I didn’t know a soul in Burnet County when I went to the inaugural meeting of the Burnet County Democratic Club a few years ago. I just knew I wanted to find people who believed that how a person lives their life isn’t anyone else’s business. I found them. Since then, I’ve served on the BCDC board alongside some phenomenal women who don’t always get the recognition they deserve. So, before I move out of Texas this week, I want to let you know who they are and why you should think about joining them. Christine Garcia Bowman – Christine gets people registered to vote. She sets up and runs booths at events like the Blue Bonnet Festival. She’s the person behind the Club’s Instagram account and some of the delicious food made for Club meetings. She’s gone out of her way to make speakers feel welcome and done many other things I’m sure I am neglecting to mention. Sandy Crosby – Whenever you see a meeting announcement in the Burnet Bulletin, the Daily Tribune or other local media outlet, thank Sandy. She writes press releases and gets them submitted on time. She also runs point on ads we create ourselves and ads we collaborate on with other groups (not an easy position to be in, believe me!). And she runs the Club’s Zoom meetings like she’s done it all her life. BJ Henry – BJ is the heart of the enthusiasm and positive attitude of the Club. She runs the board and membership meetings, recruits volunteers, works to support the county party, fixes great food, plans events, brings in money, leads strategic planning sessions and does everything else a president is supposed to do. And she’s turned into a Twitter phenom! It’s her drive (and a truly supportive spouse, David) that has gotten the Club to where it is today. Karen Mohan and Audrey Mohan – This mother-daughter team comprises the Club treasurer. Besides keeping track of money coming in, they file ethics reports with the state, reconcile bank statements, oversee accepting money at events, make sure bills are paid and people are reimbursed, and keep track of the budget. Audrey also created a Google Docs folder for the Club and is the go-to person for many digital questions. Mary Thompson – Mary recruits speakers for monthly meetings and entertainment for parties. She takes on special projects as needed and is the first to help on committees. She steps into the president’s role any time BJ is unavailable. And as a lawyer, she’s often able to give an educated opinion about things the rest of us are only guessing at. A few other mentions: Shirley Schmidt – Shirley had to leave the board recently, but I have to mention how much her political experience and life experience, along with her kind heart, help us get started. Herb Krasner and Charles Watkins – These two gentlemen heeded my call for blog posts and have written some fascinating articles. They are extremely committed to the cause, and it’s been my honor to be their editor. Keep an eye on them; they mean business. Other people just as great have joined the Club’s board and committees: Joan Altobelli is putting together the Club's newsletter. Teresa Hernandez is creating graphic designs and refreshing the website. Jody Karr is representing the Club with other Democratic groups. Martha Van Vleck is the new secretary. (We'd still love to have someone doing Facebook, since I'm leaving.) These are ones I've been lucky enough to meet. I hope you get to know them all. They have new ideas and talents and are determined to turn Burnet County blue. If anyone can do it, this group can – if you help! Thank you, BCDC board, for being my friends and fighting the good fight. I will miss you all. - Cindy Photo from my going-away party. These are seriously nice people.

My family's Burnet County Appraisal District (BCAD) property tax valuation basis statement (the appraised value of your property) arrived in the mail recently. Has yours? Property values have gone crazy lately, so taxes will follow. However, you can protest the appraisal district value if you do so by May 15 or 30 days after your notice is delivered to you, whichever is later. This is not to be considered legal advice on how you should proceed in your specific situation. This is just information about your right to protest if you choose to do so. The comptroller's office has the rules for appraisal protests. Or, if you prefer, you can get the necessary protest forms from the Burnet County Appraisal District. An alternative is to file a protest after you receive your tax bill in October. You could fill out a Property Owner’s Affidavit of Evidence to serve as your proxy, since you really don’t have to attend your hearing. Then, you could send a request for their evidence to be used against you 14 days or more before your scheduled hearing (the earlier the better). Of course, there are lots of details you will learn about the first time around. But maybe this is the year to start.

