Chair Report - December 9, 2012

BCD Elections…. An election for new officers was held at our November 20 membership meeting to serve as our leadership during 2013. Elected were: Richard Costerisan, Chairman; Bob Sullivan, Vice Chairman; Emily Nehring, Secretary; and Audrey Costerisan, Treasurer. As your chairman, I am looking forward to another year to serve our party and help build the Democratic Party in Burnett County. I would like to thank everyone who has supported me and our officers in 2012 and look forward to working with our new team next year. I want to extend my personal thanks to Gail Lando for her services this year as our Vice Chair. Gail has donated significantly to our cause and done an outstanding job. She has decided to step down and take a well-deserved break but will remain on our board.

Annual Recognition Dinner…. This year we are holding our Annual Recognition Dinner at the Siren Senior Center on Saturday, January 19, 2013. There is no cost to attend. The event will begin at 5:00 p.m. and everyone is encouraged to attend and bring a dish to pass. This is a special meeting that is well attended. We will start with a dinner of ham and mashed potatoes along with all the dishes, salads and desserts that you bring. Coffee and beverages will be provided. Following dinner we will recognize members who have volunteered toward making a difference in 2012. Then, we will hear from some of our elected friends on political issues of interest to us all. The evening events should end by 8:00 p.m. I would appreciate hearing from some of you who would like to help coordinate the many dishes attendees might bring. Our hope is that we don’t wind up with just salads or desserts. If you are interested in helping out here, call me.

New blog…. Many of you have been visiting our great facebook page being managed by Emily Nehring at www.facebook.com/BurnettCountyDems. Now, thanks again to Emily, we are starting up a blog that can be found at http://BurnettCountyDemocrats.blogspot.com/ . Why two sites? Facebook allows us to share information and links. But, as your executive board has analyzed our efforts toward getting a democratic message out in our communities, we have discovered some pitfalls. Expressing your views to another or to the local press can be frustrating. We live in communities that are largely conservative and tend to vote republican. Democrats have found that discussing our views in a public forum can lead to intimidation and discrimination. In these circumstances, whether communication is on a personal level or in a local publication, it is difficult to get anyone to listen. Being shouted down, bombarded with misinformation or pummeled with someone’s religious values are a more likely scenario democrats experience when expressing their views. A blog provides the forum to express our views and openly share them with others. We can control the bullies and force them to compete with facts and logic. We know we have the best arguments. Now, republicans will be able to visit our blog and find a new perspective on issues they think they own. Please visit our new blog and make comments on postings that are important to you. Also, if you want to post an article on the blog, including one submitted to our local press, we’ll post it even if the newspaper ignores you.  Just send your article or letter to me and I will work with Emily to get it posted. Let’s make this blog work to spread our progressive views across northern Wisconsin communities.

Spring elections…. You thought elections were over for a while. Think again! Spring elections are just around the corner for things like local boards and some state elections. Candidates are filing right now to be eligible. Be sure to support your democratic friends if they ask you to sign their petition to register as a candidate. If you are sitting out there thinking about running for a local office or board, let me know how our party can help. We want to support progressives for public office, even if they are non-partisan. This year we will have two BIG elections on the state level. One of the conservative state Supreme Court justices is up for re-election to a 10-year term. This is our best chance to reshape the court to reflect Wisconsin values. The same is true for our state Superintendent of Schools. Let’s make sure we support a candidate that will place the education of our children above the interests of big business.

Next Meeting…. The Burnett County Democrats will not be holding a membership meeting in December or January. We are taking December off and holding our Annual Recognition Dinner in January. Our next regular membership meeting will be held on February 19 starting at 7:00 p.m. at the Whitetail Wilderness Restaurant and Bar located about one mile north of Webster on Highway 35. You will continue to get updates from the chairman as warranted.

Richard Costerisan