NTD NEWS   January 17, 2018
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On Sunday, the New Trier Dems held their Endorsement Session for the March Democratic Primary. As expected, the large field of impressive candidates vying to win a place on the November Mid-term ballot drew what felt like a record crowd of NTD members. They filled the Winnetka Community House's largest conference room and with few exceptions stayed in their seats through a full afternoon of presentations and endorsement votes.
     Most of us can remember more than one election in the past when we were faced with choosing the "least offensive" candidate. That was far from the case on Sunday. Personally, I can't remember any past endorsement meeting that featured so many attractive candidates competing in so many consequential primary races. With only a few exceptions, the candidates' presentations - their noteworthy backgrounds, their solid qualifications, their personal principles and public priorities - made the task of choosing which one to personally endorse a tough, but pleasant, challenge. (In one case, the Attorney General contest, we actually weren't able to reach a 60% consensus - a bit more on that is explained in the endorsement list below.)
     How did we Democrats end up with a primary contest so rich with admirable candidates? I think we can thank the 2016 election of Donald J. Trump for some of it. Soon after the flukey election of that dangerously unqualified and demonstrably ignorant man to our nation's highe st office new faces began appearing in political contests at every level of government. And t hese service-minded Americans are not going to disengage any time soon. I'm optimistic that they will be an important part of American politics far into the future.
     And here in Illinois, our present political scene offered opportunities that attracted more than the usual number of candidates in certain races. Bruce Rauner's disastrous run as Governor can be ended in November, and six Democrats are competing for the chance to end it. The announcement by our popular Attorney General, Lisa Madigan, that she won't seek reelection has attracted eight candidates for that office. And the decision of State Rep. Laura Fine to run for the State Senate seat being vacated by Senator Daniel Biss as he runs for the Governorship, opened a Primary contest that has attracted six aspirants to be the next State Rep. for our 17th House District.
     So last Sunday is now history. We New Trier Democrats completed the first big step in this very important election year and voted on our endorsements. Between now and the March 20 Primary Election those candidates will be able to use our endorsement in their communications and will be receiving specific support from our Organization. (As North Shore Democrats, proud of our independence, we recognize that some of our members will continue to support un-endorsed candidates until March 20 is past. This happens in every primary race and it's what separates us from the lock-step Republican mentality that is so unhealthy in a democracy.)
     The next big event to mark in you calendar is the February 18 Sunday afternoon Rally at the Wilmette Recreational Center (see details the news item below). You also might consider making a personal statement on the Trump government this Saturday, Jan. 20 at the Women's March in Chicago (details also below).
     It's still only January so we're just getting started. Between now and next November we can all be involved in changing the distressing direction of our state and our national government. We have the candidates capable of playing a big role in that change. But they're going to need all of us to help them make it happen.
 
                                                                        Nels Howard
                                                                        NTDO member since 1973 
 
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Here are the New Trier Dems' Endorsements
For The March 20, 2018 Democratic Primary:
   
"Thank you to everyone who attended and participated in New Trier Dems Endorsement Meeting! We had an energizing afternoon of grassroots politics and civic participation. We were very happy to welcome many new members as well as many familiar faces and friends.
A special thank you to all of our volunteers who made this event a success, and to all the candidates who took time out of their busy schedules to speak to our membership!
For New Trier Dems' membership to endorse, a candidate had to receive at least 60% of the votes of all members present. Congratulations to all of the candidates who received our endorsement!" --- The NTDO Exec. Committee

Here are our endorsements in the contested races for the March 20, 2018 Democratic Primary: 
-
Illinois Governor
   Daniel Biss
-
Illinois Attorney General
No Endorsement **
-
Illinois State Representative - 17th District
    Jennifer Gong-Gershowitz
-
Cook County President
    Toni Preckwinkle
-
Cook County Assessor
    Fritz Kaegi
-
Cook County Treasurer
    Maria Pappas
-
Cook County Board Commissioner for the 13th District
    Larry Suffredin

**
To be clear,
"No Endorsement" means that we failed to reach 60% agreement of our membership to endorse. This result does not mean that we are unenthused about these candidates. On the contrary, this result reflects that we have many excellent candidates running for office and we simply failed to reach 60% agreement. Democrats will have a wonderful candidate who will fight for the citizens of Illinois no matter who eventually wins the Democratic Primary for Illinois Attorney General.

