WILL DEMOCRACY SURVIVE IN WISCONSIN? We hear from respected legal analyst, Jill Wine-Banks:

• Author of The Watergate Girl 
• Co-host, #SistersInLaw and iGenPolitics Podcasts
• Former Assistant Watergate Special Prosecutor
• General Counsel of US Army in Carter Administration

Democracy is once again in peril, and Wisconsin is a prime example.

We explore the statewide and national implications of the erosion of democracy with Ms. Wine-Banks, Representative Evan Goyke (moderator) and Wisconsin Representatives Deb Andraca and Jonathan Brostoff.

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Any donation is welcome.  You will be automatically redirected to our donation page after you submit your rsvp.

If you would like to donate by check, please sent it to:

Grassroots North Shore
5600 W Brown Deer Rd, #116
Brown Deer, WI 53223

Please write "fundraiser" on the memo line.

 

To complete the registration process please go to zoom. 

After you complete the registration, you will receive your link to join us on Dec. 5th.

WILL DEMOCRACY SURVIVE IN WISCONSIN? We hear from respected legal analyst, Jill Wine-Banks:

• Author of The Watergate Girl 
• Co-host, #SistersInLaw and iGenPolitics Podcasts
• Former Assistant Watergate Special Prosecutor
• General Counsel of US Army in Carter Administration

Democracy is once again in peril, and Wisconsin is a prime example.

We explore the statewide and national implications of the erosion of democracy with Ms. Wine-Banks, Representative Evan Goyke (moderator) and Wisconsin Representatives Deb Andraca and Jonathan Brostoff.

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RSVP Sunday, December 5th, 7-8:30 pm. You will receive a link to join the webinar when you sign up.

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Any donation is welcome. After you rsvp, you will be taken directly to the donation page!  Or, if you prefer, send a check to:

Grassroots North Shore
5600 W Brown Deer Rd, #116
Brown Deer, WI 53223

Please write "fundraiser" on the memo line.

For those of you (1st 15 people) who donate at the level of $200 or more, we have a special thank you gift, a sampler of four beers from The Minocqua Brewing Company.  

  

What we do and why you should support us . . .

ARTICLE I. NAME OF ORGANIZATION

The name of the organization shall be Grassroots North Shore (GRNS).

ARTICLE II. PURPOSE

SECTION 1.

GRNS is registered as an Unincorporated Association with the Wisconsin Department of Financial Institutions.

SECTION 2.

GRNS is an all-volunteer, not-for-profit organization that works to advocate, educate and inform for progressive change and solutions.  Contributions to Grassroots North Shore are not tax deductible.

SECTION 3.

No monies from dues or donations to the organization shall inure to the benefit of any member or individual, other organization, or political candidate.

ARTICLE III. MEMBERSHIP

SECTION 1.   Eligibility

1. The single requirement for membership eligibility is that the individual favor a progressive ideology.
2. GRNS serves Milwaukee’s North Shore and Ozaukee County residents. Individuals from any geographic location may join.

SECTION 2.  Dues

Membership in GRNS is based on the annual payment of dues.  For the dues structure and amounts, refer to GRNS’ Policies and Procedures.

SECTION 3.  Categories of Involvement

1. Individuals/households that pay membership dues.
2. Advisory Members, who receive Steering Committee minutes.
3. Members of the Steering Committee.
4. Members of the Administrative Committee.
5. Supporters, who are non-dues paying individuals, that may participate in all activities except Voting.

SECTION 4.  Members must be in good standing to avail themselves of the benefits of membership.                                       

SECTION 5.  Resignations

1. Resignations shall be tendered to the Co-Chair(s) in writing.
2. Officer resignations shall be submitted to the Steering Committee in writing.
3. If a Member is being terminated for cause or disciplinary action, it shall be handled by a majority vote of the Steering Committee at a special meeting called for that purpose.

ARTICLE IV.  STEERING COMMITTEE

SECTION 1.

