Meeting Minutes
Minutes of the Monthly Meeting on June 27, 2024
We convened as usual at the Glen Ellyn Historical Society. The meeting was called to order by Dennis Terdy (Chair) at 7:30 pm. Other officers in attendance were
Stacy Slater (Operations), and Frank Merritt (Secretary).
Welcome (Dennis Terdy, Chair)
Dennis opened with the “Quote for the Month”:
“Stop sh*t-talking America. This is the greatest country on earth, and it’s time that we all start acting like it.”
Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, speaking about
Trump’s constant anti-US rally barrage.
Approval of May Minutes
Chuck Ditchman moved and Mike Nachman seconded a motion to approve the May minutes without reading, since they have been posted on the Democrats of Milton website (DemocratsOfMilton.com). The minutes were unanimously approved.
Treasurer’s Report (Dennis Terdy, Chair)
Since Steve Siemer was unable to attend, Dennis reported for him that our finances are still satisfactory, and our recent fundraiser at Westside Improv was a great success. Sixty-nine people attended this event. The funds from this will support our printing of the fall flyer.
Chair’s Report: (Dennis Terdy)
Dennis called on Marian Tomlinson to report on the election judge situation. Marian reported that we are required to verify that the candidates for election judge in each precinct are still willing to serve. Each precinct captain should call the people on their list. We need about 5 per precinct. So when talking to the strongest and most capable people in your precinct, first ask if they are willing to be a block captain, and if not, then ask if they are willing to serve as an election judge (with a salary!).
Dennis then encouraged people to volunteer to march in our Fourth of July parade. We need a stronger presence, especially in the Glen Ellyn parade.
Haroon Atcha, recently elected chair of the DuPage Democrats, has resigned due to extraordinary personal circumstances. We are working with the Vice-Chair, Jennifer Zordani, and other Executive Committee people, to develop a plan going forward.
There are flyers about the August State Fair on the back table; please take a look and let us know if you are interested in participating.
We are trying to recruit new candidates for the Milton Township offices in next year’s election, especially women candidates. Let us know if you are interested in running.
Operations Report: (Stacy Slater)
First, thank you to Cream of Wheaton volunteers! It was very successful, despite the rain on Saturday. We had 51 gift cards, well above our target of 32, added 113 people to our mailing list, and gained 1 new member. In our poll of best features of Milton Township, “Forest Preserves” won by a long shot.
Looking ahead to the Fourth of July parades, we have 12 signed up for Wheaton and 5 or 6 for Glen Ellyn. We would like to have 20 in each parade. Please volunteer if you can. Meeting places are: for Wheaton, on North Main St at 10:00 am, and for Glen Ellyn, in front of the Homeland Security Building in the College of Dupage at 12:00. Try to be there 15 minutes before the start. Bonnie and Jeff Gahris will be hosting a picnic for marchers and their families at 1:30, right after the parades.
Monday, July 1, is the last day for signing up for the Democratic Convention in August. We also need 8 to 10 volunteers for the County Fair, July 25-28. Over the next month, we will be trying to recruit new volunteers and members in preparation for the November elections. Our PC Forum will be on September 14.
This month’s “Small Act of Activism” will be to pay attention and follow the advice of tonight’s panel, which will begin shortly.
Introduction of tonight’s panel: (Dennis Terdy, Chair)
The number of Democratic candidates in DuPage County has grown significantly over the last 6 or 8 years, and we in Milton Township need to learn how to better handle the heavier load on our PCs, to formulate the best collaboration practices with candidates, and to better serve all our candidates in their campaigns. The best source of advice is recent candidates who have repeatedly won elections, and who clearly know how to manage a successful campaign. We are really pleased to have a panel of three such outstanding candidates, known to all of us:
Liz Chaplin, who was the first Democrat elected to the County Board, and now we have a Democratic majority! She is running for DuPage Recorder.