We also endorsed - by voice vote - the following Democratic candidates in uncontested primary races:
U.S. House of Representatives for the 9th District of Illinois
   Jan Schakowsky
U.S. House of Representatives for the 10th District of Illinois
   Brad Schneider
Illinois Secretary of State
   Jesse White
Illinois Treasurer
   Michael Frerichs
Illinois Comptroller
   Susana Mendoza
Illinois State Senator - 9th District
   Laura Fine
Illinois State Senator - 29th District
   Julie Morrison
Illinois State Representative - 18th District
   Robyn Gabel
Cook County Clerk
   Karen Yarbrough
Cook County Sheriff
   Tom Dart
Democratic State Central Committeeman
   M ike Cabonargi
Cook County Board of Review Commissioner - 2nd District
   Mike Cabonargi
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This Saturday, Jan. 20 in Chicago
March With New Trier Dems
at the Women's March Chicago
(We'll meet at 9:15 at the Wilmette Linden CTA station)
 
When: Saturday, January 20, 2018 - Music & video at 9:00am; Rally starting at 11:00am; March at 12:30pm -
NEW MEETING TIME - New Trier Dems will meet at 9:15am at the Wilmette Linden CTA station
Where: Congress and Columbus, Chicago -  New Trier Dems will met at 9:15am at the Wilmette Linden CTA station
What: Join New Trier Dems at the Women's March Chicago on January 20, 2018 for March to the Polls, the Second Annual Women's March Chicago. "The January 21, 2017 Chicago march was powerful. 250,000 women and allies showed up in Chicago to raise their voices for issues each of us hold dear. That historic day embodied the ongoing fight for women's rights. We march on!" Visit  the  Women's March Chicago website for more event details, volunteer information, and ways to donate.  If you would like to march with New Trier Dems, you can  RSVP here . We look forward to marching with you!
 

New Trier Dems' Candidates Rally
Sunday, February 18, 2018

 
Wh en: Sunday, February 18, 2018 from 1:00pm until 4:00pm

Where: Wilmette Community Recreation Center, 3000 Glenview Road, Wilmette

What: New Trier Dems will host a Rally for our endorsed candidates and representatives. We will lay out the action leading up to the March 20 Primary and Mid-Term Election Day in November. More details coming soon.
 
One of the exciting activities we will be pursuing across the state line in 2018...
will be to help the Democratic candidate for Congress, Randy Bryce, defeat Wisconsin's Congressman Paul Ryan. This is going to be a hard fought campaign and Randy Bryce can win it. To see his first campaign message   click here.  
 

Other events of interest:
  
Sunday, Jan. 21 in Skokie - Open Communities' Second Justice Summit 2018

When: Sunday, January 21, 2018 from 1:45pm until 5:15pm
Where: Oakton Community College, Skokie Campus, 7701 Lincoln Avenue, Skokie, Illinois
What: Open Communities invites you to its Second Justice Summit for residents and community activists in the northern suburbs. This is an opportunity to learn and organize under the Principles of the Welcoming Community to become more accessible, safe and engaged. You will have an opportunity to participate in workshops on: Housing Rights, Low Wage Workers Rights, Immigration and Racial Justice, Organizing and Civic Engagement, and Social Identity and Cultural Competence. For more information, please visit Open Communities' event page for the Second Justice Summit.
 
Sunday, Jan. 21 in Northbrook - JCAST Chicago Presents "I am Jane Doe" Movie Discussion and Panel
 
When: Sunday, January 21, from 2:00 - 5:00pm
Where: Northbrook Library, 1201 Cedar Lane, Northbrook
What: JCAST Chicago (Jewish Coalition Against Sex Trafficking) and co-sponsors The National Council of Jewish Women and Northbrook Library present a showing of "I am Jane Doe," a documentary film about sex trafficking. A panel discussion after the movie includes Marian Hatcher, Cook County Sheriff's Office and Professor Carina H. Santa Maria, MSW, LCSW of Dominican University.  Joining the panel will be Yvonne Ambrose, mother of a Chicago teen murdered by her purchaser after he bought her on Backpage.com, and her attorney, Arquilla Deboni.
Attendees are asked to please bring toiletries to the event for survivors of sex trafficking.  For additional information or to RSVP, register online .
 
Sunday afternoon, Jan. 28 in Skokie -  
The Capitol Steps in Skokie with Tenth Dems.
 