1. The Steering Committee shall be an elected group of individuals, comprised of 9 – 15 active members.
2. Their terms shall be for two years staggered, and have no limits.
3. This committee operates similarly to a Board of Directors.

SECTION 2.

The Steering Committee is responsible for overall policy and direction of the organization.  Authority will be delegated to Standing and Ad Hoc committees as appropriate. 

SECTION 3.

1. A Slate of Candidates is prepared by the Nominating Committee in November. The Slate is presented to the Steering Committee at the December meeting for suggested changes or approval.  If changes are recommended, they will be made and the slate re-presented to the Steering Committee at the January meeting.
2. Final approval shall be made by majority vote of Active Members at the Annual Meeting.

ARTICLE V.  ADMINISTRATIVE COMMITTEE

SECTION 1.  Purpose

The management of business shall be vested in an Administrative Committee, which shall be   comprised of the Co-Chair(s), Treasurer, Secretary and one (1) Active Member.

SECTION 2.  Membership

The Active Member shall be appointed by the Co-Chairs with notice to the Steering Committee.  The term of office shall be annual.

SECTION 3.  Responsibilities

Duties of the Administrative Committee shall be to assist the Co-Chairs with conducting the business of the association:  approval of expenditures over the amount stated in GRNS’ Policies and Procedures, and administrative matters that come before it.

ARTICLE VI.  ADVISORY MEMBERS

SECTION 1.

A group of indeterminate size shall comprise the Advisory Members.  In general, they are former officers and members of the Steering Committee.  Other persons with specific expertise may also be included.

SECTION 2. 

They shall have no specific term of office and no term limits.

SECTION 3.

Advisory members are appointed during the annual nominating process, but are not included in the slate of elected candidates.

SECTION 4.

Advisory members may attend Steering Committee meetings; however, they do not vote.

ARTICLE VII. OFFICERS 

SECTION 1.

The officers of this association shall be the Chair/Co-Chairs, Secretary, and Treasurer. All officers must be Active Members of the association.

1. The association may be led by either two (2) Co-Chairs or one (1) Chair.
2. Co-Chair terms are staggered.
3. The incumbent Co-Chair has the final say over who shall become their Co-Chair
4. Co-Chairs decide how they will divide responsibilities. They shall, however, provide back-up for each other.

SECTION 2.  Terms of Office

1. The term of office for Chair/Co-chairs shall be two (2) years. Other Officers are appointed.
2. The election of Officers shall be conducted annually, for those positions whose terms have ended.
3. Vacancies shall be filled by the Chair/Co-Chairs. Interim appointments shall be effective until the next regular election.

SECTION 3.  Duties - Chair/Co-Chairs

The Chair/Co-Chairs shall preside at Steering and Administrative Committee meetings. They shall appoint committees, name chairpersons of Standing or Ad Hoc committees, and be an ex-officio member of all committees.

SECTION 4.  Duties - Treasurer

The Treasurer shall receive and maintain custody of all funds, pay all bills, collect monies due, keep full and accurate accounts, and present a Treasurer’s Report to the Steering Committee at each regular meeting.  Refer to GRNS’ Policies and Procedures to determine who shall sign checks.

SECTION 5.  Duties - Secretary

The Secretary shall attend and record Steering and Administrative Committee meetings.  All other committees are responsible for their own administrative functions. The Secretary shall send a copy of the Bylaws to all new Steering Committee members.

ARTICLE VIII. MEETINGS OF THE STEERING COMMITTEE

SECTION 1.  Regular Meetings

1. Regular meetings of the Steering Committee shall be held monthly. The date, time, and place shall be as specified in the GRNS’ Policies and Procedures.
2. The Quorum for a regular meeting shall be five (5) of the Active Members. A simple majority of those present and voting shall be sufficient.
3. Meetings may be in-person or virtual.

