A warm welcome
to new readers
If you registered at DFL SD 42's caucus on Feb. 5, you may be receiving this newsletter for the first time.
We hope you will read Spotlight each time to learn what's happening in SD 42 and to keep up with local and national Democratic candidates.
We
look forward to working with you to restore America to its greatness
through elected Democrats. Please join us at our monthly meetings: the
second Thursday of each month starting at 7 p.m. at Glen Lake Community
Center, 14350 Excelsior Blvd., Minnetonka. Look under "Next DFL
meetings" on the right for more information. See you March 13!
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Rep. Maria Ruud
MN House District 42A
Legislative update
After
passing a comprehensive transportation bill early in this year's
session, the Legislature is focusing on other key issues, including an
important capital investment (bonding) bill to fund projects statewide.
Rep. Ruud would like to hear from you about this or other issues the Legislature will address this session.
Contacting Rep. Ruud
AT HER TOWN HALL MEETINGS - go here to her web site and click on Town Hall Meetings for the schedule.
BY PHONE -
(651) 296-3984.
BY EMAIL -
go here.
BY U.S. MAIL -
515 State Office Bldg., 100 Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd., St. Paul, MN 55155.
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Democratic candidates
Keep up with announced candidates the easy way. One click here will connect you to them.
Websites
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The buzz in SD 42
Caucus night attendance sets SD 42 record
Almost
4,000 SD 42 DFLers cast presidential preference ballots at their
precinct caucus at Eden Prairie High School on Feb. 5. That's more than
four times the number of people attending the 2004 election year
caucus, the previous record.
Deb Pitzrick, SD 42 Associate Chair, recently reflected on the record-breaking event.
"Our
caucus was exciting as well as challenging. Our committee planned for
three times the number of people attending in 2004, based on what was
happening in other states."
One challenge was beyond the committee's control even before caucus night. "When the
Legislature
adjourned last session," she explained, "it hadn't dealt with the move
of caucus date from March to February, meaning there was no law
requiring school districts to free up space for us to meet, as there
had been in the past." The Eden Prairie School District decided not to
cancel any events already scheduled for the high school, making space
and parking key issues to deal with.
The committee looked at alternate sites but none was able to meet all necessary criteria.
To help with parking, the committee arranged for offsite parking and hired two shuttle buses.
The
use of computers, more precinct maps, color-coded hallways and more
volunteers (100 in all) made caucus night more efficient.
Caucus
numbers tell the story of SD 42: 3,986 people cast ballots at the
Democratic caucus compared to 1,016 people at the Republican
caucus. "And they said there aren't any Democrats out here," Pitzrick concluded.
Standing room only at SD 42's congressional candidate debate
People
filled Eden Prairie City Center on Feb. 27 to hear CD 3 congressional
candidates in a debate sponsored by SD 42. State Senator Terri Bonoff,
Iraq war veteran and attorney Ashwin Madia and Edina Mayor Jim Hovland
are vying for the seat being vacated by retiring GOP Rep. Jim Ramstad.
You can watch the debate on Comcast Channel 15 in Edina, Eden Prairie, Hopkins, Minnetonka and Richfield on these dates:
March 11 at 10 p.m.
March 15 at 9:30 p.m.
March 19 at 10:30 p.m.
March 22 at 8:30 a.m.
and 9 p.m.
March 23 at 10 p.m.
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SENATE DISTRICT 42 NEWS AND NOTES
SD officers elected at March convention
Senate
District 42 Convention delegates elected three returning and two new
officers to two-year terms during the March 1st convention at Eden
Prairie High School. Returning are Chair Norb Gernes, Associate Chair
Deb Pitzrick and Secretary Patti Indre, all starting second terms.
Sally Burns is the new Treasurer and Deborah Madanayake the new
Affirmative Action Officer.
Thoughts from our returning officers
Norb Gernes, Chair:
"For as long as many people can remember, the western suburbs were
Republican territory. In the last month and a half, though, we have
witnessed a revolution here. More than 4,000 people came to the
Feb. 5 SD 42 caucus, more than four times as many as ever attended a
caucus before.
