In this May newsletter:
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A Message from the Chairwoman
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Notable Announcements
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14th Hosts “Ladies Night - Firearm Safety & Proficiency”
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Walk for Israel support on Sun, May 7th - West Bloomfield
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State Committee Member Profile: Matt Seely
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Michigan: State with Three Politicians on List of 100 Most Unpopular
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Democrat Senator Debbie Stabenow “Votes for Us” in Washington
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14th District Meeting Dates Set for 2017
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FAR Scholarship Recognition Reception
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Chaldean Cultural Center Opens
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News Links of Interest
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Reminder About Membership
A Message from the Chairwoman
Dear 14th District Executive Committee Members, and fellow Republicans;
I start this message by looking forward to the end of May. To me there are several important dates of remembrance and honor in the USA. One of those very special days is celebrated in May. As you will see when you read our monthly newsletter, May is cramped with things to do and political activities.
That is all fine and good.
We all need to mark our calendars to remember those comrades who past, present & future make our freedoms possible. Memorial Day----May 29th---is the day to remember those heroes who made it safe for us to live the “American Dream”. We all know freedom is not free. There are literally hundreds of local events, parades, and celebrations of that special day. One link to selected Memorial Day event list for southeast Michigan is https://www.oaklandcountymoms.com/memorial-day-weekend-events-27775/. Take time to remember, mention it to your children and grandchildren!
For me Memorial Day means walking with Oakland County Commissioner Tom Berman (R - District 5) in the Keego Harbor Memorial Day Parade. Tom has been very supportive of the 14th District! This will mark Tom’s FIRST “Commissioner walk” and please join in. If you want details, contact Tom at [email protected] or just get to Abbott Middle School by 10 a.m. when the Parade starts. Look for Tom and his crew in the Parade line up. For the latest information check out the Parade’s Facebook page here https://www.facebook.com/keegoharbormemorialdayparade/
One Republican event that is most visible in a Democrat stronghold is the annual “Walk for Israel” mentioned in the “Notable Announcements” section below. The event is Sunday, May 7 and we need a big crowd to show our support for Israel and support of President Trump. Hope to see you there! Dress comfortably and enjoy the brief outdoor walk with us as we unite for Israel. Anti-semitism is on the rise on college campuses across the country. When you arrive, look for the Greater West Bloomfield Republicans float shown below in the picture. Nothing to do but show up about noon and the actual walk starts around 1 p.m. Free hot dogs too!
Our April meeting of the Executive Committee kicked off the two year work cycle for the 14th District. Your leadership team selected five areas of focus for our work:
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Fundraising (Chair: Tina Seely )
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Skill Development (Chair: Ken Chadwell)
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Elections (Chair: Robert Oestreich)
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Grow the Party (Chair: Michael Parr)
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Political Action (Chair: Don Perry)
Each of these areas is huge work! Any interested Republican who wants to join in with the effort needed should reach out to me and I will get you connected with the appropriate team.
Our upcoming May meeting should be very interesting. Just weeks ago, the Michigan House of Representatives voted on a bill to lower our income tax rate. This would have fulfilled a “promise” made by that body many years ago to eliminate a “temporary” tax rate increase from the Grandholm years. Speaker of the Michigan House - Tom Leonard, will speak at our Thursday, May 18 meeting and offer his insights. By the way that vote to decrease your tax rate failed by 3 votes when twelve of our elected Republicans voted against the bill. This was an opportunity missed by the party of Low Taxes, Small Government and Personal responsibility. Please attend our next meeting to hear details and let your voice be heard.
Next 14th CD Meeting: May 18 at 6 p.m. for dinner/networking
Meeting will begin at 7 p.m. Reservations required for meal planning.
Meeting location - Prime 10 Restaurant - Banquet room
15600 W. 10 Mile Road, Southfield
JOIN US!
All Republicans are welcome to attend this open meeting! Please join us with your ideas and energy to help us grow!
I can’t leave my May letter without mentioning our Executive Committee member Grant Strobl. In addition to that role, he is a full time student at the University of Michigan, has an internship with The Heritage Foundation in Washington, D.C. and is national Chair of Young Americans for Freedom. Wow!