SECTION 2.  Special Meetings

1. Special meetings may be called by the Chair/Co-Chairs, the Administrative Committee, or by request of two-thirds (2/3) of the Active Members of the Steering Committee.
2. Notification to those invited shall be given electronically seven (7) days before the meeting.
3. The Quorum shall be five (5) Active Members of the Steering Committee in attendance. A simple majority of those present and voting shall be sufficient.
4. Meetings may be in-person or virtual.

SECTION 3.  Annual Meeting

1. An annual meeting of members and supporters shall be called by the Steering Committee during the first quarter of the year.
2. This shall be a combination business/informational meeting, to include the approval of the slate of officers and Steering Committee candidates.
3. Only Active Members may vote.

SECTION 4.  Record of Proceedings

1. A record of all regular and special meetings of the Steering Committee shall be kept by the Secretary.
2. This record shall include a Treasurer’s Report and Committee Reports. All decisions, matters of a financial nature, and Motions/Seconds/Votes shall be documented.  It is not required that the full extent of discussions be included. 
3. This record shall be approved by the Steering Committee at their next regular meeting.
4. Once approved (and corrected, if applicable) the record shall be archived electronically.

ARTICLE IX. STANDING AND AD HOC COMMITTEES

SECTION 1.  Formation
The Chair/Co-Chairs may create or disband standing or ad hoc committees as needed.

SECTION 2.  Standing Committees  

 A detailed description of each committee is provided in the GRNS’ Policies and Procedures.

1. Communications
2. Endorsements
3. Events
4. Finance
5. Fund Raising
6. Issues
7. Membership
8. Nominating
9. PEC (Politics, Elections, Campaigns).

ARTICLE X. AMENDMENTS

SECTION 1.

These articles may be amended, or new ones added, by a majority vote of the Steering Committee members present at any regular meeting of the association, or any special meeting called for that purpose.

SECTION 2.

Proposed amended articles or additions to the Bylaws must be introduced to the Steering Committee membership for review at least seven (7) days prior to the meeting at which they will be discussed and approved.  Distribution of this material will be electronic.

ARTICLE XI. DISSOLUTION

Grassroots North Shore may be dissolved at any time by the written consent of not less than two-thirds (2/3) of the Steering Committee. If the Association is dissolved, after all bills have been paid and all receivables collected, all monies remaining at that time shall be donated to a nonprofit organization selected by the Administrative Committee.

ARTICLE XII.  PARLIAMENTARY

When information regarding a specific situation has not been included in these Bylaws, reference to Roberts’ Rules of Order as a guideline is recommended.  A less formal, pared down system of rules may be used.

We, the undersigned, are Co-Chairs of the Grassroots North Shore Steering Committee at this time, and we consent to, and hereby do, adopt the foregoing Bylaws, consisting of the five (5) preceding pages, as the Bylaws of this Unincorporated Association.

ADOPTED AND APPROVED by the Steering Committee on this 19th day of August, 2021.

After you register, you will be sent the link to join the webinar.

Join our band of writers and use your skills to create op-eds and letters to the editor of Wisconsin news outlets to help keep key topics and ideas in the public eye. To help you, we have a list of links to news outlets for you to download.

Contact Kath Michel to join the group: [email protected].

The 2021 Primary Election is only two weeks away. The most important election on that ballot statewide is the race for State Superintendent of Public Instruction. See a list of all the candidates and links to their statements, their websites, and their Facebook pages. The statements run long so for a very succinct three bullets about each, see the list at WEAU 13 News.

For lists of candidates for municipal, judicial, and school board elections, follow the links from our Races 2021 page. In many cases there will be no primary for the races because there are few races in which more than two candidates are competing. To request an absentee ballot and to see a sample ballot for your location, visit myVote.WI.gov.

RSVP and receive the Zoom link

The following candidates will appear on all Milwaukee County Ballots on April 6. Only one judicial office is contested: County Circuit Court Judge Branch 3. The names of the candidates for Circuit Court Judge Branch 3 are linked to their websites. The rest are all incumbents who are running unopposed.

