Democratic Rural Conference of New York State

Open Letter in Support of the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program

2012-01-08T11:09:00.001-05:00

December 2011

Dear Governor Cuomo, Congressional Delegation:

The Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) opensin New York this week and it opens to reduced benefit levels that will hurtlow-income New Yorkers in every county. The Democratic Rural Caucus (DRC) is writing to urge you to opposefederal funding cuts for this important program and restoration of fundinglevels to the FY 2011 levels.

New York’s LIHEAP Program is the largest in the country andprovides critical heating assistance in every community, rural and urban. It serves the most vulnerable portion of ourpopulation. Many of those receivingheating bill payment assistance through LIHEAP are elderly, disabled orchildren under the age of six. In manyrural communities, LIHEAP provides critical heating assistance that helps thosewith heating systems fueled by bulk fuels (oil, kerosene, propane).

LIHEAP is a heat or eat program. For LIHEAP households, this often means thedifference between buying medicine or food or heating their home. LIHEAP households and the tradeoffs that theymake to heat are well documented:

40 percent have someone age 60 or older
72 percent have a family member with a serious medical condition
26 percent use medical equipment that requires electricity
37 percent went without medical or dental care
34 percent did not fill a prescription or took less than their full dose of prescribed medication
19 percent became sick because the home was too cold
85 percent of people with a medical condition are seniors

New York’s Congressional delegation (both houses, bothparties) has long supported this important program. We are writing to ask you to support it againas the discussion about 2012 funding levels continues. LIHEAP was funded nationally at $4.7 billionin FY 2011. When the Dept. of Health andHuman Services released its 2012 funding at the end of October, they released$1.7 billion nationally. This isresulting in a smaller program with lower benefits which will be an especially seriousissue for rural households who rely on bulk fuels that are increasing by 20-30%this year.

Please continue your support for this critical program andencourage the President and both houses of Congress to seek additional fundingfor this critical resource.

Sincerely,

Irene Stein, Chairwoman

The DRC membership

Sneak Preview to the 2012 Conference

2011-11-27T10:17:00.001-05:00

DEMOCRATIC RURAL CONFERENCE

2012 CONVENTION ~ April 27-28, 2012
Radisson Hotel, 125 Denison Parkway East, Corning, New York
(607) 962-5000 (room block now open)

Preliminary Agenda
Friday, April 25
Afternoon REGISTRATION

WORKSHOP
~ Social Networking & Using the Internet in Rural Campaigns

DINNER WITH NEW YORK’S ELECTED DEMOCRATS

Saturday, April 26
Registration
Breakfast
DRC General Membership Meeting
DRC Board Elections

PROGRAM: RURAL NEW YORK’S CONGRESSIONAL DELEGATION

Panel Discussion with Invited Congressional Representatives
Addressing Issues Affecting Rural New York

Networking Opportunities to prepare for 2012 Elections

DRC Bulletin #12 - November 2011

2011-11-07T10:10:00.000-05:00

Click Here for the nicely formatted pdf

Below are some of the highlights:

Meeting of the Board

September 29, 2011
By-Laws Committee

After the approval of the minutes and the Treasurer's Report, the Board discussed the previously approved resolution to amend the By-Laws insofar as endorsements were concerned. It turns out the the DRC is a State PAC and, as such, CANNOT endorse candidates. Therefore the proposed amendment on exceptions to the non-endorsement process does not comply with State Election Law.

The DRC is permitted to make contributions to candidates or committees.

After further discussion it was decided not to amend the By-Laws at all, since they already state that the DRC will make no endorsements.

MARK YOUR CALENDARS

DRC CONFERENCE 2012
APRIL 27 and 28, 2012
The Conference will be held in Corning, New York on April 27 and 28. On Friday afternoon, it is our hope to offer a session on "Using the Internet/Social Media in Political Campaigns." We expect to have a Welcome Reception, a Banquet featuring our outstanding State Elected Officials and a Dessert Reception.

Saturday morning will start, of course, with Breakfast followed by a brief Business Meeting a which we will hold an election for five Board seats. We plan to invite our representatives from Congress who represent DRC counties to participate in a panel discussion of rural issues followed by a Q&A session with the audience. After the panel, there will be small group meetings with candidates for Congressional and State Legislative Offices. Lunch plans and other aspects of the Conference are still in the planning stages.

DRC Bulletin #11 Available

2011-09-01T09:42:00.000-04:00

DRC Bulletin #11 is now available for download. Click here for the PDF version.

For an unformatted less nicely formatted version, keep reading:

