News from the Skagit County Democrats

Skagit County Democrats Action Newsletter for December 28, 2020

DEMOCRATIC EVENTS

1. NEW – 2020 Review
This was a heck of a year. As with most years under President Trump, just about every month felt like it was a year long. We underwent tremendous change in how we went about doing the business of the party. And yet, we managed to do everything we would have done in previous years, including marshaling our membership to get out the vote and support our candidates. I took some time to go through the newsletters we’ve had in 2020. The below is not an exhaustive list but merely the highlights of what we have dealt with this past year.

• January
  • Presidential Primary Debates
• • Impeachment Hearings
• • Alex Ramel was appointed to fill retiring Jeff Morris’
    seat as 40th LD representative
• • Skagit County Democrats Essay contest awards were
    presented
• February
  • Impeachment Trial
• March
  • Coronavirus precautions begin at Headquarters
• • We introduced a new website
• • Presidential Primary
• • Several meetings, including conventions and caucuses, are cancelled or postponed
• • Headquarters closed
• • We lost Nikki Hamilton to COVID-19
• • The Skagit Tulip Festival was postponed and ultimately cancelled
• April
  • We began using Zoom for Skagit Democrats business meetings
• • Our Gala committee began considering the impact of coronavirus in planning and was ultimately cancelled
• • The Census began active work
• • The Democratic National Committee moved the scheduled date to August
• • Fundraising, absent our Gala, began with a generous donation by Pat and Larry Edwards
• • In our continuing adaptation to online business, we transitioned to Role-based Email Addresses for certain officers and discussion groups for committees and teams
• May
  • State convention delegates were selected
• • PCO candidates filed for the August Primary
• • Fundraising goals for the year were met
• • The Skagit County Fair was cancelled
• • Drive-through COVID-19 testing began at Skagit Valley College
• • The Technology and Communications Committee began reaching out to help users with Zoom
• • George Floyd was killed
• June
  • Our Endorsement Meeting was conducted online
• • The entire country reacted to the George Floyd killing
• • Our Coronavirus Face Mask fundraiser began
• • Skagit County moved to Phase 2 of the State Recovery Plan
• • The Supreme Court issued landmark decisions on LGBTQ worker’s rights and DACA
• • Skagit County reacted to a vicious hate crime committed against a 17-year-old boy
• July
  • Germaine Kornegay was appointed PUD Commissioner
• • The Communications and Technology Committee began “Any Tech Questions?” to aid members in our expanded use of technology
• • Headquarters began limited staffing and hours without being open to the public
• • Civil rights icon, John Lewis, passed away
• August
  • The Washington State Primary was conducted
• • The Democratic National Convention was conducted
• • The Skagit Democrats Gala Newsletter was posted
• • Phone banking moved into high gear
• • Our Greeting Card Fundraiser began
• • Schools began limited openings, much of it virtual
• September
  • Trump begins actively trying to undermine mail-in balloting and the U.S. Postal Service
• • Campaign signs are distributed at Headquarters
• • Bob Woodward reveals Trump knew how deadly coronavirus was in February but chose to downplay it
• • Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg passed away
• October
  • Phonebanking, card-writing, and other campaign activity reach a fever pitch
• • “Murder hornets” found in Whatcom County
• • Coronavirus cases surpass 9 million
• • Trump tests positive with coronavirus
• November
  • JOE BIDEN AND KAMALA HARRIS ARE ELECTED PRESIDENT AND VICE PRESIDENT!
• • Voter turnout is very high
• • Local Democrats Jack Hubbard and Dave Quall passed away
• • New COVID-19 restrictions are announced
• • The Skagit County Democrats Essay Contest opens
• • Skagit County COVID-19 testing moves to the Fairgrounds
• December
  • Pfizer and Moderna vaccines are approved by the FDA
• • First vaccines are received and deployed in Skagit County
• • The Headquarters Office again closes to the public
• • The Memorabilia and Christmas Face Mask fundraisers begin
• • The Spokane County Democrats HQ gets pipe bombed
• • The WA Notify exposure tool for smartphones begins
• • Trump pardons cronies and co-conspirators

2. The 39th Legislative District Democrats Reorganization Meeting is Sunday, Jan 3, 2021, 10:30am via Zoom
Click Here to register for this meeting.