At the SD 42 Convention there were over 540 delegates attending. Again, those are previously unheard-of numbers.
We
are in the midst of a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Let's organize
and energize all of those Democrats and elect some good Democrats to
state and national offices. Talk to your neighbors; help with
campaigns; solicit contributions. We can and we will win."
Deb Pitzrick, Associate Chair:
"I want to thank the delegates at the March 1 convention for
re-electing me Senate District Associate Chair. I will continue working
to build awareness of Democratic issues and our candidates. We'll
all continue working to let people know about opportunities to get
involved in the party."
Patti Indre, Secretary:
"In March, 2006, right after we were newly elected as SD 42 officers,
we knew what needed to be done: take on the incredible task of
reorganizing the SD. We organized committees and empowered our members
to do what they felt needed to be done, and a huge metamorphosis began
taking place. Members took responsibility for activities they were
interested in. Events? Fundraising? Candidate support and development?
Communications? Strategic planning? Each "took the ball" and ran and
ran and ran!
Every month while driving home from our SD
meetings, my mind is engaged and my heart is happy because we are all
doing something for our common good, working to elect Democrats across our district, state and country.
Meeting
people and making wonderful new friends in the SD have been two of the
most wonderful things I have ever participated in. For this I am
thankful, and I thank you again for allowing me to serve all of you for
another two years."
Introducing our new officers
Sally Burns, Treasurer:
Prior to moving to Eden Prairie from Duluth seven years ago, Sally was
very active in the community there. She served on the Duluth School
Board for 12 years and was an officer for the Duluth League of Women
Voters.
Since coming to Eden Prairie, Sally has been a
precinct associate chair, precinct chair, a member of the Strategic
Planning Committee, co-chair of the Events Committee and a delegate to
the State Central Committee. She worked on Carol Bomben's campaigns for
both the 42B House seat and the 42 Senate seat. She is also a volunteer
for Citizens for a Safer Minnesota. Sally has four adult children and
five grandsons.
Sally's perspective on the recent
caucus: "I'm excited to see all the new people who want to be involved,
bringing new ideas and lots of enthusiasm which will help us elect
Democrats all the way up the line. We have great people supporting
awesome candidates, so how can we not win?"
Deb Madanayake, Affirmative Action Officer:
Deb is a 20-year resident of Eden Prairie. Besides being the new
Affirmative Action Officer, she is also the Associate Chair of Precinct
10.
Deb is an Assistant Professor at the College of St.
Catherine Doctor of Physical Therapy Program. She holds a law degree
from William Mitchell College of Law. Deb provides home physical
therapy to older adults in our community. Through professional
legislative activities, she is actively involved in reshaping our
health care system. She is married to Sam, a native of Sri Lanka. They
have a daughter, Nelum, who attends Eden Prairie High School.
Deb's
thought about the upcoming elections: "It is imperative that a wide
array of persons be represented in order to strengthen our democracy so
that we may live up to our foundational ideals."
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GET INFORMED!
Democratic Visions TV programs air Sundays and Wednesdays on local cable stations.
 Mark Ritchie, Minnesota DFL Secretary of State, is the current guest on Democratic Visions through March 19. This program originally aired in April, 2007. Matt Entenza of Minnesota 2020 will be the guest on Democratic Visions starting March 23.
Democratic Visions is a cable-access TV show produced
by DFL Senate District 42 volunteers. The show airs on Channel 15 at 9
p.m. Sundays and 5:30 p.m. Wednesdays in Eden Prairie, Edina, Hopkins,
Minnetonka and Richfield. For more information, or to volunteer, call
952-944-2861. To view some previous shows, go here. Minn. House, Senate offer free magazines.
A
great way to be informed about Minnesota politics is to read the
non-partisan magazines of the House and Senate. The House publication, Session Weekly, can be found online here. You can also sign up here to have a free hard copy delivered to your home. For the Senate publication, Senate Briefly, go here.
