March 18, 2018 Meeting Notes

Indivisible Traverse City meets every 1st & 3rd Sunday 10-11:30 at Workshop Brewing Co.  April will be an exception (because of Easter) These notes will be posted on our Facebook page and the Indivisible Traverse City website.

See the 2018 blog on the webpage @IndivisibleTraverseCity.org

Initial Announcements: 

New members were welcomed and the Workshop Brewery staff were thanked.

The slate of candidates for the officers for the March 2018 – March 2019 were voted on and approved by the members present.  Co-chairs: Linda Pepper, Lynne Van Ness; treasurer: Allen McCullough; Secretary: Bill Gittlen; Media Outreach: Maggie Singer and Berta Meserve, Communications: Sylvia McCullough.

Good news:  Nationally 1 million students walked out of their schools on March 14 for 17 minuses to honor the 17 people killed in Parkland, Florida  and to say, “Enough is enough, we demand common-sense gun laws.” More than 100 students walked out of Central High School and there were more than 100 community members present to support them and to cheer them on.

Connor Lamb was elected to Congress in a Republican-leaning district in Pennsylvania, winning by 627 votes.  There will be a recount, but the outcome is not expected to change. His victory was achieved partially because of his strong support of unions and because of the participation and hard work of local Indivisible groups.

Linda brought attention to an article in Daily Kos about an undocumented attorney working for the state of California.  DACA recipients are still engaged in good works as the DACA program is still functioning as it winds its way through the courts.

Today (Sunday’s) Record Eagle announced that the Democratic National Governors Association will be contributing $20 million to support candidates running for governor in Michigan, Ohio, Wisconsin, and Nevada.

Actions:

Monday, March 19, 5:30pm, Right Brain Brewery. LWV is sponsoring a happy hour discussion on Promoting the Vote. 

Tuesday, March 20, noon. Unitarian Universalists Church. Indivisible Grand Traverse will feature speaker Craig Mauger, speaking on Money in Politics as part of their regular Tuesday noon meeting.

Thursday, March 22, 4:30-7pm, Platte River Inn in Honor. The Benzie Dems are sponsoring a fundraiser called Close-up dinner, $15/plate.

Saturday, March 24, 1pm. March for Our Lives will begin at the Workshop Brewery. Our group will assemble in front of the Old Antique store just to the east of the Workshop. People are encouraged to carry signs and wear Indivisible or campaign buttons of their choice.

Linda will post actions for the week every Monday on Facebook and on our indivisibletraversecity.com website.

Reports:

Allen announced our Treasury now has $355 in our account. Funds will be used to pay the monthly internet connection fee (~$10/month) and possibly for expenses involved in establishing our group as a 501c4 organization. Lynne is still seeking an accountant to accomplish this task at a minimal fee.

VNP: Efforts will be gearing up to get the ballot measure passed beginning in April or early May.  Volunteers will be needed for canvassing, phone banking, and GOTV efforts. Donations are needed now. Contact Margaret if you know of a small downtown office space for rent.

Line 5: Brenda, Ken and Nan have completed phase 1 of their effort to alert Homeland Security about the terrorist risk of Line 5. Matt and Angie Morgan helped them edit their letter and also suggested influential policy makers that they might contact. 214 letters were sent out under a ITC letterhead (with a logos they created), and this week the entire list will be re-contacted by email. The hope is that some of the recipients will contact Homeland Security with our concerns.

Sinclair:  The completion date for reporting the results of diaries created about 7&4 news problems was this weekend. The effort did not gather the hoped-for data, but community interest in this issue was raised. Recognizing that the concentration of media control is a First Amendment, freedom of speech issue, Ted, Gretchen, and Margaret will formulate a plan about how we will proceed to inform local citizens and businesses.They will likely create a letter-writing campaign to oppose the recent policies of the FCC, with comments both on the proposed Sinclair merger and net neutrality.

Candidate Endorsement: Bill presented the Endorsement Committee’s newly created Policy and Procedure for Endorsing Candidates.  There were concerns from members regarding whether we should be endorsing candidates at all, concerns about whether endorsing a candidate also endorses a political party, concerns about the criteria needed for a positive endorsement, and concerns whether the policy should include language about our 501c4 status (which ITC does not have at this time), After much discussion, the members approved the Policy and Procedure as written, with the exception of removing the “100%” wording in relation to consensus.  The new wording now is “consensus will be needed to earn an endorsement”. We agreed that this meant if a large majority wants to endorse a candidate, and those in the minority feel they have be heard and are willing to allow the decision to go forward, the endorsement is approved. As the policy states, the policy and procedure can be amended by a vote of the members at any time.

