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Agenda and Notes SD31 Business Meeting Conference 

Andover Community Center – Meeting Room A

15200 Hanson Blvd NW, Andover, MN 55304

April 8, 2025

Call to Order: 6:30 PM

Registration Opens: 6:00 PM

Minutes

I. Opening Business

1. Call to Order at 6:30

2. Pledge of Allegiance

3. Adoption of Agenda approved

4. Appoint of Temporary Chair for Elections Wayne Grimmer

5. Reading of the Affirmative Action Statement read by Wayne

II. Election of State Party Officers

• Election of SD31Chair 

Leslie Pendergast nominated, elected unanimously

• Election of SD31 First Vice Chair

Andy Hillebregt nominated, elected unanimously

• Election of SD31Second Vice Chair

Alyson Gullette, nominated, elected unanimously

• Election of SD31 Outreach and Inclusion Officer

Nichole Hayden, nominated, elected unanimously

• Election of SD31 Secretary

Betsy O’Berry, nominated, elected unanimously

• Election of SD31 Treasurer

George Drew, nominated, elected unanimously

• Election of SD31 Deputy Treasurer

No nominations, position open

The State Central Committee now has two openings.

There are now 5 open director positions. 

These positions will be filled at the next executive meeting.

This part of the meeting was adjourned at 6:52

Leslie back to chairing

Addendum: Wesley and Cheryl Volkenant are no longer serving in capacity as finance representatives and will be removed from the SD Bank accounts. George Drew as treasurer will remain on the accounts and Leslie Pendergast as chair will be added. 

III. Officer Reports

• Chair Leslie

Three buses were sent to the State protest rally

25,000 people were at the Capitol

Other people attended the Anoka

• Vice Chair Alyson

Reported that more people than expected attended the Anoka County protest 

The protest was peaceful, there was a lot of traffic, waves from cars, young people, variety of signs, 

incredible day

• Outreach Officer Charlie

There was a big mailing last week. Sent out 3800 letters. 6500 letters so far this year. 

144 zones, 186 active members, talking to 4988, 45% of all of the Democrats in the SD,

3800 homes, 8600 voters, 18000 overs total. The stamps and printing have been donated in kind by the network. $3032 donated. In the hole $1200. Crew of 14 people put together the mailing. 

Nichole reported May 17 will be an Advocacy Fair at the Rum River Library. We did Outreach to over 200 local organizations. Organizations cannot solicit at the library. Attendees can offer email address. Deadline until Wednesday prior to the event. Open House style. No signage is allowed at the library. 

• Treasurer

Current balance is $11,303

IV. Allied Group reports

• Anoka County DFL

Betsy reported Anoka County is not dependent on redistricting. Convention last Saturday with Richard Carlbom keynote speaker. About 100 people attended. Election of officers, 4 incumbents and Janelle Calhoun new Outreach Officer. Some changes to the constitution. Then social time with treats. Opportunity for various districts to connect. Anoka County is an important county. We have flappable seats. Next meeting will be April 21, at 7pm third Monday of the month, in person meeting, will be electing directors and setting up committees. We need to improve communication within the county. 

• Anoka County Senior Caucus

Mel reported caucus meets on the 2^nd Wednesday of the month at Davanni’s. We have 100 people on the mailing list. Our meetings have about 35 attendees. We lost elections in School Boards. Parents’ Alliance has memberships in 48 states. St. Francis School Board lost members in the last election. District 11 is tied. Almost didn’t pass a budget. It’s not a non-partisan election any more. We had the School Integrity Project speaker. Summer social in Duluth. Mel convinced the state organization that the School Board elections are a senior issue. 

• CD6 

Wayne reported May 3 Business Conference at the Teamsters. Wayne will be stepping down for CD 6 chair. 

CD8

Leslie reported that they have not had meetings. The chair stepped down. There are some changes.

• SCC Updates

Betsy reported they meet 4 times of year. A new election of officers. Richard Carlbom was elected to replace Ken Martin. Richard has been very active in Minnesota DFL. We kept Marge Hoffa as 1^st Chair who has been active in participating in DFL activities throughout the state. Incumbent Shivanthe was reelected. Incumbent Secretary Cerie was reelected. New Outreach Officer Quentin Ochama. 

