Next Breakfast Meeting:
June 3 at 7:30 a.m. at the Village Deli

BREAKFAST MEETING

In preparation for the next election (filing begins in just six months) our next two meetings will take a more in depth look at some of the offices that will be up in 2006. We’ll focus first on the county government structure, and then go on to township offices (of which we’ll be having 44 candidates county wide! Surely there’s a place for some of us on the ballot there!)

June 3, 7:30 am at the Village Deli -- County Government and the Women Who Run It! We’ll hear from Commissioner Iris Kiesling, County Council member at large Sophia Travis, County Auditor Sandy Newmann, and Assessor Judy Sharp about the scope of their duties, what’s been happening in county government.

July 1, 7:30 am at the Village Deli – Townships – Who are they and why are they there??? Details to come.

PROGRAM DIRECTOR ELECTION

We need to fill the vacancy in the position of Program Director on the steering committee. Lois Sabo-Skelton (At-Large member of the Steering Committee) has submitted her name as a candidate for this. This is an important position in our organization and we need to fill it asap! We’ll have the election on June 3rd, at our breakfast meeting, and will be taking nominations from the floor. If you are interested in running, please let Regina know (regina@bluemarble.net).

EARLY MONEY IS LIKE YEAST =EMILY!

EMILY's List, the nation's largest grassroots political network, is dedicated to taking back our country from the radical right wing by electing pro-choice Democratic women to federal, state, and local office. We are a network of more than 100,000 Americans -- from all across the country -- committed to recruiting and funding viable women candidates; helping them build and run effective campaign organizations; training the next generation of activists; and mobilizing women voters to help elect progressive candidates across the nation. (Website description. See www.emilyslist.org.)

On July 22 and 23, Emily’s List will be in Bloomington conducting a Political Opportunity Program (POP) training for women candidates. Links to the invitation and on-line application can be found on our website: www.democraticwomenscaucus.org. Descriptions of the POP program can be found on the EL website.

We can’t emphasize the importance of this training for women. It is empowering. It is some of the most important preparation a candidate can do for their race. It will prepare you for candidacy or will help you prepare another woman for candidacy.

85th ANNIVERSARY OF WOMEN’s SUFFRAGE

August 26, 2005, is the 85th anniversary of the 19th Amendment being signed into law. Please mark that day on your calendar! Save the date for an event hosted by the Democratic Women’s Caucus to celebrate this anniversary of the long and courageous campaign that won the right of citizenship for half of our citizens. We hope to make it an event that will be memorable and that will enhance all our understanding of this 72 year process!

APPLY NOW FOR THE SUSTAINABLITY COMMISSION

Our program last month featured information on this new city commission, and there is still time for you to apply to participate. Dave Rollo, the city council member who introduced the legislation has been giving many presentations to different groups around town, and there is much interest in the commission. He’s indicated that gender balance is important to him, and so we’re asking you to consider this opportunity. Applications should be in the form of a cover letter with a resume indicating experience and interest in the work of the commission. See the City of Bloomington website www.bloomington.in.gov for information on the commission.

BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS

And while we’re on the topic…. There are vacancies on the City of Bloomington’s Animal Control Commission, Environmental Commission, the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Birthday Celebration Commission, and the Traffic Commission. We’re still not near 50% representation by women on city commissions although we’re continually adding women to the numbers of folks volunteering to advise and advocate for the city in this capacity. There may soon be openings on the Community and Family Resources Commission and also the Commission on the Status of Women. Remember these meetings are open to the public (that’s why they’re announced in the paper). Feel free to visit them to see what’s going on.

We’re in the process of getting more information on openings for county board and commissions for those who live in the county.

regina@bluemarble.net

Women in Politics Reading Group meets the Third Sunday of each month. Reading lists and monthly book selections are posted on the website. The discussions are lively, and fun – even if you don’t finish the book! Contact Julie Thomas for more specific information at julthoma@indiana.edu. The selection for June 19th is Pigs at the Trough: How Corporate Greed and Political Corruption are Undermining America by Arianna Huffington. Now THAT should be a great discussion!

WWW.DEMOCRATICWOMENSCAUCUS.ORG

www.democraticwomenscaucus.org/

It may be a long website address, but it’s easy to remember! Hopefully this website will help you stay connected to the caucus between meetings and events, and become a helpful resource for you in your search for information about women in politics, progressive politics and even local politics. If you have something to contribute to this resource, please send it to Lu Cregar at lcregar@indiana.edu Book Reviews, News, Events, Guest Editorials!!!

ANNOUNCEMENTS

In addition to sending announcements of events and issues to Lu, please consider bringing flyers to the breakfast meetings. If announcement time is cut short due to a crowed agenda folks could take them with them as reminders.

MEMBERSHIP

The reasonable sum of $10 for a year’s membership helps to underwrite basic activities of the Democratic Women’s Caucus such as postage, post office box rental, room rentals, printing costs, etc. But it really does more! Think of the satisfaction of helping the number of Democratic women increase with each of the next three elections. Think of making a difference in promoting progressive, smart, capable women for public office. And think of calling them your friends as well as your representatives in government. Membership forms are printable from the website, and will be available at all our events. Think, too, about sponsoring a membership for one of the IU or IVY TECH College Democrats. What a wonderful way to build future women leaders!

WOMEN IN POLITICS (WiP) READING GROUP

Please join us! Even if you haven’t read the book, the discussion is always interesting!

Our next meeting: Sunday June 19 @ 4 pm We will be discussing Arianna Huffington’s Pigs at the Trough: How Corporate Greed and Political Corruption are Undermining America At Julie’s house, 3030 Russell Road (directions below)

And mark your calendar for upcoming reading group meetings:

• Sunday July 17 @ 4 pm We will be discussing Gloria Feldt’s The War on Choice: The Right-Wing Attack on Women’s Rights and How to Fight Back At Julie’s house, 3030 Russell Road (directions below)

• Sunday August 21 @ 4 pm We will be discussing Thomas Frank’s What’s the Matter with Kansas? How Conservatives Won the Heart of America At Pam Huggin’s house, 2609 Trotters Run (directions below)

• Sunday September 18 @ 4 pm We will be discussing the collection edited by Laura Flanders, The W Effect: Bush’s War on Women At Julie’s house, 3030 Russell Road (directions below)

Directions to Julie’s house (June, July, September meetings): From Campus, take 10th street East. Drive past the bypass, the post office, and Smith Road. Once you are past Smith Road, you will see University Elementary on your left (this is the corner of 10th and Russell Road). Take a left onto Russell Rd (can only take a left). 3030 is about 1 and 1/3 miles down Russell Rd, on the right-hand side of the street. We are the second house past Timbercrest Drive (on the right-hand side of the road). Questions? E-mail julthoma@indiana.edu

Directions to Pam’s house (August meeting): College Mall Road South to Moore’s Pike. Turn left and pass the side of Kerasotes Theaters. After ¼ mile, watch for the Hyde Park Olcott Entrance sign on the right. Turn right on Olcott and drive 5 or 6 blocks to the first stop sign (Winston). Turn right on Winston and make a quick right on Trotters Run. The house is the first on the right, with a purple door. Questions? E-mail phuggins@indiana.edu

Pass this newsletter on to a friend that you think might be interested in helping get more Democratic Women elected in our area. Ask her to come with you to the breakfast. Remember, although this is not an election year, there are three VERY important elections coming up in the next three years. This is our time to study, get educated on the issues, develop the issue-oriented approach to problems in our community, and develop the support system that will serve women candidates well. Don't forget to check out the Democratic Women's Caucus Website for more information on all our programs.

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