3. UPDATED – The Skagit County Democrats Reorganization Meeting is scheduled for Saturday, Jan 9, 2021, 10:00am via Zoom
Only elected PCOs (Precinct Committee Officers) may vote in the Reorganization Meeting. However, you do not need to be a PCO to run for our Executive Board positions. Any paid member of Skagit County Democrats may run for an Executive Board position. Any member wishing to run for office should be paid up no later than Jan 5. Any member who chooses to run for office may pre-register and attend the Zoom meeting. Click Here for the pre-registration link. Additionally, we invite all other members who would like to follow the proceedings to sign into YouTube here. If you are planning to run for office, please remember to have a PCO nominate you by filling out the nomination form. You will need to fill out your candidate form here. We must receive all submissions no later than midnight Jan 5.

4. UPDATED AGAIN – 40th Legislative District Democrats Reorganization Meeting, Sunday, Jan 10, 1:00pm (sign-in starts at 11:30am), via Zoom
“PCOs must be present to vote and nominate – no proxies. There will be no other agenda items except the elections.

All positions are open. Informational only: the Skagit Vice Chair, San Juan Vice Chair, Secretary, and Treasurer are seeking reelection. The Chair and Whatcom Vice Chair are not running again and both the State Committee members haven’t decided, yet. The Vice Chairs are elected by PCOs who reside in each of the 3 Counties (for example: Skagit Vice Chair is elected by PCOs who reside in Skagit County).

We are encouraging all candidates to let the Chair, Trevor Smith (steelshanks@yahoo.com), or Skagit Vice Chair, Janet McKinney (cedarwaxwings@gmail.com), know if you are running at least 3 days before the meeting (January 7) – the more we know who is running, the better we can organize the meeting. Please let us know as soon as you can.

If candidates are unable to attend the meeting, they must email the chair by January 9th with the name of the PCO who will be present to nominate them. Otherwise, only those present during the meeting may be nominated for any position.

If you are interested in becoming a member, go to the 40th Website and click on AB (ActBlue) – https://40thdems.org/. You are not required to be a member to run.”

5. NEW – Fidalgo Democrats
Fidalgo Democrats has a new Chair – Barbara Cooper. Fidalgo Democrats is suspending the January meeting while continuing to reorganize.

6. Skagit Democrats Fundraisers

• Political Collectibles for Purchase: These are the first of the political collectibles being offered for purchase. If you are interested in a listed item (or what else is available), please email staff (staff@skagitdemocrats.org); note the item of interest and include a phone number. Staff will contact you with information needed to proceed with the purchase (pay online or pay by cash or check at Headquarters at time of pick up by arrangement at the door). This is a fun project for staff. Provenance connected with some of the items has been very educational. Click Here for sample pictures. And as a matter of general interest, we wanted to share recent information about the memorabilia collection.
  • A Carl Maxey button was sent to Spokane Democrats. Carl was a prominent black attorney very active in the early civil rights movement. He ran against Henry M. Jackson as the anti-war candidate. His family still practices law in Spokane. Token value $20.
• • The Wing Luke museum in Seattle is researching our “Luke” button. He was the 1st Asian American to hold elected office in Washington. He served as Washington’s Assistant Attorney General in the Civil Rights Division.
• • One of our own has left us with a “Class Struggle” game. It came to us from the estate of Jerry Sommerseth. The game itself in perfect condition from 1978 can sell for upwards of $290. Ours is in fair condition, a 1978 edition and only a few pieces are missing. The game does sell in various venues online….we are going to ask $100.
• • The Kennedy pieces are up next for look ups, pricing and pictures. It is rewarding to see these historical pieces find their way back to their communities across the state.
• • Thank you for looking and considering a purchase of Democratic history to support Skagit Democrats.
• Coronavirus Face Mask Fundraiser: For a donation of $20 you will receive a hand-made face mask especially designed by an engineer/industrial designer at the request of the Medical Director of Pediatrics at Mission Hospital in California. The masks provide full coverage and are comfortable. Click Here or Here to see examples of the masks. If you would like to donate, Click Here. Under purpose on the donation, please indicate “Mask” and indicate which fabric you would like: #1 first on the left, #2 the middle, #3 on the right (for example: “Mask #3”).
• Greeting Card Fundraiser: Social distancing and staying safe makes it difficult for us to get out and look for cards to mark special occasions or just say hello. For a donation of $15.00 you will receive a box of 6 – 8 beautiful hand-made greeting cards. These are one-of-a-kind cards so no two boxes are the same and aren’t made to order. Let us choose your lovely card set. Pictured on the web site (Click Here or Here) are samples of the kinds of cards you will receive. If you would like to donate, Click Here. Under purpose on the donation, please indicate “Cards” and the number of boxes you want.

