CALENDAR OF REGULAR EVENTS
Antrim Dems are gathering
JOIN US!
PINTS AND POLITICS - A great place to meet others!
It occurs on the 3rd Tuesday of every month, alternating between Shorts Brewery in Bellaire (odd months), and Shorts Pull Barn in Elk Rapids (even months).
COME JOIN US IN APRIL!
WHEN: Tuesday, April 21
WHERE: Shorts Pull Barn in Elk Rapids
TIME: 4:00 pm for happy hour prices! Pints & Politics at 4:30…
REMINDER - You can always check the Antrim Dems Facebook page for dates and event information.
ANTRIM DEMS WOMEN’S WEEKLY COFFEE
WHEN: Every Wednesday, 10 am
WHERE: Art and Connection, 965 Green Street, Elk Rapids
ANTRIM DEMS COFFEE FOR ALL IN BELLAIRE
WHEN: Every Tuesday, 10 am
WHERE: M-88 Morning Grind, 614 E Cayuga.
ANTRIM DEMS MEN’S COFFEE
WHEN: Every Thursday, 11 am
WHERE: Art and Connection, 965 Green Street, Elk Rapids.
ANTRIM DEMS MONTHLY MEETING BY ZOOM
WHEN: 3RD Thursday OF EACH MONTH
THIS MONTH: APRIL 23 6:30 PM
A link will be sent out to all paid members to join the meeting via ZOOM.
REMINDER - Membership lasts one year and then you need to re-up.
ANTRIM COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
Meeting the first Thursday of each month 10 am
Meeting the third Thursday of each month 6:30 pm
Meetings are live-streamed on the County’s Facebook page. Open to the public.
Visit the County Commission Website
by clicking the button below
DID YOU ATTEND A NO KINGS RALLY?
IF YOU DID, LET US KNOW WHAT YOU THOUGHT ABOUT IT.
ALSO, DO YOU HAVE PHOTOS YOU’D LIKE TO SHARE?
SEND COMMENTS/PHOTOS TO: SFOLEY@ANTRIMDEMS.COM
Thanks to Larry Peck for these photos from the Elk Rapids gathering!
OPPORTUNITY TO MEET CANDIDATES APRIL 2
Many of you had a chance to meet one of the Democratic candidates for the 1st District U.S. Representative seat, Callie Barr, who is taking her second shot at the seat presently occupied by carpetbagger, Jack Bergman. This is an opportunity to hear from most of the remaining candidates for the position.
KEEPING UP WITH ANTRIM COUNTY ELECTIONS
The filing deadline for most positions (other than Precinct Delegate) is April 21, 2026. As of right now, no candidate has filed for most of the seats and not one single Democrat has filed. Voters want a choice and Democrats need to be represented. Run for office! Check out the list here:
https://www.antrimcountymi.gov/departments___services_/clerk/elections.php
MAY 5 ELECTION
Did you know that many of the villages and townships have millage proposals before voters on May 5? Click to check out what is on the May 5 ballot here:
MIDTERM ELECTIONS ARE COMING
Voters in Antrim County will go to the polls for primaries on August 4, 2026, and Midterms on November 3, 2026.
Here is the Secretary of State’s list of all state and judicial races:
JOIN OR RENEW YOUR
2026 MEMBERSHIP
Membership is on a calendar year basis. So, it’s time to renew your membership! Click HERE it’s so easy!
We also need your donation. In 2025, we spent $9,495 on advertising in the 3 papers. Our advertising focused on how Republican policies are hurting Antrim County citizens, on how Jack Bergman is complicit in the shenanigans in Washington, and how Democrats have a path forward that focuses on bread and butter issues for the average person.
In 2026, we will expand our efforts, especially in social media, to unseat flawed local politicians and increase the vote for Democrats at all levels.
Without your help, none of this can happen!