In that last role, he was in the middle of the University of California - Berkeley fight over freedom of speech. Our crack media team arranged several excellent interviews for Grant in Michigan. Learn more about the topic at this MLive article http://www.mlive.com/news/ann-arbor/index.ssf/2017/04/university_of_michigan_student_117.htmlor go to our website tab “Multimedia” (http://www.14cd.com/multimedia) to hear his WJR (Radio 760) interview with Paul W. Smith and more. Grant is on a roll and we are so proud of him!
Lastly, it's Mother's Day on May 14. That's Sunday, May 14. So make a note, call your mom or say a prayer of remembrance! These are the incredible women who made us who we are today, the women who brought us up, the women who have kept on bringing us up no matter how adult we claim to be.
Blessings to you and all the mom’s around the world, No one will ever love you like your mom!
Warmest Regards,
Janine Kateff
14th District Chairwoman
586 917 6118
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Notable Announcements
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May 3: Attorney General Bill Schuette’s Southeast MI BBQ at the Village Club in Bloomfield Hills beginning at 5:30 p.m. For information or to register call Katy at 810-410-7277
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May 4: Farmington Area Republican (FAR) meeting at 7 p.m. at FH City Hall will feature Michigan Rep. Jim Tedder (R - District 43) who is Chair of the Tax Policy Committee
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May 4: Republican Women’s Federation of Michigan “Legislative Day” in Lansing; learn more here www.RWFM.org
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May 7: Greater West Bloomfield Republican’s annual parade participation at the Walk for Israel hosted at Temple Shir Shalom in West Bloomfield (walk starts at 1 p.m.); see article below
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May 8: Lakes Area Tea Party meeting features Dr. Irving Ginsberg about “Russia, Waco, Wiretaps and more” and Mark Gurley MIGOP Grassroots Vice Chair at Tommy's Parthenon located at 40380 Grand River Ave, Novi, MI 48375 starting at 6:30 p.m.
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May 9: 14th District sponsored Ladies Shooting Night from 6:00 - 8:30 p.m.; click here to learn more and register and see story below
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May 12 -13: Michigan Republican Party State Committee meeting in Lansing
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May 15: FAR Scholarship Recognition Reception features Hillsdale College Professor and Chair of Journalism John Miller at 7 p.m. The event is free, but please RSVP to [email protected] and see article below for more information.
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May 16: Eastside Republican Club meeting at 7:30 p.m. at the Grosse Pointe War Memorial features Michigan House Speaker Tom Leonard
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May 18: 14th District Republican Committee meeting features Michigan House Speaker Tom Leonard at Prime 10 Restaurant, 15600 W. 10 Mile Road, Southfield with reservations dinner at 6 p.m. and business meeting at 7 p.m.
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May 18: Oakland County Republican Party Executive Committee meeting in Pontiac
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May 18: CTV Legislative Briefing at the Lansing Center focuses on education issues; learn more here https://www.facebook.com/ctvmichigan
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May 29: Memorial Day; see link to list of local celebrations in Janine’s letter above
14th Hosts “Ladies Night - Firearm Safety & Proficiency”
This one-evening Ladies Night class will focus on Firearm Safety & Proficiency. Training will be at the Firing Line Indoor Gun Range located at 33000 Ford Road, Westland, MI 48185. The class begins at 6:30 p.m. on May 9.
This class is organized for ladies to gain additional skills and to experience supervised range time all delivered by Firing Line's expert female instructors. The class will consist of about 1/2 hour of classroom instruction and then supervised shooting on the range.
This is a great way to continue your firearms safety and proficiency training and perhaps the best part it is JUST FOR LADIES! Click here to learn more or register.
Be different!
“Walk for Israel” support on May 7
Join Greater West Bloomfield and other local Republicans as they “Walk for Israel.” Started over ten years ago, “Walk for Israel” events (sponsored locally by Temple Shir Shalom) have grown in size and prominence by appealing to a broad cross section of the community. The Detroit area has the second largest Jewish population in the midwest. See more details about the 2017 event at http://walkforisrael.org/.
This year we again plan to grow the number of GOPers who will participate in the “Walk for Israel”. See the link above for details or just look for the GOP float on May 7 (walk begins at about 1:00 p.m.) at the corner of Walnut Lake Road and Orchard Lake Road in West Bloomfield.