AUGUST 2011
B U L L E T I N # 1 1
DRC Board Meeting - July 23, 2011
The DRC Executive Committee met in Oswego, NY on Saturday July 23.
HIGHLIGHTS OF JULY 23RD BOARD MEETING IN OSWEGO
We were honored to have DARRELL AUBERTINE, New York State Comm. Of Agriculture
as our guest. He gave an informative and substantive presentation. He stressed the
importance of the Federal Farm Bill to be debated in the coming months. He pointed out that
an enormous amount of money is at stake for entitlements such as Food Stamps, WIC
program and other programs. He also indicated that he was working to revitalize the
Northeast Commissioners of Agriculture Association in order to more clearly speak as one
voice for the ten states in the Northeast. He covered a wide range of topics and addressed a
host of questions from the audience. He also indicated his willingness to meet with the
agricultural community in our counties and provided his scheduler's number (518-457-8876).
DRC CONFERENCE April 27, 28 2012.
The Board selected the dates of April 27, 28. We reviewed proposals for location and will be
making a final decision shortly. We are planning a heavy focus on the 2012 upcoming
Congressional elections, possibly with a panel of our DRC Congressional candidates. We
also hope to have candidates meet with folks from their districts in small groups. Of course,
we are planning for our galaxy of stars for the Friday night banquet and receptions. We have
already invited our U.S. Senators, our amazing Governor as well as our outstanding
Comptroller Tom DiNapoli and our fighting Attorney General Eric Schneiderman. We also
hope to have our state legislative leaders as well as representation from our State Committee.
Because we are focusing so heavily on Congress, we hope Congressman Steve Israel,who
heads up the House Democratic Campaign Committee, can take time to share his political
assessments with us.
We will also be holding an election for five Board seats at that meeting. An official notice
calling for candidates will be sent out closer to the date.
MARK YOUR CALENDARS – DRC CONFERENCE 2012
WILL BE HELD ON APRIL 27, 28, 2012 –
VENUE TO BE ANNOUNCED SHORTLY
THE NEW YORK STATE
DEMOCRATIC RURAL CONFERENCE
AUGUST 2011
B U L L E T I N # 1 1
THE NEW YORK STATE
DEMOCRATIC RURAL CONFERENCE
HIGHLIGHTS OF JULY 23RD BOARD MEETING IN OSWEGO
HELP FOR DRC COUNTIES
The Board passed a motion allocating $400 to each member County's Democratic
Committee if all voting members of the DRC within each county has paid their dues to the
DRC by 9/15/2011. Voting members are defined as the County Chairs and State Committee
members. Dues are $10 per year, payable to the DRC, c/o Cindy Emmer, 858 Davis St. ,
Elmira, New York 14901.
COMMITTEE REPORTS
ISSUES COMMITTEE – Dawn Rivers reported that a meeting is being set up with Lt.
Governor's Policy representative to discuss the Regional Councils.
POLITICAL COMMITTEE – Tom Poelker congratulated Jane Dodds and others from the
District for the great victory of Kathy Hochul. The DRC sent at least 12 volunteers from
outside the in-District DRC members to canvas and telephone – a continuation of our “Boots
on the Ground” program.
AUDIT COMMITTEE – Ted Young reported that the Audit Committee met prior to this
meeting and found the books to be in order.
COMMITTEE ON ENDORSEMENTS- Chair McCandless reported for this ad hoc
committee. The Board passed the following resolution which will be presented to the
Membership a the Fall meeting: The DRC will not endorse candidates EXCEPT THAT IN
A SPECIAL ELECTION TO FILL AN UNEXPIRED TERM FOR CONGRESS,
STATE SENATE OR STATE ASSEMBLY, THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE MAY
ENDORSE AND/OR MAKE A FINANCIAL CONTRIBUTION IN SUPPORT OF THE
DEMOCRATIC ENDORSED CANDIDATE.
This resolution places the By-Laws in conformity with current practice.
LABOR LIAISON – A meeting of the ad hoc comm. to explore having a liaison from
Labor on the DRC Executive Committee was held in Syracuse. Chaired by Mark
Bellardini, it received encouragement from those labor representatives who attended. They
will report to their constituencies and explore whether and how such a representative would
be chosen.
AUGUST, 2011
B U L L E T I N # 1 1
THE NEW YORK STATE
DEMOCRATIC RURAL CONFERENCE
Musings of the Chair
I share with all of you the worry about the direction of our country. It is clear that most of
the Republicans in Congress have chosen politics over the welfare of the nation, and it is
hard to see any way to break the deadlock and change economic and other policy other than
sending Democrats to Congress in great numbers in the 2012 election. The economic and
financial situation makes this extremely difficult but it must be done, and the DRC will do
its share of the work to be done. Let's remember that we share with most Americans
support for Medicare and Social Security, fairness in taxation, and that we understand that
in our current situation, government must be able to stimulate the economy. The
Republicans will have to face the electorate and it is our job to get the message out. We are
greatly benefited here in New York by an overwhelmingly popular Governor and, as
candidates run this year and next, their slogans well might be: JOIN THE CUOMO
TEAM! VOTE ROW A IN NOVEMBER.
THANKS
Irene Stein, Chair
Contributors to the Bulletin: Irene Stein, Phil Jones, Don Ackerman
THE DRC CONTACT INFO, ETC . . . .
NEW BUSINESS
DRC MAILING LIST – It was decided that eligible voting
members should not be removed from the e-mail distribution
whether or not they paid their dues. Potential Associate
Members who do not pay their dues will be removed the
distribution list.
DRC BROCHURE – Chair Stein appointed a committee to
develop a DRC brochure: Chair, Tom Poelker, joined by Dawn
Rivers and Don Ackerman.
Web page: www.nysdrc.org
To subscribe to our list serve go to: NYSDemocraticRuralConference-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
To Post a Message on the List serve go to : NYSDemocraticRuralConference@yahoogroups.com
Meet on Facebook at www.facebook.com/pages/Democratic-Rural-Conference-of-New-York-State/162050418621
--------------------------------------------
Or e-mail us at:
Irene Stein, Chair ---- iws2iws2@gmail.com
Dan McCandless, Vice Chair --- danmcc44@earthlink.net;
Cindy Emmer, Treasurer --- cindy.emmer@yahoo.com
Phil Jones, Secretary --- phildem@rochester.rr.com
Don Ackerman, Parlimentarian --- Bdonack@aol.com;
Doris Kirsch, Asst. Secretary --- wdkirsch@gmail.com;
Cindy Lockrow, Issues Committee Chair --- lockrow@hotmail.com
Dan McCandless, By-Laws Committee Chair --- danmcc44@earthlink.net
Tom Poelker, Political Committee Chair --- tpoelker@aol.com
Jane Dodds, Conference Chair ---- jmdodds@aol.com
Ted Young, Board Member---- tyoung28@rochester.rr.com
Bob Reynolds, Board Member ---- bobnkaren@live.com
Dawn Rivers, Board Member ---- me@dawnisme.com
Mark Bellardini, Board Member ---- bellar@earthlink.net
Joe Pickreign, Board Member ----- jpic11@roadrunner.com
Joyce Melfi, Board Member ------- babbmelfi@juno.com
Ian Brody, Web Master --- ian.brody@ianbrody.com;
DRC Board Services...
SPEAKERS Bureau:
The following DRC Executive Committee Members are available as speakers at DRC County events:
Irene Stein, Cindy Emmer, Tom Poelker or Phil Jones.
Mentoring Services: The DRC Executive Committee has many experienced County Chairs. As such, we are
available to mentor and provide support to new County Chairs.
DUES
Dues are $10 for 2011, checks are payable to the DRC and should be sent to Cindy Emmer, 858 Davis St., Elmira, NY
14901.
COMMITTEE
APPOINTMENTS
Chair Stein announced
2011/2012 Committee
appointments. Please
see a listing of the
appointments on the
last page of this
Bulletin.
----------------------- --- --- -------------~
2011 DRC COMMITTEES
Speakers' Bureau - St~in~ JOBn, Emmer, Wood
CommuDicatioaslOutreach - Ackerman, Ian Brody, Jones
luues - Loekrew, Corey, Reynold., Lewl_, AulJDo,Oaker, Hurley, MacKay
Newsletter -Ackerman, Jones, Stei ..
Politiaal- PoeIker, McCandleumm Melfi
AuditIFioaDce - Emmer, Youn~ ReyDoidl
E~eDt"ArraDI~ment5 - Same, Dodds, Kinch
Cenventten Cbair - Dodds
Pl"OIfam Committee - Stela, Dodds, Pickreiln, Ackerman) £ fV\ Me,
By·La"'5 - McCandless, EDllller, Jones, Wood
Ad hee Committee on LabJ:.- Bellardlno, Leckrow, Reynolcb
Stein - exomcio member on aU cummjttea
Chair - Stein
Viee-Chair - McCandless
See'y - Jones; Ass't Secretary, KirKb
Treasurer - Emmer+
Parliamentarian· Ackerman

DRC Bulletin #10 with Updated Convention Agenda!

