Minutes of the Carroll County Democratic Central Committee September 8, 2016 In attendance: Don West, Corynne Courpas, Mitch Edelman, Frank Rammes, Dorothy Scanlan, Tom Scanlan, Anita Riley, Charles Harrison, Anne Stoner, Zach Hands Interns: Ryan Koch, Henry Snurr The meeting was called to order at 7:00pm by Don West. Pledge of Allegiance Chair’s Report Don attended the August 29th town hall meeting with Commissioner Dick Weaver. The meeting focused on the sole issue of the closure of North Carroll High School. The meeting was well attended and passions ran high. Attendees did not want to hear about North Carroll High School being anything other than a school. Weaver blamed the school board for the decision. Commissioners Steve Wantz and Dennis Frazier will be hosting town hall meetings in September and October respectively. Between the election, education, and the charter movement there is a lot going on. There will be a fundraiser for Hillary Clinton at a private home in Owings Mills on September 27. Secretary’s Report The August minutes were approved. Treasurer’s Report There is a balance of $2,750.80 in our checking account. We had two large expenses: the Clinton/Kaine signs and the deposit for the Democratic Victory diner. The Treasurer’s report was approved. Club Reports CC Dems: The meeting on September 12 will feature speaker Angela Gustus, Executive Director of the Carroll County HSP. October’s meeting will feature the Board of Education candidates. So far three of the four are confirmed: Marsha Herbert, Julie Kingsley, and Donna Sivigny. This meeting will likely be well attended. South Carroll Club: No report. Committee Reports Headquarters: We still need volunteers, especially now that the grand opening is two days away. A schedule is being maintained via Google calendar and hard copy. Local Politics: We are concerned that anti-public education Delegate Susan Krebs, who has a long history of clashing with teachers, is on the Combined Education Committee. She was quoted in the most recent Times article reporting on the committee as questioning what health care costs are for teachers. A notice was issued by Carroll County government regarding mosquito spraying. This is of special concern considering what recently happened in South Carolina. Ed Singer of the Carroll County Health Department was contacted for more information. The agent being used is Talstar P, and Singer admitted that “it is not good for bees.” He said the spraying efforts were limited and that backpack sprayers are being used on private property as requested by individuals. He said that if there were a larger effort the populace would be notified. Hogan’s executive order regarding school start and end dates has brought out the union haters in Carroll County. The Carroll County Republican Central Committee has officially endorsed a candidate in a non-partisan race: Donna Sivigny for Board of Education. Communications: The website has seen a number of updates. We are sending regular eblasts and will continue to do so through the election. Keep the LTEs coming. We have 39 followers on Twitter. VAN: There are several trainings coming up. Interns: We will again recruit from Loyola and UMBC for new interns. Kathy O’Donnell’s internship finishes at the end of this month. She will write 2-3 more reports. LGBTQ: The Sons of Baldwin, a group comprised of gay black men, will be performing at Carroll Community College. We must be vigilant in looking out for Title IX compliance. Events HQ Grand Opening: Several committee members will come in at 8am to begin set-up. Everyone else can arrive during 9-10am. We have requested media coverage but there is no word as whether we will get it. On October 6 there will be Democrat v Republican softball game sponsored by Kohn Advertising. The game will be held at the Westminster playground and will start at 6pm. Fallfest: HQ will be open Friday night for Midnight Madness. We need a few more volunteers for the booth because of the expanded hours—Friday night has been added. Fall breakfast: It’s time to get the word out on all available platforms. Old Business Charter: Commissioner Doug Howard will be meeting with one of the Rotary Clubs to talk about charter. Congressional Candidate District 8 forum: A tentative date of October 18 has been penciled in. Jamie Raskin and the Green Party candidate, Nancy Wallace, are in but Cox is hedging. There was discussion as to whether we should move forward with this if Cox does not attend. We don’t have a venue yet. Trifold brochure: It probably will not be ready for the grand opening, but we will definitely have it for Fallfest. Holiday gathering: The menu has been sent for attendees to choose in advance. The price will be the same as last year: $35. Do we want to have a speaker? New Business Phone banking: it is time to start coordinating this effort. Debate Watch parties: We will host gatherings at HQ for the three presidential and one vice-presidential debates. The three presidential debates are: Monday, Sept 26; Sunday, October 9; and Wednesday, October 19. The vice presidential debate will be held on Tuesday, October 4. Voter Registration Day-This event will be held on Saturday, October 1. Anita will be the liaison. CCDCC Officer Elections: We have a slate of four officers: Chair, Vice-Chair, Treasurer, and Recording Secretary. Nominees are: Chair—Don West, Vice-Chair—Anita Riley, Treasurer—Corynne Courpas, and Recording Secretary—Dorothy Scanlan. The decision was made to take a vote rather than wait for October’s meeting. All four candidates were unanimously re-elected. Freedom Fund Banquet—this annual dinner hosted by our local NAACP chapter will be held on Friday, October 21. All are encouraged to attend. The meeting adjourned at 9:12pm. Our next meeting will be October 13, 2016. Respectfully submitted, Dorothy Scanlan Recording Secretary, CCDCC