Alcona County Republicans

Meeting Minutes

June 24, 2024

Opening:

The Meeting called to order by Carrie Mullins at the Alcona EMS Building on M72 at 7:05pm.

Present:

Carrie Mullins, Chairman

Jeffrey Dobbs, Vice Chairman/Treasurer

Jessica Dobbs, Secretary

Judy French, Trustee

Greg Anderson, Sergeant At Arms

Kris Anderson, Trustee

Andy Jamieson, Trustee

William Sickner, Trustee

Absent:

Danica Jamieson, Junior Trustee

Business:

Pledge of Allegiance & Invocation Given

To start the meeting, we stood and said the Pledge of Allegiance, and an Invocation was given by Carrie Mullins.

Chairman’s Welcome & Updates

Carrie talked about the upcoming elections and the deadlines for the different offices. She also mentioned that we need people to train to be election inspectors. The training is coming up soon, before the August Primary.

Main Topics: Local Candidates

Carolyn Brummund:

Carolyn spoke about why she’s running for re-election as County Commissioner and some of the things she has done as County Commissioner in the past.

Cyndi Apsey:

Cyndi discussed her campaign for Caledonia Township Supervisor and things she’s accomplished in office so far.

Todd Smalenberg:

Todd spoke more about his campaign, and had his wife and granddaughter with him. He talked about his service in the Marine Corps, and how we all need to start fighting for our country.

Main Topics: August 6^th Election

See attachment for Get Out The Vote. ProtectTheVote.com/Michigan is where you go to sign up to become a Poll Challenger (Poll Watcher). We need people to do this.

MRP Is pushing for early voting and absentee ballots, to help combat fraud (so people cannot vote for you.)

Also, we strongly suggest that you check and audit your mailing/voting address at CheckMyVote.org so you can be sure there isn’t any fake voters registered at your address. If you find anything suspicious, bring it to the attention of your local clerk, and make a complaint, to have the fake voters removed from the voter roll.

Main Topics: August 15^th County Convention & August 24^th State Convention

Thursday, at 7pm when we have our County Convention to elect 4 voting delegates and 4 alternates to send to the State Convention on August 24^th in Flint. The delegates get to choose who’s on the ballot for the November election. These races include State Board of Education, MSU & UofM & Wayne State Boards of Education, as well as Michigan Supreme Court Justices.

Reports: Treasurer’s Report

See attachment.

Also discussed here, Carrie mentioned that we would have to file this year, due to the money coming in for the 2A event.

Carrie also mentioned that she will not be running again as Chairwoman of the Alcona GOP come November. She has a lot on her plate with her mothers’ health and other responsibilities, but would like to stay on as Treasurer if people vote that way. She also endorsed Jeff Dobbs to be the next Chairman for the Alcona GOP.

Reports: Minutes

Can be found on the website.

New Business: 4^th of July Parades

Carrie can do the Barton City Parade, but not the Glennie one, because she cannot be away from home and her mother for too long. Jeff & Jess will take care of the Glennie parade. Will likely need candy to pass out and would love it if candidates could come along to hand out their materials and talk with people too.

New Business: Alcona County Fair Staffing

We need volunteers to help man our booth at the fair!

Jess Dobbs motions to design a shirt before the fair and to have the shirts available for any of the volunteers who do sign up to man the fair booth, not to exceed $200. Kris Anderson seconds the motion. Discussion was held, and people gave their shirt sizes, who planned to volunteer to man the booth.

Roll Call Vote:

Jeff Dobbs: Yes

Jess Dobbs: Yes

Kris Anderson: Yes

Andy Jamieson: Yes

Greg Anderson: Yes

Judy French: Yes

William Sickner: Yes

Carrie Mullins: Yes

Motion passes.

New Business: Sample Ballots

Carrie talked about the things on the ballot coming up in August (millages), as well as candidates running unopposed. There is a League of Women Voters debate at the end of July coming up.

New Business: Adopt-a-Highway Summer Clean-up

Next cleanup is scheduled for July 17, 2024 at 10 am with lunch to follow at the Lunchbox restaurant. Jess to make a flyer and no kids under 12 years of age are allowed (state law.)

New Business: Trump and Biden Debate

The debate is scheduled for June 27, 2024.

Good of the Order (Public Comment)

Andy Jamieson:

• Working with Save Our Guns, to do door knocking and hanging door hangers for candidates who have been endorsed by them. (Like Todd.) It pays by the door, if any one is interested, contact Andy to do some work in Alpena. It’s only in Urban areas, every door, not rural. Will have to talk to people, even Dems, and a lot may say they don’t vote.

Larry Brozowski:

• Is Jack Bergman running for reelection? Carrie: Yes.

Ron Edwards:

• Been in the county for 60 years. Had 2 factories. He’s a snowbird. Goes to Louisiana for winter. Democrats have had articles/ads in the Alcona Review. For 4 weeks in a row, saying that in the last 100 years, they’ve (the Democrats) have produced more jobs than Republicans. What is the Republicans doing to counter that? 3000 subscribers, out of 10,000 people in the county get this paper.

Todd Smalenberg:

• One thing he’s seeing in the district, is that the newspapers, 90% of them won’t even do an interview with him because he’s conservative.

Woody (Norwood Hut):

• Noticed while on the computer, that on all the major websites like YouTube, an extreme increase in Biden ads.

Carolyn Brummund:

• Talked about the Broadband form. They need to have people write a letter to Tom Maylone, CEO of Cherry Capital Connections. The more of the letters they can get into Cherry Capital, the better of a chance they have of them taking our project instead of someone elses’. One of the gals took it to bingo on Monday night in Mikado. Judy French asked how this is better than the lines that were put in by Obama. Carolyn doesn’t have a good answer, cause she’s not super familiar. That was done for this building, the school, etc. Doug Cheek has lead the charge on this. The County IT guy too. Carrie said AllBand got the lines laid, but not to the doors of those homes. This is supposed to finish that project, and go beyond. Todd said in 2022 the act that was passed by Biden Team via Spectrum and is supposed to be State Wide. (Michigan passed several bills based on that act/bill.) Todd said he’ll talk with someone he knows at Spectrum about Alcona County.
• Veteran’s coffee hour at the 1^st and 3^rd Thursday. 1^st Presbyterian Church in Harrisville was also mentioned.

Cyndi Apsey:

• Announced that Election Worker training in Caledonia was happening this Thursday.

Adjournment:

Motion to adjourn, called by Jeff, seconded by Andy at 8:40pm. Next open meeting to be held on June 24, 2024 at 7pm at the Alcona County EMS Building on M72. (2600 E. M-72, Harrisville, MI 48740.)

Minutes submitted by: Jessica Dobbs