In this Email

JAN 3 2023

• Party News

  • NEW: New Year's Resolution - Join or Renew Your Membership

  • County Convention on January 21

  • Next Meeting in February

  • NEW: Video of the Executive Swearing In For Michigan

  • NEW: Legislative Swearing In

  • Treasurer & Finance Chair Wanted

  • Massive Progress

• Upcoming Events

  • NEW: MDP Spring 2023 Convention

  • NEW: Campaign & Community Events

Party News

One thing all of us can resolve to do in the New Year is to continue to be active members of the Houghton County Democratic Party. We have a long history as a strong and vital county party because of the participation and support of our members. Together, we make a difference to the life of our county community.

If you are a member already by way of a recurring donation, now is a good time to double check your donation.

Some automatic donations require renewal at the new year, or after 12 months.

If you are not a member please join us! See the blue boxes at the very end of the newsletter for options to join our county party - we have memberships for students, seniors, couples and individuals. Or you can click the big blue button below to explore the levels of membership through the Michigan Democratic Party.

The HCDP County Convention, to consider resolutions and business for the Michigan Democratic Party's Spring Convention, will be held Saturday, January 21st, at 10:00 AM at the Houghton Super 8 and virtually by Zoom.

Under MDP rules, delegates to the County Convention include Precinct Delegates who were duly elected at the Primary Election held August 2, 2022, the Democratic nominees for County and Legislative offices as set forth in section 3.2.2 of the MDP bylaws, and members of the Michigan Democratic Party who reside in the county or district and whose membership was renewed at least thirty (30) days prior to the County or District Convention.The Convention is being held in advance of the MDP Spring Convention in Detroit. (See the item under "Upcoming Events" below for details on that gathering.)

At the December Potluck and General Meeting it was agreed to forego a January meeting. Our next General Membership Meeting will be Wednesday, February 1 at 7 PM. As usual, the meeting will be both in-person at the Super 8 in Houghton and by Zoom.

On Sunday, Governor Gretchen Whitmer, along with Lt. Governor Gilchrist, Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson, and Attorney General Dana Nessel were sworn in for their second terms in a ceremony held on the lawn of the Michigan Capital in Lansing. The newest member of the Michigan Supreme Court, Kyra Harris Bolden, administered the oath of office to Governor Whitmer.

If you are interested in viewing the Inauguration ceremony, it was captured by broadcaster WZZM in Grand Rapids and shared on their YouTube channel. You can find the video here. (NOTE: What looks like it might be a commercial at the start of the recording is actually a video that was shown at the Capital grounds at the start of the ceremony.) 

There will be swearing-in ceremonies for the Michigan legislature next week.

Democratic State Representive-elect Betty Coffia of the 103rd District (Traverse City and surrounding townships, Leelanau County and portions of Benzie County), who will be one of the only progressive Democrats from Northern Michigan in the House, will be streaming her swearing-in on her Facebook page.

You can also find information on her page about attending the House ceremony in person, including a link to a request form to fill out.

We are still searching for individuals willing to fill the roles of Treasurer and Finance Chair.

The treasurer is responsible for financial receipts and disbursements, and for providing financial reports to the County and Executive Committees as requested. The Treasurer also is responsible for the filing of Michigan Campaign Finance Disclosure reports. (More information on disclosure filing can be found at MERTSplus.com ).

The Finance Committee Chair oversees the creation of the annual budget and ideas for fundraising efforts.

If you are interested in serving as Treasurer or Finance Chair, or you know someone who may be, please contact Chair William Keith at [email protected].

Upcoming Events

The Michigan Democratic Party 2023 Spring Convention takes place Saturday February 11 in Detroit. All members of the Michigan Democratic Party are encouraged to attend. For those unable to travel, an online stream of the proceedings of the convention floor will be available at michigandems.com.

Further information, including the full Call to Convention and the Convention Schedule can be found on the Michigan Dems website.

Thur. 1/5:

• The South Range Village Council meets the first Thursday of each month at 6:30 PM in the South Range Community Building.

Sat 1/7:

• January 7th is Christmas Day as celebrated by many Orthodox Christians. The holiday is sometimes referred to as "Old Christmas Day" because it follows the old Julian calendar, rather than the Gregorian calendar adopted by Christians in Western countries in 1582. This year the Ukranian Orthodox Church has allowed Christmas celebrations on either December 25th or January 7th, in response to the public's desire to follow Western, rather than Russian, tradition in the midst of Russia's invasion.