Thurston County Democrats

“Hurricane Katrina” - Will this be the disaster that ultimately undoes the ongoing disaster of the Bush administration and right-wing hijacking of Congress? It is tragic that so many of our citizens in Louisiana and Mississippi have now lost their lives or become refugees in this, the most prosperous and powerful nation on earth, because of our government’s failure to prepare for, and act following, this disaster. Without the massive diversion of funds and resources to Bush’s contrived and illegal invasion of Iraq, these deaths and displacements, along with the deaths of nearly 2,000 US military and the death and displacement of many more Iraqi citizens, may well have been prevented and we would all certainly be more secure in our “homeland.” My hope is that our national Democratic leadership are now emboldened to aggressively pursue an orderly end to the war in Iraq and the beginning of a competently managed national government that actually promotes the security and well-being of its citizens!

Locally, we have a very busy month ahead. If you wish to speak out about the war, please note the events Debby Pattin describes below.

If you’re a PCO or Proxy whose precinct is in the 9th Congressional District, be sure to attend your meeting with Congressman Adam Smith next Saturday, Sept 10 (see calendar below).

All are welcome to attend both our quarterly LD 22 meeting at 6:00pm Sept. 26 to strategize with Rep. Brendan Williams about how to ensure the defeat of I-912, the “anti gas tax initiative” which would strip needed transportation funding, and the TCDCC forum on the competing medical malpractice reform initiatives, I-330 and I-336 at 7 pm that same evening. All TCD members are encouraged to then attend the monthly TCDCC meeting, which will follow, beginning no later than 8:00pm.

Peace March - September 24th

The largest peace march since the Vietnam War will be held in Washington, DC on Saturday, September 24th, with events continuing through Monday, September 26th. A number of Thurston County Democrats will attend the march, including Jane Johnson, Jerry Muchmore, Debby Pattin, Wes Hamilton and Ken Schwilk. A number of others from Thurston County will attend the march including members of Veterans for Peace, Military Families Speak Out, Gold Star Families for Peace, Veterans and Military Families for Progress, and many other peace and justice groups. For more information about the march, interfaith prayer service, and day of lobbying on the hill, please visit unitedforpeace.org.

There will be ample opportunity to participate here at home, too. Jeanne Passarelli is a co-coordinator of the National Day of Action, a peace event to be held at the Capitol Theatre at 7:00pm on September 24th. There will be a march from Olympia to Ft. Lewis on Friday, September 23rd with a rally at 6:00pm. In Seattle, there will be a rally and march starting at Westlake Center on Saturday September 24th.

From the email survey I conducted, it appears that many TCD PCOs and their families will be taking part in the Olympia, Ft. Lewis, and Seattle peace events, in addition to those of us going to DC.

We know that the peace movement was instrumental in bringing about an end to the war in Vietnam. Let us look forward with hope and anticipation to the end of this war in Iraq.

Washington State Democrat Elected Official of the Year

Thurston County Assessor, Patricia Costello was honored at the 12th annual “Maggie” awards event which was held on August 16th at Benaroya Hall in Seattle. The awards are named for the late Senator Warren G. Magnuson and are given to Democrats who make an extra effort to support their county, Legislative District and State organizations.

Patricia has been Assessor for Thurston County for the past seven years. In addition to her official duties, she has maintained an active role as a long-time Precinct Committee Officer. She has served also as secretary of the Thurston County Democrat Central Committee and continues to serve on various committees in the County and the 22nd Legislative District. She is first to volunteer to assist with fundraisers such as our Demoburger Booth and the Jefferson-Jackson Dinner and Auction.

She actively supports other Democrat candidates in Thurston County and the 3rd Congressional District by working on their fundraisers, doorbelling, and donating her special baskets for their events.

Even though she has her own campaigns to run, she doesn’t forget to be an active and supportive Thurston County and Washington State Democrat.

Forum on Medical Malpractice Initiatives – September 26th

Thurston County Democrats are hosting an educational forum for its members and the public regarding the medical malpractice reform initiatives I-330 and I-336. It will be held September 26th at 7:00pm, immediately before our monthly TCDCC meeting.