Thank you for your continued support of the Skagit Democrats.

7. The Skagit County Democrats Headquarters, 300A South First Street, Mount Vernon, remains CLOSED TO THE PUBLIC for the time being
As the pandemic continues to worsen, locally as well as nationally, Skagit County Democrats is committed to keeping all of our volunteers, members, and the public safe. Locally, we are at the highest peak ever with 758 COVID-19 cases reported in November and numbers continuing to grow. In compliance with Governor Inslee’s mandate, we are closing our Headquarters Office to the public. That does not mean we are folding up the tent. We continue the work of the party. Please help us during this time.

• Please pay for membership on our website (Click Here) or you can mail your checks to our Post Office Box – Skagit County Democrats, PO Box 761, Mount Vernon, WA 98273-0761.
• Staff will continue to check voicemails and emails. They will get back to you and will continue to perform the essential work.
• Memorabilia will continue to be sold on-line through our website or you can write to staff@skagitdemocrats.org to make arrangements if you want to purchase memorabilia. Click Here for sample pictures.
• Please take any food donations you wish to contribute directly to the foodbank.

8. NEW – Chair’s Corner
“As 2020 draws to an end, hope is on the horizon. I am eagerly awaiting the return of our democracy and look forward to civility, both nationally and locally, as our new team in the White House takes a seat. We finally have vaccines, which provides hope for all of us to return to normal life, and re-open our office. Above all, we want everyone to remain healthy and virus free.
 
As hate groups pop up and target our BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) brothers and sisters, we will continue to work to expand inclusion and diversity in our party as well as nationally. It is time for us to listen and implement changes in our hearts, our actions, and as an organization. Systemic changes are needed and will be closely examined. It is past time to not just say the words but to put our core beliefs and values in action every day and across every spectrum.
 
Biases are real. Racism exists everywhere both implicitly and explicitly and we must be mindful of our words and actions. We should focus on the words and not the people who say them. I am proud to say that we will have a committee of Inclusion and Diversity led by two talented individuals, Marco Morales and Lorena Perez. This committee will be representative of all of our community. This can be the start of rebuilding and I am looking forward to some real action items that Skagit County Democrats can implement and practice.
 
2020 was difficult for our downtown office space, our fundraising efforts, and all of our volunteers. To comply with Governor Inslee’s mandates, we were essentially shut down and despite this we were able to distribute a tremendous amount of signs for the election. Hats off to every single volunteer who helped place and install signs. There are so many “hidden” folks within our organization who do so much to support our candidates and Skagit County Democrats.

In an effort to quickly create a digital environment under which we could continue to function as an organization, albeit differently from the past, I appointed a new chair to the Communications and Technology Committee. Through the committee’s work we were able to come up with an infrastructure to support virtual meetings and a cloud environment to facilitate communication, document collaboration, organization, security, and accessibility for our digital assets. These quick decisions to modify systems and procedures maintained the functionality of our organization without significantly reducing our ability to perform our mission.

With that said, we have every intention of hitting the ground running on January 4th and doing all we can to support our local candidates in the coming cycle! In addition to working with you to recruit Democrats to run in down-ballot races in 2021, we need to remember that Senator Patty Murray and all seven of our Democratic Members of Congress will be up for re-election in 2022 – plus legislators in NEWLY-DRAWN districts!