2011-04-20T20:31:00.003-04:00

Click here to download DRC Bulletin #10 including an updated Agenda for the 2011 conference (April 29/30).

Registration closes April 22. Register NOW!!!

2011 Conference Registration and DRC Bulletin #9

2011-03-05T10:05:00.002-05:00

Online Registration is now available for the Spring Conference!
http://www.nysdrc.org/drc/2011ConReg.asp

For a downloadable Registration Form that can be mailed in click here

DRC Bulletin 9 also includes this registration Form. To get the formatted version of the bulletin click here.

Article about Mike Schell, Friend of RuralNY

2011-01-29T10:33:00.003-05:00

Follow the link for a story from the Watertown Daily Times about Mike Schell, a terrific advocate for Rural New York.

http://www.watertowndailytimes.com/article/20110123/NEWS03/301239965

2011 Dues Due!

2011-01-08T09:24:00.000-05:00

Would you please state on the website that 2011 dues ($10) for all members and associate members are now due.

Checks should be made out to the Democratic Rural Conference and mailed to Cindy Emmer 858 Davis St.,Elmira,NY, 14901.

December 2010 Bulletin #8

2010-12-23T09:14:00.002-05:00

For a nicely formatted pdf of this Bulletin Click Here
---------------------------------------------------------------

DECEMBER, 2010 BULLETIN #8
EDITOR
EDITOR
IT'S SCHENECTADY! MARK YOUR CALENDARS
THE NEW YORK STATE
DEMOCRATIC RURAL CONFERENCE
The 2011 DRC Annual Conference will be held on April 29 and 30th in the Proctors Center, Schenectady, New York.

On Saturday, December 4, the Executive Committee of the DRC met in Schenectady and made the decision to determine the site for the Annual Committee.

The 2011 Conference will be the 15th since our founding and it was suggested that it being a significant anniversary we would like to do something special and a little out of the ordinary. Schenectady County proposed that the DRC return to Schenectady and have its convention in its rejuvenated downtown and arts district.

After a tour of the Proctors Theater complex it was unanimously agreed that it would make a unique setting for our 2011 convention. Proctors is a newly refurbished 1926 movie house within a significant complex of smaller theaters, meeting rooms, and banquet hall. There are three hotels very nearby and ample opportunities for receptions and other gatherings. Proctors is also situated in the middle of downtown Schenectady which has undergone extensive development under the direction of the local Democratic elected officials. Conference chair Jane Dobbs will be providing information concerning registration, hotel reservations, cost, program, etc. at a later date.

2011 is the year of local races and we want to provide some campaign training for candidates, potential candidates and for all of us who work on these races. In keeping with the baseball theme of the event, we want to put forward the best possible set of candidate with an excellent farm team right behind them.

We will also be holding elections for all 5 officers and 5 board member seats on the DRC Executive Committee.

And of course, we are looking forward to hearing from the new Administration at our Friday night banquet as well as our re-elected U.S. Senators. We rural Democrats gain enormous benefit from their perspectives. You will be motivated and energized.

DECEMBER, 2010 BULLETIN #8
EDITOR
BUILDING THE FARM TEAM
Recruiting, Training & Electing the Democratic Team
SEASON GOAL: Each DRC County will bring a new attendee, a new candidate for Village, Town or County Board, Local Boards & Offices, potential County Committee leaders, State Senate and Assembly candidates. Bring them to Camp, Train them for Tryouts, Help them Learn from the Pros!

FRIDAY CONVENTION SCHEDULE:
Registration 2:00 – 6:00
Training: FIELD LAYOUT & RULES OF THE GAME 3:00 – 5:00
New York State Election Law, and Campaign Calendar for Village Boards,
Town Boards, Local & County Offices, November 2011 elections
(with panel of Democratic Election Commissioners)

GOVERNOR’S RECEPTION 6:00 – 7:00
DINNER WITH THE ALL STARS 7:00 – - overtime "CHOOSING SIDES: Why We Are Democrats, with Winning Democratic Values"
Governor Cuomo Lt. Gov. Duffy Senator Schumer Senator Gillibrand
Attorney General Schneiderman Comptroller DiNapoli
Congressional Representatives Host County Officials DRC Executive Committee

SATURDAY CONVENTION SCHEDULE:
Breakfast 7:00 - 8:00
DRC ELECTIONS 8:00 – 9:15
Training: TEAM ROSTER: WHO’S ON FIRST? 9:30 – 11:00
Coaches, Managers, Trainers, Players, Field Staff, Candidates and Fans
Identifying critical roles & responsibilities for Campaign Team Development
Coffee Break 11:00 – 11:30
Training: BUY ME SOME PEANUTS AND CRACKERJACKS 11:30 – 1:30
Campaign Budgets and Fundraising, Resource Allocation,
Buliding the Bench, Grooming the Field, Training the Team, and
Seventh Inning Stretching of Dollars
Luncheon PUT ME IN, COACH, I’M READY TO PLAY! 1:30 – 2:30
Luncheon Speaker, Election results and
Special introductions for the all the new candidates in the lineup!
Conference Adjourns: Play Ball!
Tentative Agenda for 2011 Spring Conference

THE NEW YORK STATE
DEMOCRATIC RURAL CONFERENCE
DECEMBER, 2010 BULLETIN #8
EDITOR
In addition to visiting the site, we reviewed the suggestions that you made in the follow-up survey to the 2010 Conference. There were many excellent suggestions, and the Board is committed to incorporate as many as practical in future gatherings. For example, you will receive DRC buttons with your registration!!!!

Chair Stein led a roundtable on the recent 2010 elections, what went wrong, how we can best proceed in the future and what worked from our perspective. The Board felt deeply the loss of some of our state legislative incumbents as well as the lack of success, even though outstanding, candidates in our rural counties.

Attending our meeting was Susan Savage, Chair of the Schenectady County Legislature and State Committee member from 110 AD, and recent unsuccessful candidate for the NYS Senate who shared with us her insights as someone who personally experienced the entire process. We were also joined at the meeting by Cliff Hay, Chair of the Schoharie County Democratic committee, Judy D’Agostino, Schenectady Legislature Vice-Chair as well as Mark Alquist, Wayne County State Committeeman, Bill Wood and Mary Leonard of Cortland County.
We agreed to write Lt. Gov. Elect Duffy about continuing the dialogue he initiated with us, especially in relation to plans for rural and upstate economic development as they become more concrete.

We will be holding our next meeting in Binghamton, but have not yet set the date.
You will of course receive actual minutes of the meeting from DRC Secretary, Phil Jones.

REPORT ON DECEMBER 4TH BOARD MEETING
THE NEW YORK STATE
DEMOCRATIC RURAL CONFERENCE
Yes, it’s true. We are turning 15. We can look back with pride. We have united and, through that unity, gained the attention of state and national candidates to an extent not previously experienced. We have contributed to many victories and can take pride in our relationships and accomplishments. All of this is due to the commitment of all of you. Thank you.

