PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE
Stacey Gilfillan
Happy Fall, y'all!
On October 2, thousands mobilized to defend our reproductive rights and protect Roe v. Wade at marches and rallies across the country and Washington, D.C. Many of our BAD and KCDP members marched right here in San Antonio to attend the "Bans Off Our Bodies" organized by Planned Parenthood. Others traveled to Austin via bus (at the break of dawn) with the Gillespie County Democrats--and we had one new KCDP member who even traveled out to D.C. to participate in the Women's March on the Capitol! That's some powerful dedication right there, folks!
We also have more than a few wonderfully "seasoned" members of our BAD membership who have been protesting this very issue for more than 50 years! They sincerely thought they were finished with the need to organize and march to protect women's reproductive rights and access to safe and legal abortions. Yet, here they were again--and thank goodness! They are understandably TIRED of having to rally and protest again and again, as are we all--and for something we thought had already been decided. Please know that we stand in solidarity with you, and we sincerely appreciate your continued activism and steadfast determination to protect our reproductive rights in Texas and nationwide
Lastly, our good friend and BAD member Jessica Veilleux has stepped forward again to help us coordinate a Warm Clothing Drive for the Center for Refugee Services. CRS is looking for donations of clean/folded used clothing & coats for adults and children. All clothing should be in good condition (no stains, missing buttons, etc.). Donations can be dropped off at our office (216 E. Blanco Rd) on Friday morning, October 15th, between the hours of 10 am and 12 pm. Jessica will then deliver the collected items to the Muslim Children's Education and Civic Center, located at 5281 Casa Bella, San Antonio, later that afternoon.
Thanks for all you do as a member of the Boerne Area Democrats—supporting all the causes we care about each and every day!
Cheers!
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BAD MEETING
October 14
12:00 pm
VIA ZOOM
Out of an abundance of caution, the BAD Board has decided to hold our meetings via Zoom only. We will not resume meeting in person until the covid situation improves.
We hope you can join us for the BAD Member Meeting on Thursday, October 14, at noon via Zoom (link below). Our special guest speakers will be Matthew Dowd, Candidate for Texas Lt. Governor, and Jinny Suh, Candidate for Land Commissioner.
Join Zoom Meeting
Meeting ID: 389 427 2384
Passcode: s0i6AY
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Matthew John Dowd is an American political pundit and consultant. He was the chief strategist for the Bush-Cheney 2004 presidential campaign and was an ABC News political analyst. On September 29, 2021, he announced a run for lieutenant governor of Texas as a Democrat against the incumbent, Dan Patrick.
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Jinny Suh is a community organizer, parent, licensed attorney, small business owner, and proud Democrat. She is the Founder and Leader of Immunize Texas, a grassroots network dedicated to supporting pro-vaccine legislation. Jinny also worked in the past as a patent litigator and science teacher in addition to owning a small retail business. Her history of advocating at the State Capitol, strong foundation in science, and practical life experience make her the right candidate for Texas. Texans need someone who will have the backbone to use common sense to make decisions. |
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Beto O'Rourke was our speaker for the September BAD meeting! |
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MARILYN HARRINGTON
Vice President
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Marilyn Harrington, our Vice President and her husband, Mike Smith, attended the annual Planned Parenthood luncheon in San Antonio and snapped this picture with author Jon Meacham. At her table was also Cary Clack, San Antonio Express News Editorial writer.
Speeches were made by strong women pillars of San Antonio that were sincere, intimate and life-changing. The 1,000 attendees were silent as revelations and personal stories were told.
The highlight of the luncheon was Jon Meacham, reknown historian, commentator and Presidential advisor. He designed his comments around a quote from St. Augustine, “A nation is a multitude of rational beings united by the common objects of their love”. It was amazing what message he created for us from that quote. He stayed into the evening to attend a conversation held at the home of a Planned Parenthood supporter and famed architect. Mike and I were honored to be a part of that conversation.