If you have already renewed your membership, you can make an additional donation HERE
If you prefer, you can mail your check to Antrim Conty Dems to:
ACDP
P.O. Box 331
Elk Rapids, MI 49629
Need to join for the first time?
You can join as :
• Voting in Antrim County
• Joining Antrim Dems but don’t vote in this county
• Want to support Antrim Dems but don’t want to join.
Click HERE for these options.
PRECINCT DELEGATES
Becoming a candidate is a big commitment. But becoming a Precinct Delegate is a very small commitment. It means you are willing to commit a total of 10 hours between now and Election Day to helping get Dems elected. It might be sending text messages, making phone calls, writing postcards or knocking doors. You decide what you are going to do and when to do it. Do it with a friend or family member or perhaps your dog. Just do it.
Call Myrna Holland to find out more. 231-631-0125.
Here is the form that needs to be completed, notarized and filed with the County Clerk. Do not sign until the notary can witness your signature. Forms can be notarized at the Clerk’s office:
It is highly recommended that you review your Affidavit with Myrna for completeness.
PRECINCT DELEGATES MUST SIGN UP BY MAY 5.
Getting elected is easy. As long as you vote for yourself, you will be elected (since it is unlikely anyone will be running against you.)
Here is a list of current Dems who have signed up so far to be Precinct Delegates:
We are allotted 64 delegates in Antrim County. There are a set number in each precinct.
As a delegate, you will not be voted out. You will not be treated poorly in the community. You do not have to sign your life away. It takes just a bit of time between August and November.
If you count up time at coffees, at Pints & Politics, you will be spending fewer hours making postcards and calls than you do at the Coffees and Pints and Politics. Please consider being a Delegate!
DEMOCRACY is NOT a spectator sport and we should all be doing something
As David Orr said, “Hope is a verb with its shirt sleeves rolled up.” Action reduces anxiety.
THIS PARTICULAR ELECTION, THIS TIME ---2026--requires action from us all.
IF YOU EVER WANTED TO GET INVOLVED, NOW IS YOUR CHANCE!
KEEPING A WATCHFUL EYE
OVER OUR ELECTED OFFICIALS
Concerning County Clerk – Victoria Bishop
With the level of corruption in Washington today, it might be easy to overlook the criminality that is going on in our own County. It is hard to think of a local politician who comes close to Victoria Bishop, our County Clerk, when it comes to being morally bankrupt.
While Bishop has almost 3 more years to serve as Clerk, it is important for all of us to be aware of her misdeeds and to keep a close eye on how she performs her duties as Clerk.
Top 10 Reasons Victoria Bishop is Unqualified to be County Clerk
1. Was officially reprimanded for filing false campaign finance report. Initially, she filed a campaign finance report claiming to have received campaign loans from her husband when she was running for Clerk. Later she claimed she gave the money to her own campaign. Where did the money really come from?
2. Illegally accepted $10,000 in cash donations in excess of $20 limit. She testified under oath that she gave her campaign $10,000 in cash that she had laying around the house. Campaign finance law in Michigan requires all contributions over $20 to be made by check, credit card or debit card. She seemed totally unaware of the law she is expected to be the expert on locally.
3. Doesn’t know basic campaign finance laws. She had no idea that she could only accept $20 cash. Her campaign finance reports were poorly prepared and incomplete. She seemed totally unaware of the law she is expected to be the expert on locally.
4. Failed to file tax returns for more than 5 years. In both her sworn testimony and her husband’s, they admitted not filing returns for as far back as they could remember. Since she owns a business (a radio station), she is legally compelled to file.
5. Comingled personal and business finances. She filed with the Court copies of her business bank statements. They showed both she and her husband making expenditures from the account for personal items such as liquor, nail salons, gas, and groceries.
6. Failed to keep required campaign finance records. When asked for copies of checks and receipts for expenditures, she indicated that she did not keep them.
7. Failed to keep required business records. She claimed to owe no taxes but kept no business records to show income or expenses. Her bank statements showed numerous deposits that appear to be from advertisers.