One representative from each initiative campaign (I-330 and I-336) will speak for up to 15 minutes to present the salient points of the initiative s/he supports. Following that, there will be 15 - 30 minutes allotted for the representatives to respond to questions from the audience.

Dr. Jon Peterson, President of the Thurston-Mason County Medical Society, will speak on behalf of the I-330 campaign. Dylan Malone will speak on behalf of the I-336 campaign.

If you would like to hear more about these initiatives, mark your calendars and be sure to join us on September 26th!

PCO News - Welcome New Precinct Committee Officers (PCO)!

New PCO for Legislative District 2

Thanks to Jeanne Passarelli for her speedy recruitment of newcomer, Scott Adams, to serve as the PCO for McAllister Creek # 169. Scott joins TCD from his work as founder of East Carolina University College Democrats. Scott was active in organizing information tables, forums on political issues including the Iraq war, and assisting with the primary elections. Scott majored in Political Science and History. We at TCD are delighted to have a young Democrat as the new PCO for McAllister Creek.

New PCO for Legislative District 22

Thanks to Harvey Williamson, who has been as a caretaker PCO and has recruited John Beach as the new PCO for South Bay # 105. John has been involved as a county convention delegate, canvasser and poll watcher. It was great to see John at the last two TCDCC meetings.

New PCO for Legislative District 35

We also welcome Jeff Davis as the new PCO for Mud Bay # 140. Jeff is a longshoreman at the Port of Olympia and serves as the president of the ILWU Puget Sound District Council. It is terrific to have the participation of another union leader in TCD.

Monthly Central Committee Meetings

Participation at the monthly Central Committee meetings is important. If you are unable to attend, be sure to send your Proxy so your precinct is represented at the meeting. You can get a Proxy Form at www.thurstondemocrats.org/newdocs/ProxyForm.pdf.

Campaign and Business Advertisement Space

You can now advertise your campaign or business in the TCD’s newsletter and website.
Campaign season is upon us so don’t miss this opportunity to reach Democrats in Thurston County with your message.

To find out more, go to: www.thurstondemocrats.org/ad

TCD Calendar Coordinator

Politically speaking, Thurston County is a very busy place, especially during campaign season!

Because we’re so busy, some times Democrat events are scheduled that conflict with one another which splits attendance at both events. In an attempt to address this, TCD has asked Mary Anderson to be our Calendar Coordinator and help us avoid these scheduling conflicts in the future. We see this as a service not only to TCD but to campaigns and community members who want to avoid a scheduling conflict.

If you’re working on a campaign or are scheduling a TCD event, please contact Mary so we can be sure to add the event to the TCD calendar. Mary can be reached at meander@scattercreek.com or 943-4514.

Other News

Many Public People at TCD Picnic

The annual Thurston County Democratic Picnic was a wonderful day of great food, friends, and fun. We were lucky to hear fro many of the local candidates. Their enthusiastic and sincere speeches prove we have a wealth of qualified choices in our upcoming primary elections.

Phil Talmadge presented information about a new progressive think-tank to promote progressive ideas and draft legislation to support state and local issues. You can find out more at Talmadge Leadership Fund website: www.tlfwa.org.

Mark your calendars now for next year’s picnic. It’ll be on the 3rd Thursday of August 2006. This will be a big election year, so take time to come out and have a chance to speak with the candidates in an informal environment with food, friends, and fun!

Thurston County Food Bank

The volunteers will once again be back on the regularly scheduled first Monday of the month in October. Addressing the needs of the poor and disenfranchised have always been core democratic values and this is a wonderful opportunity for us to “walk the walk”. For information, contact Elizabeth Shepard at 943-9448 or jemn1@earthlink.net.

Volunteer for TCD Committees

Help us be the the best county Democrat organization in the state!