Terra Costa Howard, who beat the Republican Peter Breen in 2018, and has been re-elected twice with an 8-point majority or more.
Jeff Gahris, who beat a formidable opponent in 2020 and was re-elected in 2022.
I’ve asked the panel to address a number of specific issues, and in general to tell us how we can best serve them and collaborate with their campaigns. Please let the candidates talk first, and save your questions until the question and discussion period at the end; write them down on the index cards which we are handing out now. And please welcome our panel!
Candidates, Townships and PCs – How Can We Better Work Together?
-- Liz Chaplin, Terra Costa Howard, and Jeff Gahris.
There were very good, useful, and interesting presentations from each of the 3 candidates. This was followed by discussions, moderated by Dennis, who asked a number of questions covering all aspects of Milton campaign work. This was followed by a lively discussion and question period. Three points seem especially useful for Milton PCs:
Knocking on doors is critical, for both PCs and candidates! A conversation with a voter makes it much more likely that he will read your material, remember you, and vote. This is a way that we beat Republicans all the time.
For PCs: Get to know the candidates. “Have coffee with us”, come to Meet-and-Greets. This helps you in getting our message across.
The candidate “Spotlights” that Milton has provided are very helpful to both PCs and voters. They should include three major goals or accomplishments, should give links to the candidate’s web page, and should specify a contact person.
The following more complete report on the panel discussion has been provided by Stacy Slater:
The panel responded to questions developed in advance and those from the audience. This summary has been edited and re-organized for clarity.
What drives a great campaign?
Having a story to tell
Crafting a message that resonates with voters
Being authentic and engaged
Being present (develop name recognition, knock doors throughout the year, attend events)
Building a simple, yet effective, organization
Being strategic (analyze data, target ads & publicity, use resources wisely)
Being adaptable and resilient
Getting to Know the Candidates
PCs get to know candidates as people; learn what they stand for
Candidates craft short bullet points about accomplishments for PCs to use
Host or attend Meet-and-Greets
PCs introduce candidates to new people (not just “old reliables”)
Canvassing the Precincts
Maintain communication between PCs and candidates
One point of contact (probably campaign manager)
Develop system of communication
PCs help candidates understand precinct; What’s the vibe? What’s unique?
Candidates and PCs walk together; coordinate timing
Consider leaving “pre-canvass” Post-It notes on doors
Orphan precincts get covered multiple times; coordinate efforts
Break large precincts into smaller areas; set small door-knockng goals
Analyze data
Look at voting history and trends
Who votes early? On election day?
What can you learn from walking? Yard signs?
Be flexible; don’t just use Dem Score
Study the map & create route before walking
Build the party, too
Literature & Yard Signs
Townships communicate how much lit is needed and when
Have a system for distribution to PCs and a record of who has what/how much
Candidates need lit to stand out
“From mailbox to trash can” - most people sort as they walk
Lit should not all be a uniform size
This creates a challenge for PCs when prepping
Name recognition most important (don’t crowd with information)
Consider doing multiple lit drops with just a few candidates’ lit each time
Yard signs on major streets, commercial properties, neighborhood yards
Most campaigns handle the majority of yard signs
PCs help coordinate at polling places, including early voting sites (don’t forget to remove them)
Closing Thoughts
Every vote counts
Make multiple contacts with voters
Pace yourself; don’t burn out before November 5
Closing
Dennis thanked the panel for their ideas and advice, and led an enthusiastic round of applause. The meeting adjourned at 8:56 pm.
Next meeting
The next meeting of the Democrats of Milton will be July 25 at 7:30 pm at the Glen Ellyn Historical Society. Our July meeting will have representatives of the relatively new 708 Mental Health Board, Erica Nelson and Kara Murphy, presenting an update of the Board’s work to date.
Join the Democratic Party of Milton Township. Annual dues $25 ($20 for members of the DuPage Democratic Party). Join at www.democratsofmilton.com/membership.
Submitted by Frank Merritt, Secretary.