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GET CONNECTED!
Next DFL meetings Mar. 13: our monthly Senate District 42 meeting
(senate district central committee)
Time/Place: 7 p.m. every second Thursday of each month; Glen Lake Community Center, 14350 Excelsior Blvd., Minnetonka.
Who Attends:
Senate District 42 Central Committee members, including the Executive
Committee, local state central committee members, all precinct chairs
and associate chairs. You are also welcome to attend. Your input is
valuable and you will be able to participate fully except for voting.
Mar. 19: monthly 3rd Congressional District meeting (congressional district central committee)
Time/Place: 7 p.m., every third Wednesday of each month; Minnetonka City Hall, 14600 Minnetonka Blvd., Minnetonka.
Who Attends:
3rd Congressional District Central Committee members, including
congressional district senate district chairs, directors, state central
committee members, others. You are also welcome to attend. Your input
is valuable, and you will be able to participate fully except for
voting. Mar. 25: monthly Progressives on the Prairie (POP) DFL Links meeting
Time/Place:
6:30 p.m. meal, 7:00 p.m. meeting, every fourth Tuesday of each month;
Davanni's Pizza and Hoagies, 8061 Flying Cloud Dr., Eden Prairie.
Who Attends: everyone interested in gathering with fellow progressives.
Next school board meetings Eden Prairie School Board: March 17, April 7
Time/Place: 7 p.m. on scheduled Mondays; 8100 School Road, Eden Prairie. Go here for more information on the School Board, its meeting schedule and cable broadcasts of meetings.
Hopkins School Board: April 3 and 17
Time/Place: 7 p.m. on scheduled Thursdays; Eisenhower Community Center, 1001 Highway 7, Hopkins. Go here for more information on the School Board and its meeting schedule. Go here for information on cable broadcasts of meetings. Minnetonka School Board: April 10
Time/Place: 7 p.m. on scheduled Thursdays; Minnetonka District Service Center, 5621 County Road 101, Minnetonka. Go here for more information on the School Board, its meeting schedule and information on cable broadcasts of its meetings.
Next city council meetings
Eden Prairie City Council: March 18, April 1
Time/Place: 7 p.m. on the first and third Tuesdays of each month; Eden Prairie City Hall, 8080 Mitchell Road. Go here for more information on the Council, guidelines for speaking at meetings and cable broadcasts of meetings.
Minnetonka City Council: March 24, April 7
Time/Place: 6:30 p.m.; Minnetonka City Hall, 14600 Minnetonka Boulevard. The Minnetonka City Council meets twice a month. Go here for more information on Council members, the meeting schedule and meeting procedures. Go here for information on cable broadcasts of meetings. |
GET ACTIVE!
Volunteer on a committee.
We have many opportunities that can fit your talents
and schedules. You'll have fun, meet other DFL supporters in your
community and feel good about helping a great cause. Our committees
include: affirmative action and outreach; candidate support and
development; communications and technology; events; fundraising;
precinct organization; and strategic planning and research. Go here for more information and to sign up. Write a letter to the editor.
Writing letters to the editors of our local papers is an important way
we can support our DFL elected officials and promote progressive issues. Go here for more information. Make a contribution.
It's
easy to make a contribution to DFL Senate District 42 and it will only
cost you five minutes of your time and a postage stamp. If this is your
first contribution of 2008 to a state candidate or DFL organization,
you can take advantage of the Minnesota Political Contribution Refund Program
and receive a refund of $50 per individual or $100 per couple. That's
right, a refund. There is no catch or fine print. Think of it as a
"loan" to help Democrats win because you'll get your money back from
the state in 2 - 4 weeks. You can write your check to Senate District
42 DFL and mail it to 9322 Overlook Trail, Eden Prairie, MN,
55347-2931. We'll provide you a receipt and easy-to-complete form to send to the state. Go here for more information.
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