Rice County DFL looking to fill committee openings

Energized creative applicants are being sought by the Rice County DFL Party for two year terms.

"Volunteers are the lifeblood of our party. They are the reason we have a strong, and vibrant Rice County DFL. We encourage all Rice County DFLers (Democrats) to get involved. Serving on our board is one of the many ways to do so,"  said Shawn Groth, Chairman of the Rice County DFL.
 

The Rice County DFL Nominations Committee is charged with reporting a committee-endorsed candidate for each Executive Committee Position. Those positions are:

• Chair - presides at meetings of the Rice County DFL, but also attends certain meetings within the state DFL and that of the First &  Second Congressional Districts.
• Vice Chair - essentially fills in when the Chair is not available..
• Community Engagement Officer (Affirmative Action Officer) - reaches out to underrepresented groups within the Rice County DFL.
• Secretary - keeps records of meetings, and maintains a current list of all DFL members within the county.
• Treasurer - keeps track of the financial affairs on the Rice County DFL.
• Directors (11) - help organize and plan the Rice County DFL caucuses, Convention, Rice County Fair booth, fundraising, social activities, and party building within the county.

• State Central Committee Delegates (2) / Alternates (4) - attend State Central Committee and Congressional District Central Committee meetings.

Please Note:  Currently - no one has screened for the Secretary position. We really need someone to serve in this important position. We also can use more people for Directors as well.

Those interested in serving in these positions need to attend a screening session. The final two screenings will be held in the following locations:

Northfield, March 30, 6:30-8:00 PM
    Carleton College - Sayles-Hill Campus Center

Northfield, March 31st, 6:30-8:00 PM
Location TBD

The screening committee will present its recommendations for election to the Rice County DFL’s Convention on April 2, at the Northfield Middle School. Candidates must have been screened (interviewed) by the Nominations Committee in order to be considered by the convention. The terms are two years.

For more information, or if you have questions - please contact Nominations Committee Chair Terry Rogers at TRogers700@aol.com or 952-652-2160.

Rice County Democratic Farmer Labor Party Seeks People to Serve on Its Board

Energized creative applicants are being sought by the Rice County DFL Party for two year terms.

"Volunteers are the lifeblood of our party. They are the reason we have a strong, and vibrant Rice County DFL. We encourage all Rice County DFLers (Democrats) to get involved. Serving on our board is one of the many ways to do so,"  said Shawn Groth, Chairman of the Rice County DFL.

The Rice County DFL Nominations Committee is charged with reporting a committee-endorsed candidate for each Executive Committee Position. Those positions are:

• Chair - presides at meetings of the Rice County Democrats, but also attends certain meetings within the state DFL and that of the First &  Second Congressional Districts.

• Vice Chair - essentially fills in when the Chair is not available..

• Community Engagement Officer (Affirmative Action Officer) - reaches out to underrepresented groups within the Rice County DFL.

• Secretary - keeps records of meetings, and maintains a current list of all DFL members within the county.

• Treasurer - keeps track of the financial affairs on the Rice County DFL.

• Directors (11) - help organize and plan the Rice County caucuses, Rice County Convention, Rice County Fair, fundraising, social activities, and party building within the county.

• State Central Committee Delegates (2) / Alternates (4) - attend State Central Committee and Congressional District Central Committee meetings.

Those interested in serving in these positions need to attend one of the four screening session. These sessions will be held in the following locations:

•     Northfield, Friday, March 18, 6:30 - 8:00

    Caribou Coffeehouse, 1162 400 Fifth Street W

•     Faribault, Sunday, March 20, 2:00 PM - 3:30 PM
      Depot Bar & Grill, 311 Heritage Place

•     Northfield, March 21, 6:30 - 8:00 PM
      Big Steer Restaurant (AKA Big Steer) I-35 & Highway 19

•     Faribault, March 26, 2:00-3:30 PM
      Buckham Memorial Library, 11 Division St E, Park in back via 1st Street.

The screening committee will present its recommendations for election to the Rice County DFL’s Convention on April 2, at the Northfield Middle School. Candidates must have been interviewed by the Nominations Committee in order to be considered by the convention. The terms are two years.

 For more information contact Nominations Committee Chair Terry Rogers at TRogers700@aol.com or 952-652-2160.  

Updated Rice County DFL Precinct Caucus Locations

Location #1:

Northfield Middle School
2200 Division Street South
Northfield, MN 55057

Bridgewater Township (room 162)
Dennison City (cafeteria)
Dundas City (cafeteria)
Lonsdale City (cafeteria)
Northfield W-1 P-2 (room 159)
Northfield W-2 P-1 (room 160)
Northfield W-2 P-2 (room 161)
Northfield W-3 P-1 (room 163)
Northfield W-4 P-1 (room 172)
Northfield Township (room 171)

Note: Northfield Precincts W-1 P-1 and W-4 P-2 will be located on St. Olaf (W-4 P-2) and Carleton (W-1 P-1) Campuses.