When: Sunday, January 28, at 2:00pm
Where: North Shore Center for the Performing Arts, 9501 Skokie Blvd, Skokie
What: Join Tenth Dems at a performance of "Orange is the New Barack" by the political satire comedy troupe, The Capitol Steps. Tickets are just $50 each, a few dollars less than the cost of buying from the box office ($48.00 + $5.00 fee).
For additional information or to RSVP, register online,  
or email events@tenthdems.org or call 847-266-vote (8683)

Saturday, Feb. 3 in Glencoe - Deputy Voter Registrar Training

When: Saturday, February 3, 2018 at 10:00am
Where: Glencoe Union Church, 263 Park Ave., Glencoe
What: Tenth Dems are hosting a training for Deputy Voter Registrars. Participants must be at least 18 years of age and registered to vote in Cook County. The event is open only to Cook County residents who are interested in helping to register new voters. Deputy Registrars must be trained in the county in which they live, but once trained, can register voters anywhere in Illinois. Training takes less than an hour. This training is being held through the County Clerk's office and is free of charge.  Sign-ups will be taken up to 5 hours before the class starts.  In most cases, late sign-ups will not be added to the class. For additional information or to RSVP,  register online, email  volunteers@tenthdems.org, or call 847-266-VOTE (8683)

Saturday, Feb. 3 in Deerfield -  Fundraiser for Bob Morgan, Candidate for State Representative - 58th District

When: Saturday, February 3, 2018 from 10:30am until 12:00 noon
Where: Chaube Coffee, 601 Lake Cook Road, Deerfield
What: Enjoy a cup of locally roasted coffee in support of Bob Morgan, candidate for State Representative, 58th District. For further information or to RSVP,  register online or contact Jessica Teuber at  jessica@newchicagollc.com or (312) 448-8014.
   
Your Legislators:


Legislators Democratic Legislators
who represent New Trier Township in 
Washington, Springfield and Cook County 
 



You'll be hearing a lot from these exceptional public servants. --
And they want to be hearing a lot from you. 
     The fact is, they need to hear from you and want to hear from you in order to represent you most effectively. So, the first thing you can do is get to know who these people are. The links below to their campaign websites are a good place to start. 
 
Jan Schakowsky , 9th U.S. Congressional District Representative  and Chief Deputy House Democratic Whip. The new Ninth District boundaries include all of New Trier except for Glencoe. 

Brad Schneider , 10th U.S. Congressional District Representative which includes a number of precincts in Glencoe.
     
Daniel Biss,   State Senator for Illinois' 9th State Senate District.The Ninth District includes all of New Trier Township.
  
Julie Morrison, State Senator for Illinois' 29th State Senate District. The district includes New Trier's northernmost precincts.   

Robyn Gabel, IL 18th District State Representative. The 18th District includes much of New Trier up to Hazel Avenue and Dundee Road.
 
Laura Fine , IL 17th District State Representative.
The 17th District includes the East Glenview and West Wilmette areas of New Trier Township.

Scott Drury ,  IL 58th District State Representative. 
The 58th District includes the northernmost precincts in Glencoe.

Larry Suffredin, Cook County 13th District Commissioner. The 13th District includes all of New Trier, Evanston and Niles Townships. 
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Have you visited Senator Biss' website "The Road Back" --
click on the link to his video -- then, throughout the year follow his plan's development on the website.

Daniel explains a lot about how Illinois got where it is today and how we can begin the journey on the road back toward achieving our state's tremendous economic potential.

Dear Fellow Democrats, 

If you are not already an NTDO member, and enjoy our Newsletter, we hope you consider joining us as a dues-paying member. NTDO is a not-for-profit political action organization. We depend on our membership dues to support our Democratic causes and candidates.

There are two options for dues payments: by check or credit card.

 

By Check: Make check payable to NTDO and mail to our office:

NTDO

800 Oak St., Suite 112

Winnetka, IL 60093

OR

By Credit Card: visit our website by clicking  here 

Click on the "Join/Contribute" button

Find the link for "contribute with ActBlue"
or go directly to ActBlue by clicking here. 
Still not a member of the New Trier Dems? Your participation in grassroots political action will make a difference. -- Come join us.

When you're a member of the New Trier Democratic Organization, you have an active role in affecting the political process; participating in grassroots campaigns, staying in touch with elected officials, playing a role in deciding which candidates are endorsed. You'll also gain free admission to select forums and events throughout the year.

Come be a part of New Trier's grassroots political community.    
About Us:
The New Trier Democratic Organization is made up of hundreds of grassroots volunteers dedicated to advancing progressive ideals through the political process. We welcome your participation.

Sincerely,
Dean T. Maragos, Committeeman New Trier Township

We are located at 800 Oak Street, Suite 112, in Winnetka, IL. Ph: 847-446-8030
Contact: newtrierdemocrats@gmail.com.

*This Internet communication paid for by the New Trier Democratic Organization and  not authorized by any federal or state candidate or campaign committee. A copy of our report filed with the State Board of Elections is available for purchase from the State Board of Elections in Springfield, Illinois.