News from the Skagit County Democrats

Skagit County Democrats Action Newsletter for January 20, 2025

DEMOCRATIC EVENTS

1. NEW – A message from newly elected Skagit County Democrats Chair, Roger Phillip
"I’d like to take a moment to introduce myself and express my gratitude for your continued support as I settle into the role of your new Chairperson. My family and I moved to Skagit County nearly ten years ago while I was serving in the Navy and stationed at Naval Station Everett. After retiring from 24 years of active duty in 2020, I became involved with the Skagit County Democrats, Indivisible Skagit, and the Skagit County Medical Reserve Corps.

I grew up in rural Wisconsin in a family that faced its share of challenges. My father, who was disabled, worked a union factory job that helped us make ends meet, especially as we navigated life with my youngest brother, who was also disabled. Now, as a parent of two—a young woman and a non-binary member of the LGBTQ+ community—I am especially grateful to live in a state where our government actively protects their rights. However, we must remain vigilant and prepared to stand up for the rights of all marginalized communities, particularly in the face of potential threats at the federal level.

I want to take a moment to recognize Lynn Campbell for her incredible work as Chair. She has significantly increased the diversity, participation, and effectiveness of our party, and I am deeply grateful for her mentorship and continued involvement in party leadership. Thanks to her efforts, our party is in a strong position, and I see no need for major course corrections.

My vision is to build on the solid foundation we’ve established together. While the next four years may bring challenges, I am confident that by supporting one another, we can face them head-on. Remember, all politics are local, and democracy is not a spectator sport. I encourage each of you to find ways to stay active in our community. Whether you’re donating to a food bank or shelter, volunteering with a local charity, or attending school board or city council meetings, your actions make a difference.

In the coming weeks, we’ll be sharing updates about opportunities to get involved with the Skagit County Democrats as we reorganize our standing committees. Please don’t hesitate to reach out with any questions, suggestions, or ideas for initiatives we should pursue.

Thank you for your dedication and for being an integral part of this vibrant community. Together, we can continue to make meaningful progress."

2. NEW – Call for Legislative Committee members
The Skagit Democrats Legislative Committee will be meeting in the coming weeks to kick off our efforts for the current session. In past years the committee has tracked bills that align with Skagit County Democrats priorities and coordinated communication efforts between our membership and our legislators. We have typically met weekly through the spring while the legislature is in session and as needed in the fall to prepare for the coming year.

If you are a returning member or newly interested, please help us identify a meeting time via this link – https://www.when2meet.com/?28473981-TJvNz – by Wednesday January 22 at noon. We will select a date/time based on your responses and add you to our email list. Please feel free to reach out to leg@skagitdemocrats.org for more information.

3. NEW – The 39th Legislative District Democrats conducted their reorganization Dec 28 and have elected the following slate of officers

• Jessica Wadhams – Chair
• Gabe Valentine – Vice Chair
• John Snow – 2nd Vice Chair
• Cathy Ozog – Secretary
• Kathryn Sharp – Treasurer
• Joshua Corsa – State Committee Member
• Cathy Ozog – State Committee Member
• Ida Keeley – Snohomish County Committee Member
• Tory Horseman – Snohomish County Committee Member
• Tove Shneider – Skagit County Committee Member
• Bill Phillips – Sergeant-at-Arms/Parliamentarian
• Kathryn Sharp – Fundraising Officer

4. NEW – The 10th Legislative District Democrats conducted their reorganization Jan 18 and have elected the following slate of officers

• Chair – Nicole Ng-A-Qui
• First Vice Chair – John Doyle
• Second Vice Chair – Art Huffine
• State Committee Rep #1 – Dan Lewinski
• State Committee Rep #2 – Satin-Desiree Arnett
• Secretary – Melita Bevington
• Treasurer – Cindy Lane

5. The Skagit County Democrats conducted the Reorganization Meeting Saturday, Jan 11
A new slate of officers was elected as follows:

• Chair – Roger Phillip
• Vice-Chair – Lynn Campbell
• Secretary – Nathaniel Block
• Treasurer – Sue Curtis
• State Committee Member – Jeremy Moselle
• State Committee Member – Lynn Campbell
• 10th Legislative District Representative – Velit Seyfettin
• 39th Legislative District Representative – Amy Wood
• 40th Legislative District Representative – Anna Cook
• Commissioner District 1 – Rosalinda Guillen
• Commissioner District 2 – Bennett Massey-Helber
• Commissioner District 3 – Paul Cocke

We thank all our new officers for standing up and providing leadership and support for our organization! Click Here for a very nice picture of our new officers on Facebook.

