TDW of Ellis County
March 17, 2026 Meeting
The meeting was called to order by President Kathryn Mossom at 6:01 p.m. The Pledge of Allegiance was recited. 22 members and 1 guest were in attendance.
Meeting Minutes and Treasurer Report:
The February meeting minutes are available online. Mary Brooks made a motion to approve minutes. Nancy Post seconded. All ayes.
Treasurer Joanne Hunt being absent, Linda Baker (Audit Chair) reported a PAC account balance of $3,603.54 and a Scholarship balance of $7,175.42. Mary Brooks made a motion to approve report. Carol Young seconded. All ayes.
Committee Reports:
Audit – Linda Baker
No report until next year.
Advocacy – Mary Lou Shipley
Mary Lou explained the purpose of the committee is to address legislative issues and take action by writing letters, postcards, making phone calls. She encouraged people to sign up for the committee.
Community Outreach – Julie Mendenhall
Julie reported that she is currently looking at non-profit groups to help in the Ellis County area and encouraged others to sign up for the committee.
Finance – Linda Baker
No report
Fundraising – Nancy Post
Nancy stated that a fundraising letter will be going out soon to help solicit donations for candidates.
Membership – OPEN
Looking to reach out to lapsed members to have them re-join. A Chair is needed. Working on new member packet and getting information to prospective members.
Program – Nancy Post
April speaker will be Chris Robey, an education lobbyist in Austin for HEB.
Refreshments – Carol Young
Thank you to Nancy Post for March refreshments. April will be Rebecca Cockerham and Lynda Begnaud.
Scholarship – Kathleen Bowen
Kathleen reported that the applications for two $1,500.00 scholarships are still being accepted for Midlothian High and Midlothian Heritage High. April 1 is the deadline and the committee will meet shortly after to select the 2 recipients.
Voter Registration – Mary Brooks
Mary reported that voter registration presentations to high schools will resume in September.
Communications/PR/Marketing – Ginger Cole
Ginger reported that she will continue to work on voter registration for apartment complexes. Vivian Gibson reported that she and Jean Woods are going to businesses to get out the vote message and encouraged others to do the same.
Old Business
Kathryn passed out a sheet of all Democratic candidates running and stated that a decision will be made on which candidates will receive TDW-EC funds once the fundraising has been finished.
New Business
Kathryn discussed a new TDW-EC business card contest. Everyone is encouraged to design a business card that will advertise TDW-EC and can be given to people. She will send out more detailed information to all members so that they can participate.
Kathryn stated that a survey for members will be sent out soon. A suggestion was made to put a sign in the TDW HQ window that says “TDW-EC meets here”. Postcard writing was discussed. There are many upcoming No Kings rallies in Dallas, Ft. Worth, Arlington and also Midlothian. Midlothian has a new Indivisible group that just formed. The Midlothian Indivisible group meets at TDW HQ the first Wednesday of each month at 6:30. Next meeting is April 1st.
Becky LeBreton discussed the upcoming July 4th 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. She asked for help with the parade float. Anyone interested should contact Becky. She also discussed having food/hot dog give-aways, and working with other groups to bring awareness to the one in a lifetime day. Be sure to sign up to help.
Kathryn reminded everyone of the County Convention Saturday, March 21 at HDQ. Check-in begins at 10am. Convention starts at 11am.
State runoff election on May 26th.
Kathryn gave an update on special life events for members such as birthdays, illnesses, deaths and accomplishments. It is important to recognize the TDW-EC great members! Let Kathryn know of any upcoming life event announcements.
Kathryn stated that the State TDW is looking for local chapter articles. An example might include the work Mary Brooks does giving voter registration presentations at area high schools. Send articles to Kathryn for submission to the State TDW newsletter.
Ellis County Democratic Party Chair Report
No report as preparations are being made for this Saturday’s county convention.
Special Guest Presentation
Pam Hampton is running for JP4. She discussed her background as a former military officer and Dallas PD officer as well as the duties of the JP office. She is running to help slash wait times on unresolved cases, making the legal system more accessible and transparent for all, train the next generation of leaders and to lower court costs. Please consider contributing to her campaign at pamhamptonforjp4.com.
Announcements
The Ellis and Johnson County League of Women Voters (LWV) was established in 2024. Consider joining and participating in this group. Next meeting is Sunday, March 29th at the Midlothian Civic Center 4:30-6:00 pm. Contact Freda Hardaway for more information at joinlwvejc@gmail.com.
The County Democratic Convention is THIS Saturday registration beginning at 10:00 a.m. at Democratic HQ.
Bruce Wilson reminded members that the State Democratic Convention will be held June 25-27 in Corpus Christi.
Adjournment
Linda Baker made a motion to adjourn the meeting. It was seconded by Becky LeBreton. All ayes. Business Meeting adjourned at 6:50 p.m.
Presentation
Daphne Hajovsky, Cora Landsdowne, and Joanna Hood gave an inspiring presentation on the Midlothian Democrats. They discussed the work they have been doing since January 2025 to engage with local Midlothian residents. They had 30 members attend their first meeting. They attend local community events – city council, school board, library and other local meetings. Their goal is to create a safe space for Midlothian Democrats, encourage civic involvement, and provide information about activism and elections. They meet the 2nd and 4th Wednesday evenings from 7:00-9:00 at Democratic HQ to write postcards. They use an app called “5 Calls” to help with topics for postcards. They also created post-it note to be placed at various locations with their contact info so others will know there are Democrats in Midlothian. They use social media to help get the word out and emphasize timely communications, follow-up, persistence, in-person interaction, local and optimistic engagement. They encouraged everyone to reach out where you can and become an advocate in your sphere of influence.