2015 is off and running

We hope that you and yours had a safe and happy holiday season. We’re moving into 2015 and preparing for the elections that will happen in 2016. We hope you’ll join us on this journey.

New Year — 2 Chances to Support DFL Efforts

What do we mean by that?

If you’re working on your taxes, don’t forget to go to the State Elections Campaign Fund portion on the front of the form. Fill it in with “12”, and the State will give $5 to the fund that supports our state candidates. This won’t affect your refund, so, please take the time to do this. 

You Can Again Contribution $50 and receive a full refund

With the Political Contribution Refund program, voters are able to contributed up to $50 annually to candidates or party units and receive a full refund from the State of Minnesota. Just visit our contribution page and make a secure, online contribution now. We’ll process your contribution, generate the necessary paperwork and send it to you right away. Just send it in to the State of Minnesota (you’ll get all the instructions you need with your receipt), and in 4 to 6 weeks you’ll get a check for the amount of your contribution up to $50 per voter.

Update from Rep. Selcer

As you may have seen in the news, it has been busy over at the state capitol.  It is an honor to serve on the House Education Finance, Education Innovation Policy, and Government Operations and Elections committees.  I have also been appointment to the Government Operations and Elections Committee’s subcommittee on Metropolitan Council oversight, in addition to having been appointed to the MN P-20 Partnership and continuing to serve on our bi-partisan House Small Business Caucus and bi-partisan Childhood Obesity Working group. I will also be joining a bi-partisan caucus dealing with ways we can assist our Minnesota veterans.

We have spent a good amount of time on overviews in committee, as we have another large Freshman class to assist in getting up to speed. We have just begun to hear bills in committee, and passed disaster relief off the House floor. . I am working on authoring and co-authoring a number of bills, including being the chief author of legislation to bond for the SW LRT, and will keep you apprised as more legislation rolls out.

You have seen in the media accounts of the Governor’s budget, as well as bills being brought forward by the Senate DFL majority and the House GOP majority. There is an emphasis on education and transportation this session, and I hope that you will continue to share your thoughts and questions with me on these and other issues of importance to you as we move forward.  As always, thank you for the honor of being your voice in St. Paul.

2015 Senate District 48 Convention

Were you elected a delegate at your 2014 precinct caucus? If so, you are also a delegate for our 2015 convention. The details are still coming together, but we do have the date, time and location:

Where:  Glen Lake Activity Center, 14350 Excelsior Blvd, Minnetonka, MN

When:  Thursday, May 14, 2015, 7:00 to 8:30 pm.

Update from State Senate Candidate Laurie McKendry

I love living here. And, I feel this even more strongly the more people here in Eden Prairie and Minnetonka. It’s the conversations I’ve had with you that I’m running for the Minnesota Senate — to put people before politics.

I’ll be going door-to-door in our district as soon as the weather permits and hope I’ll catch you home.  If I miss you, or if you’d like to let me know your thoughts now, please visit my website and complete the survey? I believe before you listen to politicians’ promises, shouldn’t they listen to you first?

Update from Joan Howe-Pullis

Earlier this year, I was happy to attend the Minnesota AFL-CIO Path to Power Campaign and Candidate Training. Throughout the two-day course, expert campaigners and trainers shared valuable information to empower candidates to run effective and authentic campaigns. It is true that every campaign is different, and in the thick of the election season, each candidate’s campaign can seem isolated. Sharing best practices and building relationships among fellow DFL candidates and key campaign activists was a wonderful experience of building shared competency, community and power! More trainings are planned for the future. I recommend that anyone interested take the time to attend a training and increase the effectiveness of your campaigning efforts in 2016. And, of course, I would welcome any questions anyone interested in joining my team may have.

Win a Container of Driveway Patch with Your Photo

Our State Senator and the GOP-controlled State House have countered Gov. Dayton’s transportation plan with one that’s so dinky it will repair 1 bridge in our state.

We have announced a photo contest where the winner will take home a container of driveway patch.

You can find the details here.

Our Annual Grow with Us Plant Sale is Coming Soon

Thoughts of growing plants can help us deal with the cold and snow this time of year. So, we wanted to let you know that our Grow with Us plant sale is in the works. Look for details soon.

