Newsletter: Updates from The Coconino County Democratic Party

Newsletter
March 18, 2023

From the Chair

Hello, Coconino County Democrats! I am Laura Carter, elected by you to be the First Vice Chair of the Party at our meeting in December 2022.  According to the Bylaws, when Patrick Lucus resigned on March 4, 2023, I assumed the position of Party Chair.

I have been an active volunteer for the Democratic Party since 2008, when I worked to elect Barack Obama. I learned about  the importance of swing states by caravanning from Maryland to knock on doors of voters in Virginia. In 2012 I joined the effort to re-elect Obama, working the phone bank from Maryland and returning to the knock on doors in the suburbs of neighboring Virginia. 

In 2016, I moved back to my home state of Arizona, where I joined the Coconino County Democratic Party and continued the work of canvassing both locally and in Tuba City on the Navajo Nation. Following that election, I allowed myself three days to mourn and then plunged into political activism to fight for democracy, alongside so many of you.

I began the 2020 election cycle by volunteering for Elizabet Warren, then pivoted immediately to the Biden/Harris campaign and Arizona State candidates after the primary election. Mission for Arizona recruited me to be the Site Launch Director for the Flagstaff office in September.  There, I had the immense satisfaction of assisting Coconino County Democrats and volunteers from other states to swing Arizona blue in the midterm election. I remain committed to this effort, by running for First Vice-Chair and now stepping up to the role of Chair. 

Due to a resignation and my becoming Chair, we had vacancies in our vice-chair positions. I have appointed Nancy Branham as First Vice Chair, and Joshua Butler as Second Vice Chair.  Nancy and Joshua have agreed to stand for election on April 8, 2023. We welcome additional nominations for First and Second Vice Chair positions; please email me the names and a brief bio of anyone you wish to see run for these offices, after ascertaining their willingness to be on the ballot.  

I am returning to the USA from my volunteer work in rural Kenya as soon as possible, and will arrive on March 22. Until then, I am in frequent contact with Nancy Branham and our Operations Manager, Monique Fresquez. I can be contacted via email at Lgroo@me.com and welcome you to reach out. 

Many thanks to our dedicated Executive Committee, former Chair Ann Heitland, and Operations Manager Monique Fresquez, for their steady support and guidance during this transition. 

I look forward to working with you to accomplish our core  mission: Elect Democrats across our county, state, and nation in 2024 and beyond.

I’m confident that together we can build on the success of the 2022 midterm election, which saw the top three elected offices in Arizona go to highly qualified Democrats, and the re-election of Senator Mark Kelly. Let’s get to work now and swing the beautiful state of Arizona Blue in 2024! Remember that President Biden leads our country in large part due to the efforts of Arizona voters and volunteers like you. 

Sincerely,

Laura Carter

Coconino County Democratic Party Chair

23rd Annual Roosevelt-Kennedy Celebration

Buy your tickets here for our Gala Dinner Saturday, April 22 at ($85 per person).

Monthly Meeting Highlight

This past Saturday, March 11, we were joined by Sarah Benatar, our County Treasurer, who gave a presentation on the AZ Legislature’s attack on ESG. ESG stands for Environmental, Social and Governance. Organizations create ESG strategies to help them act on and measure what is mutually good for profits, people and the planet. The state legislature is trying to prevent our county treasurers from using ESG criteria when making investment decisions. To learn more about ESG and it’s local impact, check out Sarah’s presentation here.

This Edition’s Blog Post – Biden’s Budget

by Ann Heitland

Last week, President Biden introduced a budget grounded in a vision of the United States based on the idea that the government should invest in workers, families, and infrastructure to increase the purchasing power of our citizens. This plan is a stark contrast to the efforts of Republicans since the 1980s, that the government should cut taxes and slash government spending to free up capital …(continue reading here)
If you’d like to contribute a piece to the CC Dems blog post please contact us.

News You Can Use

With Democrats Things Get Better – Article & Webinar with Simon Rosenberg
Click here to RSVP for a 30 minute long data-filled look at the performance of the two American political parties since the end of the Cold War.
What we learn is that Democrats have repeatedly made things better when in power; the GOP, not so much.

Putin’s Penetration of the GOP and the Hybrid War – Simon Rosenberg

Republican legislators just slapped democracy in the face (again) – Laurie Roberts

Apply for a State Board or Commission!

Governor Hobbs’ Office of Boards & Commissions now has a list of current vacancies. Having power on these boards and commissions (which we haven’t had since 2009) is key to implementing Gov. Hobbs’s agenda. You can be retired and serve on a board of your former profession! If you were dissatisfied with the “Independent” Redistricting Commission in 2021, apply to the Appellate Courts Commission (attorneys AND non-attorneys serve) – that Commission appoints members to the IRC.

This is an excellent opportunity to make an impact on the issues you care about the most.

Current Vacancies

To view a list of current appointments and vacancies, you can click the link below. The list will be updated regularly. The current list is from March 2, 2023.

View List

Submit an Application

Upcoming Events of Coconino County Democratic Party

Here’s How to Reach Your Executive Committee Members

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