We have a GOTV (Get Out the Vote) committee ready to hit the ground running based on in-depth data analysis and strategic planning in order to turn our county blue. We will work closely with PCOs to cover their precincts, and are looking for new PCOs to fill our empty precincts. Additionally, our priorities will include redistricting, launching special rural engagement projects, and continuing a comprehensive diversity and inclusion program to become a party that is inclusive of our entire community.

On January 11 we will hold our Reorganization meeting and elect new members to our Executive Board. They will hit the ground running putting into place strategic planning for the next two years. In the Spring we will be holding a virtual auction in order to support the continued efforts of Skagit County Democrats. Watch for announcements and information regarding our virtual auction.

None of this could be accomplished without the scores of volunteers who stepped up to help and all of our members who support our efforts. Beginning in January, every new member will be called, welcomed to our party, and encouraged to become involved In Skagit County Democrats.

Thank you for allowing me to serve as your Chair for the past year. Lynn Campbell”

9. NEW – Links of the Week
The Link of the Week provides in-depth pieces the Editor has found to be relevant, insightful, and thorough on important issues of the day.

• 50 years of tax cuts for the rich failed to trickle down, economics study says
• Who Biden Is Putting in Power
• America’s growing fake news problem, in one chart
• How the Belief in American Exceptionalism Has Shaped the Pandemic Response

COMMUNITY EVENTS

1. Drive-through COVID-19 testing is Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, 10:00am TO 4:00pm and Tuesdays and Thursdays 12:00pm – 7:00pm, Skagit County Fairgrounds, South Gate Entrance, 501 Taylor Street, Mount Vernon
Use of the Drive-Thru testing site will be limited to those who live in or work in Skagit County. Those who do not live in or work in Skagit County should seek testing in their own communities or through their medical provider. If you have had a known or probable exposure to COVID-19, you cannot get tested right away. You must wait 8 days before being tested. COVID-19 has a relatively long incubation period, so being tested before 8 days has passed could result in a false negative. If you have questions about this, or any other questions related to COVID-19, please call Public Health at 360-416-1500. Skagit County Public Health is encouraging anyone who fits into the following guidelines to get tested:

• Those who are essential workers
• Anyone with any COVID-19 symptoms
• Anyone whose physician recommended they be tested
• Anyone who lives or works in a congregate setting
• Pregnant women
• Anyone who is a close contact or has a known exposure to COVID-19

Click Here for more information.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

1. Listen to We Do the Work, Tuesdays, 5:00pm, and Sundays, 5:30pm at KSVR, 91.7 FM or KSVU, 90.1 FM
A weekly local worker radio program that features news, interviews, music, and comments, “We Do the Work” believes American workers are at the heart of our economy and culture, deserving dignity, respect, and a decent family wage. To hear our other shows, go to We Do The Work Archives. Questions about interviews? Email – ksvrwedothework@gmail.com.

NEW – We Do The Work’s program for Tuesday, Dec 29, 5:00pm and Sunday, Jan 5, 5:30 -Tia Koonse, Legal and Policy Research Manager for UCLA Labor Center, Part 1
Interview by Ken Winkes: Tia explains the reports on low-wages, the people who receive them, and the industries that pay them. For more information, go to http://www.labor.ucla.edu/ or http://www.labor.ucla.edu/what-we-do/rework-institute-for-worker-justice/.
#LaborRadioPod

2. Listen to Speak Up! Speak Out! Radio
Listen to Speak Up! Speak Out! – a half hour weekly radio show committed to community, peace, justice, and non-violence issues. The show airs on Community Radio stations (times subject to change) – KSVR 91.7 FM (Skagit Valley College), Wednesdays 5:00pm, rebroadcast Sundays 8:00pm; KSVU 90.1 FM, Hamilton, Sundays 8:00pm and Thursdays 8:00am; KMRE 102.3 FM, Bellingham, Sundays 11:00am and Wednesdays 7:30am. Our shows are available online. Stream or download a show at http://speakupspeakoutradio.org/ anytime.

NEW – Speak Up! Speak Out! December 30, 2020 – A radio ‘magazine’ celebrating the end of one year and hopes/wishes for the next

3. Coffee ‘n Cards – on hiatus