V. Old Business

• Committee Informational Update

Leslie reported they had a meeting with 5 committees at the library. 

Events

Have had 2 meetings

Parades and fairs are coming up (11 events)

Wants to have some branding at the events (tables, tent…)

Needs budget money about $700

Betsy moved to approve up to $1000, Mel seconded, passed

Alyson inventoried the contents in storage

Anoka County DFL has a storage unit. 

Park clean up in Andover, want to be visible, need pictures on the website

Hidden Creek North, needs cleaning up now. Alyson proposed April 26 at 11am. 

She asked City Hall to move the sign to a more visible place.

Outreach (Advocacy)

Nichole is looking for volunteers to help with the Advocacy Fair at Rum River Library on May 17 at 10am. Please email her at nicholehayden@edinarealty.com

Communications

Electoral Services

Website

VI. Closing Business

• Announcements

Connexus Election, incumbent is running (again). 

Mel recommends to vote for the non-incumbent. 

Andy H is running for chair of CD 6.

• Adjournment at 7:50

Respectfully Submitted

Lynn Fiscus, Acting Secretary

If you can do just one thing:  Keep on contacting your Legislative and Congressional Reps!  Be persistent, every week or every day.  Call or email.  Pick the topic you care most about.  Keep it simple.  Demand they explain if they are not supporting the Constitution, or if they are supporting MAGA-corruption.

US Senator Amy Klobuchar:    DC:  202-224-3244           MN: 612-727-5220 https://www.klobuchar.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/contact

US Senator Tina Smith:   DC:  202-224-5641       MN: 651-221-1016 https://www.smith.senate.gov/share-your-opinion/

US Representative Tom Emmer (CD 6):     DC:  202-224-3121 (US House Switchboard).        MN:  763-241-6848 https://emmer.house.gov/contact/authenticated?zipcode=55304&plusFour=&httpref=https%3A%2F%2Femmer.house.gov%2F#form_858AE9DF-94AD-456A-824C-5E67A6237CB6

Calvin K “Cal” Bahr—State Senator, SD-31     651-296-3219 https://www.senate.mn/members/email-form/1261  https://www.mnsenaterepublicans.com/contact-us/

Peggy Scott—State Representative SD31-B    651-296-4231 651-297-1307 (Legislative Assistant Liam Edgar) rep.peggy.scott@house.mn.gov https://peggy4house.weebly.com/

Harry Niska—State Representative SD31-A   651-296-2439.  OR  651-296-5494 (Legislative assistant Cole Dressen) rep.harry.niska@house.mn.gov www.harryniska.com info@harryniska.com Assistant Email:   cole.Dressen@house.mn.gov

From our Neighbors in SD46, here is a great opportunity to learn more about the crisis facing Healthcare in Minnesota:

DFL46 hosts an EduCivics Speaker Series on pressing issues.  Our next event addresses Minnesota’s health care crisis. Please pass along to your groups.

The presentation will be led by two experts on the American health care system:  

• Rose Roach, Chair, Health Care for All MN, and National Coordinator, Labor Campaign for Single Payer 
• Dr. Carrie Henning-Smith, associate professor UMN School of Public Health, and co-direcor of the UMN Rural Health Research Center. 

They will discuss our high costs and poor results compared with other industrialized nations;  the particular problems in rural Minnesota with its lack of access and mounting burden of medical debt; and what work is being done on health care in the legislature.

DATE:  March 9, 2025 

TIME:  1:00 pm – 3:00 pm (registration opens at 12:45 pm)

PLACE:  Eisenhower Community Center, Edina Grandview Library, 5280 Grandview Square, Edina

Free; refreshments served.  Seating is limited so reserve your spot!  

 RSVP HERE  or https://forms.gle/2JXuiXV5bXbyToj1A

Hope to see you!   

