Thurston County Democrats

www.thurstondemocrats.org

John Cusick,
Chair

Debby Pattin,
1st Vice Chair

Randy Scott,
2nd Vice Chair

Jeff Holcomb,
Secretary

Jane Johnson,
Treasurer

Linda Lombard,
State Committee Woman

Joel Staloch,
State Committee Man

P.O. Box 164
Olympia, WA
98507-0164

360-956-0235

Saturday, February 5th - Annual Champagne Brunch

Please join the Thurston County Democrats at our Annual Champagne Brunch.
There will be great food, door prizes and a chance to meet elected officials.
Paul Berendt will be there to talk about the outlook for the Democrat Party in Washington State.

Saturday, February 5th, 2005
8:30am to 11:30am
Elks Lodge (1818 4th Ave. East), Olympia

Contact and/or prepay Helen Carlstrom at 352-8741 or helencarlstrom@netzero.com
$20 with payment before the event or $25 at the door.

TCD Executive Committee Strategic Planning Session

The TCD Executive Committee met for an all day strategic planning retreat January 22.  We are working hard to find ways to build and strengthen TCD and make it the best County Democrat organization in the state!  Beginning at the grassroots level, we must identify our supporters, fill vacant PCO positions, and identify potential candidates for office who can win and who will further our progressive TCD platform.

To do this, we’ll need help from all Democrats and we encourage you to volunteer some of your valuable time on one or more committees, some of which are listed below. Some committees will be short-term and, once their objectives are accomplished, will no longer need to meet.  Others will become more long-term and membership will be increased as goals are established and activities are identified.

Each committee will determine its scope, set goals and objectives, select a nominee to chair the committee, and develop procedures, activities, or other ideas that will meet each committee’s stated goals.   At the February 28th TCDCC meeting each committee will have an opportunity to report on its progress.

Democrats are richly talented and generous to a fault…we hope you will consider sharing your unique skills and abilities to help us build a stronger, more responsive TCD.

Burger Booth Support
FOCUS: Event planning, logistics, and repairs. 
CONTACT: Randy Scott 352-2524 olyaccess@msn.com

Campaign Services/Support
FOCUS: Determine candidate needs and appropriate TCDCC services.
CONTACT: Randy Scott 352-2524 olyaccess@msn.com or Joel Staloch 455-1973 joelws27@earthlink.net
MEETING: February 9th, 6:00 pm, Backroom at Tumwater Valley Bar & Grill

Memberships & Volunteers
FOCUS: Manage membership and volunteer forms and identify volunteers who will work on other committees who are seeking volunteers. 
CONTACT: Elizabeth Shepard 943-9448 or jemn1@earthlink.net

PCO Support
FOCUS: Develop a plan for new PCO recruitment, PCO training, and other support.
CONTACT: Debby Pattin 866-8664 or nomadpattin@comcast.net
MEETING: February 17th, 7:00pm-8:30pm, Thurston County Courthouse Bldg. 1, Room 280 (upstairs in the building where the TCDCC meets).

Sunshine
FOCUS: Build a small cash account to be used when there is an illness or death within the Democratic family.  This could expand to help make the TCDCC social time more enjoyable with coffee, tea, and goodies!
CONTACT: Debby Pattin 866-8664 or nomadpattin@comcast.net

Communications
FOCUS: Writing, graphic design, and strategies for the newsletter, website, and promotional materials.
CONTACT: Christi McGinley 459-4024 christi@beaudesigns.com

Data & Information
FOCUS: Work with other committees to determine information and data needs for campaigns, PCOs, TCD Executive Committee and the public.
CONTACT: Jeff Holcomb 943-7939 mapmaker98502@yahoo.com

TCD Becomes a Membership Organization

At the recent TCDCC reorganization meeting, a majority of PCOs voted for TCDCC to become a membership organization.  What does that mean?  Simply put, we will be asking local Democrats to pay a nominal fee to help us defray the costs of running this organization.  Many other county Democrat organizations are already doing this successfully and we believe this move will help us deliver quality, timely and informative newsletters, host interesting speakers, and organize forums that are of interest to Democrats in our community. 

TCD’s main goal is to get good Democrat candidates elected to local office and that takes money. We also have to run the organization efficiently in order to be most effective in achieving that goal…that takes money, too. This nominal membership fee will help us safeguard campaign funds raised through the Burger Booth, Champagne Brunch, JJ Dinner, and other TCD events so that those funds can be used more for campaigns and less to pay for the costs of running the organization.

What do you get for your investment in your local Democrat party? 

You will regularly receive an informative TCD newsletter, discounts at select forums and events, a TCD membership card, and, best of all, our sincere gratitude for helping us make this grassroots organization one that works for all of us!

The suggested membership fee is $20 per person per year.  We realize that some Democrats can afford to pay more than $20 and for others $20 would be a hardship.

Democrats do not discriminate based on ability to pay.  Of course, anyone who believes and votes by the principles and values of the Democrat Party is a member of the Democrat Party.  However, submitting the Membership Form at our website with complete and updated information will demonstrate your commitment to helping us build a strong grassroots organization.

Welcome New PCOs!

TCDCC is delighted to welcome so many new members! In an effort to get to know one another, we will have name tags for all PCOs and proxies. Name tags were distributed at the January 24 TCDCC meeting. If you were not in attendance at that meeting, please pick up your name tag at the February 28 meeting and bring it to each meeting. We will also be having a social time before the meetings to help us get to know one another.

