number of tickets sold so far, the Polk Co. CC move the date to October or November. (This would be a different play.)

For the tickets already sold for July 15, we would offer to exchange them for the new performance, refund their purchase price, or convert their purchase price to a donation to the PCDCC. All unsold tickets should be returned to a member of the Executive Committee. The motion passed.

Lisanne offered to be in charge of making the appropriate changes with Pentacle Theater.

Day of Service:

Chair Holland announced that the next day of service - the Highway Litter Patrol will take place on June 28. Volunteers are asked to meet at the Rickreall Fire Hall at 1:00 pm.

Strategic Plan:

Chair Holland requested input be sent to him for consideration of updates to our Strategic Plan for the May 14 Process and Rules Committee meeting.

Good of the Order:

A discussion of local school board candidates was held.

Dick Reynolds moved and it was seconded that we adjourn the meeting. Motion passed. 9:07 pm.

Submitted by acting secretary, Gloria Holland

ADDENDUM TO MINUTES

PROS AND CONS OF OPPOSITION

Party Members speaking at PDCC Meetings

Reasons FOR non-party CC Presentations:

Receptivity to ideas from alternate parties

Welcome opposition points of view

Dialogue with our elected officials

Out reach to non-Dems to join our efforts or Party

Hold opposition officials accountable

Reasons AGAINST non-party CC Presentations:

(All of the above agreed upon and included below, also)

Open the chance for erroneous inference of Party support/endorsement

Get information that is objective and fair (only happens in open forum)

Provide a chance for opposition to claim and document bi-partisanship

Provide a platform for opposition views not otherwise available

Contest opposition views in a public forum

Displace Party business within limited program times.

*The crux of the issue is whether Party meetings are for Party Business to the exclusion of opposition Party presentations. The merits of inter party communication/outreach is NOT in dispute, only if such exchange is best done outside Party meetings.

The Polk Dems Process and Rules subcommittee will deliberate on these and any additional considerations submitted to them May 5 before returning to the CC in June with a proposal to guide the Executive on planning Programs and Events. Please offer suggestions during discussion or submit additional considerations to Timothe Seelbach, timseelbach@msn.com, or 503-581-2869 or Suzi Price at 503-838-5452.

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PCD-CC Minutes 6/09

Polk County Democrats Central Committee Minutes

June 2, 2009, Salem Electric, West Salem

Chair Alan Holland called the meeting to order at 7:00 pm. Present were Alan Holland, Gloria Holland, Jason Brown, Lisanne Pearcy, Kathy Smits, Jackie Pierce, Rich Riggs, Linda Williams, David Papen, Jeanne Deane, Suzi Price, Peter Wells, Timothe Sealbach. Guest: Dave Frum.

Alan Holland introduced Dave Frum from Repower America who asked attendees to keep in touch with their representatives and ask them to vote to pass legislation that is environmentally friendly.

Alan led the committee in the flag salute.

There were some additions to the agenda.

Lisanne Pearcy moved and it was seconded to approve the minutes as amended and submitted. Motion passed.

REPORT FROM THE CHAIR:

Chair Alan Holland reported that a list of current representatives and senators is available at the back table. He encouraged the committee to keep in touch with our local legislators and to keep apprised of the legislation currently going through the legislature.

Alan also gave a brief report on the State Democratic Central Committee meeting that he and Jason Brown attended last week- end in LaGrande. Alan stressed the need to focus on voter registration, and also to get money for all local races. Some money comes from Future Pac, but that money only goes to state house candidates and it doesn't often go to rural candidates. A proposal was made at the State Conference to create our own PAC in the Mid-valley. We will be kept up to date on this idea.

Jason reported further on the Central Committee meeting. There was a great deal of discussion about health care reform, especially in the 5^th District meeting. For more information, go online to earlblumenaur.com or to the Archimedes Project .

The Treasurer's Report was given by Linda Williams. Linda has been absent due to personal circumstances and will be able to offer an accurate treasurer's report at the next CC meeting.

NEW BUSINESS:

Timothe Sealbach, Suzi Price, and Lisanne Pearcy distributed the Meeting and Events Policy 01. Jackie Pierce moved and it was seconded to send the proposal back to the Process and Rules committee for clarification.