“Walk for Israel” in 2016 had record GOP participation.
State Committee Member Profile: Matt Seely
Matthew J. Seely was 16 years old when Ronald Reagan was elected President. The previous four years, it turns out, had been formative in terms of his political consciousness. Seely remembers the devastating inflation of that era, as well as what he termed President Jimmy Carter’s negativity.
However, when Reagan took office, the difference “was like day and night. Everyone loved the country again.” Donald Trump’s ascendancy to the presidency had a similar effect on him. “When Trump came down that escalator” to announce his presidential candidacy, “I decided to get involved,” Seely says. Trump talked about issues like immigration, unfairness in trade and putting America first. It made Seely feel proud of his country again.
“I could have hopped in a car and driven there just to shake his hand,” Seely recalls. “During the 16 years between Bush and Obama, the government focused on everything but the economy,” Seely says. “Of course Bush was preoccupied with the war on terror, but we ended up in a war in Iraq. And I felt the same way about Obama as I felt about Carter.”
It has been pretty much non-stop for Seely since Trump’s announcement. Seely ran for precinct delegate in the August 2016 primary and was elected. He attended the RNC National Convention in Cleveland “and I met people from the 14th District. I met Janine Kateff and Scott Hagerstrom.”
Later the Seelys supported Hagerstrom’s bid to be MIGOP chairman. “I hosted an event for Scott that was a really big success. We had a standing room crowd of precinct delegates ready to support Scott.”
Seely also ran for 14th District State Committeeman and was elected, and his wife, Tina, was elected to the 14th District Executive Committee. “We do everything in tandem,” Seely says. The Seelys grew up in Grosse Pointe and went to high school together.
Seely and his wife opened a campaign office for Trump in Macomb County and worked there seven days a week.
Seely, 53, has been the owner of Quality Bending for 27 years. The company manufactures custom fasteners and components for construction and conveyor and material handling. It proudly provides vehicle components to the U.S. Army.
Seely holds a B.A. degree from Michigan State University. The Seelys have a son, Anthony, who is seeking admission to Wayne State University’s Medical School, and a daughter, Alexandra, who is a student at the University of Detroit Mercy’s dental school.
“I’ve really enjoyed getting involved in politics,” Seely says. But he finds “there is a disconnect between elected officials and the grassroots. How is our party supporting people who aren’t carrying out its policies? Elected officials need to hold true to the things we believe in.”
He points out that Michigan’s GOP lawmakers authorized a DTE rate increase, gasoline tax hike and vehicle registration fee increase — all of which violate pledges to control spending and reduce taxes.
The GOP will not succeed “until the party has a common policy and executes it,” Seely says.
He points out that when Trump talked about draining the swamp “he never said the GOP swamp or the Democrat swamp. He meant both parties.”
Seely says “the insurance lobby has so much influence and buys these public officials,” as the recent failure to repeal Obamacare demonstrated. Politicians are beholden to corporations and a way has to be found “to get outside money out of politics.”
Michigan: State with Three Politicians on 100 Most Unpopular List
Michigan’s two U.S. Senators are among the most unpopular elected officials in the whole country, according to a survey conducted by Morning Consult, a weekly online polling firm.
Senator Gary Peters ranked 99 out of 100 Senators and Senator Debbie Stabenow ranked 70th out of 100. Very impressive! Click here to learn more.
Remember this when Stabenow starts her campaign for reelection in 2018. Better yet, look at her voting record in the article below. We need a new approach for our U.S. Senator!
Unfortunately when you click on the link shown you’ll see who is the third most unpopular politician. That would be our Governor Rick Snyder who ranked 46th on the Governor list. Michigan was the only state with its top three elected officials on this dubiouslist.
Democrat Senator Debbie Stabenow “Votes for Us in Washington
Michigan will elect a U.S. Senator in 2018. To help educate Michigan voters, the 14th District Monthly newsletter will summarize selected issues on which OUR current Senator actually voted. In November 2018, informed citizens will decide if she votes for US or for a Democrat party line that is out of touch with citizens. Of course, President Trump already helped us see the problem is, in fact, out of touch politicians. After considering her positions, please feel free to call her office at 202-224-4822 to express your thoughts:
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Senate Motion 68 passed 51 to 49 with Stabenow voting AGAINST. This was to confirm Mick Mulvaney as Director of OMB.