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BROOKE ORR
Membership
We currently have 192 members It's time to pay October dues, so if your membership is up for renewal, you will receive an e-mail from me. Please be sure to check your SPAM folder for messages from BAD.
To become a member or renew, pay online with PayPal or go to our BAD web page, click on the Become a Member link, and fill out the application. Don’t forget to click on the submit button! Also, you can mail your check to BAD Membership, PO Box 2132, Boerne, TX, 78006. Your dues help us to support candidates and sponsor our yearly college scholarship.
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We're excited to learn that Mike Collier has not only officially announced his candidacy for Texas Lt. Governor, but he is also coming to Boerne! Join us on Sunday, October 17, at 7:00 pm at the Boerne library amphitheater. Bring your chairs and questions! Many thanks to our friends at KCDP for coordinating this outstanding event!
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Once again - Kendall County DEMS were out making our presence known at Boerne Market Days. However this weekend was different because we were able to use our BRAND NEW TENT!! Thank you to all the volunteers who manned the booth! |
The Hennings and the Caldwells attended the presentation by Stacey Abrams last month in San Antonio. |
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TERESA SOMAL
Activities
Democrats have been busy participating in many important activities and community events.
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Our great Democratic men worked hard one day last month to clean out and sanitize the food storage cooler at Hill Country Family Services. |
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Several BAD and KCDP members marched in San Antonio |
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BANS OFF OUR BODIES
WOMEN'S MARCH 2021
Many of our members participated in the
Women's March in a variety of locations!
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BAD members Judy and Phil Dewey in Durango, Co |
Marilyn and Mike in Austin, TX |
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KRISTA BERMEJILLO-VASQUEZ
Social Media
Just a reminder: there are always interesting and informative posts on our social media pages so be sure to check them out - and Like them!
Web: boerne-area-democrats.org
Facebook: Boerne Area Democrats
Instagram: @boerneareademocrats
Twitter: @BoerneDemocrats
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SUSAN'S SUGGESTIONS
Past President
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There's still time for you to contribute to the 2021 BAD Virtual Fundraiser! So far, we've raised almost $4,000 but we're still a long way from our goal of $10,000! Please consider donating so that we can support the organizations committed to registering as many eligible persons as possible: Fair Fight (Stacey Abrams group), PoweredxPeople (Beto's group), and Project Texas (TDP).
For your convenience, you can simply click on the "DONATE" button above or go to our website at www.Boerne-Area-Democrats.org and click on the "Donate" button. Once you enter your donation amount, you will see a PayPal button on the right. Note: even if you don't have a PayPal account, you can click on the button and then add your credit card. You can also mail a check to BAD, P.O. Box 2132, Boerne, TX, 78006.
The final day of the fundraiser is this Wednesday, October 13. We'll be drawing the name of the final winner of the weekly prize, a copy of Stacey Abrams book, Our Time is Now. Congratulations to our Week One winner, Katherine Long (pictured below on left), and to our Week Two winner(s), Todd Hoover and Ron Michel (pictured below on right)!
Final results of the fundraiser will be announced at our October 14 BAD meeting. Thank you to all those that have donated so far. We appreciate your support in ensuring free and fair elections for all!
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LAURA BRAY
Kendall County Democratic Party Chair
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Learning about November’s Election
While redistricting and next year’s statewide elections receive the lion’s share of media coverage these days, we do have an election on Tuesday, November 2. On the ballot are eight amendments to the Texas Constitution. It’s a non-partisan election, and the Texas Democratic Party has taken no “official” positions for or against any of the amendments.
Constitution amendments are a bit confusing and hard to understand (understatement of the week). Take advantage of the excellent www.vote411.org site, sponsored by the non-partisan League of Women Voters (LWV). This site will provide you with a customized ballot that shows everything that will appear when you vote. First, enter your address. Click the “Explore Now” button in the “Find What’s On Your Ballot” box, then choose your language and click “Go to my races.” You’ll see a list of all eight constitutional amendments. (Note: my results page also listed the Boerne ISD races that were on the ballot this past May. This is incorrect, and we’ve taken steps to inform LOWV of the error.)