Consider adoption of new meeting site and schedule: Suzi Price presented results from a survey she conducted regarding holding meetings at the Polk County Courthouse. The majority were in favor of holding meetings at the Courthouse. (22 out of 27 persons contacted.)

Jason Brown moved and it was seconded that the Polk County Central Committee meet the first Thursdays in Dallas on odd numbered months and explore options for a new meeting place in West Salem on first Thursdays on even numbered months. Motion passed. David Papen abstained.

Timothe called the question. Motion passed.

Suzi asked for clarification of the motion, wanting to know what to tell the Polk County scheduler. She was advised to tell her that we will meet at the courthouse every month. It will be easier to cancel than to try to get the room after it has been cancelled.

Lisanne suggested that we keep the Bill Bradbury date and venue the general concensus. same and hold the PCD business meeting in Dallas on the first Thursday of July. The suggestion was accepted by general concensus.

July meetings:

Thursday, July 2, Polk County Dems CC meeting.

6:30 pm. County Courthouse, Dallas, Oregon

Tuesday, July 7, Former Secretary of State, Bill Bradbury will speak on "Climate Change"

6:30 pm. Christ Church, Clay and Whitman Streets, Monmouth, Oregon

VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES:

Alan distributed a sign-up sheet for various activities, which are coming up during the summer. Jason Brown volunteered to organize the July 4^th parade activity.

See below for a list of volunteer opportunities.

STRATEGIC PLAN:

Suzi Price presented ideas for the Strategic Plan with an activity. Several ideas were generated so that the committee will be able to go back to committee and develop a plan.

The committee will return during the next meeting to continue the discussion of the Strategic Plan.

ANNOUNCEMENTS:

The next Day of Action is June 13-14, with a theme of Supporting Veterans and their Families. It was suggested that each person who wants to may write a letter to a service person, send a care package, or otherwise support the veterans on a personal level.

The Litter Patrol which had been scheduled for June has been canceled, with committee members encouraged to support the Day of Action.

The Arlie Winery Fundraiser will be held August 15. Alan will contact Kurt Schrader to see if he will be able to come.

Rich Riggs won the door prize.

Rich moved and it was seconded to adjourn. Motion passed. The meeting was adjourned at 9:02 pm.

Minutes taken by Gloria Holland

The following people have signed up to volunteer:

Airlie Winery, August 15 - Kathy Smits, Joanne Timshel

Pentacle Theater Fundraiser - Lisanne Pearcy, Sue Olmstead

Buena Vista House Dinner & silent auction - Alan Holland

Donation Request Mailing - Sue Olmstead

July 4 Western Days Parade and Booth -Peter Wells, Jackie Pierce, Suzi Price, Clay Mood, Alan Holland, Gloria Holland, Jason Brown

July 23-26, Dallas Summerfest - Peter Wells, Sue Olmstead, Jackie Pierce, Clay Morod, Lisanne Pearcy

August 6-9 - Polk County Fair - Ron Dodge, Peter Wells, Sue Olmstead, Jackie Pierce, Clay Morod, Jeanne Deane, Gloria Holland

August 28 - September 7 - Oregon State Fair - Ron Dodge, Jackie Pierce, Sue Olmstead, Peter Wells, Jackie Pierce, Alan Holland, Jeanne Deanne, Gloria Holland

September 25-27 - Independence Hop & Heritage Festival -

September - Independence Mexican Fiesta - Suzi Price

COMMITTEES:

Process & Rules: Lisanne Pearcy, Timothe Seelbach, Suzi Price

Events: Kathy Smits

Communications: Rob Breyer, Clay Morod, Wendy Brokaw

Volunteer Recruitment: Clay Morod, Jackie Pierce

Fundraising: Clay Morod,

Candidate development & Support: Clay Morod

Platform & Legislative Action:

PCD-CC Minutes 7/09

Polk County Democrats Central Committee Minutes

July 2, 2009

Polk County Courthouse, Dallas Oregon

Present: Alan Holland, Linda Williams, Gloria Holland, Timothe Seelbach, Suzi Price, Pat Wheeler, Kathy Smits, Jackie Pierce, Sue Olmstead, David Papen, Ron Dodge, Dale Derouin, Lois Derouin, Rob Breyer, Alyce Perry, Clay Morad, Peter Wells, Jason Brown.