Voting again isn't simple for Texans. Take note of these two warnings. Warning #1: Two mailers instead of one. You will receive two separate absentee ballot mailers. They aren't duplicates; these are for two separate elections: one for the candidates, and one for the propositions. Why? Who knows. But it is causing a whole bunch of confusion and then extra work to prepare the return envelopes for mailing. So take your time and do it right. Warning #2: Proposition 1 isn't as complicated as it seems. Texas State Proposition 1 is one of the worst examples of language I have ever seen on a ballot. After some research, I was able to clarify the actual meaning of the proposition. To use (almost) plain English, this proposition will compress the tax rate for school maintenance and operations (M&O) for homeowners who have an exemption for being 65+ or disabled. (It's just like what HB 3 did for homeowners back in 2019: School taxes are going down because of HB 3, and now this Proposition 1 will help seniors and people who are disabled receive the same benefit.) So, a "yes" vote for Prop 1 supports amending the state constitution so that the legislature can lower the property-tax limit for school M&O taxes imposed on residents who are elderly or disabled so that the limit will reflect any tax-rate reduction enacted by law in the preceding tax year. A "no" vote opposes amending the constitution for this purpose. Read the full text of the proposed resolutions.

We're updating our site! Please bear with us! Upcoming Events Sun, Feb 26 Burnet County February BCDC Membership Meeting Join us for a special day with Julie Oliver and Ground Game Texas! More information to come! RSVP Past Events! Lovers n' Loners Feb 10 Bear King Brewing Co. Meet BCDC President: Sue White Read More I am delighted, honored, and excited to be the new President of the Burnet County Democratic Club, aka, BCDC, for several reasons. Here are just a few: ​ We are GROWING . There are MANY more democrats in our fine county than you might imagine, and so many of you want to get involved – whether it be a social event, volunteering with educational or voter events, donations of time, money, or supplies, and goodwill! We are ACTIVE ; Burnet saw a great democratic turnout in the 2022 elections. It isn’t possible to adequately express my gratitude to everyone who pulled out all the stops in the last few years, especially in 2022, to educate, motivate, and activate our communities about what democrats stand for and work for We are STRONG . The truly solid FOUNDATION put into place by my predecessor, the indefatigable and energetic BJ Henry, her team, and our Board would be the envy of any organization – and we are so fortunate that it is ours! These warriors are my superheroes. With this firm launch pad, we have the resources and momentum to make even greater strides and achieve greater successes to grow democrat voters, participation, and community engagement as we start already in looking to the 2024 election cycle. We are FUN! Cheesy, but true. We take our “business” seriously, but we strive to be approachable and receptive to achieve our goals. To this end, I do hope you will consider joining us for one of our social or activism events – and if so inclined, join BCDC! It’s easy – and FREE – no dues required. Of course, if you’d like to donate resources and/or talents? Bring it! Although our new website is still being built out, the Upcoming Events section is live, and we hope you will join us for a gathering if something stirs you. I’d also LOVE to hear what types of events, speakers, or education YOU’D like to see. It’s a brand-new year and a wide-open field, and we are here for YOU! ​ You can also find us at “BCDCTX” on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube and TikTok! Looking forward to connecting with you, soon! Sue Read More Hello fellow Democrats! I’m your County Chair for the Texas Democratic Party . I’m proud to partner with BCDC to get out the vote in Burnet County and do our part to Turn Texas Blue! ​ Your party is led by a county chair and chairs from each of the 20 voting precincts in Burnet County. Our precinct chairs are the voice and face of the party in their communities. Together we make sure we have Democratic election workers at all primary and general elections polling places. ​ We conduct Get Out The Vote activities – block walks, write postcards, and work text and phone banks. You can find us at events BCDC hosts throughout the year. Learn what’s happening in the county and state party organizations on our website at BurnetCountyDemocrats.com and follow us on Facebook . Remember to vote and bring a friend to vote – I’ll see you at the polls! Susan O’Brien Meet Burnet Co. Chair: Susan O'Brien The Blue Swag Shop OFFICIAL BCDC GEAR SHOP ALL Hats, shirts, stickers, signs & more! Get Involved! ACTIVATE. Subscribe

