From: Jeffrey Fields <jcdemaction@yahoo.com>

The A-Team was busy in June!!!!

Important Upcoming Dates:
Thursday July 7th: Central Committee Meeting @ 6:30 pm
@ JCDem Head Quarters, 102 2nd Avenue, Coralville (next door to SEIU
Local 199)

Thursday July 21st: A-Team Meeting @ 6:00 pm
@ Iowa City Public Library, Meeting Room E (2nd Floor)

Saturday July 23rd: Evert Conner Center ADA Celebration @ 12 noon

On the Pedestrian Mall , downtown Iowa City

Sunday July 24th: 2nd District Central Committee Meeting @ 2pm

@ West Liberty Community Center (www.idp2nd.org)

Saturday August 13th: 2nd District Off Year Workshop

@ West Liberty Community Center

Leadership Development Group (LDG):

First, we send out a huge A-Team thank you to the elected officials
whose participation made our first LDG meeting special: State Senator
Joe Bolkcom, State Senator Bob Dvorsky, State Representative Dave
Jacoby, Johnson County Supervisor Rod Sullivan, Iowa City Councilor
Regenia Bailey, and Iowa City Councilor Ross Wilburn. The collective
wisdom of these folks will help us be very successful at electing and
appointing Dems of Difference

LDG was not exactly what we planned but it is exciting to continue
moving forward. Three current candidates (Iowa City council candidate
Amy Correia, ICCSD School Board candidate Patti Fields, and Johnson
County Attorney candidate Nick Maybanks) attended and a handful of
other members of the community attended as well. Most of our time was
spent listening to concerns of audience members (candidates and
non-candidates), and receiving feedback and advice from elected
officials. We tracked our discussion on large post sized paper. At
the end of the LDG meeting, the Group narrowed our notes down to a half
dozen action items for the Affirmative Action Committee. The action
items and our list are below. Please remember that these are notes and
not a transcript. It¡¯s not every word that was said, but the broad
ideas were recorded as a basic road map for the A-Team.

Proposed Affirmative Action Steps from LDG
A. Develop a Johnson County Democrats¡¯ Affirmative Action Plan

B. Develop outreach programs to communities of difference.

C. Devote a Central Committee Meeting to the Affirmative Action
Plan/Have a road map.

D. Focus on Boards and Commissions.

E. Set feasible and efficient timelines for all goals.

Concerns Raised By Info LDG Participants

1. Dems of difference thought to be ¡°unelectable¡±. Democrats of
difference would have a greater likelihood of succeeding with more
party support.

2. The definition of difference should include the young adults.

3. Where are the strategies for getting Dems of Difference in
office?

4. Potential candidates need advice and mentoring.

5. We need to create a bench of potential candidates to run.

6. There should be greater attention paid to the importance of
non-partisan positions.

7. Johnson County should be considered an untouchable for
Republicans.

8. Garner IDP support for the Affirmative Action agenda.

9. Need to be flexible in our ideas¡ªrather than finding Dems of
Difference to fit into a narrow scope, we need a variety of democrats
and ideas.

10. Do not make sexuality or race the focal point of a candidate¡¯s
viability and electability.

11. However, remember issues of difference are issues.

12. Recruitment has been, to date, unstructured. Recruitment is
critical to the success of the party.

13. Acknowledge that we have failed in the past and learn from
mistakes.

14. We must be sensitive to the challenges, anxieties, fears that Dems
of Difference negotiate before and during a candidacy.

15. Which difference should take a position of privilege when there
are multiple differences in a primary?

16. Maintain a sense of collaboration and growth¡ªextend the
Affirmative Action agenda outside of Iowa City.

17. There is some tension over the subject of authenticity.
Apparently some believe that the state IDP is more representative of
the democratic platform than the local democrats.

June 30th Debriefing/AAC Meeting:

¡ñ Discussed LDG and implementing action steps

¡ñ Assigned A-Team members to lead outreach to particular communities
of difference

¡ñ Voted unanimously to actively support all Democratic candidates of
difference and all LDG members in non-partisan campaigns and before
primaries in partisan races, and not to endorse any candidate in any
election between two or more Democrats.

Thank you. All feedback/input is welcome.

James Moody

jsmoody@netins.net

Co-Chair Affirmative Action Committee

319-400-2824 (Mobile)

Jeffrey Fields

JCDemsAction@yahoo.com

Co-Chair Affirmative Action Committee

319-339-0994 (Office/Mobile)

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- posted by John @ 9:51 PM