THE DRC CONTACT INFO, ETC....
DRC 15TH BIRTHDAY
WEB SITE
We are asking all County Chairs to send our Secretary their web site addresses so we can put a link on the DRC web site. Send the web address to phildem@rochester.rr.com
Web page: www.nysdrc.org
To subscribe to our list serve go to: NYSDemocraticRuralConference-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
To Post a Message on the List serve go to : NYSDemocraticRuralConference@yahoogroups.com
Meet on Facebook at www.facebook.com/pages/Democratic-Rural-Conference-of-New-York-State/162050418621
--------------------------------------------
Or e-mail us at:
Irene Stein, Chair ---- iws2iws2@gmail.com
Don Ackerman, Bulletin Publisher --- Bdonack@aol.com;
Ian Brody, Web Master --- ian.brody@ianbrody.com;
Dan McCandless, Vice - Chair --- danmcc44@earthlink.net;
Cindy Emmer, Treasurer --- cindy.emmer@yahoo.com
Phil Jones, Secretary --- phildem@rochester.rr.com
Cindy Lockrow-Schimmerling, Issues Committee Chair --- lockrow@hotmail.com
Dan McCandless, By-Laws Committee Chair --- danmcc44@earthlink.net
Tom Poelker, Political Committee Chair --- TPoelker@aol.com

DRC Board Services...
SPEAKERS Bureau:
The following DRC Executive Committee Members are available as speakers at DRC County events:
Irene Stein, Cindy Emmer or Phil Jones.
Mentoring Services: The DRC Executive Committee has many experienced County Chairs. As such, we are available to mentor and provide support to new County Chairs.
DUES
Dues are $10 for 2010, checks need to be sent to Cindy Emmer, 858 Davis St., Elmira, NY 14901.

DECEMBER, 2010 BULLETIN #8
EDITOR
There is no question that the recent election was very disappointing. But it was also not a great surprise. The context of the depressed economy, the huge state budget shortfall at a time when Democrats held majorities in both houses of the Legislature and Congress as well as a Democratic Governor and President resulted in a very high mountain to climb.
This is a time of challenge, and we must rise to face it. We must take actions to change the situation. The Governor-elect has a clear and stated agenda. While one may argue about the details, I think we all agree that we need ethical and governmental reform and radical budget changes. I also believe that we will see a real focus on upstate and rural economic development.
We have to meet these challenges without forgetting that we are Democrats that we care about more than the bottom line, that we have to improve the general welfare but we must always strive to protect the most vulnerable in our society.
If we can work together with civility and, yes, compromise, we can overcome!....
OUR FAMILIES AND LOVED ONES ARE WHAT IT IS ALL ABOUT. ENJOY THEM TO THE FULLEST DURING THIS HOLIDAY SEASON.
Thanks.
Irene
Contributors: Irene Stein, Don Ackerman, Phil Jones
Musings from the Chair
THE NEW YORK STATE
DEMOCRATIC RURAL CONFERENCE

DRC Bulletin #7

2010-10-24T08:40:00.002-04:00

For the nicely formatted PDF verion click here!

OCTOBER, 2010
B U L L E T I N # 7
DRC NEWS
THE NEW YORK STATE
DEMOCRATIC RURAL CONFERENCE
UPDATE ON ARRANGEMENT WITH SDCC
The Democratic Senate Campaign Committee matched the$15,000 FROM the DRC to make a total of $30,000 to be divided among the “non-top tier candidates” from DRC counties,resulting in a contribution of $2143 to each of those candidates. A great partnership!

ELEANOR ROOSEVELT LEGACY FOUNDATION LUNCHEON
As we have done in the past, the DRC hosted a table at the Luncheon in gratitude for the financial help the Foundation provides our women candidates. We always look forward to this gala affair,but this year it was especially wonderful!

Judith Hope acknowledged “special guests” at the convention, and recognized the DRC in that
category.

Anna Roosevelt, granddaughter of Eleanor introduced Matilda Cuomo, the honoree. Anna's
appearance at the podium evoked a gasp from the audience. The resemblance to Eleanor was
astounding.. She gave some moving history of the women's movement in our country, and evolved into telling us about the wonderful work Mrs. Cuomo has done here and internationally
for children in her Mentoring Program.

Matilda Cuomo then came to the podium. She is more beautiful than ever and simply radiates
warmth and caring. She gave a unique speech mingling family and politics and then talked about
the mentoring program.

AND THEN A SURPRISE GUEST: ANDREW CUOMO. His remarks were in two parts. First a
very,very funny response to his mother's speed and then more seriously, he inspired us with to work for making things better in New York State by working together on plans rather than pulling us apart through rage and blame.

It was also gratifying that when Judith Hope acknowledged “special guests” at the event, she
recognized the DRC in that category. All in all, it was a real privilege to be present at this event.

THE DRC CONTACT INFO, ETC . . . .
At the Board meeting, Dan McCandless was elected Vice-Chair to fill the vacancy created by Bill Wood's resignation. Dan’s move to Vice - Chair created a Board seat vacancy. In addition, the
resignation of Bob Kersch created a second Board vacancy. Mark Bellardini of St .Lawrence County and Dawn Rivers Baker of Delaware County were elected by the Board to fill those vacancies. We look forward to their participation. We will certainly miss Bill Wood and Bob Kersch. Bill was always on the ready with excellent advice and suggestions, a very bright
guy! We will also miss Bob who has been with us pretty much since the beginning. His honesty and straightforwardness were welcome elements of all our Board discussions. We hope and trust that they will remain involved with the DRC. They represent value added of the first order.

CHANGES *2011 Convention
The Board is working on an early April conference for 2011. It will be the year of local races, and we plan to provide several campaign training workshops. The theme will be “Building a Farm Team", and we will provide more information as soon as it is available. The DRC also turns 15
in 2011 and we welcome ideas as to how to give ourselves appropriate recognition for that achievement. We are looking at Schenectady and Saratoga for possible locations.
More info in the coming months.

Web page: www.nysdrc.org
To subscribe to our list serve go to: NYSDemocraticRuralConference-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

To Post a Message on the List serve go to : NYSDemocraticRuralConference@yahoogroups.com
Meet on Facebook at www.facebook.com/pages/Democratic-Rural-Conference-of-New-York-State/162050418621
--------------------------------------------
Or e-mail us at:
Irene Stein, Chair ---- iws2iws2@gmail.com
Don Ackerman, Bulletin Publisher --- Bdonack@aol.com;
Ian Brody, Web Master --- ian.brody@ianbrody.com;
Dan McCandless, Vice - Chair --- danmcc44@earthlink.net;
Cindy Emmer, Treasurer --- cindy.emmer@yahoo.com
Phil Jones, Secretary --- phildem@rochester.rr.com
Cindy Lockrow-Schimmerling, Issues Committee Chair --- lockrow@hotmail.com
Dan McCandless, By-Laws Committee Chair --- danmcc44@earthlink.net
Tom Poelker, Political Committee Chair --- TPoelker@aol.com
DRC Board Services...