Chair Alan Holland called the meeting to order at 7:01 pm and expressed thanks to Ron Dodge for arranging the council room at the Polk County Courthouse for our meeting.

The agenda was accepted with changes.

Jason Brown moved and it was seconded that the minutes be approved with corrections. Motion Passed.

Chair's Report

Alan expressed frustration and anxiety at not having enough people signed up to participate in various activities during the summer.

Treasurer's Report

Linda Williams gave a brief summary of the PCD account and reported that the budget is being reworked.

Linda read a letter from Gov. Kulongoski asking for money for the Hooley Ed. Fund. Jackie Pierce moved and it was seconded that the Polk Co. Democrats donate $100 to the Darlene Hooley Education Fund for the Oregon National Guard from the PCD Contingency Fund. Motion Passed.

Airlie Winery Event

Kathy Smits reported that Kurt Schrader will possibly attend the event. She distributed tickets for sale, and suggested that participants offer a $5 donation. Tickets will also be available at the door. Date is Saturday, August 15 from 1-4:00 pm. The address is15305 Dunn Forest Road, Monmouth, OR 97361. Food and wine will be for sale, and music will be offered. For more information call.503-838-3189.

Bill Bradbury will present a slide show at Christ Church about climate change on Tuesday, July 11 in Monmouth, beginning at 6:30 pm.

The Democratic Party of Oregon is sponsoring a golf tournament on July 13 to earn money. See Alan Holland about participating.

Suzi Price introduced an activity regarding her coming presentation from the Process and Rules Committee. She asked people to submit ideas about what kinds of things attendees would like to see the Polk County Democrats doing.

Meeting Location:

Jackie Pierce moved and it was seconded that the PCD CC have meetings alternately in Dallas and in West Salem. Motion failed.

Chair Holland then suggested that all future meetings will be held at the Polk County Courthouse.

Discussion:

Single location: Geographic Center, Consistency, County Seat, Historical Precedence, Efficient, Possible gain in membership, Gravitas, Political Resonance, Easier for minorities to attend.

Dual location: Population center, Unfair to those who commute, Larger possible membership, Can still have continuity, Perhaps some loss of membership.

Fairs and Festivals:

Gloria Holland led a discussion regarding participation in upcoming fairs and festivals. A revised schedule is located at the end of these minutes. It was decided to not be involved in this year's Dallas Summerfest, the Mexican Fiesta, and the Independence Hop and Heritage Fair.

Peter Wells moved and it was seconded to nominate Suzi Price and Sue Olmstead as PCP's in Precincts 178 and 154 respectively. Motion passed.

There was a consensus to ask Peter Courtney to speak at a future PCD CC meeting.

Good of the order:

Comm. Ron Dodge reported that Polk County is financially very healthy.

Alan Holland reported that he had attended a town Hall with Jeff Merkeley last week.

Jason Brown announced the upcoming Pentacle Theater Fundraiser.

A brief general discussion among attendees followed.

The next PCD-CC meeting will be held on August 6, 2009 at the Polk County Courthouse in Dallas, Oregon. Social time will begin at 6:30 pm, and the meeting will begin at 7:00 pm.

The meeting ended at 8:58 pm.

Submitted by secretary, Gloria Holland

Addendum: Revised Fair and Festival Schedule

Polk County Fair, August 6,7,8,9, 2009

Volunteer Chair - Peter Wells - 503-585-0750

Ron Dodge - 503-831-4856

Sue Olmstead - 503-831-1586

Clay Morod - 503-508-9044

Alan Holland - 503-371-3920

Gloria Holland - 503-371-3920

Jeanne Deane - 503-838-2278

Oregon State Fair, August 29, 2009, Polk County Day

Volunteer Chair - Sue Olmstead - 503-831-1586

Ron Dodge - 503-831-4856

Peter Wells - 503-585-0750

Clay Morod - 503-508-9044

Jeanne Deane - 503-838-2278

Alan Holland

Gloria Holland - 503-371-3920

*****************************************************************************************************************************

Polk County Democrats Central Committee Meeting - DRAFT MINUTES

August 6, 2009

Polk County Courthouse, Dallas, Oregon

Present: Jason Brown, Gloria Holland, Rob Breyer, Carol Infranca, Lee Schlenker, Alyce Perry, Harriet Feder, Jean Sherbeck, Sue Olmstead, Ron Dodge, Suzi Price, Lisanne Pearcy, Timothe Seelbach, Alan Holland, Chris Wilch, Pete Christiansen

Vice chair, Jason Brown, called the meeting to order at 7:05 and led the group in the flag salute. Each person introduced him/her self.

