Meeting Minutes 8/20/26
From the meeting on August 20, 2026.
Meeting called to order: By Steve Birmingham at 6:00 pm.
Invocation: Delivered by Cecil Boelts.
Pledge: Led by Aaron Salyi.
New Visitors: Luis Fierro, the CRTP 2026 Scholarship winner.
Elected Officials Present: None
Candidates Present: Nicole Baggerly, Yuma Union High School District Board; John LeSueur, Yuma County Superior Court Judge, Division 5.
Secretary’s Report: Minutes of the CRTP Meetings are located on the CRTP website for review by the membership. Motion to approve by Greg Wenberg, second by Rich Medeiros and Lyle Wheeler.
Treasurer’s Report: Treasurer was not present at the meeting.
Ways and Means: No report.
New Business #1: The City of Yuma now requires all event participants to have liability insurance. This will negatively impact the organization’s financials until different sources of donation revenue are identified and acted upon to increase overall donation revenue. In addition, the City of Yuma is holding most, if not all, events now at Desert Sun Stadium. Several people have expressed concern about this venue not being conducive to the CRTP generating a reasonable amount of donation revenue.
New Business #2: Steve discussed the importance of increasing traffic onto the CRTP website. One way to do that is to cross-link to other websites with similar cultural values and mission statements. Darla Gonzalez of AZ Free has agreed to cross-link with the CRTP. Steve is working on getting several others.
New Business #3: Steve announced the board’s decision to hold the CRTP General Meetings at La Doña beginning with the October meeting and through at least the January 2027 meeting. The venue decision is not permanent, and if the board decides to, it can be changed. The board is being cautious with expenses, and using La Doña allows us to strive for a collective $100 spent in food and beverages that will allow for free use of the private meeting room. Starting on October 15, come to the meeting at 5:00pm, have something to eat and drink. Meeting will start at 6:00pm, and we’ll be done by 8:00pm.
New Business #4: Luis Fierro, the CRTP 2026 Scholarship winner, was present, and received his $500 scholarship award. The award was presented by Steve, and a short video clip was taken, which will be posted on the CRTP website.
New Business #5: The CRTP is pleased to announce the 2027-2028 Member Interest Survey! This will allow the members to vote in for subjects of interest and speakers to bring in for 2027 and 2028. Make your preferences heard by taking the survey at the CRTP website https://www.coloradoriverteaparty.org/news. The survey will close on October 31, 2026.
Old Business #1: The use of Zoom to include remote participants has been a huge success. The CRTP intends to have Zoom available for all meetings to allow for an alternative means of joining, especially for folks traveling or those away for an extended period in the summer. If you have any questions about how to use Zoom, please contact any board member to discuss. If you’d like help with setup, bring your device to the meeting.
Old Business #2: Steve reminded everyone about the CRTP America250 Page and encouraged everyone to see what is available through the site, along with a new RSVP function with auto reminders for events.
Guest Speaker #1: John LeSueur, Candidate for Yuma County Superior Court Judge, Div. 5. John gave an overview of his roots in AZ, along with discussing his platforms that anchor his candidacy. Members can learn more about his platform at https://johnforyumajudge.com/.
Guest Speaker #2: Darla Gonzalez, Executive Director at the Arizona Free Enterprise Club introduced AZ Free to the membership, and also discussed the AZ State-level Propositions that will be on the ballot in November. She also provided a guide indicating the propositions supported by AZ Free. More information about AZ Free can be found at https://azfree.org/.
Motion to Adjourn: Rich Medeiros moved to adjourn, and a second from Aaron Salyi was received at 7:40.
Minutes submitted by Steve Birmingham, Vice Chairman, and Acting Board Secretary 8/24/2026
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