MSLRW
General Meeting
February 8, 2012
I. Call to Order – President Trudy Hamilton called the meeting to order at 7pm followed by a moment of silence and the Pledge of Allegiance. Following that Trudy introduced our speaker, Councilwoman Laura Price.Laura gave a brief rundown of her background and then delved into the work of the Council and her passion, “numbers” and “the budget”. She provided everyone with a spreadsheet of the budget (2005 – 2012, in process) which listed the top ten department expenditures in the County. The County Council’s responsibility to fund these departments’ needs in the last four years has been an increasing challenge as they face decreasing revenues every year, the Board of Education budget rises and the pressure of more and more unfunded proposals pours out of Annapolis for the County to cover. Fifty-five percent of the budget goes to the Education Department. The ED has 560 employees of which half are teachers, and we pay 98% of their health care benefits. There are 240 County employees. The maintenance of effort level was not funded this year by the Council. The wealth formula for the County doesn’t have the income to support property values. Laura answered several questions and also provided everyone with a handout for our information/education entitled “Summary of Planmaryland Final Draft”.
Following the speaker’s address Trudy asked guests to introduce themselves. We welcomed Julie Imirie and Marsha Geoghan.
II. Board Member Reports -- Minutes – Lura Damron previously sent minutes electronically. A motion was made by Rita Still to accept them as written, Fran Bergere seconded the motion. Correspondence – Jennifer Gomez had a meeting conflict and couldn’t attend. She reported to Trudy no correspondence had been sent. Treasurer’s Report – Nancy Becker said the checking account balance is $2,088.53. This included a deposit and a payment of $885 to MFRW for dues. Public Relations – Carolyn Ewing said the Facebook connection is working with MSLRW.org. Carolyn needs three board member pictures and bios before the current year information can be updated – she asked for that information as soon as possible. She is also working on the Republican Mother of the Year award and asked for three volunteers to help with the nomination. Carolyn has all nomination paperwork and will be glad to answer any questions about the award. It’s out club’s way of recognizing women who support Republican principles and instill those values in their children. Carolyn talked about our need for a personal club logo -- we presently use the Maryland Federation logo. She suggested we could have a contest with a deadline of May 9 for design submittal. Include your friends and family in looking for ideas: think women, Eastern Shore, and our principles. The winning designer will be recognized on the finished products (membership cards, stationery, badges, etc.).
III. President’s Report – Trudy reported that six attended the MFRW Leadership Conference and that it was informative and a good networking experience.
IV. Committee Reports – Fund Raising – Chairman Connie Sheer reported earning $135 from the Christmas party Mason’s Gift Certificate raffle and $127 from last month’s 50/50 raffle. Fran talked about the Glamour Shot fund raising possibility – there was some interest. Fran did say a problem the Salon has is that they cannot advertise. Other ideas she suggested was political trivia which she had done in Florida that was fun or a card party. Finding a venue is an issue as the fire house (who is always very supportive) is under construction. Laura Price said we should consider the Ag Center, and she also suggested we consider contacting April Whitaker/Bliss Jewelry for fund raising options she has. Membership Committee – Chairman Fran Bergere pointed out that the envelopes she passed out tonight contained a list of the meetings planned for the rest of the year and a membership card that has two contacts and our website (along with a note of thanks). Those cards not handed out tonight will be mailed this week. We presently have 63 members. Fran said members can expect to hear more from her soon about the Membership Tea on March 28th at the Londonderry Manor House. Legislative – Chairman Barbara Denton reviews the synopsis of Legislative Updates posted by MFRW. Barbara will let us know those of which are very important and we can impact by contacting our representatives, our paper with Letters to the Editor, etc. Laura reiterated the importance of being involved both at the state and local level. For instance our County has three school board positions up for election. Jesse Gomez is running uncontested in his district, but Greg Criniti and Juanita Hopkins will NEED our help. Redistricting is done and available on the web. Hospitality – Julie Libby got a clarification that our contract with the Comfort Inn does not include coffee. We thanked her for all she does each month.
V. Upcoming Dates/Announcements
VI. Unfinished Business – We hope to set up pre-primary voter registration training.
VII. New Business – We need volunteers for Republican election judges. Also, we need to keep track of all our volunteer hours spent doing Republican Club work. Julie Imirie volunteered to keep track of our Club hours. Connie Sheer said she would continue her scrap book document activities for MSLRW. Julie Imirie said she is the Dan Bongino Talbot County Coordinator and she invited us to two meet and greet opportunities – Sunday, February 19, 2-4pm at The Old Brick Inn in St. Michaels and 5-7pm at the Talbot County Visitor Center in Easton (across the street from Mason’s Restaurant).
VIII. Adjournment - All business concluded the meeting was adjourned at 8:45pm.
Respectfully submitted,
Lura Damron, Recording Secretary