The following candidates will appear on Ozaukee County Ballots on April 6. The only contested election is for Court of Appeals Judge, District 2. Because there are only two candidates for that position, both will appear only on the April 6 ballot and only for those who reside in district 2 of the Court of Appeals.

None of the races listed here will involve a primary but ALL of them will be on the April 6 ballot.

On Friday, January 8, I encouraged everyone to get in touch with Senator Ron Johnson, U.S. Representative Scott Fitzgerald, and U.S. Representative Tom Tiffany — the three Republican elected officials from Wisconsin who either voted to accept the spurious objections raised to the electoral votes of Arizona and Pennsylvania or originally committed to doing so but thought better of it after the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol was put down. These three men should no longer be eligible to serve in the Congress, according to section 3 of the 14th amendment to the Constitution:

Here's the contact information you need. Make your voices heard and hold these men accountable:

U.S. Rep. Scott Fitzgerald: (202) 225-5101
Email and office locations are not yet available.

U.S. Rep. Tom Tiffany: (202) 225-3365
email
1719 Longworth HOB, Washington, DC 20515

Sen. Ron Johnson: (202) 224-5323
email
328 Hart Senate Office Building, Washington, DC 20510

We only have eight more days of the tRump administration to go. But there are plenty of pundits predicting new violence on January 17 and on Inauguration Day, both in DC and in every state capital. See "Americans across the political spectrum fear what the Capitol attack portends" in the Washington Post, "Drumpf supporters plan to surround the Capitol in 'chilling' insurrection plot" in Daily Kos, and "Right-wing violence will now be a regular feature of American politics" in the Plum Line blog. In Madison, "Tony Evers calls up National Guard to protect Capitol, boards up windows after FBI warning of 'armed protests'". Sadly, this seems to be the world we live in right now.

Still, the work of our organization proceeds apace. Dan O'Keefe, the leader of the Criminal Justice Reform Issue Team, invites interested Grassroots North Shore supporters to sign up. The Team is working on arranging a Zoom meeting with State Senator Alberta Darling and welcomes everyone to participate. Details of the meeting will be announced to those who sign up as soon as they are available.

There are going to be seven candidates on the ballot for the office of Superintendent of Public Instruction. Our page with links to candidate's campaign sites is now up so that you can find out something about each candidates' positions. You can also watch a forum with them, sponsored by the League of Women Voters of Wisconsin and Wisconsin Public Education Network and originally held on January 7, 20221.

And don't forget the People's Map Commission hearing on Thursday, January 14. You can participate by submitting comments or just registrating for the public hearing (required).

Two candidates have prevailed in the February 16 primary. Below you will find their names, links to the candidate statement they submitted to Grassroots North Shore, plus a link to their campaign websites and/or Facebook pages.

Grassroots North Shore will hold a candidate forum, moderated by Pablo Muirhead, Shorewood School Board member, on Sunday, March 14, on Zoom. Please RSVP to receive the link information.

This calendar will list the meetings for the Issue Teams. To sign up to attend a meeting, click the appropriate meeting listed below.

Issue teams are forming around topics of interest within the Grassroots North Shore community. Each team will host a monthly Zoom meeting featuring a speaker followed by a discussion. You can sign up for an Issue Team meeting on our calendar page. We have issue teams forming around Fair Maps and Voting Rights, Criminal Justice Reform, and Violence Prevention. 

If you'd like to lead an Issue Team on some other topic, please contact Paul Geenen at [email protected].

This section of the Elections 2021 site includes information about the candidates in each of these categories. In many cases, the races are uncontested and may therefore not be included on the ballots for the primaries on February 16. Wherever possible, there will be links to online information provided by the candidates' campaigns.

• Candidates for Superintendent of Public Instruction
  
  
• Milwaukee County Municipal Candidates
  
  
• Milwaukee County Judicial Candidates
  
  
• Ozaukee County Municipal Candidates
  
  
• Ozaukee County Judicial Candidates
  
  
• School Board Candidates