CORRECTION: Please note, I misspelled Velit's last name last week. Above is the correct spelling.

6. NEW – Foreign Subscribers to Our Newsletter
Lest we be complacent about the reports of foreign actors involving themselves in our political process, let me assert they have done so at our own local level. As the editor of our newsletter and manager of the subscriber list, I have spent several hours over the past couple of weeks purging our newsletter list of nefarious subscribers. This amounted to 150 subscribers that managed to enroll to our newsletter from foreign sites using fake email addresses and identities.

They did so using the embedded form available on our website and, no doubt, used bots to do so. They enrolled from servers located all over the world and clearly attempted to obscure their activity. The most common enrollment site was out of Amsterdam, Netherlands but many originated from various sites in Russia and others in South Africa, Kazakhstan, Indonesia, Nigeria, etc.

Most enrolled during the period of September and October of 2024, clearly interested in our recent elections. Many never opened the newsletter. However, many others not only opened the newsletters, they sometimes clicked on the links, clearly actively monitoring our information. So far as I know, that is as far as they were able to go. They could have no access to our network nor any other proprietary information.

Needless to say, we are in the process of taking the embedded form out of our website and we will be providing a different way of inviting enrollees.

7. 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.

• The Real Reason It's So Hard To Tax The Rich
• The truth behind your $12 dress: Inside the Chinese factories fuelling Shein's success
• Biden says Equal Rights Amendment is ratified, kicking off expected legal battle as he pushes through final executive actions
• Originalism Was Impossible
• Debunking 5 claims about the California wildfires

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COMMUNITY EVENTS

1. Monday, Jan 20, is both Martin Luther King, Jr. Day and Inauguration Day

• Most Federal, State, and County offices will be closed
• Click Here for "How to get involved for MLK Jr. Day" suggestions from Cascadia Daily News
• Click Here for event suggestions from the Skagit Valley College Library

2. NEW – 2025 Farmworkers Tribunal, Tuesday, Jan 21, 12:00pm – 6:00?pm, Olympia
"Community to Community (C2C) and Familias Unidas por la Justicia (FUJ) invite you to mark your calendars for January 21, 2025, the day when farmworkers from across the State will participate fully with the Legislative process and engage with policy makers in Olympia, WA." Join for part or all day:

• 11:00AM-12:00PM Mistica – United Churches of Olympia | 110 11th AVE SE Olympia WA 98501
• 12:00-1:00PM: Marcha Solidaria to Tribunal Hearing Room
• 1:30-3:00PM: Official Farmworkers Tribunal – Capitol Grounds, Cherberg Building, Jac A/B/C | featuring testimonials from Farmworkers across the state
• 4:00-6:00PM: Community Dinner with Speakers and Tribunal Judges Reportback

Click Here to RSVP.

3. NEW – Birding Festival, Saturday & Sunday, Jan 25 & 26, 10:00am – 4:00pm, Maple Hall, 104 Commercial Street, La Conner
"Set against the picturesque backdrop of Skagit Valley and La Conner, this year's festival promises a captivating experience, featuring local artists, educational opportunities, interactive displays, and delightful children's activities." Free event.

4. NEW – Solidarity 2025: Public School Strong Training Series, Wednesdays (Jan 29 – Mar 26), Virtual Event (on-line)
"Solidarity 2025 is a training series equipping activist educators, school board members, students, parents, and allies to unite against attacks on public education outlined in Project 2025 . . . " Click Here for more information and to sign up.

5. Call for Applications for Skagit County Planning Commission
"The Planning Commission works with the Planning and Development Services Department and advises the Department and the Board of County Commissioners on proposed land use plans and regulations in unincorporated Skagit County. The Planning Commission is currently working on the County’s agritourism policies and significant updates to the Comprehensive Plan to ensure consistency with new state law addressing affordable housing and climate resiliency. For more information about current Planning Commission work items, please visit: this site." Applications must be submitted no later than Friday, January 31st at 4:30pm. Click Here for more information.
 

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ANNOUNCEMENTS

1. 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 led quite capably by Judy Farrar and Judith Chilcote. 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 $.56. 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."
 

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