SPEAKERS Bureau:
The following DRC Executive Committee Members are available as speakers at DRC County events: Irene Stein, Cindy Emmer or Phil Jones.

Mentoring Services: The DRC Executive Committee has many experienced County Chairs. As such, we are available to mentor and provide support to new County Chairs.

DUES
Dues are $10 for 2010, checks need to be sent to Cindy Emmer, 858 Davis St., Elmira, NY 14901.

Message from the Chair:

First and foremost, good luck with elections in your counties. We all know that we will go
down if we do not turn out every Democratic vote possible. Do not buy into the self-fulfilling
self-criticism that many Dems seem to be internalizing. No matter how many dishonest and
misleading ads and statements the Republicans are making, we know that we are the Party
that serves the middle class, first and foremost. Be it individuals, families or small
businesses, we are the Party that works for them. “They” are the Party that obstructs
progress and is the servant of the corporate clientele, first and foremost.
Reform is the name of the game in our State. The best avenue to that reform lies in the
strong and determined leadership Andrew Cuomo will provide. His administration will be
enhanced by Bob Duffy, Tom DiNapoli and Eric Schneidermann. Electing a few good
Democrats to the New York State Senate and having rid ourselves of the other kind will
totally change the dynamic of stalemate in that House. We will have a State Senate that will
work in cooperation with the Assembly.

With Senators Schumer and Gillibrand in Washington fighting for New York and its middle
class, we will emerge from this recession and reclaim the future for our children and
grandchildren. All of that will not happen if you do not get out every Democratic vote
possible.

Thanks.
Irene

Contributors: Irene Stein, Don Ackerman, Phil Jones

General Membership Meeting, Tuesday September 21

2010-09-06T09:55:00.000-04:00

The DRC will be holding a General Membership Meeting on Tuesday, September 21, 2010 at the Doubletree Hotel Syracuse at 6301 State Route 298, East Syracuse, NY.

We do not know at this time the exact time and location of the meeting but will passing that onto you as soon as it is available.

The tentative Agenda for this meeting is as follows:

Call to Order
Secretary's Report
Treasurer's Report
By-Laws Committee Report
Issues Committee Report
2010 Fall Elections-NYS Senate Democratic Campaign Committe
2011 DRC Spring Conference
Old Business
New Business
Adjournment

I am saddened to announce that Bill Wood, our outstanding Vice Chair, and Bob Kersch, one of the founders of the DRC and current Board member, will not be on the State Committee following the Fall Reorganization meeting. As a result, they will no longer be able to serve on the DRC Executive Board. Therefore, the Board will be appointing individuals to fill these unexpired terms. Therefore, I am asking anyone interested in serving on the Board, please let me know by NO LATER THAN Sunday night, September 19, 2010. Both of these seats will be up for election at our Spring Conference, 2011. You must be a dues paying member of the DRC and be on the State Committee and/or be a County

Supercharging Your Information Analysis, Making Voter Data Work for You

2010-07-29T09:20:00.003-04:00

Now available for Download!

Supercharging Your Information Analysis, Making Voter Data Work for You

Presented at the Spring DRC Conference in Niagara Falls by Tom Poelker and Dan McCandless, with help from Tom Connolly

DRC Bulletin #6 - Summer 2010

2010-07-24T09:41:00.003-04:00

What are we up to?

Click here to download the DRC Bulletin #6, Summer 2010 Edition!

DRC Bulletin #5

2010-05-24T11:15:00.004-04:00

BULLETIN #5
Download the full colot pdf version with graphics here!

Our recent convention and Straw Poll in Niagara Falls was by most accounts one of our most successful ever. Its importance in the world of New York State politics was confirmed when the New York Times said in essence that the DRC has become the starting off point for the New York political season. Hopefully your local press reported our event, we had the most coverage by the media of any previous convention.

A gathering of this magnitude does not happen easily. A great many people made it happen and we are grateful to them all.

Special thanks to Jane Dodds for her efforts in the overall management of the convention. Cindy Emmer, once again, made certain that the registration process ran smoothly and Phil Jones in his inimitable style made certain that the Straw Poll functioned as it should.

Our election Inspectors: Bob Brechko, Bill Fruci, Mary Salotti, and Ruth Same made certain every ballot got counted accurately. Many others contributed in a host of ways and we could not have such an outstanding event without them. Finally, our Chair Irene Stein, made certain that all of us kept on track. Incidentally Irene has just returned from a well deserved, relaxing vacation in France.

The Spring Conference Straw Poll Edition
PUBLISHER: PHIL JONES AND EDITOR: DON ACKERMANN
THE NEW YORK STATE
DEMOCRATIC RURAL CONFERENCE

2010-05-13T12:52:00.001-04:00

Notification of Election

Click Here to Download Meeting Notification

HEAR YE, HEAR YE

The Democratic Rural Conference
of New York State
will hold a
General Membership Meeting
on
Tuesday, May 25, 2010 at 3:00 PM
at the
Hilton Rye Town Hotel in Rye Brook, NY
Site of the NYS Democratic State Committee Meeting
Room to be determined

Agenda:
Call to Order
Secretary’s Report
Treasurer’s Report
The DRC Spring Conference report
Old Business
New Business
Adjourn

Remember: You must pay your 2010 dues in order to vote at the meeting
DRC dues are $10
Make check payable to: Democratic Rural Conference
Send to: Cindy Emmer, DRC, 858 Davis Street, Elmira, NY 14901

Sincerely
Phil Jones, DRC Secretary

Results from the May 1 Straw Poll

2010-05-03T11:58:00.010-04:00

Below are the results from the Straw Poll and Board Election:

GOVERNOR
Andrew Cuomo: Unanimous

COMPTROLLER
Tom DiNapoli: Unanimous

ATTORNEY GENERAL
Eric Dinallo: 166 (46.9%)
Kathleen Rice: 79 (22.3%)
Sean Coffey: 52 (14.7%)
Eric Schneiderman: 33 (9.3%)
Richard Brodsky: 22 (6.2%)
Voided Ballot: 2 (0.6%)
Total: 354 (100%)
This is a weighted vote and the numbers do not equal individual voters.

LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR
Chris St. Lawrence 185 (53.5%)
Bill Samuels 125 (36.1%)
Write-ins: 26 (7.5%)
Blank ballots: 10 (2.9%)
Total: 346 (100%)
This is a weighted vote and the numbers do not equal individual voters.