Open Mike:

Bill collected signatures for a petition that TC100 Advocacy Group and MI Climate Action Network will present to the Board of Traverse City Light and Power to encourage them to include a 100% renewable energy goal by 2030 when the Board creates their long term strategy at their May 22 meeting.  People are encouraged to attend TCLP Board meetings at the Government Center, 400 Boardman Avenue on April 10 and May 8 at 7pm to lobby for this cause.

Keli collected signatures to qualify a Michigan Promote the Vote ballot measure for the Nov 2018 election.  The measure proposes an amendment to the state Constitution which would extend deadlines to register to vote by mail, allow residents to register in person at any time with proof of residency, and to vote absentee by mail or in person without reason. The effort is sponsored by LWV of Michigan, the ACLU of Michigan and the state and Detroit branches of the NAACP.  Please sign.

March 4, 2018 Meeting Notes

Indivisible Traverse City meets every 1st & 3rd Sunday 10-11:30 at Workshop Brewing Co.  April will be an exception (because of Easter) These notes will be posted on our Facebook page and the Indivisible Traverse City website.

See the 2018 blog on the webpage @IndivisibleTraverseCity.org

Initial Announcements: 

New members were welcomed and the Workshop Brewery staff were thanked.

The slate of candidates for the officers for the March 2018 – March 2019 were voted on and approved by the members present.  Co-chairs: Linda Pepper, Lynne Van Ness; treasurer: Allen McCullough; Secretary: Bill Gittlen; Media Outreach: Maggie Singer and Berta Meserve, Communications: Sylvia McCullough.

Good news:  Nationally 1 million students walked out of their schools on March 14 for 17 minuses to honor the 17 people killed in Parkland, Florida  and to say, “Enough is enough, we demand common-sense gun laws.” More than 100 students walked out of Central High School and there were more than 100 community members present to support them and to cheer them on.

Connor Lamb was elected to Congress in a Republican-leaning district in Pennsylvania, winning by 627 votes.  There will be a recount, but the outcome is not expected to change. His victory was achieved partially because of his strong support of unions and because of the participation and hard work of local Indivisible groups.

Linda brought attention to an article in Daily Kos about an undocumented attorney working for the state of California.  DACA recipients are still engaged in good works as the DACA program is still functioning as it winds its way through the courts.

Today (Sunday’s) Record Eagle announced that the Democratic National Governors Association will be contributing $20 million to support candidates running for governor in Michigan, Ohio, Wisconsin, and Nevada.

Actions:

Monday, March 19, 5:30pm, Right Brain Brewery. LWV is sponsoring a happy hour discussion on Promoting the Vote. 

Tuesday, March 20, noon. Unitarian Universalists Church. Indivisible Grand Traverse will feature speaker Craig Mauger, speaking on Money in Politics as part of their regular Tuesday noon meeting.

Thursday, March 22, 4:30-7pm, Platte River Inn in Honor. The Benzie Dems are sponsoring a fundraiser called Close-up dinner, $15/plate.

Saturday, March 24, 1pm. March for Our Lives will begin at the Workshop Brewery. Our group will assemble in front of the Old Antique store just to the east of the Workshop. People are encouraged to carry signs and wear Indivisible or campaign buttons of their choice.

Linda will post actions for the week every Monday on Facebook and on our indivisibletraversecity.com website.

Reports:

Allen announced our Treasury now has $355 in our account. Funds will be used to pay the monthly internet connection fee (~$10/month) and possibly for expenses involved in establishing our group as a 501c4 organization. Lynne is still seeking an accountant to accomplish this task at a minimal fee.

VNP: Efforts will be gearing up to get the ballot measure passed beginning in April or early May.  Volunteers will be needed for canvassing, phone banking, and GOTV efforts. Donations are needed now. Contact Margaret if you know of a small downtown office space for rent.