Yours sincerely,

Dianne Blake, Chair

DFL SD46 Central Committee

Please follow Bernie Sanders and his “Tour to Fight Oligarchy.”

https://www.democracynow.org/2025/2/14/headlines/bernie_sanders_launches_national_tour_to_fight_oligarchy
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/bernie-sanders-launches-tour-to-fight-oligarchy-here-s-where-he-s-going/ar-AA1yZqFX
The tour started on February 21 in Omaha, Nebraska. Sanders is looking to visit “working class” districts that former President Joe Biden won in the 2020 election, but Republican House members took in 2024.
He also spoke out on the Senate floor about oligarchs on February 11.
The Vermont senator, like many of his counterparts, described Musk’s recent actions with DOGE to “dismantle government agencies” as “illegal” and “unconstitutional.”
“In my opinion, what Musk and those around him are aggressively striving for is not novel. It is not complicated, and it is not new. It is what ruling classes throughout history have always wanted and have always believed is theirs by right: more power, more control and more wealth,” Sanders said in the almost nine-and-a-half-minute video. “They don’t want ordinary people—that’s you—and democracy getting in their way.”and more wealth,” Sanders said in the almost nine-and-a-half-minute video. “They don’t want ordinary people—that’s you—and democracy getting in their way.”

Sen. Bernie Sanders: “The oligarchs’ nightmare is that we will not allow ourselves to be divided up by race, religion, sexual orientation or country of origin, and will together have the courage to take them on.”

From Thom Hartmann:

They’re lying to us again. The American government isn’t too big or too bloated: it’s too small. And the result of it being too small is a steady erosion of Americans’ freedom over the past forty-four years.

As Franklin D. Roosevelt said in his March, 1933 inaugural address:

“A necessitous man is not a free man.”

— If you or your children are sick but afraid to go to the hospital because you know the bills will leave you broke and homeless, you’re not free.
— If you need to go to college or trade school to get a better life but can’t afford it, you’re not free.
— If you’re hungry and can’t buy food for your family, you’re not free.
— If you can’t afford housing and have to live in a tent on the street or constantly one step ahead of eviction, you’re not free.
— If you’re afraid every day that your child may not come home from school because Republicans have saturated the nation with deadly weapons, you’re not free.
— If you’re old and broken but still having to work because you can’t live on Social Security, you’re not free.
— If your bank and insurance company are ripping you off and you have no recourse, you’re not free.
— If your voice and vote are drowned out because billionaires, AIPAC, and giant corporations are pouring cash into elections, you’re not free.
— If your boss refuses to let you and your fellow workers unionize and punishes you for demanding better wages, working conditions, and benefits you’re not free.

These are all things, including safety from gun violence, that are traditionally provided by “big government.” And the governments of most every other advanced democracy in the world do provide these things to their people.

But not America, because our government is too small.

And it’s been shrinking steadily ever since the Reagan Revolution took an axe to federal programs to pay for his tax cuts for billionaires. The year the Gipper was inaugurated, federal workers made up 2.6% of the total US workforce; today’s they’re 0.87% of all American workers.

Too small.

See more: https://hartmannreport.com/p/small-government-big-chains-the-lie-6cf?isFreemail=true&post_id=157500675&publication_id=302288&r=3x1uaj&triedRedirect=true

We Americans do not have, and do not believe in, kings:  MAGA wants Trump to be King (literally, posted on White House website). And they want Billionaires to have the final say over everything in our America.

What else sets ordinary patriotic Americans apart from MAGA?

