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Democratic Club of North West Volusia County Meeting April 23 2009 Minutes
Called to order at 7:24pm by President: Steve Oxier.
Pledge of Allegiance.
Treasurer's Report: Judy Thompson distributed a handout showing the club's finances from January 1, 2009 to April 22, 2009:
· Income: $838.00
· Expenses: -$1315.80
· Total Net: $2,173.80
· Balance: $5,713.58
Judy Thompson motioned to cancel a check for $400.00 that wasn't deposited by a candidate it was written to; motion seconded by Sylvia Perkins. Members discussed whether to call the candidate to find out why it was not deposited. Motion passed via voice vote. Judy Thompson then discussed our club being a member of the DeLand Chamber of Commerce. Tim Wagner motioned to remain a member of the Chamber of Commerce; motion seconded by Paul Nehrig. Motion passed via voice vote.
President's Report: Steve Oxier asked all members to refrain from using cell phones or laptops during meetings, as well as to raise their hands if they wish to speak during meetings.
Minutes: A copy of the minutes was not available; minutes will be read at next month's meeting instead.
Vice President's Report: Steve Oxier, for Jeff Shepherd, reported that all of the voice mails on the club's voice mailbox have been returned, thanked Hilliary Martin for helping work on the advertisement for Joyce Cusack, and expressed interest in forming a committee to find a Democratic candidate for Florida House seat 26 (currently held by Rep. Pat Patterson) and other local positions in the upcoming election cycle. Any members interested in being a part of this exploratory committee should contact Jeff Shepherd.
Old Business: None.
New Business:
· Motion to not hold picnic for installation of new officers this year; motion seconded. Motion passed via voice vote.
· Karen Zimmer, from the Democratic Executive Committee (DEC), will be coordinating the campaign for amending our state's redistricting process. Dee Wilson, Sylvia Perkins and Paul Nehrig volunteered to help Karen with this campaign.
· Susan Pynchon, from the Florida Fair Elections Coalition (FFEC - floridafairelections.org), will appear at next month's meeting to discuss the issue of redistricting with a special presentation.
· This year's State Democratic Conference will be held from October 9-11, 2009 at the Disney Yacht and Beach Club Resort. Any members interested in being delegates should contact Steve Oxier for an application; club members will elect the delegates. Of the delegates present, 75% must be DEC members, and 25% can be non-DEC. There is a $35.00 fee ($20.00 for students) to be a delegate.
· Candidates for United States Congress District 7 addressed club membership.
· Faye Armitage (fayeforcongress.com), who ran against Rep. John Mica last year, spoke first. Armitage is an economics professor at Valencia Community College. Armitage expressed that she will focus on fundraising and independents to get elected, as well as following a platform of education, infrastructure, fewer tax cuts, stem-cell research, health insurance and information reform, veteran advocacy, green job creation, stabilizing the housing market and increasing Florida tourism. Regarding the handling of the bailouts, Armitage said that the emphasis should be on stabilizing banks, that TARP came out too quickly with too little oversight, and that we need to reregulate our financial system. Is opposed to off-shore drilling, favoring green energy sources instead.
· Heather Beaven spoke second. Beaven is a CEO of a non-profit organization that helps at-risk youth in Florida, and is a Gulf War veteran through the Navy. Beaven gave three specific reasons for running: (1) this is a time of great opportunity for reflection and change in our country; (2) to advocate fair districting; (3) to make Florida better able to weather future economic storms through better planning. Regarding the handling of the bailouts, Beaven said that we need to invest more in entrepreneurship to help our economy. Advocates more emphasis on vocational education, local control of education and using the national government as an information/best-practice broker. Is opposed to off-shore drilling, favoring green energy sources instead.
· Peter Silva (petersilvaforcongress.com) spoke last. Silva is a finance and community banker for PNC Bank. Silva cited three systems that are defective, prompting him to be a candidate: (1) our financial system promotes economic disparity while not promoting ethical banking practices; (2) our health care system requires reform; (3) our education system requires more funding. Regarding the handling of the bailouts, Silva said that there needed to be more oversight, noting that many banks received money that they did not need; stated that property appraisal practices need to tighten up. Is opposed to performance-based funding for education. Is opposed to off-shore drilling, favoring green energy sources instead.
· Kendrick Meek (kendrickmeek.com), a candidate for United States Senate (Mel Martinez's seat), was represented by Lisa Walker. Walker states that Meek is our current US Congressman in District 17, and was in the Florida House and Senate, a highway patrolman, and Florida A&M University graduate before his current office. Meek is trying to get on the ballet via petition, and needs volunteers to help gather petitions; petitions were furnished by Walker.
· Steve Oxier announced that our club is still collecting donations for local food banks. Every $1.00 raised can yield 18 pounds of food.
· Susan Pynchon, from the FFEC (floridafairelections.org), gave a presentation about Senate Bill #956 in the Florida Senate - "The Worst Elections Bill in 100 Years." Pynchon stated that this bill would limit transparency and recounts, make it more difficult to petition, register new voters, and present valid identification at polls, and increase usage of touchscreen machines (which are not auditable, are error-prone and are hackable). Pynchon urged all members to protest by calling their representatives immediately. Pynchon distributed editorials from the DeLand Beacon and Orlando Sentinel, as well as a letter from the FFEC opposing the bill. Pynchon announced that the 4th Annual Elections Reform Conference will be on May 15th and 16th, starting with a banquet at 5:30pm at the Grant Bly House.
Announcements:
· The Democratic Women's Club of Volusia County (DWCVC - dwcvc.org) will have an event on Saturday, June 27th from 12:00-4:00pm at Cracker Creek in Port Orange. Tickets are $16.00 each
· The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) will be holding its 18th annual Freedom Fund banquet at Stetson University on May 23rd at 7:00pm. Tickets are $40.00 each.
· Paul Nehrig reported that there have been misleading reports lately regarding the financial status of education budgets in Florida. Nehrig stated that lawmakers are shifting funds in budgets in an effort to make it appear as though there will not have to be more budget cuts; however, these shifts are creating unfunded mandates elsewhere.
Motion to adjourn by Marshall Hoerl; motion seconded by Dee Wilson. Motion passed via voice vote. Meeting adjourned at 9:26pm.
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