8. Likely failed to file proper Form 1099 for independent contractors. She claimed to employ two individuals as engineers for the radio station but no Form 1099’s were presented in the court proceedings.
9. Despite having an accounting degree, doesn’t seem to understand basic accounting requirements. She kept no records or income or expenses and filed no tax returns.
10. Was found in Contempt of Court by Federal Judge. She was repeatedly served with summons to appear in Court and present documents. The judge became so frustrated that she found her in Contempt of Court.
And that doesn’t even begin to cover the fact that she lives in an expensive golf course home with her husband, Trucker Randy, who is attempting to claim financial bankruptcy to avoid paying damages in a defamation suit from Moran Ironworks of Cheyboygan.
With a record such as hers, we can’t just hope she does a good job as Clerk. We need to attend meetings and when necessary, file Freedom of Information Act requests to stay aware of her conduct in office.
Just this past week, we had to notify Clerk Bishop that she calculated the allocation of Precinct Delegates incorrectly and not in compliance with Michigan law.
Please help us keep an eye on our local elected officials to assure we are getting the representation we are entitled to.
• STAY UP TO DATE WITH ANTRIM DEMS •
AND ALSO VISIT TRAVERSE INDIVISIBLE FOR LOCAL UPDATES:
WRAPPING UP ---
WHY DEMOCRATS ARE SO IMPORTANT
What happened to immigrant dad with little boy?
Family of Minneapolis Boy Detained by ICE Faces Fast-Track Deportation
MPR NEWS: “The family of 5-year-old Liam Conejo Ramos, who became a symbol of Trump’s immigration crackdown, is appealing their accelerated removal.
‘The Trump administration is continuing its push to deport Liam Conejo Ramos, the 5-year-old boy whose detention became a defining image of the immigration crackdown in Minneapolis.
Liam and his family, who are from Ecuador, had a pending asylum application when he and his father were taken into custody on Jan. 20 during a sweep in Minneapolis and sent to a family detention center in Texas.
After images of Liam, wearing a bunny hat and Spider-Man backpack and surrounded by masked federal agents, spread worldwide, he and his father were released from detention. But the Department of Homeland Security pressed forward with its effort to expel the family from the United States.
Last month, the federal government moved to end the family’s asylum case without holding a hearing on the merits of their petition. The maneuver has been increasingly used by the Trump administration to quickly dismiss asylum cases.
An immigration court judge ruled for the government, and Liam’s family had 30 days to appeal. On Wednesday, the family’s lawyers asked the Board of Immigration Appeals, which is an arm of the Justice Department, to send the case back to the immigration court to hear the family’s asylum claim.
The Department of Homeland Security did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
It is unclear how quickly the case will be taken up by the board, which has been overhauled over the last year and is now made up mostly of Trump appointees.
But the government’s efforts to throw out the family’s asylum claim make clear that despite the widespread criticism that followed Liam’s detention, the Trump administration wants to keep the pressure on immigrants vulnerable to deportation. If the appeal is denied, Liam and his family could be deported to Ecuador.” (MPR News)
What is the cost of the Iranian war?
“What does this current war cost Americans? By Robert Reich on Substack, March 26
“…They didn’t anticipate that they’d have to lift sanctions on Iran, delivering the regime a huge windfall. Nor that they’d deliver vast oil profits to Vladimir Putin.
To the extent they engaged in any planning at all, they focused on America’s military might rather than the consequences of what might happen next. But as we should have learned years ago from bombing North Vietnam, political outcomes cannot be achieved solely from the skies.
Wars are judged by how they end, not how they begin. It is still possible, although highly improbable, that America will come out of this more secure than we went into it. But wars started without clear political objectives have rarely ended well.
The Trump regime now faces the task of trying to reopen Hormuz to prevent even worse economic chaos.
