Call To Order

The meeting was called to order by Third Vice Chairperson Michele Faulk at 6:39 at 701 Old East Pinner Street. Chairperson Leslie Rinaldi arrived at 6:41. The following officers were present:

Motions

Routine Reports

Minutes

Minutes of May’s meeting were passed out, and prior the meeting were emailed to members.

Treasurer’s Report

The treasurer’s report was presented by Catherine Anson and copies were handed out. Details of the report are filed separately.

Business & Discussions

Membership

Verjena Jones-Gaynor presented the Membership Committee report and announced that the committee had the membership of Belinda Pitts to consider. Kevin Fowler moved to accept Ms. Pitts’s membership and the motion passed

Door Hangers

Leslie Rinaldi discussed the door hangers, which are information cards designed to hang on door knobs. Canvassers leave the hangers on unanswered doors. The new hangers will have two dates – the last date to register and the date of the election. Ms. Rinaldi asked for a motion to have 500 new cards printed up this year, at a cost of $210 and the motion passed.

Outreach Committee Report

Leslie Rinaldi presnted the Outreach Committee Report. Ms. Rinaldi discussed the structure of the Outreach Committee, which is comprised of the Phone Bank Committee , the Canvassing Committee, and the Issues Committee. The Outreach Committee is chaired by Dorothy Waddell. Ms. Rinaldi said that Ms. Waddell’s involvement in the committee will be curtailed temporarily due to personal reasons, and asked that other members step up to fill the gap.

Heroes Luncheon

Michele Faulk presented the Heroes Luncheon Report. The event was very successful, although there were some issues concerning the meal and with the hotel following instructions that were agreed upon.

Members and guests had some ideas for improvement, such as playing music when honorees enter.

Ms. Faulk also announced that event photographer Benford Hunter is selling CD’s with a slideshow of photos for $10. Catherine Anson told the committee that SDC is not involved in the sales of the CD’s.

National Night Out

Michele Faulk announced that National Night Out will occur August 7th from 8 to 10. She explained that the event takes place individually in neighborhoods throughout Suffolk. She said the Suffolk Democratic Committee often participates by helping to register voters. She said that she is looking for people to participate and for information from people who are in communities that will be participating.

Pancake Breakfast

Michele Faulk announced that the Pancake Breakfast is scheduled for September 22nd. She requested members each take 10 tickets to sell, and said she is looking for volunteers. Ms. Faulk said the event will be at North Suffolk Applebee’s.

Ms. Faulk also said that there will be an Event Committee Meeting on July 12 or 19th.

Coordinated Campaign

Ivana Hall and Daniel Pinelli from coordinated campaign addressed the committee. Ms. Hall is the regional field director and Mr. Pinelli is the field organizer for Suffolk. Mr Pinelli said he will be setting up canvassing and phone banking every week. He said one of the goals of the campaign is to register 10,000 new voters. He gave the committee his contact information which is

828-707-4307. 
Dan.pinelli@virginiavictory.org

Blue Diamond Awards

Clint Jenkins said that the 3rd District will holding an awards ceremony called the Blue Diamond Awards Dinner at August 31st, 7:00 PM at Edmunds Center in Portsmouth. They are looking for nominees to be honored at the dinner.

Mr. Jenkins also said that tickets are available for $50 and can be purchased through ActBlue

Trolls on Democratic Leaders’s Facebook Pages

Leslie Rinaldi said Dorothy Waddell had spoke of a large number of trolls on Don McEachin’s Facebook page. She asked that members participate in the on-line conversations of our leaders. 77th District Delegate Cliff Hayes added that not only do our leaders need support on Social Media, but also in letters to the editor.

Progress in the General Assembly

77th District Delegate Cliff Hayes addressed the committee and spoke about recent events in the General Assembly. Delegate Hayes said the felony threshold was raised to $500. The threshold had been at $200 since 1980. He also discussed new limits have been imposed on the length of times students can be suspended. He used those two examples of legislation in addition to Medicaid expansion that have been achieved thanks to the efforts of Democratics in the General Assembly and to the letters and comments made by constituents.

adjournment

The meeting was adjourned at 8:17pm