Thurston County Democrats

www.thurstondemocrats.org

John Cusick,
Chair
459-4024

Debby Pattin,
1st Vice Chair
866-8664

Roger Erskine,
2nd Vice Chair
709-2445

Jeff Holcomb,
Secretary
943-7939

Jane Johnson,
Treasurer
236-0058

Linda Lombard,
State Comm.
Woman
352-1712

Joel Staloch,
State Comm.
Man
480-9432

Jeanne Passarelli, Executive Comm.
Woman At-Large
455-0422

Jerry Muchmore,
Exeutive Comm.
Man At-Large
413-9729

Mary Anderson, Calendar
Coordinator
943-4514

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

360-956-0235

Chair's Message

Most of you probably remember the precinct caucuses two years ago. Nearly 5,000 active Democrats came together with their neighbors that sunny Saturday February morning to talk about issues that concerned them and to express their support for one of the 7 candidates vying for the nomination to move forward as the Democrat’s candidate for president. It was a heady experience, reaffirming everyone’s belief in grass roots politics.

Well, it’s that time of every even numbered year again and we look forward to seeing you at your neighborhood caucus next Saturday. While we’re likely to have fewer participants this year, given the lack of a presidential race, there is clearly a palpable energy in the air around helping articulate what we Democrats believe and those shared community values upon which our beliefs are based.

In an effort to further some of that energy, we’ve conducted a series of “pre-caucus issue forums” throughout the county over the past week. Emmett O’Connell, who now chairs our education and forums committee, will report in more detail about these forums next month, but they’ve been a great way to build the party and bring new folks into the discussion that will eventually result in the 2006 Thurston County Democrats Platform at the county convention April 8th.

So, come to your precinct caucus next Saturday, discuss what you’d like to see in our platform, volunteer to work on the platform committee, become a dues paying member if you haven’t already, order one of our kick ass donkey t-shirts and get involved with the many activities we have planned for the remainder of the year.

I cannot overemphasize the value of our participation in setting the direction of the Democrats in this all important mid-term election year. We’ve got the momentum, the values, the ethics and the competence. Now, let’s wrest control of the public policy from the fundamentalist miscreants who are trashing our neighborhoods, our Constitution, our nation and our world!

Precinct Caucuses - March 4th

By Debby Pattin
1st Vice Chair

Mark you calendar for Saturday, March 4th from 2-4 p.m. and plan to attend your precinct caucus.

All Democrats who are registered voters are welcome to attend and participate. If you are not registered to vote but wish to attend, there will be voter registration forms available at each caucus site.

Delegates and alternates to the County Convention, April 8th at Capital HS in Olympia, and the State Convention June 2-3rd in Yakima, will be elected at the precinct caucus. At the County and State Conventions, resolutions for inclusion in the County and State Platforms will be adopted, so serving as a delegate is a chance to have your say on these important matters.

But even if you can’t serve as a delegate or alternate, you still have a chance to give your input on issues of the day that matter the most to you... whether they be local zoning or environmental regulations, statewide policies concerning education or long term health care, or national policies concerning the war, veteran benefits, homeland security - whatever issues are the most important to you.

To determine where your caucus will meet, look at your voter registration card to find your precinct number, then, go to www.thurstondemocrats.org/caucus for the list of caucus locations and find your precinct listing. The name and address of the location, and the name of the Site Leader for each location are posted next to the precinct number. If you can’t find your voter’s registration card, log onto the Precinct Lookup page at co.thurston.wa.us/cm/auditor-precinct/precinct-info.asp. By entering your address, you will be able to determine your precinct number.

If you do not have internet access, this information is available by phone from the Thurston County Auditor’s Elections Office at (360) 786-5408.

Please plan on attending your precinct caucus on Saturday March 4th and be a part of grassroots politics.

Jefferson-Jackson Dinner and Live Auction - May 13

If you were able to participate in last year’s JJ Dinner and Live Auction, you know what a fantastic event it was with champagne, a scrumptious dinner, and our very own Gov. Christine Gregoire giving a rousing speech which made us all glad we stayed the course to make sure her election was validated.

From there we were treated with the stimulating and fast paced live auction with professional auctioneers who did a great job of squeezing every penny out of us that was possible.  All for a great cause!  We raised over $10,000 for the Thurston County Democrats that evening. 

To top it off, we had the wonderful Mud Bay Blues Band on hand to get us on our feet dancing the rest of the evening.

So, don’t miss this year’s JJ Dinner and Live Auction.  It’s shaping up to be just as fun and exciting as last year’s event.

Thurston County Democrats Jefferson-Jackson Dinner and Live Auction
Olympia Red Lion Hotel -  2300 Evergreen Park Drive
Saturday May 13, 2005
6:00pm-11:00pm
Tickets will be on sale in March.

Auction Donations Needed

If you or someone you know has an item, service, special get-away location, or something else you think would be desirable for our live and silent auction, please contact Christi at 459-4024 or info@thurstondemocrats.org.

Democrats are always generous and we are looking forward with anticipation to see what items will be donated for this year’s auction!

Mark your calendars now and plan to attend the Thurston County Democrats Jefferson- Jackson Dinner and Live Auction, Saturday, May 13, 2006.

Thurston County Democrat T-Shirts

If you are not yet a Thurston County Democrat member or haven’t renewed your membership for 2006, here’s a great opportunity to support your local Democrats and receive a discount on a Thurston County Democrat “Walk the Talk” t-shirt.

To become a member or to renew your membership, just fill out the membership form and return it with your $20 check. In addition, as a thank you for becoming a new or renewing member, you will receive a discount on the purchase of our new “Walk the Talk” t-shirts. Just indicate on your membership form what size and style (short or long sleeve) you prefer.

Include your $20 membership and the additional $10 to cover the cost of the t-shirt. If you prefer to use a credit card, please visit our website at: www.thurstondemocrats.org/membership.

Additional t-shirts can be purchased at the non-member price of $15 for short sleeve and $18 for long sleeve.

Thurston County Food Bank Needs Your Support

Elizabeth Shepard
Volunteer Coordinator

According to an article in the Olympian on February 7th the Food Bank has had a 30% increase in customers per month for the last seven months.

With our “Blew Crew” t-shirts, hopefully more of us will start showing up on the one day a month we have committed to help our community.

The first Monday of the month is our day. Lets show up and let others know Democrats care!
Hours are from 8:00a.m. - 12:00p.m., and 12:30p.m.- 4:30p.m.

There are so many different jobs to do at the Food Bank that there truly is something for everyone. In the summer the local community project GRUB will be growing fresh produce for the Food Bank. This is another way we can incorporate community service with our politics, so gardeners get your gloves on, have we got a deal for you!

As always please remember to bring nonperishable items to our Central Committee meetings to give to the Food Bank, and monetary donations are also accepted.