It’s already July and the 2014 Minnesota State Fair is just around the corner – August 21 through Labor Day, September 1. Like all DFL activities, our State Fair booth needs spirited volunteers to make it great.

We’re celebrating the 70th Anniversary of our Party’s founding, so this will be a great year at the Fair.  There are many things that you can do to help out, including:

• Greeting visitors
• Talking about important issues and
• Registering new voters.

The schedule at the DFL State Fair booth is divided into 3 four-hour blocks. We need volunteers who are willing to work for a full four-hour period. Times available to volunteer include:

• 9:00 AM to 1:00 PM
• 1:00 PM to 5:00 PM
• 5:00 PM to 9:00 PM

It’s a way to spread the word about our Party and our candidates while having fun and enjoying a day at the #1 State Fair in the USA! We’ll even give you a free ticket for each day you work in the DFL booth, when you attend volunteer training at 10:00 AM on Saturday, August 9.

To sign up, please visit DFL.org/statefair/ http://www.dfl.org/statefair or call Morgan Hinton at 651-251-6367.

We’ll see you at the Fair!

DFL volunteering · Minnesota State Fair

The letters to the editor page of a newspaper is one of the most read pages in the paper. It can also be a great forum for getting your message out to a wider audience.

When thinking about where to submit your letter, don’t just assume the StarTribune is your only option. The local, weekly papers are looking for content and don’t receive the large number of letters our daily paper does. So, consider submitting your letter there. We’ll provide you with contact information later in this post.

To have the best chance of getting your letter published:

Do:

• Respond directly to something that’s happening right now (breaking news) or an article or commentary published in the previous two days (for the StarTribune) or previous issue (for the weeklies).
• Use the format of the publication you’re submitting to, mention the article or commentary you’re responding to in your subject line.
• Focus on one important point so you don’t muddy the issue or situation in your reader’s mind
• Don’t exceed 250 words
• Edit, edit, edit. Make certain you’ve removed every non-essential word from your letter.
• Use verified facts. Take the time to check original sources rather than repeating something you think to be a fact (these can be included in footnotes to show the paper you’ve done your homework)
• Speak from your heart, let people know why you’re affected by this issue or situation. It helps others put themselves in your shoes and feel what you’re feeling.
• Give people information on where to go for more information on the situation or issue.
• Submit your e-mail either through the publication’s website or with an e-mail.
• Don’t submit the same letter to the same publication with one e-mail with multiple recipients.
• Include your contact information (e-mail address, daytime phone number).

If the publication is thinking about running your letter, you’ll get a phone call checking to see you’re a real person and that you submitted the letter. It’s a good sign.  It’s OK to ask the editor calling when the letter will appear.

For weekly papers, if yo don’t get “the call”, it’s OK to call and make a polite inquiry about the letter’s status.

Don’ts

• Don’t over exaggerate your points, it makes people question anything else you say.
• Don’t insult anyone you’re opposed or writing to refute.
• Avoid industry or political jargon or acronyms, spell everything out the first time and include the acronym in parentheses the first time
• Don’t use all caps or bold text to emphasize a word. The paper won’t print it that way and could stop your letter from being included. You can italicize a word or two, but even that probably won’t make the printed page.

Local Media:

Submit a letter to the Eden Prairie News here. The deadline is 12:00 pm the Monday before the Thursday publication.

Submit a letter to the Sun Papers here. The deadline is 5:00 pm the Thursday before the following Thursday publication.

 The deadline is 5:00 pm the Wednesday of the week before publication.

Citizen Journalism Sites:

These sites are minimally monitored. An account will need to be created to post anything.

Eden Prairie Patch

Minnetonka Patch

Daily

Submit a letter to the StarTribune

write a letter to the editor

2014 precinct caucus · DFL · senate district 48 dfl

What’s an election without a results watch party?  No state or national races on the ticket? No problem!  We’re holding a watch party for the races on this year’s ticket.

Tomorrow evening, those wanting to gather with their fellow Democrats to watch the election results come in for Eden Prairie School Board and it’s referendum questions, Hopkins School Board and it’s referendum questions, Minnetonka City Council and Minnetonka School Board are welcome to join us.

What:  Election Results Watch

Where:  Borine Home, 18285 Croixwood Ln, Eden Prairie, MN 55347

When:  Tuesday, starting at 9:00 PM

Need more info?  Contact us at [email protected].

