Doing a “Lit Drop” with Endorsed Republican Candidates Mikki Murray for Senate District 66, and Jay Hill for House District 66B on Saturday October 15th. Enjoying the Fall Colors, and getting exercise while doing “The Work.”
If you would like to help out our candidates with Lit Drops, Door knocking, or Phone-banking, or you want to make a contribution to them feel free to contact them at the following emails (click their name for their website link):
So you’ve been to the Precinct Caucuses, you’ve become a delegate or alternate, and possibly a Precinct Officer in your St Paul Precinct in the Legislative District of House District 66B. Congratulations, you’ve taken the first step in being involved in the Neighborhood Party Unit aka BPOU.
In a non-Redistricting year, or every even year there is the Precinct Caucus usually in February then a BPOU Convention the following month of March, a Congressional District Convention in April and the State Convention in May. You would have known the place, date and time of the Convention at the Caucus. This year is much different as it is a Redistricting Year.
A Redistricting Year is in the second year after the Nationwide Census. So previous years if you have lived here and have caucused and stayed active in the BPOU would have occurred in 2002, 2012, and this year 2022.
The Boundaries have changed over the years and sometimes the number or letter has changed as well. For instance in 2010 the main area of the current HD 66B was called HD 66A, and where part of the current HD 66A is was called HD 66B, the Roseville part was HD 54A. Yeah it’s kind of confusing. So from here on out the pre-redistricting boundaries and organization will be called Old HD 66B, and the redistricted boundaries and organization will be called New HD 66B.
As a delegate or alternate and precinct officer you’ll be that until 2024 regardless of Old or New HD 66B, unless you decided not to, or move out of the precinct or out of HD 66B entirely. You have to live here to be part of the organization, unlike some years ago in SD 65 where the BPOU chair moved out of the area and those in the SD 65 BPOU kept him as their chair, which is a violation of their own Constitution as well as the CD4 & MNGOP ones as well.
The map boundaries have changed (See our Maps page for the Bright Red Map links for the new legislative and Congressional District boundaries), and so must the leadership change. Those BPOU Officers elected to the Old HD 66B Republican Executive Committee in 2021 only had one year to serve before redistricting.
In the odd years in the Neighborhood Party Unit (BPOU) Executive Committee Officers are elected to serve a 2 year term. Because of Redistricting there were some precincts removed and some were added. This is where the Declaration of Independence and the US Constitution comes in where the consent of those governed is required in order for a government to be formed. So the Old HD 66B Republican leaders can not assume their 2 year term from 2021 because we’ve added and subtracted delegates, alternates and Precinct Officers this year starting February 15, 2022.
So the BPOU Convention of New HD 66B Republicans has to elect officers to a one year term ending next year in 2023 at the BPOU Convention. However this might not happen, as some people might want to organize as a Senate District 66 BPOU. In another post we’ll describe what’s the differences between a House District and Senate District BPOU.
The next step in the Redistricting Process is covered in the Reapportionment Training Manual, you can download the handbook link (click here). The MNGOP has both sides meet in a Senate District 66 Convention, this is NOT forcing us into a Senate District (SD) BPOU, it is just a convention with the A & B Sides coming together for some business. After Convention Agenda and Rules are established a vote will take place on whether to remain as House Districts A & B sides, or organize as a Senate District BPOU. After that depending on the vote results Constitutions, BPOU Officers, and CD4/State Delegates will be voted on.
This year at some point after this Convention we have to meet to endorse a Senate District 66 Candidate for the rare open seat in our area. Senator John Marty is still our senator until inauguration day next year. He is running in New Senate District 40 (Arden Hills, Northern Roseville, Shoreview, Mounds View) for re-election which will take him to his 40th year in the Legislature. Endorsements of candidates for the legislature can take place at a BPOU Convention, but it is more important to decide on who are the leaders and what your constitution will be.
There will be Committees in which one can serve on for the convention. Here are some that usually are in a redistricting year: Constitution, Resolutions, Rules, Nominations, and Convention Arrangements. Resolutions from those in Old HD 66B Ward 4 Precincts 12 & 13 will follow those delegates who proposed them into New HD 66A. As will Resolutions from the new precincts we acquired.
Conventions are a great place to network. The Online Conventions of 2020 were not as fun as people were not given the opportunity to mingle and discover interesting organizations that like to set up at conventions. Meeting new people in your neighborhood and across the new Legislative District is a plus.
Often times Statewide Candidates will try to attend your convention. Yet it is very tough on them to attend many of them as BPOUs tend to have them on Saturday mornings or from noon on. This is why we have posted the Caucus Letters of the Statewide Candidates, so you know what their core values are. In that article each candidate’s website is linked to their name, so click on candidates names to go to their websites.
So even if you do not plan to run for a BPOU Officer role, please feel welcome to come out to the BPOU Convention in March.
What: 66Books Book Club Discussion of Simon Sinek’s Book, “Start with Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Action.”
When: Saturday March 6, 2021, 6:00 pm
Where: On Zoom
Cost: FREE (though we take at will donations $20 and under)
Why do you do the activities you do? Why do you think the way you do?
