April 2019 Minutes & Elections

Elections

Deb (outgoing president) called meeting to order.
She spoke for a few minutes, about how proud she is of the work we've all done together to get NOCONOW to where we are now, and her appreciation for all the people who have gotten us here and all the new people to join us in the future.

Each candidate for the Board shared a bit about their interests and backgrounds. Annemarie Evans for President, Jennifer Guthals for Vice President, Rosemary Rader for Treasurer, Claudia Parker for Secretary.
Jean motioned that we nominate the slate listed above for office. Laura seconded the notion. No discussion. All members present voted yes.
Gifts and cards were presented to outgoing board members.

Thank you, NOCONOW Board Members, both founding members and those who have stepped up to lead going forward!

Financial report from Jo. NOCONOW has an important new way to raise money from King Soopers—community support program. Instructions will be in a separate blog post to associate our ID with your existing loyalty card online. NOCONOW will get 5% of all grocery purchases (alcohol excluded), which will be a great way to earn some income for our group.

Legislative Committee update from Erin. Reminded us of trainings being offered on how to be a citizen legislative advocate. See Upcoming Events below, or posts on Facebook, for dates and times. Great turnout for the last class! Leslie Harrod has introduced a bill that we've been talking about—making all sexual contact while in police custody non-consensual. Announced the reschedule for the Planned Parenthood Happy Hour April 30. See events below. Once you sign up, you will get email with time and location. Colorado is one is the only states that have a law protecting the right to abortion even without the protection of Roe v Wade, so Planned Parenthood needs our support and they are hoping to foster more cooperation in Larimer County.

Please renew your membership on the national website. We get a portion of the membership dues, as well as additional clout with legislators and other advocacy groups from a larger number of members. Member numbers matter!

Celebration—it looks like women will make up the majority of the Fort Collins City Council!
This is pending one recount in District 2. One of our members won, Emily Gorgol! Also discussed that the Equal Pay Resolution passed the State Senate despite Vicki Marble and Rob Woodward voting no. They represent parts of Fort Collins and Loveland, so give them your thoughts if you live in their district.

Wendy is on the city's Human Relations Commission, they are sponsoring Cracking the Code again—diversity training and discussion. Three sessions, can go two times. Saturday, April 20, 10-11:30 and April 24, 6-7:30 at FRCC on Harmony. See Upcoming Events below for more info. Do not need to register. More dates to come.

Erin from Colorado 50/50 came to let us know about Councilwoman documentary being shown April 30. Very inspirational story about a Dominican hotel maid becoming a councilwoman in Rhode Island. Group encourages women to run for office. Training coming up on Saturday May 18, see their website for more info, and Upcoming Events section below.

Erin encouraged us to follow women running for office, click on them to help them get noticed, support them in any way you can. Even bringing up their names in online and real life discussions helps level the field and makes others aware that several women are running. There are 4 solid US Presidential candidates who are women, and 4 women for Colorado Senate. Keep an eye on this blog for more info upcoming.

Please note, upcoming events have clickable links for related information.

• Book Club has been rescheduled to May 9, 6:30-8 due to weather. Location TBD. Will update Facebook, etc. The book is Door Into Ocean and you can get a 20% discount when getting it from Firehouse Books if you mention the NOW book club.
• Legislative Committee presents How to be a Citizen Advocate April 23rd at Council Tree Library, 7pm.
• Planned Parenthood Happy Hour evening of April 30. Must RSVP to get location details. See link.
• Cracking the Code diversity training and discussion. Saturday, April 20, 10-11:30 and April 24, 6-7:30 at FRCC
• Colorado 50/50 showing documentary Councilwoman (click for trailer) on April 30. This is about a woman who was a housekeeper and ran for City Council. Also, training on running for office coming up on Saturday May 18, see their website for more info.