January 2017 Party News

Posted on by

Hello Coconino Democrats!

I’m writing a quick note to bring you up-to-date on the activities of your Executive Committee, PCs, and Volunteers. We’ll be doing a more formal newsletter mid-month starting in February. Meanwhile, here’s what’s happening:

  1. Charlie Burgin has been hired as Director of Operations. Currently her hours in the office are 10-2 Monday through Friday; however, that’s already varying widely because of meetings and outside activities, so please call or email before stopping by. (We’d like to keep the office open for walk-ins and are looking for volunteers to do that. If you’re interested, let us know.)
  2. The Bienniel Reorganization Meeting took place on January 14. Officers elected for the next two years are Nathan Jones, Chair; Harriet Young, First Vice-Chair (Operations); Sallie Kladnik, Second Vice Chair (Fund-Raising); Cathy Fine, Secretary; Glenn Hoge, Treasurer. These constitute our Executive Committee. In addition, Doug Ballard also serves as state party representative and on the Democratic National Committee.
  3. Volunteer Leaders have been appointed by the Executive Committee: Tom Scholes is Director of PC Operations and Recruitment, Ann Heitland is Communications Coordinator, Trish Rensink is Marketing/Fundraising Chair, Anita Howard and Louise Hublitz are Events Chairs, and Dick Cortner is By-Laws Chair.
  4. Executive Committee members attended the Phoenix forum for candidates for Chair of the Democratic National Committee. (Report upcoming.)
  5. Executive Committee members attended the biennial reorganization meeting of the Arizona Democratic Party. Watch for a report on this in our upcoming newsletter.
  6. We attended the Flagstaff Women’s March on January 21, participating in the rally at the end of the March and creating interest for our PC Training Events.
  7. The Executive Committee agreed on a position statement regarding Prop 414 and that position statement was read to the City Council at the public hearing earlier this month. (A copy is attached for your information.)
  8. We have met with leaders of numerous local activist groups as part of our new outreach effort to educate the community about what we do and to recruit new activists — this is an ongoing effort.
  9. We are cooperating with other activist organizations to publicize and promote resistance events.
  10. We are meeting with donors to receive their ideas and input. (If you’d like to meet to discuss your ideas for making the party better, please contact Ann, Tom, Harriet, or Sallie. — A list of contact info is attached.)
  11. We now have an Act Blue account!
  12. We have conducted several PC Training events and have them scheduled through February — thank you Tom Scholes!  Please sign up for one of these orientation meetings — the dates are on our website. Call Charlie at the office to sign up.
  13. We’ve written a PC Orientation Handbook for the 2018 Election Cycle and our using it in our training sessions.
  14. We are now an official local organization of IndivisibleGuide.com.
  15. We have stepped up to be the local coordinator for the March for Science (look for more information on this in the coming days).
  16. We are getting ready for the Roosevelt-Kennedy Dinner — our largest fundraiser of the year. SAVE THE DATE: March 25! Our dinner theme is “Defend Democracy!”
  17. We helped publicize the (nearly) spontaneous Refugee Solidarity Protest on Sunday, January 29 at the Flagstaff Airport. Over 400 people attended.
  18. We’ve had a very nice single contribution of $1500 to improve our website and our social media presence. We need to double that in the next three months to achieve the impact we need for 2018. If you can contribute to this project, please do so.
  19. We’re working on a redesign of our website with a professional web designer (and lots of work by our Communications Coordinator and Director of Operations). Look for the launch of the new site in May, but meanwhile, please visit ccdem.org to keep up with all we are doing.
  20. We’re active on Facebook and Twitter. Please “like” the Coconino County Democratic Party Facebook Page and follow us on Twitter. Share our posts and events with your friends. If you’re not active on Facebook and Twitter, please consider becoming active. We’re hoping to do some individualized training on the use of these sites. Please call or email if you are interested (or contact us through Facebook and Twitter). Remember the Arab Spring was organized on Twitter.
  21. We are planning trainings/open discussion sessions with PCs and events with speakers. These will begin in March — watch the calendar.
  22. We’re almost finished with a Mission Statement which will be used in training events.
  23. Charlie is working with the NAU Young Democrats and we hope to have some interns to help with our work soon.
  24. We are planning meetings and speakers for the month on March. First up: How to Deal with the Firehose of News and talk to your neighbors and friends about issues. Date will be announced once we know when the March for Science is.
  25. We are actively recruiting PCs for the 2018 Election Cycle. (Contact us!)

I could go on, but this gives you a taste of what’s been going on with the Coconino County Democratic Party. It’s been a busy first month of the year.

If you have questions about anything I’ve written here, please blame me and call or write me to express your concerns. As Harry Truman said, “The Buck Stops Here,” at least with respect to communications. My goals as Communications Coordinator are to spread the word about the importance of the Democratic Party to our county, state, and nation to elect Democrats who will effect progressive change and preserve our rights; and to have a constant dialogue with our members as to how we get these things done. We’re not always going to agree, but I’m sure we’ll agree 90% of the time.

Ann Heitland

Communications Coordinator

928-699-4299

Share this:
Posted in Latest News.