Lisanne Pearcy moved and it was seconded to approve the minutes with minor corrections. Motion passed.

Chair's Report: Alan Holland reported that the booth at the Polk County Fair has been operating, but needs more volunteers during the fair. There are also volunteer opportunities at the State Fair.

Financial Report: Linda Williams was not present to give the report.

Fair Staffing Report: Peter Wells is in charge of the booth at the county fair, and he is at the fair during this meeting.

Sue Olmstead reported that she is booking volunteers for the State Fair on August 29. Anyone interested may sign up with Sue.

Airlie Winery Fundraiser: Sue Olmstead had tickets for sale for $5. The event will happen on August 15, from 1-4 at Airlie Winery. Call 503-838-6279 for more information.

DPO Hosting the State Central Committee Meeting: Alan reported that the state central committee would like to hold the next meeting in Salem at a local union hall. In the evening - of September 19 - there would be a social/dinner. The question was: do the Polk County Dems want to co-host this event with Marion County?Sue Olmstead volunteered to attend a planning meeting with Marion County. Lisanne suggested that Sue seek to understand what the financial benefit would be to the Polk Dems, should we participate.

Jason Brown moved and it was seconded that the Polk County Democrats work with the Marion County Democrats to assist in organizing the State Central Committee in September. Motion Passed.

Campaign for Change: A quarterly project has been on-going since the last general election. This September, the theme is the "Back to School." Harriet Ferder moved and it was seconded that Polk County Democrats bring school supplies for the Organization for America events on September 3 by participating in the bringing of school supplies at the September meeting to include Democratic volunteers and phone numbers in an announcement so that people who can't come to the next meeting can drop school supplies off in advance. The motion passed.

Gloria will notifiy the Itemizer and the Statesman of the next meeting with an announcement of the school supply drive to be finished by the September meeting.

Post Cards to Congress: Jason Brown distributed post cards to attendees along with information regarding the current health care issue. He discussed the Democratic Party stand on health care. A discussion followed. It was the general consensus that further discussion should take place at the next CC meeting, when participants are more familiar with the issue.

Litter Patrol: Alan will head up a litter patrol on Sunday, September 13 at 1:00 pm at the Rickreall Firehall. Everyone is encouraged to show up and help out.

Strategic Plan: Suzi Price and Timothe Seelbach presented an explanation of the work the Process and Rules Committee has been doing on the current Strategic Plan.

What follows is the finding of the committee's survey indicating what CC members believe the Polk County Democratic Party should be doing:

Engage in Community: Fairs, Litter Patrol, etc (44)

Build a Volunteer Force: (34)

Build a strong, sustainable structure - Grow party (26)

Grow Financial strength (26)

Get More Democrats in local and state offices (21)

Develop a set of values and positions (7)

A full report of the Strategic Plan will be sent to the secretary and will be made available at the next meeting. Contact Timothe, Suzi, or Lizanne for more information about the Strategic Plan.

General Discussion:

Jason suggested we have a Health Care House Party and show a film about the issue. Chris Wilch offered his home for the event. There was a discussion about inviting the volunteers from the Obama list. Chris will choose a date for the event, and the planning will take place in the coming weeks.

Lisanne will bring tickets for the Pentacle play "Stop Kiss" to the Airlie Winery so that people will be able to have them to sell to family and friends.

Lisanne moved and it was seconded to table the Health Care Resolution until the next meeting. Motion passed.

Timothe moved and it was seconded to ask the secretary to send the Health Care Resolution sent out before the next meeting. The motion Passed. Jason will send the Resolution to the secretary via e-mail.

Suzi moved and it was seconded to appoint Alyce Perry as a PCP in Precinct 162.

The next meeting will take place on September 3, 2009 at the Polk County Courthouse, with the social beginning at 6:30 pm and the meeting beginning at 7:00 pm.

The meeting was adjourned at 9:07 pm.

Minutes taken by Gloria Holland, secretary.

PCD-CC Minutes 8/09