 Happy Holidays!

It’s that busy time of the year when everyone is hustling and bustling around the Cities getting ready to celebrate Hanukkah, Christmas or Kwanzaa.

We wish you and your families and friends a safe and happy holiday.

2015 Session Starts Soon

What can we expect in the upcoming session? With the loss of control of the State House, the State Senate will be spending most of its time fighting off conservative proposals from the GOP House:

We’re anticipating challenges like:

• dismantling MNsure
• repealing teacher tenure requirements
• tip credit
• removing inflation in minimum wage calculation
• repealing prevailing wage legislation
• rejecting public employee labor contracts
• restructuring the Met Council
• eliminating the tax reforms made over the previous 2 years
• changes to student testing
• expanding charter schools and vouchers
• cutting transit dollars and repealing the Dream Act.

Don’t Leave Money on the Table

What do we mean by that?

With the Political Contribution Refund program, voters are able to contributed up to $50 annually to candidates or party units and receive a full refund from the State of Minnesota. Just visit our contribution page and make a secure, online contribution now. We’ll process your contribution, generate the necessary paperwork and send it to you right away. Just send it in to the State of Minnesota (you’ll get all the instructions you need with your receipt), and in 4 to 6 weeks you’ll get a check for the amount of your contribution up to $50 per voter.

Don’t leave money on the table!
Help us help DFLers become or remain your representatives by contributing now.

contribute in 2014!

Time’s Running Out

Don’t forget about city commissions.

Eden Prairie is accepting applications to its commissions next month. You can find out more here.

Minnetonka appoints people throughout the year as positions open. There are a number of boards and commissions for Minnetonka residents to participate in their municipality. You can find out more here.

If you’re interested in police work, consider the Police Citizens Academy. Applications are due by January 9, 2015. You can learn more here.

Holiday Greetings from Rep. Selcer

I wanted to take a moment of your time during this busy time of year to thank you once again for your support this past year. I’m looking forward to representing the people of our communities in the upcoming session.

And, as we move through these last days of the year, my family and I wish you and your family happy holidays.

Rep. Selcer’s Listening Session

Rep. Selcer will be holding a listening session on Saturday, January 10, from 10:30 to 11:30 am at the Glen Lake Activity Center in Minnetonka so She hopes to listen to your priorities as she begin the legislative session. The session is open to the public.

Holiday Greetings from Senate Candidate Laurie McKendry

It’s hard to believe how quickly this year has gone by. We’re once again looking at a New Year arriving in just a matter of days.

At this special time of the year, I hope you and yours have a safe and happy holiday season. See you soon!

Joan Howe-Pullis’ Holiday Greetings

Season’s Greetings to One and All!

2014 was an amazing year!

The work of campaigning is a great blessing of meeting, engaging, and building relationships.

As we get to know each other as individuals with hopes and dreams, we also begin to discover our collective hopes and dreams–our shared vision of the future we are building together.

It is my intention for 2015 to continue this wonderful work together.

We are developing a plan for an initial meeting on February 12, 2015 at 7:00 PM. Details about location will follow. Stay tuned!

I hope that many of you will want to come and contribute your energy to building the Eden Prairie that we will all be proud to call home.

May warmth and light and peace be with you in this winter season!

Happy New Year!

 To All the People Who Volunteered this Cycle

We offer a loud and strong thank you. Thank you for:

• contributing to our candidates
• making phone calls for our candidates
• walking door-to-door for our candidates
• entering data from those calls and walks
• helping prepare for door knocks and phone banks
• bringing food for volunteers, and
• everything else you did.

We know you had lots of other things you could have been doing with what time you had available to you. Giving of your time and treasurer is appreciated by those of us in Senate District 48 DFL and our candidates.

Election Recap

We’re happy to report that Rep. Yvonne Selcer was re-elected to represent our House District 48A. It was a close race, but her hard work paid off. There will be more about this in Rep. Selcer’s update later in this newsletter.

We weren’t able to make a change in our House District 48B race, even with the strong effort Joan Howe-Pullis put into the race.