• We believe (with the Declaration of Independence) that all are created equal– and must be accorded equal opportunity and equal treatment under the law.  And that our country should be ruled by the will of ordinary people, citizens. MAGA sees white males as a superior class, and Billionaires at an even higher rank.
• We believe in the Constitution and the Rule of Law.  MAGA will undermine our laws, and disobey them, whenever it suits their purpose.  They are OK with cop-killers if they support Musk-Trump.
• We believe (straight from the Constitution) that the purpose of government is to… “form a more perfect Union, establish justice, insure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the blessings of Liberty to ourselves and pour posterity…”. MAGA wants to divide us, has no use for Justice, no use for the Welfare of ordinary people, and no use for Liberty for anyone who does not toe the Musk-Trump line.
• We believe in freedom of speech.  MAGA supports freedom to support Musk & Trump views only.
• We believe in freedom of religion.  MAGA wants to force right-wing evangelical christianity on everyone– including their views of conception and abortion.
• We believe deeply in the right to Vote, and that this must be protected.  97%  of Americans believe we must have elections that are run fairly, open to all citizens, and honest.   MAGA wants to strip away this right from all but their own select few.  They want elections to be elaborate shows that only their favored ones can win.
• We believe (92% of us) that government should help with the burdens of health care… especially for our oldest and most vulnerable citizens.   MAGA wants to cut or eliminate Medicaid, Medicare, and Social Security.
• We believe (over 90% of us) that birth control is OK and is a private decision.  MAGA is working to end this privacy and to control these private decisions for their own political gain.
• We believe in reasonable firearm safety.  94% support universal background checks, and 77% support requiring licenses for gun ownership.  MAGA supports wide-open gun proliferation with no limits or controls.
• We believe our strength is in our diversity— that our country is based on ideals, not on racial and gender groups.  “E Pluribus Unum”— Out of Many, One. We accept the need to fix immigration, through agreements and laws made by Congress— not mass Musk-led deportations to torture sites.  We believe discrimination is wrong.  MAGA wants to bring back its own new form of segregation and Jim Crow.
• We are proud of what was accomplished in World War II and Korea— our forbears, our family, some still living,  fought against fascism and tyranny in those wars.   MAGA glories in using NAZI salutes and supports fascist parties in Europe, and fascist policies here in the US.
• We support our alliances (such as NATO) and our allies who are trying to defend themselves against dictators from Russia and China.  MAGA is subservient to Putin and Russia, and puts more tariffs on Canada and Mexico than on China!

At Gettysburg, in 1863, Lincoln posed the challenge:  Our founders had brought forth on this continent a new nation, dedicated to a proposition— that all are created equal.  He said that the battles of the Civil War were testing whether a nation so conceived and so dedicated could long endure.  Now we have to ask ourselves the same question. Can our democratic republic long endure?

Lincoln called for us to take increased devotion to the cause for which so many had died.  We can now also look back to those who fought tyranny in the 20th Century as well, and so many others who have struggled for Liberty since Lincoln’s time. Lincoln would ask us, too, in our time, to take “increased devotion.”

We Americans, we Minnesotans, must not allow MAGA to get away with their pretense that they are patriots.  They clearly hate everything America is really about.  They clearly are just trying to advance the well-being of the richest white people, the Billionaires like Musk and Trump.  And let the crumbs fall to everyone else. 

So… we Americans, we Minnesotans, must renew our dedication to the “unfinished work” for which so many have fought— in Lincoln’s words, a “New Birth of Freedom.”

Each of us must renew our to resolve to do what is required to assure “that Government Of the People, By the People, and For the People, shall not perish from the earth.”  Because now we see that it really could perish if we do nothing. It is a tall order.  But these are the times we have been given.

Peter Miller– SD31 Communications

Source:  Charlotte Hill Andersen, Readers Digest (rd.com) January 2023

This bill in the US House (HR 32) would cut federal funding to schools, hospitals, homeless shelters, and transportation systems in more than two dozen states deemed “sanctuaries” Please contact your representative and urge them to vote NO on this harmful bill.

Tom Emmer: 202-225-2331, 202-224-3121, 763-241-6848

Kelly Morrison (CD3). 202-225-2871

Suggested Comment (always good to use your own words):
“Hi, my name is _____ and my zip code is____ in Minnesota. As a constituent, I urge you to vote NO on HR 32 the “Defund Our Communities Act”. This bill would cause severe harm to schools, hospitals, homeless shelters, and transportation in our district. Thank you!”

From one of our members:

There is currently a bill (MN House file 69) moving it’s way through that would require local elections, including school board elections, to be held on even years only. I believe the idea behind it is voter turnout. We know however, that the voters that come out in odd years, especially to school board only elections, are usually highly informed voters and that works to our advantage. Word on the street is Matt Audette is working hard behind the scenes to make sure this bill passes as it would extend his time by a year and help him in future elections. I really think this could hurt school boards and the Parent Alliance pushing for it confirms my concern.

Stop the misnamed “SAVE” Act 

This comes to SD31 from our Indivisible members:

If we’re going to come out of the next four years with our democracy somewhat intact, we’ve got to do everything within our power to ensure fair elections in 2026. Which is why we absolutely, positively must stop the voter suppression bill known as the SAVE Act from becoming law… it is, put simply, the biggest threat to voting rights we’ve seen in a generation. 

