October Meeting Recap

In Case You Missed the October 11 QC – STV RWF Meeting

October's Meeting was a special meeting for the QC – STV RWF as we celebrated our second anniversary as a member of the NFRW. Our charter was signed on October 5, 2020. We started with 22 members and have grown to 93 Primary members and 45 Associate Members. We owe this growth to our members who have brought their friends and family to join us. Thank you to each of you for your part in our success. We had balloons and a patriotic cake for our members to share prior to the meeting.

October marked our last meeting at 3675 E. Hunt Hwy in San Tan Valley. We had outgrown our home for the last two years. Judge Shaun Babeu opened the courtroom for our meetings during the Covid shutdowns when there were no other venues large enough to accommodate our members.

We have found a new meeting location and have it booked through the end of 2023. We will move to the San Tan Valley Government Center located at 31505 N Schnepf Road, San Tan Valley, 85143. This section of Schnepf Road is located approximately 1.5 miles from Gantzel Road via Bella Vista. It is also located just beyond Central AZ College located at 3736 E Bella Vista Rd. We look forward to seeing you at our new meeting location on Tuesday, November 15. This is the third Tuesday in November as our regular meeting day, November 8, is Election Day.

With our second anniversary comes the election of officers in November. The new slate of officers was announced and introduced by Arlene Stassinos. Many of our current officers indicated that they would run again for their second term. 

The Slate of Officers is as follows:

• President Kaye Feller
• First Vice President – Program Kim Snow
• Second Vice President- Membership Arlene Stassinos
• Third Vice President – Ways & Means Gail DeMarco
• Treasurer Kathleen Leaman
• Secretary Roz Gorski

If any member would like to run, from the floor, for any of the offices, listed above, except President (which requires a minimum of one year serving on the BOD) please let Club President, Kaye Feller, know of your interest, prior to the gavel calling the meeting to order.

Over a third of QC – STV RWF Primary and associate members are also elected precinct committeemen. The County PCRC is holding its elections on November 19. 2022 in Florence, AZ. Several of the PCRC candidates were in attendance and were introduced. The candidates are as follows: Chair – Belinda Rodriguez, 1st vice chair – Kathleen Nowak, 2nd vice chair – Kathleen Leaman, Secretary – Monica Parker, Treasurer – Kathy Door, Sgt-at-Arms – Michael Parker.

Kim Snow reported that Travis Padilla, a newly elected Queen Creek City Council Member, and Eric Hayes from Turning Point Action. We look forward to welcoming these speakers a week after our all-important election on November 8.
Kathy Leaman gave an update on upcoming events. On November 12, Club members are invited to attend a Wine Tasting at President Kaye Fellers's home from 7-9 PM. This a social event for members. We are asking for $15/per person or $25/per couple to help with the cost of the wine and food. We have limited the number of guests to 40. If you are interested in attending, contact Monica Parker at 480.287.0704.

Kathy also discussed our America First Christmas Celebration to be held on Tuesday, December 6th, at Anthem at Merrill Ranch, Florence. Tickets are $75 per person. Seating will be determined in order of ticket purchase. Don't wait, we will have a lovely evening.

Candice LoPresto presented an update on our Caring for America Partner. They are in need of packaged foods such as cereals, canned meat, etc. They have many openings for volunteers at their Thrift Store and Bridal Store as well as other volunteer opportunities.

Arlene Stassinos reported that our Primary membership has grown to 93 as of October. We also have 45 Associate members.

In early October, the Club held its quarterly New Member Orientation at The Vault at Encanterra. Members learned about the organization and the importance of tracking their hours for attending events, and meetings and volunteering for candidates during election season.

Our speakers for October were Marsha Atkins and Dana Lewis, recently appointed Pinal County Recorder.

Marsha told us about her early unintentional political activism in 1995. She was living in New Mexico at the time and had eight children. One of her sons in weightlifting class came home with a permission slip request for permission for her son to see an R-rated film in his class. She refused the request and began a process with school officials, writing letters and appearing before the school board. She and her neighbors got over 700 petitions signed to stop the schools from showing the R-rated films in the schools. She ended up being interviewed by newspapers and tv stations as well as many articles being written about the activism of Marsha and the other parents protesting the matter. From there it was suggested that she consider running for a seat in the state legislature. She knew nothing about what the role required or even how to run for election. She and her supporters began her campaign and to her surprise, she won and ended up having an important impact on the legislation during her term.

Dana Lewis walked our members through many of the changes and upgrades that she and Virginia Ross have implemented for the upcoming election. Dana has several years of experience with the elections department before transitioning to the Recorders office about a year ago. She and Virginia have worked closely to ensure that Pinal County will not see the challenges of the 2022 Primary in August. Members had questions that Dana answered.

Meeting adjourned.

We look forward to seeing you at our November 15^th meeting.