We’re honored to have had such articulate and wise women running to represent us.

Economy Continues to Improve Even if We Don’t All Feel It Yet

 From the Minnesota Office of Management & Budget:

As of October 10, 2014, the office projects that Minnesota’s net general fund receipts are estimated to total $4.297 billion during the first quarter of fiscal year 2015. You can read the complete update here.

Minnesota’s job growth continues to outpace Wisconsin (no matter what you heard from Gov. Dayton’s opponent during the election). You can read more about that here.

And, Minnesota’s unemployment rate continues to decline. Here’s a great site for information through September of 2014.

Things were looking pretty good, definitely continuing to improve under DFL control. We’ll have to watch what happens with the change in House control that will be reflected in the next two years starting in January, 2015.

Don’t Forget You Can Loan the District $50

With the Political Contribution Refund program, voters are able to contributed up to $50 annually to candidates or party units and receive a full refund from the State of Minnesota.* This is one of the tools our state uses to help elections be representative of real voters and not just deep pocket donors who are more and more often living outside our state, let alone our district.

Historically, the Republican Party of Minnesota and it’s senate districts have been more successful in raising funds than the DFL. Let’s not let that happen this year.

Just visit our contribution page and make a secure, online contribution now. We’ll process your contribution, generate the necessary paperwork and send it to you right away. Just send it in to the State of Minnesota (you’ll get all the instructions you need with your receipt), and in 4 to 6 weeks you’ll get a check for the amount of your contribution up to $50 per voter.

So, don’t let this money go to waste. Help us help DFLers become or remain your representatives by contributing now. And, remember, this is an annual contribution. So, you can do the same thing after the first of the year.

Interested in Being of Service to Your Community?

Don’t forget about city commissions.

In Eden Prairie, the City is accepting applications to its commissions in January, 2015. There’s a wide variety of ways to get involved. You can find out more here.

Minnetonka appoints people throughout the year rather than having a filing period like Eden Prairie. There are a number of boards and commissions for Minnetonka residents to participate in their municipality. You can find out more here.

If you’re interested in police work, consider the Police Citizens Academy. Applications are due by January 9, 2015. You can learn more here.

Update from Rep. Selcer

Many thanks to all of you who worked so hard, supported our campaign and went to the polls to vote in this close election. It is because of our efforts together that we were able to win. The negative campaigning against us was unbelievable, but you proved that personal contacts and positive messaging can carry the day. I am in awe of your commitment to the values that led you to devote countless hours to this effort, and humbled by the honor of continuing as your state representative.

I am proud of what we have accomplished together for our community and for Minnesota in the last two years, and look forward to continuing to partner with you to move Minnesota forward.

Now that the election is over, the recount finished, the lawn signs stored, and the celebrations enjoyed, it is time to begin that work again. We will be holding a listening session on Saturday, January 10, from 10:30 to 11:30 am at the Glen Lake Activity Center in Minnetonka so I can listen to your priorities as we begin the legislative session.

As always, thank you for the honor of being your state representative in St. Paul  Please feel free to contact me at any time; I welcome your thoughts and questions. 

And from my family to yours, Happy Thanksgiving!

Best,
Yvonne

Update from Laurie McKendry

We’ve come through this year’s election and have had time to recharge. Nationally, we saw the lowest turnout in 72 years. I door knocked with both Yvonne and Joan. I’m thankful Yvonne pulled through. And, am glad Joan is considering running again in 2016.

My campaign volunteers and I’ve been working toward 2016 since the day after the 2012 election. And, from here on out, we’re ramping up our activities. We’re fundraising to meet the maximums of this two-year cycle, and will continue this with the new two-year cycle that starts in January. I continue to be active in both Minnetonka and Eden Prairie with the Economic Development Advisory Commission and as a member of the AM Rotary Board.

But, as we move into the more active phase of our campaign, no matter how much we do, we can’t do it alone. It takes support from everyone to get done what needs to be done during a Senate District-wide campaign.