Burger Booth Support - Help us keep the Burger Booth in good repair for fundraising events.
Roger Erskine 709-2445 rogererskine35@hotmail.com

Campaign Services/Support - Have you ever been a candidate or worked on a campaign? This is the committee for you. Come help us develop and implement a plan that will support the needs of candidates, Democrats, and others involved in getting Democrats elected to local office.
Jerry Muchmore 413-9729 bigdogjerry@comcast.net

Volunteers - Are you an organized person who likes to motivate and engage people? These are the committees for you!
Elizabeth Shepard 943-9448 jemn1@earthlink.net

PCO Support - Develop training, strategies, and other supports to make our PCOs the best trained and best prepared PCOs in the state.
Rhenda Strubb 943-1913 rhenda@irisassociates.net
Jeanne Passarelli 455-0422 j.passarelli@comcast.net

Education and Forums - Develop and manage events and forums that will help educate the Thurston County Democrats and our community on issues that are important to Democrats.
Roger Erskine 709-2445 rogererskine35@hotmail.com

Sunshine Fund - Donate a monthly door prize to be given away at each Thurston County Democrat Central Committee meeting. Funds collected will be used for condolence cards, flowers and other appropriate recognitions for Democrats in our community who have experienced a loss, illness or other event.
Chris Garst 491-4969 cbgarst@aol.com

Communications - Do you have experience writing for publication? Do you have experience producing a regular newsletter? Do you know how to do publicity for events? Are you interested in working on websites? This is the committee for you. We're looking for folks to help pull together the monthly newsletter, keep the website up-to-date and help us publicize Thurston County Democrat events and activities.
Christi McGinley 459-4024 christi@beaudesigns.com

Data & Information - This committee will be looking at what data is needed, where data is coming from, and how it should be used to further Thurston County Democrat goals and objectives.
Jeff Holcomb 943-7939 mapmaker98502@yahoo.com

Historical Records - This committee will begin the important task of documenting the "institutional knowledge" within the Thurston County Democrat organization. There are many who have been around the organization for years who have valuable information that should be collected for current and future reference so we don't unnecessarily reinvent the wheel.
Jeff Holcomb 943-7939 mapmaker98502@yahoo.com

Calendar and Events

For a complete list of events, visit our calendar at: www.thurstondemocrats.org/event

September 5	Seafood Fest and Fundraiser for Congressman Brian Baird - 2:00-5:00pm, 6808 Klein St. NW - Please RSVP to Helen Carlstrom 360-352-8741
September 6	Fundraiser/Watermelon Feed - Jeff Kingsbury – Olympia City Council - 5:00-7:00pm, Olympia Farmer’s Market, 222 Columbia St NW
September 6	Democrat Meetup - 7:00-9:00pm, Olympia Center, 222 Columbia St NW
September 8	Fundraiser – Rep. Brendan Williams - Special guest Governor Christine Gregoire, Woman's Club of Olympia, 1002 Washington Street SE
September 10	9th Congressional DistrictPCOs Meet with U.S. Rep. Adam Smith - 11:30am, St. Benedict’s Episcopal Church, 910 Bowker St., Lacey
September 12	TCD Executive Committee meeting – 6:00pm, TC Courthouse Bldg. 2 Room 149, (small courtroom)
September 19	Dinner with U.S. Rep. Adam Smith – 6:00-9:00pm, Cougar Mountain Jr. High, “Winning the 8th Congressional District for a Democrat” $15/person, $25/couple
September 20	September 20 - PRIMARY ELECTION – Remember to Vote!!
September 26	Legislative District 22 Meeting – 6:00pm, TC Courthouse, Bldg. 1, Room 152
September 26	Forum on Medical Malpractice Insurance Initiatives - 7:00pm, TC Courthouse, Bldg. 1, Room 152
September 26	TCD Central Committee meeting – 8:00pm, TC Courthouse, Bldg. 1, Room 152
October 3	Food Bank Volunteer Opportunity – 8:30am, 220 Thurston St NE
October 3	TCD Executive Committee Meeting – 6:00pm, TC Courthouse, Bldg. 1, Room 152
October 11	Democrat Meetup – 7:00-9:00pm, Olympia Center, 222 Columbia St NW
October 19	Mike Kreidler’s 26th Annual Oktoberfest – 5:30pm, Woman’s Club, 1002 Washington St SE

www.thurstondemocrats.org

Highlights from last TCD Central Committee Meeting

Next TCD Central Committee Meeting

Leg. District 2

Leg. District 20

Leg. District 22

Leg. District 35

TCD Chair's Message