The July, 2019, General Business Meeting of the Washington State 21st Legislative District Democratic Party Organization took place at Mukilteo City Hall on July 17, 2019.
Acceptance of the Minutes
The first order of business was the acceptance of the minutes from the June meeting, and also from the May meeting (the May minutes were not accepted at the June meeting due to the lack of a projector at that venue). The minutes from both meetings were accepted without objection.
Adoption of the Agenda
The proposed agenda for this month’s meeting was adopted without objection.
Guest Speakers
Local candidates in attendance were given a few minutes to give updates on their campaigns.
Louis Harris, Snohomish County Council, Position #2
Jennifer Gregerson, Snohomish County Council, Position #2
April Berg, Everett School Board, Position #2
Judge Edirin Okoloko, Snohomish County Superior Court, Position #7
David Chan, South County Regional Fire Authority, Position #4
Judge Paul Thompson, Snohomish County Superior Court, Position #14
Anna Alexander, Snohomish County Superior Court, Position #7
Brandy Donaghy, South County Regional Fire Authority, Position #5
Our featured speaker for the month was Tarique Scott, a representative of Balance Our Tax Code. He spoke on recent efforts to implement an excise tax on capital gains of high income individuals in Washington State, which would be used to pay for early learning and other key programs. More information on the organization’s efforts can be four here.
Officers’ Reports
The officers of the 21st LD Democratic Party Executive Board gave updates relevant to their offices.
Treasurer David Chan read the balances of the accounts, and updated the members on the current financial health of the organization.
Chair Sharon Holt reminded the members of upcoming races, especially those that will be on the primary ballot.
Al Apodaca–First Vice Chair and PCO Coordinator–gave a brief summary of the current state of the 21st LD PCOs, and asked members to volunteer their time for local candidates. His written report can be read here.
Secretary Neil Shafer-Ross gave a very brief update on his planned move (to an as yet unknown address) and asked again for a new volunteer to take on the office of Secretary, in the event that he moves out of the LD.
State Committeeperson Shaun Olsen gave an update on recent activities by the state committee. Lately, they have been talking over the phone about certain rules the committee will follow going forward.
County Committeeperson Rose Andrews gave an update on recent actions by the county party. She reminded the members of the upcoming Blue Earth Gala on August 10, and the Evergreen State Fair running from August 22 to September 2. Rose’s written report can be found here.
Denisa Ruxander–newly appointed liaison with the Snohomish County Young Democrats–introduced herself. The Young Democrats’ next general meeting will be on July 21.
Committee Reports
Sue Nicholls–Chair of the Fundraising and Events Committee–gave a brief update. There is no silent auction this month, however June’s silent auction was very successful. She also asked for more volunteers to join her committee. Regular meetings of that committee will be held on the first and third Tuesdays of every month.
Sharon Holt gave a very brief update from the Technology Committee, of which she is a member. Improvements are continuing to be made to the website. In particular, the committee recently implemented the ability for members to log into the website using their Facebook credentials.
New Business
The first item of New Business was the election of a new Second Vice Chair, the previous 2nd VC, Niko Battle, having recently moved out of the 21st LD. Peter Henry was nominated for the position. After asking a few questions regarding the duties of the 2nd VC, Mr. Henry decided to accept the nomination. Mr. Henry’s nomination was spoken for, with no one speaking against, and passed unanimously. Peter Henry will be the new Second Vice Chair.
The Endorsements Committee presented a short slate of recommended endorsements: April Berg for Everett School Board and Brandy Donaghy for South County RFA. There was a motion to accept the recommendations as presented. No second was required. There was a motion to allow Greg Lineberry to speak as a guest, which passed unanimously; Mr. Lineberry spoke in favor of the motion. The motion was passed unanimously; April Berg and Brandy Donaghy are now endorsed.
Old Business
There was a brief reminder about the Secretary position being open, due to the pending resignation of Neil Shafer-Ross. Chair Sharon Holt explained that the position could not be voted on at this meeting, because it was not included in the meeting call; under our bylaws, the memberships must be made aware of a vote for a new Officer at least ten days in advance.
Good of the Order
A few members made brief remarks for the Good of the Order. Louis Harris reminded the members of the upcoming Nubian Jam on July 27. Roger Nystrom encouraged members living in unincorporated parts of the county to attend upcoming Snohomish County Council meetings, because the council will be discussing fireworks restrictions that will only affect those living in unincorporated areas.
There was a discussion regarding recent racist tweets made by a high ranking member of the US government. There was a motion to refer to the Issue Committee a request for a resolution of support for those members of the US House of Representatives who were the targets of those racist tweets. The motion was seconded. There was a motion to amend the previous motion to ask the Secretary to draft a letter of support for those said members of the US House of Representatives instead; the motion to amend was not seconded, and was withdrawn. The original motion was voted on and passed unanimously.