After this election, I’m hearing the media talking about the trend I noticed last year: with the ineffectiveness of the U.S. Congress, more issues that have been considered federal issues are coming down to State Legislatures. So, it’s more important than ever who is elected to represent you there. Who do you want making decisions on student loan debt? legalization of marijuana? immigration? water rights? And so much more…

I’ll be starting to door knock in late winter/early spring of next year and will continue until Election Day of 2016. And, plan to door knock the full Senate District at least twice. I hope you’ll join me and my campaign team as we begin building our efforts for the 2016. Please join us on what I believe will be a historical journey for our district!

In closing, I hope you have a safe and happy Thanksgiving. Hope to see you soon.

Update from Joan Howe-Pullis

The last six months have been a remarkable privilege. The incredibly dedicated team who worked with me gives me hope for our future. And, the thousands of Eden Prairie residents who opened their doors to have conversations about what matters to them proved that there is more that unites us than divides us. Each one of you makes a difference in our community. Thank you all.

It’s Crunch Time!

We’re now in what’s called GOTV (Get Out the Vote) time for our candidates. If you haven’t had time to help, now’s the time when you’re needed the most. Why?

When Dems Vote, Dems Win

We have the number of voters in our district to assure that our candidates win. The problem is getting them to realize that voting when a presidential candidate isn’t on the ballot is critical. That’s where you come in. With your help either going to a voter’s door or calling a voter on the phone can help get them to the polls.

If you’ve got several hours, that’s wonderful. If you only have an hour or so, your time will still make a difference. So, please join us.

Rep. Yvonne Selcer, HD48A

Rep. Selcer’s Get Out the Vote efforts are being handled as the rest of her campaign events have been, at the CD3 DFL Coordinated Campaign Office, 915 Mainstreet, Hopkins, MN. When you have a spare hour or more, go there and help her reach more voters.

Joan Howe-Pullis, HD48B Candidate

Joan continues to knock doors and phone people daily. Her campaign events are on our SD48 DFL calendar on this site.

Starting October 31, we’ll be moving to GOTV efforts on the B-side of our district working from 18285 Croixwood Ln.

If you’d like to help Joan’s campaign or if you’d prefer to not leave the district to help our DFL ticket, that’s where you should go. We’ll be posting more specifics about this as we move toward Election Day, November 4.

HD48B GOTV Efforts from October 31 through Election Day

If you’re able to help with phoning or knocking and don’t want to work outside our district, e-mail us at [email protected]. Let us know what times your available and what you’d like to do. We’ll get back to you with specifics on our GOTV efforts. We’ll need help with lot of different things.

Here’s an easy way for you to volunteer:

Can You Host a Lawn Sign?

Our local House candidates are hoping to build visibility with lawn signs. If you’re willing to have one in your yard between now and Election Day, please e-mail us at . We’ll pass your information along to our candidates.

Our DFL Ticket

To see who else is on the ballot, visit this post. We’ve also included information on the Eden Prairie City Council seats up for election this year and information on the judicial races we’ll have on the ballot.

Toward the bottom of the page, you’ll find links to print out actual sample ballots to take with you to the polls.

Did You Vote Early?

You can check the status of your ballot by visiting this website. If you see there’s a problem, you have time to get things straightened out by contacting your City Clerk.

If You Haven’t Cast Your Ballot Early, You Still Have Time

If you hate waiting in lines or aren’t certain if you can make it to the polls, you have the option this year to do early, no excuse absentee voting.

Eden Prairie

Weekdays between now and October 31, you can go to the City Center, 8080 Mitchell Rd, to vote. You will be able to vote between the hours of 8:00 am and 4:30 pm. On November 1, you can vote between 10:00 am and 3:00 pm. On November 3, you can vote from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm.

Minnetonka

Visit the City Center, 14600 Minnetonka Blvd, Minnetonka, MN 55345 during the hours below:

Saturday, October 25:  9:00 am to 4:00 pm
Tuesday, October 28, 8:00 am to 7:00 pm
Wednesday, October 29, 8:00 am to 7:00 pm
Thursday, October 30:  8:00 am to 7:00 pm
Saturday, November 1:  9:00 am to 4:00 pm
Monday, November 3:  7:30 am to 5:00 pm

If You Vote Early, Take a Dem Friend

You can help make a difference by talking with a Dem friend or neighbor and inviting them to come with you. You can vote together at your local City Center (no separate polling locations until Election Day).  Know someone who can’t or doesn’t drive? Take them with you. You’re ensuring their vote counts.