U.S. SENATE (6 year term)
Senator Charles Schumer: 352 (98.3%)
Phil Krone: 6 (1.7%)
Total: 358 (100%)
This is a weighted vote and the numbers do not equal individual voters.

U.S. SENATE (2 year term)
Senator Kirsten Gillibrand: 343 (95.5%)
Scott Noren: 11 (3.1%)
Jonathan Tasini 5 (1.4%)
Total: 359 (100.00%)
This is a weighted vote and the numbers do not equal individual voters.

DRC Executive Committee election - Top 5 vote getters are elected
Cindy Lockrow-Schimmerling: 147 (19.3%)
Don Ackerman: 125 (16.4%)
Ted Young: 115 (15.1%)
Dan McCandless: 113 (14.8%)
Dottie Betz: 105 (13.8%)
Mark Bellardini: 103 (13.5%)
Mike Kunzwiler(Write-In): 54 (7.1%)
Total: 762 (100.00%)
This is a weighted vote and the numbers do not equal individual voters.

Candidate Interview Results

2010-04-19T12:00:00.002-04:00

The DRC Board interviewed candidates for the U.S. Senate and statewide elected offices, and rated the followong candidates favorably:

U.S. SENATE (6 year term)
Senator Charkes Schumer

U.S. SENATE (2 year term)
Senator Kristin Gillibrand
Jonathan Tasini

COMPTROLLER
Tom DiNapoli

LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR
Bill Samuels
Chris St. Lawrence

ATTORNEY GENERAL
Richard Brodsky
Sean Coffey
Eric Dinallo
Kathleen Rice
Eric Schneiderman

2010 Candidate Questionnaire Responses

2010-03-31T08:41:00.014-04:00

A number of the Candidates for Statewide office have submitted responses to the DRC's candidate questionnaire. (Click on the candidate's name to see their responses.)

Attorney General Candidates (in alphabetical order):
Richard Brodsky
John P. “Sean” Coffey
Eric R. Dinallo
Kathleen Rice
Eric Schneiderman

New York State Comptroller
Thomas P. DiNapoli

United States Senate (6 year term)
Phil Krone
Charles E. Schumer

United States Senate (2 year term)
Kirsten E. Gillibrand
Scott A. Noren
Jonathan Tasini

Lieutenant Governor
Bill Samuels
Christopher P. St. Lawrence

Straw Poll Update from the Chair

2010-03-20T16:03:00.003-04:00

Dear DRC Member,

We are looking forward to a great Straw Poll Convention! If you have not already reserved a room and registered for the conference, please do so as they are filling up quickly. You can complete a registration form available http://nysdrc.org/drc/2010ConReg.asp

Our candidates have been active in soliciting our support, and I expect the intensity to increase significantly in the coming weeks. This is entirely proper. However, the DRC has a process of having all candidates respond to a questionnaire; these responses will be on the website. This will be followed with the Board's interviewing and rating all candidates. In fairness, we suggest that you wait to get full information on all candidates and make your important decision at the Straw Poll Convention.

The excitement and suspense of the Straw Poll is severely diminished if members all make up their minds as to their choices before the entire process is completed, and they have had a chance to hear from all candidates. This is fair to all, and will contribute mightily to the success of our event.

Looking forward to seeing you in Niagara Falls,

Sincerely,
Irene Stein

New Convention Information

2010-03-09T11:19:00.002-05:00

The tentative convention agenda has been fleshed out and is available on the convention registration page:

http://nysdrc.org/drc/2010ConReg.asp

2010 Convention & Straw Poll Rules, Proxy Form

2010-02-20T10:47:00.004-05:00

If you plan on (in some way) participating in the 2010 Convention & Straw Poll to be held on May 1, 2010 in Niagara Falls, please download and review these documents:

- 2010 Convention Rules

- 2010 Staw Poll Rules

If you cannot attend in person but would like to designate a proxy, please download and print:

- 2010 Straw Poll Proxy Form

Registration for Spring Convention Open!

2010-02-13T09:00:00.002-05:00

We are pleased to announce that the registration for the spring convention (April 30 - May 1, 2010) is now open. We have great activities planned!

Register online at http://www.nysdrc.org/drc/2010ConReg.asp

or, if you prefer to register through the mail, download the printable registration form.
Looking forward to seeing you there!

NYSDRC Bulletin 4 Jan 2010

2010-02-02T15:41:00.002-05:00

A more colorful PDF Version can be found here:
Page 1
Page 2

Thoughts from our Chair...
There were a number of successes as well as some disappointing results in our counties from last November’s elections. It is very important to carefully analyze your returns;
• Breakdown the turnout, what was the turnout in terms of party affiliation in percentage terms vs. the Republicans?
• Look back at the campaigns, was there a plan, was it implemented – for example, to what extent did the planned door-to-door take place particularly in your priority districts? Was a good GOTV effort carried out and was the plan in place early enough to effectively carry it out?
The important thing is to find out what went wrong and improve wherever you can.
Remember, the DRC Board has members who can provide advice if you feel you need it.
Keep up the good work!
Irene

2010 CONVENTION
April 30 and May 1 at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Niagara Falls, NY.
Information concerning room reservations, meals, etc. will be provided in the near future. It will be a very well-attended convention so make your arrangements early so that you don’t get left out.
“If you snooze you lose!”
In addition to the Straw Poll we will continue to provide training at the Spring Meeting as these have proven to be extremely useful to many of our members in the past.

NOVEMBER 2009 RESULTS
As Irene indicates in her message many of our counties did very well which is a good indicator that our over-all efforts are paying off.
Of special note, our own Executive Committee member, Sue Montgomery Corey, was elected Town Supervisor for Minerva in Essex County.
Do share your successes so we can spread the word.

EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE MEETING
On Saturday, December 5, 2009 the Executive Committee met at the Onondaga County Democratic Headquarters in Syracuse. The bulk of the meeting involved planning for the up-coming 2010 Spring Meeting in Niagara Falls and in particular the Straw Poll that has been such an important event in New York State Democratic politics over the last several years.
Both U.S. Senate seats are up this year as are Governor, Lt. Governor, Attorney General and Comptroller. It appears increasingly likely that there may be primaries for some of these positions. Our by-laws prohibit us from making endorsements but the outcome of our Straw Poll has been very instructive in the past and an event that no prominent political figure is going to want to miss. So hang onto your hats, it may be a wild ride.
Any potential Democratic state-wide candidate may ask to be included in our proceedings. When things become a little clearer a letter will be sent out to announced candidates detailing our process and we will make available to them our questionnaire, the Convention Rules and the Straw Poll Rules. These will also be made available on our web site.
We will offer at least two dates for in person screenings conducted by the Executive Committee as close to the convention as possible with at least one of the session held as close to Albany as possible. Any member of the DRC may attend these. A small committee consisting of Irene Stein, Phil Jones, Ted Young and Bill Wood will work out the details of the screening process and the Straw Poll.

