State Master Susan writes: I know many of you may be wondering about what is going on with the casino and what we are doing about it. There may still be a few who do not know that the National Grange reached a settlement with the developers of this casino on September 6th. Part of the settlement was that future ads would carry a disclaimer on them saying that they had used the name without authorization and the continued use did in no way indicated the endorsement of the National Grange. It took about a week and 1/2 but they do now have disclaimers on their ads, although they are a little hard to spot.
For the State of Oregon, the OSG Executive Committee has taken the stand of opposition to Ballot Measures 82 and 83. Normally we do not try and set policy for our State; we considered this carefully when making our decision. However it seemed necessary at this point, due to the name infringement. When the National Grange settled they made it clear to the developers that they had no control over the State Grange or the Community Granges in Oregon.
With all that being said, it is now up to us to try and defeat these measures. Ballot measure 82 would allow for private casinos in Oregon and measure 83 would specifically allow the one at Wood Village. It is up to each Grange if you would like to take a stand against these ballot measures. However with the policy being set by the State Grange, individuals are welcome to quote that policy.
I have attached some talking points, a sample press release (this was completed for Hillsboro Grange, but you could use for other Granges), a sample resolution should you decide to adopt it, and a copy of the 4×6 banner that we have purchased with the help of the National Grange. The resolution does not need to be adopted; a motion to oppose would accomplish the same thing.
We have 50 of these banners that we plan on distributing to Granges around the State. The State office has been putting together a list of those Granges with the most visibility. Some of them will be distributed this weekend; others will be sent out next week. If your Grange has the ability to pay for one (currently $108, going up to $120 when these are gone) that would leave us with a few more to send to Granges who do not have the ability to pay. The banner says “We are the Real Grange”, with the OSG website, our logo and tag line. They are something that we intend to use far after this ballot measure as a membership campaign. With a little care in placement they should last over a year outdoors. Combined with a “NO on ballot measure 82 and 83” however they will be very effective in defeating these measures.
Try and get a press release out to your local papers regarding any decision your Grange may make. Writing letters to the Editor will also help and by next week we should have a sample of some Op-Ed pieces that you may also use.
I feel it is very important that we continue to support our name and our organization. If you have any questions please feel free to call me during our office hours (Tuesday – Thursday) at the State Office (503) 316-0106. Together we can let everyone know that we are “The Real Grange” and proud of it!
Susan M. Noah
Oregon State Grange Master