Not Certain if You’re Registered to Vote?

This year, you can visit the Minnesota Secretary of State’s website to:

• Check if your registration is current, and
• Register to vote.

If you’d prefer to register in person, you can go to the City Clerk’s office at your municipality’s City Center and fill out the form there.

 Have College Students in Your Family?

Make certain they’re voting this election, especially if they’re in Minnesota. If possible, have them vote at home. That helps our local House candidates as well as our “upticket” candidates.

If they’ve voted via absentee ballot, you can use the Secretary of State’s website to determine if their ballot has been received.

League of Women Voters House Candidate Forums

Didn’t get to the League of Women Voters Candidate Forum? You can watch it here:

What Our Candidates are Doing

Rep. Yvonne Selcer, HD48A

As Rep Yvonne Selcer and her team move into these final, crucial weeks of the campaign, they’re working to bring the door knocking and phoning to an even higher level to get out the good news of the work that has been done in the last two years. Yvonne stood up for the people of our community and Minnesotans, passing fiscally responsible legislation that paid our schools back, provided all day kindergarten, froze college tuition, promoted small business job creation and streamlined paperwork.

Even in the midst of this close race, Rep Selcer is also focused on the duties of her position as your state representative. She’s serving on legislative committees throughout the summer to prepare for the work that needs to continue during the next legislative session.

Her record of service and accomplishment, of course, will be distorted by the special interest groups, including the billionaire Koch brothers’ Americans for Prosperity, who are lining up to distort these accomplishments and protect their special interests.

Rep. Selcer and her team thank all those who have helped to date with door knocking, phoning, lawn sign distribution, office work and a variety of other important campaign tasks.

These last weeks leading up to Nov 4 are crucial to victory. Yvonne asks if you have volunteered, to keep volunteering.  If you have not yet had the opportunity to volunteer, please do so in the crucial coming weeks.  You can sign up to volunteer at yvonneselcer.com, or just call Maars, her organizer at 612-524-8427, and he will get you involved.

“Together, we can win again on Nov 4, and continue the work we have begun to move MN forward,” said Rep Selcer.  “Thanks to all of you for the many ways in which you are supporting this effort.”

Joan Howe-Pullis, HD48B Candidate

At their Campaign Head-quarters, things are gearing up for the rundown to Election Day.

Joan is out at the doors most days. When she’s not, she’s phoning the people of Eden Prairie.

If you’d like to help, phone banks and door knocks are being staged out of Eden Prairie. So, no long driving to pick up lit packets or getting to a phone bank and not having material to make calls.

Team Joan is also pulling together the details of what’s shaping up to be a great lit drop/door knock next month, so look for more information on it soon.

If you have time to help with any aspect of Joan’s race, send her an e-mail at .

Laurie McKendry, SD48

Even though the focus between now and Election Day is on our House seats and Laurie continues to help Yvonne and Joan, things are gearing up for the 2015-2016 election cycle when Laurie will be making a second run for the State Senate.

If you’re interested in seeing what a full campaign election cycle involves, we’ll be picking up our planning efforts in late November. E-mail to become part of Team McKendry.

Can You Host a Lawn Sign?

Our candidates are hoping to build visibility with lawn signs.

If you’re willing to have one in your yard between now and Election Day, please e-mail us at . We’ll pass your information along to our candidates.

League of Women Voters Candidate Forums

Again this year the League of Women Voters is hosting candidate forums for both our State House races and our Eden Prairie municipal races.

Please mark your calendar now and plan to attend. Not only will you learn more about the candidates and issue, your attendance helps support our candidates.

State House Forum

The State House Candidate Forum will be held Tuesday, September 30, from 7:00 to 8:30 pm in the Council Chambers at the Minnetonka Community Center, 14600 Minnetonka Blvd., Minnetonka, MN. Doors open at 6:30 pm.

