Meeting Minutes

November 18, 2021 Via Zoom 

The meeting was convened by Chair Peg Watkins at 7:05 PM.  Emma Mirles-Jones led us in the pledge of allegiance. Ms. Watkins asked for a volunteer to take minutes in the absence of a party secretary, and Julie Houston agreed to do so.

Parliamentarian Liz Osorio reviewed procedural rules prior to the commencement of business. Slides showed detailed instructions on how the discussions and straw votes will be handled.

Secretary’s Minutes: The Chair asked if there were any additions or corrections to the minutes of the last meeting which were posted on our website.  Brian Jaffee questioned the wording of a sentence that pertained to making changes in the by-laws.  He said he would rewrite the sentence and submit it to Peg at a later date.  Valerie Shafer moved to table the approval of the minutes.  Emma M-J seconded the motion.  The majority of those attending approved the motion to table.

Treasurer’s report was given by Roopande Dirrig.  

$44,190.36 in unrestricted funds available balance 10.31.21

$4967.05 payments this month

$979.29 net deposits from ActBlue in October

Other Accounts

$9K CD

$294.73 in restricted checking

$401.21 in the Parker Scholarship.

Rich Bradley asked how our financial status compared to last year at this time. Roopi pointed out that we had a lot of revenue last year from donations resulting from many people motivated to defeat Donald Trump.  Revenue is usually high in a presidential year and will probably not be as great this year.  A motion to accept the report was made by Louise Douce.  Ed Helvey seconded.  The report was accepted by majority vote.

Chair’s Report

Peg advised the members that we will need to elect a new secretary at our January meeting to replace the position vacated recently by Barb Berry. Anyone interested in being secretary should contact Peg prior to the January 20 meeting.

In State Party News, we will have regional offices next year as we gear up for elections for Governor, Senator, Congressman, other statewide offices, and the Ohio legislature.  The Party is currently analyzing voting trends to help us get wins in the future.  ODP is out of debt for the first time in approximately 30 years.  ODP is recruiting for a variety of positions that will remain open until quality staff is secured.

Results of the November 2 election were reviewed.  We are excited about our successful candidates and thank all who ran.  There will be a recount for Powell City Council since the difference in the last position filled was within the margin requiring a recount.

Those interested in being on the ballot in May as a precinct representative must file a completed Form 2M which can be found on the BOE website. Forms must be submitted by Feb. 2 at 4 PM.

ODP Vice Chair Andre Washington Report

The state HQ building has been sold.  ODP jobs are posted on the state website.  We are encouraged to forward that information to friends who may be interested.  Lawsuits have been filed challenging the districts defined for the state legislature and the US Congress by the Republican led redistricting committee.

To help us remember the key points of Biden’s new infrastructure bill, use the word BRANDON.

Broadband

Rail

Airports

Non-gas fueled vehicles

Developing mass transit

Our roads and bridges

No lead water pipes

Committee Reports

Candidate Support Committee report given by Joyce Bourgalt.  Elections were won by 50% of all the candidates we supported.  Feedback forms were sent to all candidates so improvements can be made for the next election.  Our volunteer lists need improvement to increase our army of involved activists.  The opposition candidates spent 10X more than what our side spent.  It was a difficult campaign because of so many national issues being brought to our local races.

David Carpenter thanked all the candidates who ran but did not win election. 

PROD Committee Report

Thanks was given to all those who supported candidates with their time and money.  We need to focus on filling the vacant precinct rep positions to increase our strength throughout the county.

A charitable donation campaign is being run in all regions. The Unity Community Center was chosen to benefit from this drive.  Gift cards are being solicited for the teens attending their holiday party.  Monetary donations are also encouraged to benefit center operations and programs.

Peg informed our group that a white power demonstration was held in downtown Delaware on Saturday, November 13.  There were about 5 individuals who held signs and shouted things at people who walked by.  A meeting was held that night at the Unity Community Center to discuss the feelings of those in the community of all colors who were frightened or disturbed by this event. Possible future actions were considered, especially hopes and expectations from local law enforcement and city government.

Constitution & By-laws Committee

It was announced that any polls taken during this discussion were for information only.  No immediate changes will be made to amend the C & B-L nor any current procedures. 

Committee Chair John Schmarr gave a report summarizing the two main questions their committee has been studying.

1. Shall we continue to elect our Central Committee every two years or shall we change to a four year term?
2. Shall we continue to form a large Executive Committee that includes all Central Committee members plus appointed at-large members, or shall we form a smaller Executive Committee to run daily operations?

The first discussion focused on the terms of office.  Seven members gave comments. A poll was taken indicating 91% want to continue with 2 year terms. 9% favored 4 year terms.

A motion was made by John Schmarr to discuss the second topic regarding the size of the Executive Committee.  Sam Kindred seconded the motion. A majority of members approved the change of topic.

During the next 30 minutes twelve members gave their opinions on the topic, most of them advocating for a larger body to encourage involvement. Mike Kabler asked John Schmarr to clarify the differences between the Executive Committee and the Central Committee.  The Central Committee includes only the people elected or appointed to represent a specific precinct. The Executive Committee includes all precinct representatives plus any committee members who are appointed as at-large members.

More discussion followed making it evident that there was significant interest in looking deeper into this question.  The poll presented to the group asked members if they wanted to authorize the C & B-L Committee to further define the roles and functions of the Executive Committee and Central Committees and also provide a detailed report on how any changes to our structure would be implemented. A show of hands was requested to show yes or no on furthering their research and drafting a proposal.  The majority of members said yes they do want to see proposals on changes to the role definitions and functions of the Central Committee and the Executive Committee.

Upcoming Events

December Regional gatherings

Holiday contributions to food programs and other charities

January 20 Regular Executive Committee meeting, election of Party Secretary

February 2 Deadline to return 2-M petitions for Central Committee

February 17 Regular EC meeting

March Regional gatherings

April 21 Regular EC meeting

May 3 Primary