Line 5: Brenda, Ken and Nan have completed phase 1 of their effort to alert Homeland Security about the terrorist risk of Line 5. Matt and Angie Morgan helped them edit their letter and also suggested influential policy makers that they might contact. 214 letters were sent out under a ITC letterhead (with a logos they created), and this week the entire list will be re-contacted by email. The hope is that some of the recipients will contact Homeland Security with our concerns.

Sinclair:  The completion date for reporting the results of diaries created about 7&4 news problems was this weekend. The effort did not gather the hoped-for data, but community interest in this issue was raised. Recognizing that the concentration of media control is a First Amendment, freedom of speech issue, Ted, Gretchen, and Margaret will formulate a plan about how we will proceed to inform local citizens and businesses.They will likely create a letter-writing campaign to oppose the recent policies of the FCC, with comments both on the proposed Sinclair merger and net neutrality.

Candidate Endorsement: Bill presented the Endorsement Committee’s newly created Policy and Procedure for Endorsing Candidates.  There were concerns from members regarding whether we should be endorsing candidates at all, concerns about whether endorsing a candidate also endorses a political party, concerns about the criteria needed for a positive endorsement, and concerns whether the policy should include language about our 501c4 status (which ITC does not have at this time), After much discussion, the members approved the Policy and Procedure as written, with the exception of removing the “100%” wording in relation to consensus.  The new wording now is “consensus will be needed to earn an endorsement”. We agreed that this meant if a large majority wants to endorse a candidate, and those in the minority feel they have be heard and are willing to allow the decision to go forward, the endorsement is approved. As the policy states, the policy and procedure can be amended by a vote of the members at any time.

Open Mike:

Bill collected signatures for a petition that TC100 Advocacy Group and MI Climate Action Network will present to the Board of Traverse City Light and Power to encourage them to include a 100% renewable energy goal by 2030 when the Board creates their long term strategy at their May 22 meeting.  People are encouraged to attend TCLP Board meetings at the Government Center, 400 Boardman Avenue on April 10 and May 8 at 7pm to lobby for this cause.

Keli collected signatures to qualify a Michigan Promote the Vote ballot measure for the Nov 2018 election.  The measure proposes an amendment to the state Constitution which would extend deadlines to register to vote by mail, allow residents to register in person at any time with proof of residency, and to vote absentee by mail or in person without reason. The effort is sponsored by LWV of Michigan, the ACLU of Michigan and the state and Detroit branches of the NAACP.  Please sign.

March 4, 2018 Meeting Notes

Indivisible Traverse City meets every 1st & 3rd Sunday 10-11:30 at Workshop Brewing Co.  These notes will be posted on our Facebook page and the Indivisible Traverse City website.

See the 2018 blog on the webpage @IndivisibleTraverseCity.org

Initial Announcements: 

1. The meeting was called to order at 10am by Margaret. The Workshop Brewery staff were thanked, new attendees were welcomed, and the meeting notes from the February 18 meeting were approved.

2. Linda Pepper reported on “good news”:

The Parkland survivors are leading the battle to ban assault weapons and pass sensible gun laws and the tide seems to be shifting.

The Pennsylvania new less-gerrymandered district maps in Pennsylvania will be continued to be used while the issue continues through the courts. 

State House seats in Kentucky, New Hampshire, and Connecticut have shifted from Red to Blue.  In recent special elections, 41 offices have shifted from Red to Blue, while only 4 positions have shifted from Blue to Red.

There were an estimated 500-1000 people who took part in the Sensible Gun Reform rally in downtown Traverse City yesterday.

The West Virginia teacher strike has resulted in a 4% raise for all State employees.  The governor has recommended that the teachers stay on strike until they receive their promised 5% raise.  The teachers are also continuing to demand more reasonable health care costs.

The Supreme Court did not agree to take up the DACA case at this time, so the DACA laws will most likely stay in effect until at least near the end of this year. Nonetheless, some of the DACA children do continue to lose their DACA status daily.

There is now 70% support for stricter gun laws nationally. 

3. Maggie discussed a banner that she will be creating for the March 14 high school walkout.  Multiple members showed a willingness to help hold the banner on Front and Milliken by Central HS at 10am on the day of the walkout.  Members were encouraged to offer their support to the students at the high school of their choice at 10am.  The banner will also be used at the Traverse City march on March 24.  Apparently, there is an issue with getting a permit for a rally at the Washington DC March on the 24th, so the date may be altered. 