What We Do: ACT IVA TE. E DUCATE. M OTIV ATE. The History of the BCDC In late 2018, a few Democrats in Burnet County, Texas, were working to support Marti Pogue, Burnet County Democratic Party Chair, when they realized something. They weren ’t alone! Burnet County has more Democrats than they knew. So, they decided that the best way to support the Party at the county, state and national level was to formally establish a Club. This Club would be a separate entity from the Burnet County Party, with its own board, members and funds. Yet, its mission would be to spread the ideals of the Democratic Party throughout Burnet County and help to register and turn out as many Democratic voters as possible. Mel Hazlewood, BJ Henry, Shirley Schmidt and Mary Doran were the forces behind the Club’s formation. They began working on bylaws and filing legal paperwork in early 2019, and began holding meetings in March 2019 while the Club was still being formalized. About 25 people attended each lunchtime meeting to hear a guest speaker and Club and Party updates. Club members elected an interim Leadership Board to finalize the Club’s formation. They were: Mel Hazlewood, President & Treasurer BJ Henry, Vice President Cindy Dashnaw Mary Doran Shirley Schmidt As gatherings continued monthly, the board finalized bylaws and set membership policies. The Club supported a Party fundraiser in September. Members elected the Club’s first official board of directors by acclamation: The first board officially took office in January 2020 for one-year terms: ​ BJ Henry, President (served through 2022!!) Mel Hazlewood, Vice President & Treasurer Mary Doran, Secretary Cindy Dashnaw, Publicity Shirley Schmidt ​ Our current Officers elected for 2023-2024 are: Dr. Sue White, President Guy Stuart, Vice President Martha Patino Van Vleck, Secretary (second term!) Rodney Wing, Treasurer ​ Along with a governing board comprised of active, involved Democrats throughout the county, the BCDC has a bright future moving ahead! Our goal: ACTIVE. EDUCATE. MOTIVATE. Board meetings are the third Friday every month at 1:00pm. Events are published in the monthly newsletter and promoted on all our social media sites! ​ ​ Our Purpose The purpose of the Burnet County Democratic Club is to foster active interest in the Democratic Party to increase political activity by Democrats in local, state and national politics. Any person who supports the purposes of the Club is eligible for membership. The Club does not and shall not exclude anyone from membership on the basis of race, color, religion, gender, gender expression, age, national origin, ethnicity, disability, marital status, sexual orientation, or military status. ​ Per a bylaws change adopted in April 2021 by a membership vote, the Burnet County Democratic Club no longer collect yearly dues. But donations are welcome! We have set up an online membership form to make it easy to join and/or update your membership profile. JOIN NOW A Message from Your New BCDC Officers:

2022 Convention Details Burnet county residents are encouraged to join us at the Burnet County/Senate District (SD) Convention. ​ DATE: Saturday, March 19th Cadillac Dance Hall 1375 FM 1855 Marble Falls, TX 78654 1.2 Miles off Hwy 281 Between Marble Falls & Burnet Get Directions Here This event will be hosted by the Burnet County Democratic Party and the Burnet County Democratic Club. Doors open at 9:30am. Breakfast tacos and refreshments will be available. Games, prizes & more! ​ RSVP Pre-registration REQUIRED ​ ​ 2022 Convention Delegates Interested in becoming a delegate? ​ ​ 1. COMPLETE PRE-REGISTRATION . Click on link and complete the form at the bottom of the page. Follow all the prompts and enter your information. (Have your 2022 voter registration certificate handy) Register here ​ 2. ATTEND the Burnet county/senatorial convention on March 19, 2022 and campaign to get elected for the state convention. 3. FILE TO RUN AS A DELEGATE for your candidate beginning March 23, 2020. (You will receive links to download this application on March 23rd if you’ve been elected to the State Convention on March 19th) ​ 4. If you don't win in the district, run at-large at the State Convention ​ 5. Head to Milwaukee. ​ 6. Nominate the next President. ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ RSVP TODAY! PRE-REGISTER NOW! RSVP HERE! ​ Resolutions You can submit a resolution intended to be a State Party or local resolution, platform plank, or party rules proposal at our local County/SD Convention. Resolutions will be discussed at the Burnet County/Senate District (SD) Convention on March 19th; however, you can submit resolutions in advance. ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ FAQ ​ Learn more about the 2022 County/SD Convention and the state delegate process here. ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ Texas Democratic Convention July 14 -16, 2022 Dallas, TX ​ ​ Convention Website SUBMIT RESOLUTIONS HERE 2022 Burnet County Democratic Convention