YDRC REJUVENATED We are very pleased to announce that the New York State Young Democrats Rural Caucus has partnered with the Democratic Rural Conference to reestablish the Young Democratic Rural Conference. The YDRC will further the values and mission of the New York State Young Democrats by creating a forum for progressing an economically strong, environmentally clean, and socially progressive rural upstate New York. In November 2010 we have the opportunity to have a real majority in the New York State Senate. With the strength of the rural districts of New York we can make that opportunity a reality. We look forward to working with all of the rural counties to fulfill that goal!
For more information or to get involved with the YDRC please contact us at President@greeneyoungdems.org.
Democratically yours,
John Cavanaugh and Amanda Boomhower
Co-Chairs of the NYSYD Rural Caucus

FACEBOOK
As many of you know, in our on-going efforts to make the general population more aware of the DRC we are now up on Facebook with over 300 Friends and counting. If you are not there, get there, and tell your friends.
Cindy Lockrow-Schimmerling has already been posting her Issues Committee information. Any of you who would like a special posting send it to me or to Chair Irene who has final say on any postings on our site.
A special thanks to Dave Fronk of Schenectady who set this up for us and is maintaining it.

2010 CONVENTION HOTEL
The 2010 DRC Conference will be held on April 30 and May 1 at the Crowne Plaza Hotel, 300 Third Street, Niagara Falls, NY 14303.

DUES
The $10 dues for 2010 are due in January, checks need to be sent to Cindy Emmer, 858 Davis St., Elmira, NY 14901.

DRC Contact Info...
Web page: www.nysdrc.org
To subscribe to our list serve go to: NYSDemocraticRuralConference-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
To Post a Message on List serve go to : NYSDemocraticRuralConference@yahoogroups.com
Meet us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/pages/Democratic-Rural-Conference-of-New-York-State/162050418621
--------------------------------------------
Or e-mail us at:
Irene Stein, Chair ---- iws2iws2@gmail.com
Don Ackerman, Bulletin Publisher --- Bdonack@aol.com
Ian Brody, Web Master --- ian.brody@ianbrody.com
Bill Wood, Vice Chair ---- Woodyspub2@yahoo.com
Cindy Emmer, Treasurer --- cindy.emmer@yahoo.com
Phil Jones, Secretary --- phildem@rochester.rr.com

DRC Board Services...
Speakers Bureau: The following DRC Executive Committee Members are available as speakers at DRC County events:
Irene Stein, Bill Wood, Cindy Emmer or Phil Jones.
Mentoring Services: The DRC Executive Committee has many experienced County Chairs. As such, we are available to mentor and provide support to new County Chairs.

“Good politics make good government” Al Smith – (or perhaps it was Harry Truman or perhaps I said it, I’m not certain)
B. Donald Ackerman
Public Communications and Media Liaison

Issues Pages Added

2010-01-05T11:27:00.002-05:00

You'll notice on our main menu (in the upper left hand corner) we've added an Issues link.

Once there, a new menu will appear on the left hand side of the page, for specific topic areas and resolutions. Right now we're still building our content but please take a moment to read the recent resolution on Senator Monserrate and a terrific article on economic development from Dawn Rivers Baker, 1st Vice Chair of the Delaware County Democratic Committee.

More subsections are planned so stay tuned.

Columbia County absentee ballot court case

2009-12-16T14:17:00.001-05:00

We thought this would be of interest to our members:
---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Christopher Nolan
Date: Sat, Dec 12, 2009 at 5:21 PM
Subject: Fwd: Columbia County absentee ballot court case
To: Irene Stein

Irene,
I am not sure you are aware of the challenge to absentee ballots mounted by the Republican Party here in Columbia County. Obviously funded by the State Republican Committee, although difficult to find on any financial report form, this challenge has statewide consequences. And significant consequences to our rural counties. Second home owners represent a large group of rural taxpayers and business activity. But Republicans don't want them to be able to vote in those same rural counties.

Our effort is being led by an excellent attorney. But our resources are slim. It is clear to us that this challenge is intended to strain our resources and set a precedent applicable to other counties in the state. And it is clear that the Republicans have compiled a very scary database of personal information on each voter.

I attach for your reference a brief memo on the case. As well as a copy of the items sought by subpoena and evidence of the Republicans' own information. This is scary stuff. At least our local judge denied the motion for the subpoena but that was only after our appeal had been accepted by the Appellate Division in Albany. We'll be heard on the 16th at 1PM.

More details of the situation are located at
www.columbiadems.net
http://www.columbiadems.net/
or you can get there through
www.ccnydems.org
http://www.ccnydems.org/

I am happy to talk about it further if you want to contact me.

Regards,
Chris Nolan
Chair
Columbia County Democratic Committee

DRC BULLETIN #3

2009-08-24T10:26:00.003-04:00

AUGUST 2009

This is the third periodic electronic bulletin from your DRC Executive Committee in an effort to keep the general membership up-to-date with the activities of the DRC.

*********

2010 Convention

Mark your calendars! April 30 - May 1 at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Niagara Falls, NY.

This will be an exciting Straw Poll Convention. We don't know all the players, but we do know that it will be suspenseful. We will also try to work some campaign training into our packed agenda replete with our galaxy of star elected officials, food, networking and just plain fun. Watch our Website for more details.

In addition, pending your approval of a by-laws change (see below), we will be holding DRC elections for 5 Board seats.

Jane Dodds will once again serve as the Conference Coordinator. Thanks to Jane for taking this on once again.

*********

State Committee Meeting and DRC Membership Meeting

The next State Committee meeting will be held on Sept. 29 and 30 at the Buffalo Hyatt.

We will also hold our membership meeting on the morning of the 30th. We look forward to hearing from our, in all probability, soon to be new Chair, Jay Jacobs as well as from the June O'Neill, the new Chair of the Executive Committee.

*********

Good News for DRC Counties

In keeping with our goal of strengthening our links to member counties, the Board voted to allocate $400 to each member county whose members had paid their dues.

You will have until Sept. 15 to do so. County Chairs with unpaid members (Broome, Chautauqua, Lewis, Livingston, Niagara Oneida, Oswego, Otsego, Rennselaer, and Tioga) can contact our Treasurer, Cindy Emmer, cindy.emmer@yahoo.com for further details. Members and send dues *$10) to Cindy at 858 Davis Street, Elmira 14901.

**********

Yet Another Proposed By-Laws Change!

After discussion with June O'Neill and Jay Jacobs, it has become very clear that the needs of the DRC and the NYSDC in relation to location of meetings to facilitate DRC elections were best served if we did not hold our elections at State Committee Meetings, but at our own Annual Conferences. Accordingly, the Board asked the By-Laws Committee to draft a resolution to that effect to be presented to our members at the Sept. meeting.

**********

23rd C.D.