Officer REPORTS:
The following members expressed their interest in being on the slate for the following positions:

Co-chairs: Linda Pepper, Lynne Van Ness; Secretary: Bill Gittlen; Treasurer: Allen McCullough; Communications: Sylvia McCullough; Outreach: Maggie Singer, Berta Meserve.  At the next meeting, members (those who have paid dues) will vote on whether to approve these officials for the upcoming one-year term. Dues can be paid at the beginning of the March 18 meeting.

Treasurer, Allen McCullough reported a balance of $315.00 in our account. Lynne reported that later this week, the paperwork will be completed for Indivisible TC to be incorporated.  Allen will then be able to open a bank account.  Also, this is the first step in Lynne’s efforts to have the lawyer apply for our 501c4 status.

ISSUES REPORTS:

Voters Not Politicians/Voters rights: 

Marcia reported that there is nothing new at this time.  The current need is for more donations which we be sorely needed as the campaign progresses. Please donate at votersnotpoliticians.com. In the months ahead, there will be great need for canvassers, phone bankers, and educators.  Sylvia offered to post information on the 8 sites that she maintains. Margaret will be a team captain in Traverse City and she stressed the importance of getting the measure passed after the successful  effort by so many volunteers to get the proposal on the ballot. 

Environment: Line 5:

Brenda announced that that with the help Ken and Nan, a mailing list of 213 people and groups has been created and a drive to recognize Line 5 as a security threat is about to be launched.  Letters and emails will be sent asking the recipients to contact the Dept of Homeland Security as one more tactic in the effort to shut down Line 5.  She will be asking for volunteers to attend a envelope party at her house in the upcoming days.  A motion was passed for our group to pay for the postage, as Brenda’s group has already paid the other costs involved from their own pockets. Brenda has created an email address to receive responses, and will use her own address to receive letter responses. The group approved a motion to establish a PO Box for use in any other future mailings.

Sinclair Broadcasting:

This is the final day of the effort by members of IndivisibleTC and Indivisible GT to watch 5,6, and11pm 7&4 local news to collect data on the problems with these Sinclair broadcasts. Margaret will collate the results and create a report about the findings.  She will present this at the next meeting and the group will decide whether it will be possible and useful to move forward with the plan to personally contact 7&4 advertisers about the Sinclair issue. 

Unfinished Businesss:

Bill gave a presentation on Indivisible’s “Practical Guide in Endorsing in Primaries and Beyond” and the recent National Indivisible webinar about endorsing candidates. There are advantages and disadvantages of endorsing, but the webinar clearly demonstrated the powerful effect that endorsing candidates can have, if done well. Endorsing is a commitment to participate, it can strengthen our group, it spreads our values, it can build very strong relations with officials once elected, and it can lead to stronger partnerships with other groups.  However, it must be inclusive, done with transparency, and in a fashion that is consistent our time constraints.  The group agreed to move forward with a subcommittee to create a plan for the group to consider by the next meeting.  Paul, Maggie, Lynne, Sylvia, and Linda volunteered and met together at the end of today’s meeting to create a policy and procedure for endorsement of candidates. 

New Business and other actions:

Members were encouraged to call Senators Peters and Stabenow this week to encourage them to oppose Senate bill 2155. This bill if passed will put us at risk for another financial crisis, will lessen consumer protection, will allow racial discrimination, will decrease the number of banks that are subject to its oversight, and will make some sectors exempt from truth-in-lending laws.  5calls.org provides further information about this issue and offers an easy way to contact our Senators.  Members were encouraged to make frequent use of this website. 

Keli urged members to write letters-to-the-editors (LTE’s) frequently and send them to newspapers in our area and even the Upper Peninsula.  She has written over 20 LTE’s that people can use as a basis for their letter, and she has many more suggested topics.  Please contact her, as this is an excellent way to promote progressive ideas and reach citizens about issues that need to be addressed. Sylvia said that the GT Dems website offers a list of state of newspapers in the state and includes the word limit for their LTE’s.

Recommended activity: Wednesday, March 7, noon. The short film Legalize Equality will be shown. The film streamlines critical information about the ERA.  Discussion will follow. Sponsored by Leelanau LWV. Government Center. For more info: call 231-271-5600 or visit LWVLeelanau.org.