Either it prolongs the war and puts boots on the ground at a significance cost of human life, or it walks away and risks further economic chaos, major damage to America’s image and influence, and an Iranian regime more committed than ever to building a nuclear bomb.
Meanwhile, the costs of this war are accelerating rapidly. The price of oil has resumed its upward trajectory and the stock market, its downward drift.
The American public is paying in many ways — not just for more expensive gas but soon for more costly food due to pricier fertilizer.
The average rate on a 30-year mortgage has now hit 6.38 percent, the fourth increase since the war began.
The Pentagon is requesting an additional $200 billion to fund the war. This comes to more than $1,400 per American household.
More costs will emerge. The George W. Bush administration in 2003 put the cost of the Iraq war at $40 billion; it ended up costing about $3 trillion.
Soldiers who develop medical disorders or aggravate existing ones, for example, will receive lifelong benefits and medical care, as they should. If today’s troops claim such benefits at the same rate as those who participated in the 1990-91 gulf war, this cost alone would eventually total at least $600 billion, not counting the human toll.
So far, the war has cost us more than $1.3 million per minute.
At this rate, as Times columnist Nicholas Kristof has calculated, for a bit more than two weeks of this war we could offer free college education to every American family earning less than $125,000 annually.
For less than three weeks of this war, we could run a nationwide pre-K program for 3- and 4-year-olds. For less than 13 hours of this war, we could screen all uninsured women for cervical cancer, saving several hundreds of lives.
For four hours of this war we could get glasses to all 2.3 million low-income schoolchildren in the United States who need them but don’t have them. For less than three weeks of this war, we could restore health insurance subsidies that the Trump administration let expire last year, preventing an estimated 8,800 deaths.
For a bit more than five hours of this war, we could deworm all children worldwide. For less than five hours of this war, we could provide vitamin A supplementation for the 190 million children around the world who need it, preventing up to 480,000 child deaths each year and virtually eliminate blindness from vitamin A deficiency.
For about one day’s worth of war spending we could save more than 350,000 lives worldwide from malaria.
Most Americans oppose this war. Congress did not authorize it. It is one man’s war: Donald Trump’s. He alone decided to put us into this horrific, bloody, hugely expensive, bind.
I hope and pray we come out of it without even more deaths and higher costs, but that seems improbable. The war is a deepening tragedy, a horrific waste of life and money, a mounting bill we will be paying for years to come.
Focus on this stark reality: One man has put us in this Middle East quagmire. One man is wrecking our economy. One man’s immigration agents have terrorized our neighbors and neighborhoods. One man has ridden roughshod over our system of government.
That man is not our king. He did not even win a majority of the national popular vote in 2024. (He won with a plurality of 49.8 percent, or just 32.5 percent of all eligible voters.)
He’s the only former or sitting president to have been impeached twice, the only former or sitting president have been convicted of criminal charges (34 felony counts), the only former or sitting president to have sought to overturn an election to remain in office.
So far he has gotten away with all of this.
We [marched] against him Saturday as a prelude to organizing and mobilizing to take over Congress in the midterm elections.
Someday, I sincerely hope, we will hold him accountable for the wreckage he has made of our country and much of the rest of the world.”
Robert Reich
Follow on Substack: https://substack.com/@robertreich
If you protested on March 28, thank you. The next logical step is to become a Precinct Delegate and help spread the word. We need to do all we can to defeat Jack Bergman as well as elect a Democratic U.S. Senator and restore a Democrat Trifecta in Lansing. Precinct Delegates help get Democrats elected up and down the entire ballot.
Antrim County Democratic Party/Michigan
Chairperson: Veronica Welter
Website: antrimdems.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AntrimCountyDemocraticParty/
Volume #5. ANTRIM DEMS NEWSLETTER, WRITTEN AND ASSEMBLED BY ALLEN WOLF, JIM BLACK, AND SALLIE FOLEY. QUESTIONS/COMMENTS CAN BE DIRECTED TO SFOLEY@ANTRIMDEMS.COM