Eden Prairie Municipal Forum

The forum for candidates running for Eden Prairie City Council will be held Thursday, October 2, 7:00 to 8:30 pm in the Council Chambers at the Eden Prairie Community Center, 8080 Mitchell Rd, Eden Prairie, MN. Doors open at 6:30 pm.

The top two vote getters on Election Day will be on the Eden Prairie City Council. So, if you’re a resident of this city, please attend.

Eden Prairie Mayor Nancy Tyra-Lukens is running unopposed.

Our DFL Ticket

To see who else is on the ballot, visit this post. We’ve also included information on the Eden Prairie City Council seats up for election this year and information on the judicial races we’ll have on the ballot.

Have Holasek Certificates Left Over from Our Grow with Us Plant Sale?

2015 UPDATE:  Holasek Greenhouses is now out of business. We have no information on how to receive refunds. Please contact the organization you purchased your certificates from for further information.

We’ve been informed that Holasek Greenhouses will be going out of business this year. If you didn’t use all your certificates this spring and summer, you have a limited time to receive a full refund. Please e-mail us at . We’ll contact you with the details, but please do it by September 30. Holasek’s will be closing their books for good in October, 2014.

Not Certain if You’re Registered to Vote?

This year, you can visit the Minnesota Secretary of State’s website to:

• Check if your registration is current, and
• Register to vote.

If you’d prefer to register in person, you can go to the City Clerk’s office at your municipality’s City Center and fill out the form there.

When Democrats vote, Democrats win. Get the pieces in place now to make voting simpler November 4.

Your Candidates Need Your Help Now

We’re over half way through September, the Fall routine should be established in your household. Your candidates and their volunteers have been working hard for months. But, there’s so much more to do.  (You’d be amazed how BIG a House District is, how many doors there are to visit.)

Support Your Candidates By:

Door knocking and phone calling are the big needs at this point in campaigns. If you’re comfortable doing that, please volunteer. Our candidates have included contact information in their articles.

If you’re not, there are still lots you can do:

• Make a contribution to one of our local races or to SD48 DFL if you haven’t yet
  • your first $50 contributed to a state campaign or party unit is refunded by the State of Minnesota to help make it possible for regular people to run
• Have some time on upcoming weekends or week days?
  • Help set up lawn signs
  • Help enter information
  • Help write a letter to the editor
  • Help feed volunteers
  • Got other ideas? Let us know, and we’ll “hook you up.”

You’ll meet a great group of people, and help create change in our district with your time  (It’s also a great thing for families to do.) Need to get connected?  Email us at . We’ll get you in touch with the right people.

When Dems Vote, Dems Win

Why?

We have the numbers to elect the people who are putting all their efforts into running for office if we just bother to vote.

No Excuse Absentee Voting

This year, you can go to your municipal community center and cast an early, no excuse absentee ballot from September 19 until the weekend before the election (check out your city’s website for hours on weekends). Just stop into your City Clerk’s office, complete the paperwork and fill out your ballot.

What happens when we don’t?

Remember 2010? That’s the last non-presidential election. We wound up with a Republican-controlled Legislature. That Legislature shut down our government for the longest time in our state’s history costing us tens of millions of dollars. It also brought us the two constitutional amendments that so divided our city.

And, when you vote between September 19 and November 4, help make certain our candidates win by bringing a progressive friend with you to the polls.

Remember, when Democrats vote Democrats win.

Town Hall Forum with Hennepin County Sherif Candidate Eddie Frizell

Team Frizell invites you to a discussion regarding public safety and how Eddie would lead the department as the County’s new Sheriff.

– Share how you would like to see the Sheriff’s office engaged with your community

– Discuss the duties of the Sheriff’s office

– Learn more about the $91.9 million Sheriff’s budget

– Hear Eddie’s priorities for the Sheriff’s office.

This event is not affiliated with the Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office in any way. For official business with the Sheriff’s Office, please call 612.348.2347.

RSVP at facebook.com/frizellforsheriff/events or by e-mail to [email protected].

The Party Party

We had a great time at our Party Party earlier this month.

Check out more info about the event including more photos here.