News from the Skagit County Democrats
Posted on January 8th, 2023
Skagit County Democrats Action Newsletter for January 9, 2023
DEMOCRATIC EVENTS
1. NEW – The Skagit County Democrats Reorganization Meeting was held Saturday, Jun 7
Please welcome our newly constituted Executive Board for the next two years. This was our first meeting held in person since the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic. A recording of the meeting is available for viewing.
The elected officers are:
- Chair – Lynn Campbell
- Vice Chair – Nathaniel Block
- State Committee Person – Mayra Velazquez
- State Committee Person – Bennett Massey-Helber
- Legislative District 10 Representative – Velit Seyfettin
- Legislative District 39 Representative – Jamal Savage
- Legislative District 40 Representative – Roger Phillip
- Commissioner District 1 Representative – Curt Huber
- Commissioner District 2 Representative – Andrew Vander Stoep
- Commissioner District 3 Representative – Jeremy Harrison-Smith
The appointed positions are:
- Secretary – Brenda Cunningham
- Treasurer – Cindy Lane
2. The Fidalgo Democrats will meet Tuesday, Jan 10, 7:00pm, Anacortes Public Library, 1220 10th Street, Anacortes
"Please join us for our first in-person meeting since March 2020. We will be meeting in the Anacortes Library . . . Coffee and cookies! We do ask that all who attend in person be fully vaccinated. Masks will be required. Covid, colds and flu are still out there. If you aren’t vaccinated or are feeling unwell, please stay home. The meeting will be recorded and posted on YouTube a little later in the week.
. . . Our topic for this meeting covers property taxes and how they are administered. Newly elected Skagit County Assessor, Danny Hagen will be the presenter. His message: I will be presenting on property tax, how it is administered in the State of Washington, and what that means for residents of Anacortes and the rest of Skagit County. Transparency, accountability, and equity are all things tax payers should expect out of our tax systems and property tax delivers in all three of those areas. I look forward to presenting on these topics and then taking any questions from the crowd"
3. The 39th Legislative District Democrats Reorganization Meeting is planned for Sunday, Jan 15, 2023, 10:30am via Zoom
Click Here to register to attend. "Reminder only elected PCO's for the 2023-2024 term can vote on the executive positions and bylaws. However, any member in good standing can run for any office and provide amendments."
4. NEW – The Skagit County Auditor's Office has advised us there are no elections scheduled for February of this year
5. NEW – Ready to initiate/renew your Skagit County Democrats membership? It is that time of year!
A reminder: subscription to the newsletter does not convey membership. Paying dues conveys membership AND voting privileges. The cost is minimal – only $20.00 for an individual membership or $35.00 for a family. Click Here to join on-line through ActBlue. Click Here to download, print, and complete a form for membership to be mailed. Or Click Here to simply make a donation.
6. Skagit County Democrats collaborate with Indivisible Skagit to share Take Action Network (TAN), a great tool for legislative action
"Join Take Action Network (TAN) . . . TAN makes it easy to track bills you care about, write your legislators, sign in for hearings all from your own home. Get daily Take Action alerts. Make your voice heard in Olympia! Here’s what one happy IndiSkagit TAN user says: 'I love it! I just sit down at the computer after dinner and spend about 15 minutes taking actions on bills that make a difference. It’s easy and so satisfying!'”
7. Skagit County Democrats is again requesting anyone visiting our Headquarters to "mask up"
Skagit County is experiencing a resurgence in viral respiratory illnesses, including respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), influenza, and COVID-19. As a result, our local emergency departments, urgent care clinics, and walk-in clinics are severely strained, and many have reached full capacity. Dr. Leibrand, Skagit County Health Officer, stated: "I recommend that everyone wear a high-quality, well-fitting mask when around others in indoor spaces to protect yourself and others". Click Here for more information. Our Headquarters Office has masks in stock and available for visitors.
8. NEW – Chair’s Report 2020 through 2022
"To start, we had a great election this year and everyone should be incredibly proud!
In November, Democrats won 15 of 17 contested races. Skagit County has become a reliably blue county and the reason is simple: the dedicated passionate work of staff, PCOs and volunteers. You out worked and out thought the Republicans who continued their conspiracy theories. You stood up for Democracy!
We all worked together and flipped the 10th LD despite redistricting! That is huge and something for which we can all feel an immense amount of pride. Now we look toward flipping the Senate seat in the 10th LD. This is an exciting and important time to become involved with Skagit County Democrats!
The past two years have been incredibly busy for the Skagit County Democrats. We are all familiar with the need to shut down our offices and learn to work remotely early on in 2020. Nearly everyone was able to pivot and adapt to a new way of conducting business. Many of us continue to work remotely thanks to the Herculean efforts of our CommTech committee and the ability to host all of our meetings via Zoom. I will never forget our first endorsement meeting held via Zoom. We had many practice sessions and yet that meeting lasted 8.5 hours. We were all new to Zoom and the change of rules, on top of which I was new and did not yet have a firm grasp of the endorsement policy and Robert’s Rules. I am proud to say a lot has changed since those early days. I have a deep appreciation for our CommTech team and especially for everyone who remained at that meeting for such a long time.