2013 election · Eden Prairie referendum · Eden Prairie School District · Hopkins school board · Hopkins School District referendum · Minnetonka City Council · Minnetonka School Board

There are a number of elections on the ballot this November 5.  Where there isn’t a national race or event a state race on the ticket, people tend to tell themselves it doesn’t make any difference if they don’t take a bit of time away from work (it’s in statute that you can take time off to vote) or an evening to do that one action that makes us a representative democracy — vote.And, in several of these races, they will have a direct affect on your life than some of the state or national positions do.

So, please, put voting on your calendar and make certain you take that time that citizens of Minnesota and the United States and cast your ballot.

Eden Prairie School Board

At the recent Eden Prairie School Board Candidate Forum hosted by the League of Women Voters, these candidates stated they were endorsed by the Senate District 48 Republican Party of Minnesota:  Murshid Barud, Renee Jacobus and Holly Link.  Mr. Barud led outreach efforts for the Emmer gubernatorial campaign. Elaine Larabee is the Treasurer for Rep. Jenifer Loon (48B-R).

Based on what the candidates have said, we believe these candidates most closely match the  DFL Party’s positions on education:

Timothy Laurie

With this race, the individuals receiving the highest vote totals will be elected to the three open positions. So, we ask that you research the candidates in this race and only vote for those who support your values on education.

Eden Prairie School District Referendum

Want to find out more about the referendum that’s on this November’s ballot? The district’s website has a section of their website devoted to the two questions that will be on the ballot. Here’s a link to that site.

The district has not had a funding increase since 2004. The current Republican-controlled School Board, felt additional funding is critical. Public education is one of the strongest planks of the DFL’s platform and specifically cited in the Minnesota state constitution.

• Therefore, we believe funding public education is needed for a viable democracy. And, that voting for the referendum questions is a position matching that of our party platform.

Eden Prairie Polling Locations

Where the only items on the ballot this November are school district issues, the election is being handled by the district. That means we’ll have fewer polling locations. Here’s a link to our page with where polling will be held and how to find out where you’ll be voting.

Hopkins School Board

There are 3 seats open on the Hopkins School Board. These are the candidates who are running to fill those positions:  Betsy Anderson, Warren Goodroad, Gary Jing, Heather Hansen, Katie Fulkerson, Michael “Doobie” Kurus and Tobias McKenna.

Betsy Anderson has served on the school board since 2005. Mr. Goodroad has served since 2009. Katie Fulkerson has been Senate District 48 Republican Party of Minnesota’s Vice Chair.

Based on what the candidates have said, we believe these candidates most closely match the  DFL Party’s positions on education:

Betsy Anderson
Warren Goodroad
Michael “Doobie” Kurus

Hopkins School District Referendum

Want to find out more about the Hopkins School District’s referendum questions? Here’s a link to their site.

the Hopkins School District, like others in our area, has been dealing with state funding that hasn’t kept up with inflation. Public education is critical for our children’s success in the workplace tomorrow. We believe this referendum should be supported. 

Minnetonka City Council

The position of mayor and the two At Large City Council seat are up for election in November. Here are the candidates:

Mayor:                   Terry Schneider, incumbent, and Grace Sheely, challenger

At Large Seat A:  Dick Allendorf, incumbent, and Angela Griffin, challenger

At Large Seat B:  Patti Acomb, incumbent, and Dan Martin, challenger

In these races, we believe the following candidates most closely match DFL party positions:

Gracy Sheely, Mayor
Angela Griffin, At Large Seat A
Patti Acomb, At Large Seat B

Minnetonka School Board

Here are the candidates running for Minnetonka School Board and links to their websites:

• Heidi Garcia, http://voteheidigarcia.com/
• John Holcomb, incumbent,  http://www.electjohn4tonka.com/home
• Deirdre Keller-Zucker, http://www.deirdre4tonka.com/
• Pam Langseth, incumbent, http://www.pamlangseth.com/

All candidates bring strengths to this race. Any of them would be strong School Board members.

League of Women Voters Forums

Most of the League’s forums have taken place by our issue date. If you didn’t have a chance to attend, you can still watch them. They will be aired on local cable channels (information not yet available). Or, you can visit the League’s website to watch the forums there.

Where to Vote

If you’re voting in Minnetonka, it looks like you’ll be voting at your regular polling place.

As we mentioned above, f you’re voting in Eden Prairie, you may not be voting at your regular polling location.

To find out where you’re voting November 5, and to find out about candidates and see a sample ballot, please visit the Secretary of State’s Polling Place Finder.

Eden Prairie District 272 · Eden Prairie school board · Hopkins school board · Minnetonka City Council · Minnetonka Mayor · Minnetonka School Board