Once you know your Why Statement you can start to connect to people to inspire them to action.
So why do people keep doing the same activities over and over again expecting different results? The answer is they don’t know their why.
Simon Sinek’s Golden Circle (Why How What) shows that if you communicate your why you grab your audience’s attention as you touch their emotions and the how and what will be heard fully. Whereas if you lead with What and How your audience might not stick around for your why. He uses Apple as an example on how they sell their computers and other devices. They sell their why and after seeing their How they do it they entice you to What they are selling.
Why is powerful and it can break down barriers you’ve set up in your organization. There is a follow up book called, “Find Your Why,” aimed at helping groups and organizations find out their Why, there are group activities in discovering the group’s Why.
Here is a resource to help you read the book:
Youtube Audiobook:
Since we don’t currently have a list to send out to notify Book Club Members of the upcoming book, you’ll need to send an email to mnhd66brepublicans@gmail.com with the subject line of “66Books Sign Up List.” When we get a couple of days out from March 6th, an email will be sent out to those who sign up to confirm, and a link will be sent. Your email will be only used for the Book Club unless you opt-in to our other activities.
On August 18, 1920 the State of Tennessee became the 36th state to pass the 19th Amendment to the US Constitution guaranteeing Women the Right to Vote. Minnesota was the 15th State to pass it on September 8, 1919.
It wasn’t the first attempt at passing an amendment for women to be allowed to vote, in fact it started up about 72 years earlier in Seneca Falls, New York at a Women’s Rights Convention started by Lucretia Mott and Elizabeth Cady Stanton. They were abolitionists who turned to advocate for women’s rights. At the 1848 Seneca Falls Convention Mott, Stanton and other women put together a list modeled after the Declaration of Independence called the “The Declaration of Sentiments.”
The Declaration of Sentiments offered examples of how men oppressed women such as:
Stanton read the Declaration of Sentiments at the convention and proposed women be given the right to vote, among other things. Sixty-eight women and 32 men signed the document—including prominent abolitionist Frederick Douglass—but many withdrew their support later when it came under public scrutiny. (source History.com)
Following the Civil War the late President Abraham Lincoln’s Reconstruction plan had been altered as he was no longer around to over see it. The 13th Amendment had been passed in 1865 ending slavery officially, the 14th and 15th Amendments had been passed to grant Civil Rights and Equal Protection under the law; and Voting Rights to former slaves respectively.
At the time Women thought they could register to vote with the passage of the 15th Amendment’s language allowing voting rights. The language of the article did not mention gender so it was vague, but since it wasn’t explicitly directing women to be able to vote, any woman who did was arrested. This is when Susan B Anthony was arrested in 1872.
Susan B Anthony was an abolitionist who was also a member of the Temperance Movement. The Temperance Movement was a social movement to curb alcohol consumption and eventually they succeeded to prevent the sale and production of alcohol. So before you shout hooray for Susan B Anthony think of how she helped to organize crime in America in an indirect way by helping bootleggers to smuggle illegal alcohol in the early part of the 20th century. The amount of misery heaped upon Americans not being able to have a drink of alcohol makes today’s social distancing and mask wearing pale in comparison.
Susan B Anthony died in 1906 at the age of 86, and 14 years later the 19th Amendment was named in her honor.
During Reconstruction the Suffrage for Black Men went one way and Women’s Suffrage went another way. There was a difference in the abolitionists. Most advocated for Voting Rights for Black Men which resulted in the 15th Amendment.
One could question why this was so but the industrial revolution had not hit full stride yet, which one could argue was the reason why it took so long for the cessation of slavery to occur. During the industrial age it really didn’t matter who was pushing a button on an assembly line. Also sentiments about what a woman’s place in the household was tied to family life and traditions held in the church.
After World War 1 a lot of the old world had fallen away. You can see this in the period piece on PBS’ Downton Abbey. Limited Automation, and women working in traditional men’s fields to produce war material for the war effort brought out a freedom women had not seen before.
One of the ways in which women pushed their cause was to hold massive Suffragette Parades in some of the larger cities in the United States. Many women were arrested after these parades for demonstrating in public which was still illegal.
Its been one hundred years since women were given the right to vote and it’s not a big deal as it was then. There have been many women candidates, legislators, businesswomen, and even astronauts. Women have come a long way in this country.
Here are a list of current women legislators and candidates from the Republican Party:
Rep Mary Franson, Senator Carrie Ruud, Senator Julie Rosen, Senator Carla Nelson, Senator & Former Secretary of State Mary Kiffmeyer, Senator Karin Housley, Rep Deb Kiel, Senator Michelle Benson, former Mayor of Woodbury Mary Stephens, Margaret Stokely, Georgia Dietz, Amy Anderson, Sharon Anderson, to name a few.
And our very own HD 66B Republican Candidate Mikki Murray.
Information for this article came from History.com, and from the Secretary of State of Minnesota’s Candidate Filing website.
Minnesota House District 66B Republicans 