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Senate Motion 71 passed 52 to 46 with Stabenow voting AGAINST. This was to confirm Scott Pruitt as Administrator of the EPA
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Senate Motion 75 passed 68 to 31 with Stabenow voting AGAINST. This was to confirm Ryan Zinke as Secretary of the Interior.
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Senate Motion 77 passed 58 to 41 with Stabenow voting AGAINST. This was to confirm Detroit brain surgeon Dr. Ben Carson as Secretary of HUD. Wonder what Stabenow has against Michiganders as she voted against each one of them. Just askin’.
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Joint Resolution 58 passed 59 to 40 with Stabenow voting AGAINST. This law overturns a Department of Education regulation requiring quality of teacher preparation programs be reported to the federal government. Think “big government” here.
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Senate Legislative Document 86 passed 55 to 43 with Stabenow voting AGAINST. This was to confirm Seema Verma as Administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.
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Joint Resolution 69 passed 52 to 47 with Stabenow voting AGAINST. This overturned a rule that restricted the practice of killing predators (such as wolves) in national wildlife refuges in Alaska.
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Senate Motion 96 passed 52 to 46 with Stabenow voting AGAINST. This was to confirm David Friedman as the U.S. Ambassador to Israel. Jewish voters take note!
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Joint Resolution 43 passed 51 to 50 with Stabenow voting (shockingly) AGAINST. This overturned a rule prohibiting states from defunding Planned Parenthood. The rule overturned was designed to stop states from defunding Planned Parenthood.
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Senate Motion 111 passed with Stabenow voting AGAINST. This was to confirm Neil Gorsuch as a Supreme Court Justice.
14th District Meeting Dates Set for 2017
14th District Executive Committee meeting dates have been set for 2017. Generally meetings will be on the third Thursday of each month, however, prior to each meeting we send out a “Call to Meeting” announcement with specific details. Dates set are as follows so please mark your calendar and plan to attend:
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May 18
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June 15
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NO MEETING SCHEDULED FOR JULY OR AUGUST
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September 14 (Note that the MIGOP Mackinac Conference is on the third Thursday so this is a change.)
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October 19
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November 16
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December 14 - Christmas/Hanukkah Party
FAR Scholarship Recognition Reception
Farmington Area Republicans (FAR) will hold its Scholarship Recognition Reception on Monday May 15, 7:00 p.m. at the Longacre House located at 24705 Farmington Road, Farmington Hills, MI 48336. The event recognizes students honored as winners of FAR’s scholarship essay contest focused on various aspects of America’s freedoms.
The keynote speaker will be Professor John Miller of Hillsdale College. There he is Professor and Chair of the Journalism Department. Professor Miller writes regularly for the Wall Street Journal, National Review and other national media outlets. He is the author of several acclaimed books including “Big Scrum: How Teddy Roosevelt Saved Football” and “First Assassin”
Miller will speak about free speech and intellectual diversity in academia. This event will be an excellent opportunity to hear from a well known authority and to support our conservative students! The event and free and open to the public, but RSVPs are required to [email protected]. Click here to learn more about the event.
Chaldean Cultural Center Opens
After more than a decade of work,, the Chaldean Cultural Center Museum at the Shenandoah Country Club in West Bloomfield Township will open its doors on May 2. The Museum consists of five galleries ranging from ancient Chaldean culture, faith and church, village life, the journey to America, and Chaldean culture today. An estimated 150,000 Chaldeans live in the Metro Detroit area, including many in the 14th District.
The Museum will be open Tuesday, Friday, and Saturday. Special arrangements will be available for school and tour groups. Click here to learn more.
News Links of Interest
Reminder About Membership
Are you a member of the Republican 14th Congressional District? Member of the Republican Committee? Snail Mail your $25 membership check to Treasurer Chris Konja, 6575 Stonebridge E., West Bloomfield, MI. 48324.(payable to the 14th District)
Or you can become a member or renew your membership online. Your dues and other fundraising activities support Republican candidates and organizations in the 14th Congressional District.