Precinct Data

As a PCO, it is essential to get to know your precinct and the people you have been elected and appointed to represent.  To help you get started, we’ve prepared information for each PCO to help you identify people in your precinct with whom you may want to meet and share information about Democrat Party activities and pertinent issues. 

Accurate and complete information is essential to any grassroots organization and TCD is no exception.  The information we have is best if collected at the point closest to the source…and that’s you, the PCO!

The information we’ve prepared for you is not perfect and we hope each of you will take some time to begin or continue your work in your precincts to identify our supporters.

We have copies of this information ready to give to each PCO.  Many PCOs picked them up at the January 24th TCDCC meeting.  Some have received them as electronic spreadsheets.  If you haven’t received yours, please contact Debby Pattin at 866-8664 or debbypattin@thurstondemocrats.org.  You can also contact Linda at amazlinda@aol.com and she’ll be happy to send you an electronic file for you to print.

Email Lists

If you are a PCO or Proxy we encourage you to sign up for the TCD Announcements email list. This list is used for official TCD administrative communication only such as official meeting dates or agendas, draft policies or resolutions, or TCD sponsored events. This is not a discussion list. Only moderators will be allowed to send email to you from this list.

To subscribe, send an email to TCDannounce-subscribe@yahoogroups.com and if you are a current PCO or Proxy, you will be added to this list.

If you would like to be part of a PCO discussion list we encouraged to subscribe to the TCDPCO email list. This list should be used to energize and encourage each other, strategize and brainstorm activities for your precincts, and organize to make it all happen.

To subscribe, send an email to TCDPCO-subscribe@yahoogroups.com and if you are a current PCO or Proxy, you will be added to this list.

PCO and Proxy Applications

If you are interested in applying for a vacant PCO or Proxy position, applications are on our website:
PCO Application:http://thurstondemocrats.org/pcoapp

February 7th - Thurston County Food Bank

220 Thurston St. NE
Shifts: 8:30-noon or 12:30-3:00

TCD has scheduled the 1st Monday of every month to volunteer at the Thurston County Food Bank.  Volunteers are welcome to bring friends as long as they are willing to be associated with Democrats!

The first Mondays are Federal Commodities day so there are many different jobs to accommodate those with less strong backs but willing hands and hearts. 

For more information contact Elizabeth at 943-9448 or email here at: jemn1@earthlink.net.

TCD Newsletters

We want to provide timely and informative communications to all members in our efforts to grow the party.  We are planning many exciting events for the coming year and the best way to be sure you’re informed is to receive this newsletter.  We also want to reduce expenses associated with printing and mailing newsletters, enabling more funds to be available to assist local candidates and other party building activities.

All members may receive an electronic version of the newsletter, and anyone may download the current and archived versions at our website. Effective March 2005, printed newsletters will only be available to dues paying members who indicate that preference on their membership forms. Limited quantities will also be available at TCD events.

Privacy statement

We respect your right to privacy with regard to any information you may provide us.  Because of this sensitivity, the TCDCC recently adopted a policy regarding the collection and use of member information.  While mailing companies may be used to mail you information about candidates, causes or campaigns, they may not retain, share, or use the information we provide for any secondary purpose.  Email addresses will only be used for newsletter distribution or other official TCD announcements.

Quick Glance Calendar through February 2005

February 5 –      Thurston County Democrats Champagne Brunch - 8:30-11:30am – Elks Lodge (1818 - 4th E., near Ralph’s Thriftway)

February 7 –      TCD Executive Committee meeting, 7:00pm – Thurston County Courthouse, Building. 1, Room 152

February 7 –      TCD Food Bank Volunteer Opportunity. Contact Elizabeth at 943-9448 or jemn1@earthlink.net

February 14 –    Religious Coalition for Equality Rally – 12:00 noon - Capitol steps. Contact stankehl@religiouscoalition-wa.org

February 21 –    State Democrats Crab Feed – 5:00pm - St. Martin’s College. PCO Training 10:00am-4:30pm $10.00 includes lunch.

February 28 –    TCDCC Meeting – 6:30pm Social Time, Meeting 7:00pm – Thurston County Courthouse, Building. 1, Room 152 - "Don't forget to wear your name tag!"    

March 4 –           "Wave Aid" (tsunami) Benefit Dance & Silent Auction – 6:00pm – Eagles Hall (4th Ave. & Plum St.) Proceeds will go to the Red Cross. Contact Pamela Turlove turlove@scattercreek.com

March 6 –           International Women's Day Celebration - 1:00-4:00pm - Lacey Timberland Regional Library. Contact Linda Malanchuk-Finnan 357-7272 or iryh@hotmail.com

March 7 –           TCD Executive Committee meeting – 7:00pm – Thurston County Courthouse, Building. 2, Room 129 (Note location change!)

March 12 –         “Feminist Summit” – 10:00am–3:00pm – First Christian Church

March 12 -         Pacific County Crab Feed - 5:00pm Social Hour, 6:00pm Crab Feed - South Bend Chamber (1st and Alder)

March 28 –         TCDCC Meeting – 6:30pm Social Time, Meeting 7:00pm – Thurston County Courthouse, Building. 2, Room 129 (Note location change!)