Fundraising has been a bit of a challenge for us since the pandemic hit. We were unable to host our gala in 2020 and 21. However, when I wrote letters asking for money, you all responded and donated enough money to keep our office open and to begin funding all of the needs of our committees. This year was our first gala, and while we did not raise as much money as in previous years, I believe the gala was a success! We will continue to host fundraising throughout the year, until our next gala in June 2024. (This June was just too close to our October gala.)
We moved our office in 2021 and it has been a great move for us. We have a very welcoming environment and volunteers who love their work. Please come visit us! (2021 East College Way, Mount Vernon)
I have set up some new committees and have revamped some ongoing committees. We are very fortunate to have so many talented individuals working with us, and I can honestly say that the young people teach me new skills and ideology. We have very bright and talented people in our midst and they are bringing forth fresh ideas which I respect.
We have been in two downtown Winter Holiday parades, a 4th of July parade with all our allied organizations, and this year we will walk in our second Pride parade. We also participated in the Farmworkers March. We know that we can expect more and more of you to come out with us so that Skagit County Democrats have a strong showing.
My main goal has been to expand diversity, make room at the table and encourage our diverse members to take on leadership roles. While we still have a long way to go, we have made significant progress. As an older white woman, I continue to learn about microaggressions of which I may not know or be aware. I have invited members to let me know if I have not conducted myself in a way that welcomes everyone. I have been very fortunate that younger BIPOC members feel safe talking with me and sharing insights.
In the next two years, I will continue my efforts by having voter registration for our Spanish-speaking residents and I will never give up on my efforts to finally get our ballots and voter’s guide in Spanish.
This organization is thriving because of all of you. I believe the best talent lies within our members. This work has not been about or by me, but by all of our talented PCOs and members who have contributed towards the vision. I could never succeed without the help and talent of every single one of the E-board members, PCOs, Committee Chairs, and committee members.
Thank you all for your support over the last two years.
In solidarity, Lynn"
9. NEW – Links of the Week
The Links of the Week provide in-depth pieces and resources the Editor has found to be relevant, insightful, and thorough on important issues of the day.
- 11 Details You May Have Missed in the January 6 Report
- Guardians of the Republic – Only a Nonpartisan Military Can Protect American Democracy
- Employers Are Starting to Do Something New That You Won't Like
- This just in: A lot of news really is ‘fake’
- It’s High Time to Prepare for Russia’s Collapse
COMMUNITY EVENTS
1. NEW – Skagit Valley College MLK Jr. Day, Monday, Jan 16, 9:00am – 2:00pm, Mount Vernon and Whidbey Island campuses
Skagit Valley College will host a Day of Service to commemorate Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day on Monday, Jan. 16 on its Mount Vernon and Whidbey Island campuses. The Day of Service features free events, community basketball skills clinics, and a donation drive. Click Here for more information.
2. NEW – Skagit County Seeks Applicants for Agricultural Advisory Board
"Skagit County is seeking applicants to fill a vacant seat in District 2 for a Citizens Advisory Committee (CAC) to serve in an advisory role in making recommendations to the Board of County Commissioners regarding land use, planning, programs, and policy decisions relating to agriculture. The Skagit County Agricultural Advisory Board makes recommendations on policy and planning issues related to agriculture and represents the diversity of the agricultural economy, various agricultural operations, and districts of Skagit County." Letters of interest along with a statement of qualifications are due by Feb 9. Click Here for more information.
3. The League of Women Voters of Washington, present ACTviaZoom sessions weekly, Mondays, 10:00am – 11:00am, from Monday, Jan 2 through Monday, Apr 24
These weekly sessions provide "information/question/answer session using League, State and Community resources who bring the background informa2on you need on topics related to current WA State Legislation." Register for ACTviaZoom here. Subscribe to Legislative Action Newsletter here. Contact host Carol Sullivan with further questions: csullivan@lwvwa.org.
4. COVID-19 Information
COVID-19 Testing Site at Cascade Mall to close at the end of December
Click Here for the most current report and resources.
ANNOUNCEMENTS
1. Anacortes Sunday Demonstrations
Democrats are again demonstrating in Anacortes each Sunday, 12:00pm – 1:00pm at the corner of 12th Street and Commercial Avenue. "We carry signs for Dem candidates, get out and vote signs, women's right-to-chose in healthcare and so on and so on. We need more people to show up."
2. Coffee & Cards, Wednesdays, 10:00am – 12:00pm, Skagit County Democrats Headquarters, 2021 East College Way, Suite 104, Mount Vernon
Coffee and Cards meets on Wednesdays from 10:00am – 12:00pm. This is the group that was previously led by Carol Sullivan and is now lead quite capably by Judy Farrar. The group is a way for us to express ourselves about issues of importance to us all.
We will write messages of encouragement and support to people who are making positive contributions as well as messages of concern and opposition to people who are negatively impacting our world. This includes legislators on the local, state, and federal level as well as CEOs of corporations and other people having a significant impact in our world. We will share ideas for people to write to and issues to address.
Postcards and stamps will be provided, but we ask that people bring money to cover the cost of the postcard stamps which are currently $.44. Coffee will be provided or bring your own. As Carol always reminded us, “We are stronger together.” Our office is located at 2021 East College Way, Suite 104, Mount Vernon, 360-336-1555."