Houghton County Dems Endorse Kim Corcoran for MI House

Bridgefest Is This Week!

Sponsored by the Keweenaw Peninsula Chamber of Commerce, Bridgefest features food and other vendors in Houghton’s Kestner Waterfront Park on Friday and Saturday. There are other activities taking place during Bridgefest including kids activities (bounce house and obstacle course), the Thatcher Markham Memorial Run on Friday evening, and the Bridgefest Parade.

We will have a booth at Kestner Park and will participate in the parade. We’d love to have you join us!

We’re still in need of a driver for the Parade and we have a few slots left for volunteers to staff our booth. PLEASE CONSIDER JOINING US! Email Barb Turuc at [email protected] if you can help out.

WHEN: Booth @ Kestner Park - This Friday, June 14 starting at 3 PM, and Saturday, June 15 from noon.

Parade - Parade line up begins at 5:30 PM on Friday, and the parade kicks off at 7 PM.

WHERE: Ray Kestner Park on the waterfront in Houghton, with the Parade through downtown Houghton.

Once again, email Barb Turuc at [email protected] if you can help out.

MQT Dems Hold Their Summer Sizzle June 20th

Our friends the Marquette County Dems are holding their annual Summer Sizzle fundraiser on Thursday June 20th. Tickets are available through this MQT Dems ActBlue page.

Coming Events - Mark Your Calendars (and Volunteer!)

We’ve got a number of activities and events coming up and we’d love to have you join us. Below is the list of our annual summer activities. Mark your calendars and volunteer:

• June 13 thru 16 - BRIDGEFEST: Just as we’ve done in previous years we will again be staffing a booth at the Festival and walking in the Parade. This is a great opportunity to interact with the public and share our message of freedom and democracy.

• July 4 - INDEPENDENCE DAY PARADES: We’re still finalizing which parade(s) we’ll be marching in this year. If you have a particular parade you’d like to join in and march with us, let us know.

• July 12 and 13 - STRAWBERRY FESTIVAL: Strawberry Fest is a favorite every year. We’ll be marching in the Festival Parade - come join us!

• August 22 thru 25 - HOUGHTON COUNTY FAIR: We staff a table every year to engage with the public and distribute literature. We’ll have our button maker and materials ready for the kids to create their own button designs, while we chat with the adults.

• Labor Day Weekend - LABOR DAY PICNIC: Each year we gather over Labor Day Weekend to picnic and connect as we get ready for the fall campaign season.

If you’d like to volunteer for any of these activities let us know. Just leave a message at (906) 523-1233 or email us at [email protected]

Houghton County Democrats Endorse Kim Corcoran for MI House

At our June meeting last week the Houghton County Democrats voted unanimously to endorse Kim Corcoran for the 110th District Michigan State House seat. Corcoran has served on the Ironwood City Commission for the past fifteen years, seven of them as Mayor. She brings a strong commitment to public service to her campaign, and has listed education, economic development and health care as priorities.

LEARN MORE ABOUT KIM CORCORAN (AND DONATE TO SUPPORT HER CAMPAIGN) AT HER CAMPAIGN WEBSITE.

Supreme Court Candidate Kimberly Ann Thomas

Also at our June meeting we got a chance to meet Michigan Supreme Court candidate Kimberly Ann Thomas. She grew up in Pennsylvania coal country, went to school at the University of Maryland and then to work at the Detroit News. From there she went on to law school at Harvard, and is currently a law professor at U of M, where she runs the Juvenile Justice Clinic. There she and law school students represent people who cannot afford lawyers.

Thomas asked all of us at the meeting if we would help to spread the word on her candidacy.

LEARN MORE ABOUT SUPREME COURT CANDIDATE KIMBERLY ANN THOMAS (AND DONATE TO SUPPORT HER CAMPAIGN) AT HER CAMPAIGN WEBSITE.

So You Want To Become A School Board Member?

Our Candidate Recruitment Committee is still encouraging all interested Democrats and progressive citizens to file to run for your local school board. The filing deadline is July 23rd.

IF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN LEARNING MORE ABOUT HOW TO FILE AND RUN FOR A SEAT ON YOUR SCHOOL BOARD CHECK OUT THE FOLLOWING RESOURCES:

• The Candidate’s Guide put together by The Michigan Association of School Boards (MASB) takes you through the process of becoming a School Board candidate, and helps you understand what it takes to be an effective School Board member.

• MASB is also offering Virtual Candidate Forums throughout June and July to answer questions from prospective candidates. Information on the dates and times of the Forums is available in their Candidate’s Guide.