Bill Owens, a Plattsburgh attorney and Army Veteran is the candidate for Congress in the 23rd C.D. chosen by the County Chairs in that C.D. Governor Paterson cannot set a date for a special election until Cong. McHugh is confirmed as Secretary of the Army, some time after Labor Day. Please read NYSDC Executive Chair's e-mail of Aug. 18 for more about Bill. We will surely reactivate Boots on the Ground; however, we recognize that local elections are our main focus this fall.

**********

Mentoring of New Chairs

At our last Board meeting, there was agreement that new chairs might benefit from more orientation and mentoring. Cindy Emmer, Tom Poelker and Irene Stein are willing and eager to serve in this capacity. Do not hesitate to contact them. E-mail Irene and she will make arrangements: iws2iws2@gmail.com

********

Speakers' Bureau

We still can help with DRC speakers at your events. Call Irene, Bill Wood, Cindy Emmer or Phil Jones to talk about your needs.

********

Eleanor Roosevelt Legacy Foundation Annual Luncheon

The Board voted once again to host a table at the October luncheon in NYC. Board members wishing to attend were asked to so indicate. Other members interested in being included need to notify Cindy Emmer, cindy.emmer@yahoo.com . Tickets will be awarded in the order the requests are received.

********

Please remember to report any changes in Chair or State Committee contact information to Phil Jones (phildem@rochester.rr.com or Doris Kirsch, wdkirsch@gmail.com

**********

HAVE A GREAT REST OF SUMMER!

DRC BULLETIN #2

2009-05-27T10:44:00.001-04:00

This is the second periodic electronic bulletin from your DRC Executive Committee in an effort to keep the general membership up-to-speed with the activities of the DRC.

2009 Convention
The annual convention which this year took place at the Gideon Putnam Hotel in Saratoga on April 17 and 18 was a resounding success. The theme was “Winning Rural Campaigns” and we had outstanding training presentations by Democracy for America as well as some of our own folks.

We were very pleased that so many of our elected could be with us again this year. Governor Paterson, Senator Schumer, Senator Gilibrand, Comptroller DiNapoli, Attorney General Cuomo, Congressman Israel, Congressman Tonko, Congressman Massa, Congresswoman Maloney, Majority Leader Senator Smith, State Senator Neil Breslin, Assemblywoman Addie Russell and Nassau County Exec. Suozzi, as well as many local elected officials.

The comments they shared with us were greatly appreciated as well as the wonderful hospitality several of them provided.

All in all over 200 rural Democrats attended this fine conference

A special thanks to Jane Dodds, Cindy Emmer, Ruth Same, Cindy Lockrow, Bill Scriber, Sue Montgomery Corey, Shirley O’Connell…………… and all the others who worked so hard to make this one of the best conferences ever.

We are now exploring sites for 2010 and 2011.

State Committee Meeting
Everyone should have received the notice for the State Committee Meeting to be held May 31 at the Hilton Rye Town in Westchester County. As usual there will be an official meeting of the DRC at 9:30 am in the Grand Ballroom North.

By Laws Revision
At the DRC Membership meeting we will be voting on allowing the Executive Committee to substitute two face to face meetings with tele-conference phone call meetings; increasing the quorum for regular meetings from 15 to 40; and moving Board officer and member elections from the Fall State Committee to the Spring State Committee Meeting in order to not have elections at downstate locations. Also our Issues Committee has submitted a resolution on the construction of a four lane highway in St. Lawrence, Franklin, Lewis, Jefferson and Clinton Counties that we will vote on.

Congressman Scott Murphy
We were delighted and thrilled with the hard fought victory by Scott Murphy in the special election for the 20th C.D. Special congratulations to all the county chairs and their committee people in those rural counties that worked so diligently for this incredible outcome. In addition, DRC members from all over the state pitched in and made phone calls, went door-to-door and a host of other campaign efforts. We estimate that well over 200 volunteers from the DRC helped make Scott’s victory possible. Thanks to Dan McCandless for coordinating this effort.

Once again we have demonstrated that no area in the State of New York is safe for a Republican candidate.

Message from Denise King
Dear Irene,

Please let the DRC membership know how much those of us who live in the 20th CD appreciate their help with the Murphy campaign. What a job we have done across the state---together---to change the face of congressional representation for upstate New York!

I look forward to continuing our successful partnership in the years so come.

Best,
Denise King, Chair DNC Rural Council

Speakers Bureau

We have spoken in Livingston Co. and have commitments in Delaware and Wyoming counties as well. Please contact Irene Stein, Bill Wood, Phil Jones, Cindy Emmer or Sue Corey to speak at your events or with your committees.

Upcoming DRC County Events

Delaware County Democratic Annual Dinner – June 20, 5pm cocktails, 6pm dinner, SUNY Delhi, Chair Irene Stein speaker as well as others. Go to www.delawarecountydems.org for details and reservations.

Wyoming County Democratic Committee Annual Flag Day Party, June 14, 12 noon til 5:00pm, chicken barbeque and fun events, Irene Stein and Joe Mesi speakers, call 585-786-2842 for tickets and information.

Allegany County is having its annual fund raiser on Sept. 27th hosted by Cong. Massa and we have a tentative commitment for a reception for Senator Gillibrand at a date yet to be determined.

The Jefferson County Democratic Committee will be holding its Annual Spring Dinner on June 12th 2009 at the North Side Improvement League in Watertown NY. The NYS Senate Majority Leader Smith will be the key note speaker. NYS Senator Darrel Aubertine and NYS Assemblywomen Addie Russell will also be in attendance. County Chairman Sean Hennessey will hold a Reception for the Speaker starting at 5:30 ($50) and the Dinner will start at 7pm ($30). Reservations will be accepted up to June 5th 2009. Reservations can be made by calling the Jefferson County Democratic Party at (315) 788-4590 or by emailing Chairman Hennessey at jeffersondemocrats@gmail.com

Tioga County has a Chicken BBQ planned for August 6, 6PM at the Owego Hickories Park, Price $15.

DRC County News
An enthusiastic group of supporters helped kick off the campaigns of candidates for Wayne County Judge, Charles Burkwit, and Wayne County Sheriff, Terry Pickett, on Thursday May 21 at Trombino's restaurant in Lyons. The "Meet and Greet" Reception was hosted by the Lyons Democratic Committee in conjunction with the Wayne County Democratic Committee. Burkwit and Pickett addressed the gathering and outlined their campaigns for the Fall election.

More information can be seen at their websites:

www.burkwit4judge.com

www.pickettforsheriff.com

www.waynecountydemocrats.org

The post before the first post for the nysdrc blog

2009-01-09T14:52:00.002-05:00

Hi.

This post will be deleted. It is designed as a placeholder while we discuss how this blog will be used.

Right now, you can't comment, although there may be a comment, just to look at the layout.