Location #2:
Weitz Center
3rd Street East
Northfield, MN 55057

Room Number: 236

Precinct caucusing at this location:
Northfield W-1 P-1


Location #3:
St. Olaf College
Buntrock Commons
1520 St. Olaf Avenue
Northfield, MN 55057

Room: St. Olaf College The Lion's Pause

Precinct caucusing at this location:
Northfield W-4 P-2


Location #4:
Forest Township Town Hall
3625 Millersburg Blvd.
Faribault (Millersburg), MN 55021

Erin Township
Forest Township
Shieldsville Township
Webster Township Precinct 1
Webster Township Precinct 2
Wheatland Township


Location #5:
Faribault Middle School
Cafeteria (all precincts)
704 - 17th Street West
Faribault, MN 55021

Cannon City Township
Faribault P-1
Faribault P-2
Faribault P-3
Faribault P-4
Morristown City
Morristown Township
Nerstrand City
Richland Township
Wallcott Township
Warsaw Township
Wells Township
Wheeling Township

       

Changes to Locations of College Precincts in Northfield

The vote of the committee at the Thursday meeting has resulted in moving two of Northfield's caucus locations from the middle school onto the two college campuses.

Specific sites are being finalized, and we will have details here as soon as the official locations are determined.

This will affect DFL caucus-goers in Ward 4 Precinct 2 (residents on and near the St. Olaf campus) and Ward 1 Precinct 1 (this on and near the Carleton campus) only, and should help with traffic flow at the middle school.

Those who caucused in 2008 will recall the large turnouts of both permanent Northfield residents and college students resulted in logistical traffic issues, and we're moving to alleviate some of that congestion, while making it easier for students and others near the campuses to walk to their respective locations.

DFL Precinct Caucuses - Tuesday, March 1st

The Rice County DFL Precinct Caucuses will take place on Tuesday, March 1st, 2016. Doors will open at 6:30 p.m. and the caucuses will convene at 7:00 p.m.

All DFLers (Democrats) are invited to participate.

Here are our local locations:

Location 1:

Forest Township Town Hall Location
3725 Millersburg Blvd West
Faribault, MN 55021

Precincts that will meet here are:
Erin Township
Forest Township
Shieldsville Township
Webster Precinct 1
Webster Precinct 2
Wheatland Township


Location 2:

Northfield Middle School
2200 Division Street South
Northfield, MN 55057

Precincts that will meet here are:

Bridgewater Township (room 162)

Dennison City (cafeteria)

Dundas City (cafeteria)

Lonsdale City (cafeteria)

Northfield W-1 P-1 (location to be determined)

Northfield W-1 P-2 (room 159)

Northfield W-2 P-1 (room 160)

Northfield W-2 P-2 (room 161)

Northfield W-3 P-1 (room 163)

Northfield W-4 P-1 (room 172)

Northfield W-4 P-2 (location to be determined)

Northfield Township (room 171)

Location 3:

Faribault Middle School
704 17th Street SW
Faribault, MN 55021

Precincts that will meet here are:
(all will meet in the cafeteria)

Cannon City Township

Faribault P-1

Faribault P-2

Faribault P-3

Faribault P-4

Morristown City

Morristown Township

Nerstrand City

Richland Township

Wallcott Township

Warsaw Township

Wells Township

Wheeling Township

If you are unsure what precinct you live in visit the district finder at the DFL’s website: https://www.dfl.org/resources/caucus-finder/ Or through the precinct caucus finder on the Secretary of State’s website: http://caucusfinder.sos.state.mn.us/ 

If you are unable to attend the caucuses, and would still like to be nominated for an elected position please fill out the absentee participation form:  http://www.dfl.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/2016-Precinct-Caucus-Absentee-Participation-Form.pdf

*** Join the Team ***

The Rice County DFL is looking for some great DFLers (Democrats) to join our Executive/Central Committee (the committees that run our local party unit between conventions).

We will fill the following positions at our next meeting - Thursday, December 17th:

Treasurer (start on January 1st - work with current treasurer until then)
Secretary
State Central Committee Alternate (male)
5 - At-Large Directors

Folks elected to the above positions will serve until the end of our 2016 Convention (tentatively scheduled for April 16th). This is a great opportunity for those who are interested in being more involved, but not sure of where to start.

Main requirement to serve is you have to be a resident of Rice County.

For more information or if you're interested in serving in one of the above positions - please contact:

Shawn Groth
Chair, Rice County DFL
Phone:  (651) 324-9676
E-mail:  ricecountydfl@outlook.com

Job Descriptions:

Secretary
The Secretary shall be in charge of all the files and records of the party and of preparation of necessary documents. The secretary shall preserve such files and records and open them for examination at convenient and appropriate times at the request of any duly elected county central committee member.  The secretary will preserve the minutes and attendance records of all proceedings of the executive and central committee meetings.  The secretary shall, at the discretion of the Chair, send out a meeting notice and agenda to all members including the minutes of the previous meeting.  The secretary shall maintain a current list of all members. The Secretary shall perform all other duties usually incident to the office of Secretary.