• H.E.A.L. (Honest Education Action & Leadership) Together, an initiative from the nonprofit Race Forward, is offering a virtual seminar next Tuesday, June 18th at 7 PM on “Countering White Nationalism at Your Rural School Board: An Introduction to Public School Strong”. Sign up here.

Michigan Democratic Party Call to Convention

The Michigan Democratic State Central Committee issued their Call to Convention this past Friday, for the 2024 State Nominating Convention.

The purposes of the MDP’s 2024 Nominating Convention shall be to select Presidential Electors and formally nominate Democratic candidates to the November General Election in the following contests:

• State Supreme Court

• Board of Education

• and University Boards including:

• Michigan State University Board of Trustees

• University of Michigan Board of Regents

• Wayne State University Board of Governors

The Call to Convention (which you can find here) includes a Nominating Convention Timeline. Some key dates to keep in mind:

• July 11th: Deadline to be eligible to vote in County and District Conventions (must be a member of the MDP to vote).

• July 25th: Deadline to be eligible to vote at the 2024 Nominating Convention (must be a member of the MDP to vote).

• August 6th: Michigan’s Primary Election Day.

• August 24th: State Nominating Convention held in Lansing Michigan.

Our First Rummage Sale Went Great!

Thanks to everyone who donated, and all who stopped by the Houghton County Dems office in Hancock for our rummage sale last week. We had a good turnout on Friday but a slower day on Saturday. Best of all we brought in funds to support local Democratic candidates in contested 2024 elections!!!

And, we had so much fun doing it that we think we might just do it again! Watch the newsletter for announcements of future rummage sales to support our 2024 candidates.

At the Capital and On the Campaign Trail

A SMALL SAMPLING OF WHAT’S HAPPENING IN MICHIGAN AND ON THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL.

• Vice President Harris’ Address at the MDP Legacy Dinner Makes Headlines: VP Harris made headlines both in Michigan and nationally for her speech this past Saturday at the MDP Legacy Dinner. The Vice President “went all in” with her remarks on Donald Trump, recently convicted of 34 felonies. The VP noted that “since the verdict, he [Trump] attacks the judge and the witnesses.” She then repeated a line she first gave on Jimmy Kimmel Live - “You know why he complains? Because the reality is, cheaters don’t like getting caught.” MORE: Salon

• AG Nessel and House LGBTQ+ Caucus Warn that Trump and GOP Threaten Hard Won Rights: Nessel and the Caucus warned of a rollback of rights should Trump and the GOP gain power in November. “The only actual way to save LGBTQ people from being launched backwards literally 50 years, if not further, is to reelect Joe Biden, a man who has been our greatest ally, a champion, and a protector for the LGBTQ community,” the Attorney General said. “Pride month is usually a time of great joy for the LGBTQ community, as it should be,” said Nessel. “But I guess if I had to say succinctly what my message is to the LGBTQ community, to all our allies and supporters, it is really this: Time to wake the hell up.” MORE: Michigan Advance

• MI Legislature Hard at Work on 2025 Budget: It doesn’t get a lot of press attention but it does take a lot of our state legislators time and attention. “It” is the state budget that is drawn up every year. The MDP’s Party on the Peninsulas podcast has an interview on their latest edition with Democratic State Representative Angela Witwer, the chair of the House Appropriations Committee. Witwer discusses the process of drawing up the budget and efforts by Democrats for more transparency on the “earmarking” process. Chair Witwer is hopeful the budget process will wrap up by the end of this month. MORE: Party on the Peninsulas for June 9 (interview starts at the 8:30 mark)

Our Next Monthly Meeting

HCDP Monthly Meetings: Unless otherwise communicated our monthly meetings are held the first Wednesday of each month. Potluck at 6 PM, Meeting at 7 PM. In the conference room at the Houghton Super 8, and by Zoom (starting at 7 PM).

NEXT MEETING: July 3rd

Governmental Meetings

TUE JUNE 11

This month's regular meeting of the Houghton County Board of Commissioners has been postponed from Tuesday June 11 to Tuesday June 18. The meeting will start on the 18th at 5 PM in the Conference Room on the fifth floor of the Houghton County Courthouse. Find more information on the Board's webpage

WED JUNE 12

The Houghton City Council meets at 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday. The Meeting Agenda can be found in the Searchable Document Center of the Council's website.

Governmental meetings are scheduled throughout the month by bodies from the County Commission to City, Village and Township boards, committees and commissions; as well as local School Boards and the Copper Country Intermediate School District.

Check by phone or on the particular governmental website for meeting notices in your community. Your participation in local government meetings lets your elected and appointed officials know you are interested in their work, and can provide you with the opportunity to speak about your concerns during public comment periods