What is the SAVE Act?

The SAVE Act is an attempt at mass disenfranchisement disguised as an election integrity bill. It would require every voter to show proof of citizenship bearing their current name when registering to vote — which might not seem like a big deal, unless you spend two seconds thinking about the ramifications.

• Overnight, it’d essentially end online and mail-in voter registration.
• Proof of citizenship doesn’t mean a simple driver’s license. It means a birth certificate or a passport – documents that tens of millions of citizens simply don’t have access to.
• Married people who’ve changed their names wouldn’t be able to register using their original birth certificates – effectively disenfranchising millions of women.
• The burdensome requirements would disproportionately impact younger voters (how many college students do you know who have a birth certificate stashed in their dorm rooms?), voters of color, low-income voters, and elder voters.
• Arizona and Kansas tried similar legislation and tens of thousands of eligible voters were disenfranchised.

And what’s the justification for unleashing all that chaos? Republicans would tell you this bill is desperately needed to stop non-citizens from voting in national elections — a nonexistent problem invented by Donald Trump to prop up his false claims that the 2020 election was stolen. It’s something that pretty much never happens, is already illegal, and that states have plenty of safeguards in place to prevent it already. So to repeat: This is not an election integrity bill. It’s a voter suppression bill.

How We Stop It

Let’s start with the good news: We absolutely, 100% can stop this bill from becoming law, even with Democrats being in the minority in the House and Senate.

The dynamics here are pretty simple: Republicans are fully united around this bill. Most Dems are staunchly opposed, but some are still reeling from the election and think supporting extreme immigration-adjacent legislation will make them look big and tough. We saw it a few weeks ago with the passage of the Laken Riley Act. We need to put a lot of pressure on Dems to ensure they vote no — especially in the Senate, where Republicans need Democratic votes to overcome the filibuster.

House Strategy

The SAVE Act could get a vote in the House as early as next week. And short of a miracle, it’s going to pass. Yep, we’re not going to dance around it. It’s likely going to pass the House. There are many cases where the Republicans’ miniscule majority and internal infighting/chaos mean that there’s a path to killing a Republican bill by peeling off a few Republican votes. But this is a signature MAGA campaign issue, and we expect every Republican to vote for it. Which means even if every Dem votes no, it’ll advance to the Senate.

And yet, we’re still going to ask some of you to call your Democratic representatives on this one. And the reason is, as ludicrous as it sounds, when bills pass the House with some Democratic support, wobbly Democratic senators become more likely to support them too. We need Dems in the House to vote no to ensure that Democratic senators don’t capitulate.

Use our handy call tool and script to call your representative >>
And/or, use our email tool to email your representative >>

Senate Strategy

If we do what we need to, this bill is going to die in the Senate. 60 votes are required to overcome a filibuster, and Republicans only have 53 seats. That means they need seven Dems to help them get this across the finish line.

Could there possibly be seven Democrats willing to vote for this horrible bill? We hope not — but only a few weeks ago, twelve Dems voted for the Laken Riley Act — one of the cruelest anti-immigrant bills in years (and constitutionally dubious, to boot).

Use our handy call tool and script to call your senator(s) >>And/or, use our email tool to email your senator(s) >>

Between President Trump, Chancellor Musk, and the heinous legislation Republicans are introducing every day, there’s a LOT to be talking to your elected officials about right now. We don’t want to pile on by asking you to make calls or sending emails that aren’t urgently needed.

That said, there’s no harm in calling. It’s good for Republicans to know constituents are paying attention to the harm this bill would do. It’s good for Dems taking the right position on this bill to get a thank you call. The call and email tools above will work for every representative and senator, so you’re welcome to use them, regardless of who represents you.

And if you have friends who are represented by one of our House or Senate targets above, please share our call and email pages with them and urge them to contact those members.

Together, we’re going to save our elections from the SAVE Act.

And this from one of our SD31 members:

I called both of Emmer’s offices; spoke to a person at each and urged Emmer to not support the SAVE act. The Constitution provides enough protection for fair voting and the act would be harmful to women in particular. Please make sure our SD 31 communications include this. Thanks, Jerry