Treasurer
The Treasurer shall have custody of the funds of the party and shall render written accounts of receipts and disbursements at each meeting of the county executive committee and/or central committee. The Treasurer shall make no disbursement thereof without authority or ratification by the Executive or Central Committee, or the agreement between the Chair and Vice Chair.  The treasurer shall also make a full report to each county convention.  It is the treasurer’s responsibility to submit financial reports to the MN Campaign Finance and Public Disclosure Board in the required format and in the required time frame.  The Treasurer shall perform all other duties usually incident to the office of Treasurer.

At-Large Directors
The Directors are members of both the Rice County Executive and Central Committees.  Directors are to attend the Executive and Central Committee meetings.  The directors are generally responsible to help with the Rice County caucuses, Rice County Convention, Rice County Fair, fundraising, and social activities.  The directors may also be assigned other duties, including being designated as a deputy treasurer, historian, or communications coordinator during their term by either the Chair, Executive Committee or Central Committee.

State Central Committee Alternate
State Central Committee Delegates/Alternates  shall attend State Central Committee and Congressional District Central Committee meetings.  They shall report on the activities of both bodies at the Rice County DFL meetings. Other responsibilities include:  help with the Rice County caucuses, Rice County Convention, Rice County Fair, fundraising, and social activities.  They may also be assigned other duties, including being designated as a deputy treasurer, historian, or communications coordinator during their term by either the Chair, Executive Committee or Central Committee.    

Republicans work to undo two years of DFL progress in two days

In the span of two days, the Republican majority in the Minnesota House of Representatives proposed to erase two years of progress for working families secured by Gov. Mark Dayton and DFL legislators.

“In a 48-hour time period, House Republicans put Minnesotans on notice that they are recycling their failed policies of the past,” said DFL Chairman Ken Martin. “This is a far cry from Gov. Mark Dayton and DFL legislators plans to invest in children, students and families for long-term success.”

House Republicans finally acknowledge that Gov. Dayton is correct and that Minnesota is facing a multi-billion dollar, multi-year fix for our deteriorating roads and bridges, yet they still haven’t figured out how to honestly pay to get the job done.

“Reminiscent of years past, Republicans want to shift money around to meet financial obligations,” Martin said. “They want to take money from the general fund to pay for roads and bridges, all so they can maintain a rigid ideological approach to governing."

 

“The two largest areas of the general fund pay for educating our children and caring for our most vulnerable students. The Republicans are pitting street repairs against students and safe bridges against seniors. This isn’t a game where the Republicans get to pick who the winners are. Unfortunately under the Republican proposals all of Minnesota would end up losing.”

 Later the same day, House Republicans passed a tip penalty bill to repeal last year’s minimum wage legislation for workers who earn tips. A tip penalty would set a new, lower minimum wage and eliminate indexing for workers who earn tips.

“Why is it that the Republicans always try to balance budgets on the backs of the hardest working people in our state?” Martin said. “The minimum wage is set to be a floor and tips are rewards for good service and shouldn’t be used as an excuse for employers to pay servers less. This proposal is a direct blow to families’ economic security because 70 percent of servers are women, many who care for family members.”

Republicans rounded out the two-day assault on working Minnesotans with a budget proposal that recycles failed policies from the past. Rather than using the state’s budget surplus, which was created by more Minnesotans working at higher wages than at any other time, to ensure all Minnesotans are taking part in the economy recovery, Republicans slash care for the disabled and seniors; pit University of Minnesota (U of M) and Minnesota State College and University (MnSCU) students against each other; and cut economic development programs aimed at creating jobs in rural communities. Republicans said they want to see $2 billion in tax cuts, but they did not specify who would benefit from their plan.

“We don’t have to skip to the last chapter of the book to know how this story ends; tax cuts do not build economic prosperity,” Martin said. “What will move Minnesota forward is Gov. Dayton’s proposals to provide free pre-school for all 4-year-olds to ensure they get a great start to their education; freezing college tuition for both U of M and MnSCU students; and expanding the Child Care Tax Credit for working families.”

In the coming days, the DFL majority in the Minnesota Senate will provide its budget targets which will highlight a sharp contrast between the House and Senate plans with an honest budget from DFL leaders.

“Luckily for Minnesotans, the Senate plan should align more with Gov. Dayton’s vision on how to build an even better Minnesota for all,” Martin said. “While the GOP sticks to failed policies of the past to protect special interests, Gov. Dayton and DFL legislators remain committed to preparing for the state’s future economic success for working families.”