Click on each amendment, and you’ll find a link to an explanatory video about that amendment, the amendment language, and arguments for and against the amendment. There’s also a link to an analysis of the bill, written by the House Research Organization. Once you read everything, you can click the “Choose” button under either the “For” or “Against” column. After you click the “Choose” button, the site advances to the next amendment on the list. When you’re done with your analysis, you can enter your phone number or email address, and LOWV will send your choices to take with you to the polling location. (Note that LOWV does not save any information; it’s all erased once you leave the site.) Please note that you may not use your phone to look up your choices when voting. You can, however, bring in a piece of paper with your choices listed.
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One of the best places to find information about the eight proposed amendments is here: https://www.texasdemocrats.org/my-texas-votes-2/. This link will take you to the League of Women Voters Guide, which presents the pros and cons of each amendment. In past constitutional amendment elections, typically only 5% of the Kendall County voters turn out, so let's make an effort to have a stronger turn-out this time. Constitutional amendments are important and all citizens should be engaged with the process.
In Kendall County, early voting will begin on October 18 and end on October 29. You can vote early at the Kendall County Courthouse Annex, 221 Fawn Valley Drive. Early voting hours are from 8:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m. Monday thorugh Friday (note that there is no Saturday or Sunday voting). Polls open on Election Day at 7:00 a.m. and close at 7:00 p.m. If you live in Kendall County, you may vote at any of the polling locations within the county. For more information about the Kendall County election, click here.
Bexar County will hold early voting from October 18 through October 29, including Saturday and Sunday (hours vary, so check their website). For more information about the Bexar County election, click here.
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GOOD NEWS!
Our Democratic ffice is now open on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 11:00 a.m. -2:00 p.m. Thanks to Shawn Bonner for stepping up as Office Manager! Stop by for a visit and check out the new space! Below is a reminder of where the new Democratic Headquarters is located.
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The office is located at 216 E. Blanco between the Mommy and Me shop and the law offices of Ferguson and Hix. Our suite is #201 in the second building towards the back.
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Click on any of these icons to be taken to their web pages. |
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GET INVOLVED IN YOUR COMMUNITY!
Let your voices be heard by attending these community meetings.
Click on any of the icons for more information.
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Boerne City Council meets at 6:00 p.m. on the 2nd and 4th Monday of each month at 6:00 p.m. at 9 Topperwein Road, Boerne. |
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The Kendall County Commissioner's Court meets on the 2nd and 4th Monday at 9:00 a.m. in the County Courthouse, 201 E. San Antonio Street, 3rd floor.
The Planning and Zoning meetings are held on the 1st Monday of each month at 6:00 p.m. at the Boerne Police/Municipal Court, 124 Old San Antonio Road.
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The Fair Oaks City Council meets on the 1st Thursday at 9:30 a.m. and the 3rd Thursday at 6:30 p.m. at the FOR City Hall, 7286 Dietz Elkhorn Road, FOR. |
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The Comfort ISD Board of Trustees meets on the 2nd Monday of each month at 6:00 p.m. at the CISD Central Office, 327 High Street, Comfort. |
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The Boerne ISD Board of Trustees meets on the 3rd Monday of each month at 5:00 p.m. in the Administrative Offices,
235 Johns Road.
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The Cow Creek Groundwater Conservation District meets on the 2nd Monday of the month at 6:00 p.m. at 9 Topperwein Road, Boerne. |
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BOERNE AREA DEMOCRATS BOARD
President: Stacey Gilfillan
Vice President: Marilyn Harrington
Secretary: Donna Peacock
Treasurer: Brenda Schmidt
Membership: Brooke Orr
Activities: Teresa Somal
Publicity: Natalie Schun
Newsletter: Judy Dewey
Social Media: Krista Bermejillo-Vasquez
Past President: Susan Dollar
Ex Officio member: Laura Bray, KCDP
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Connect with us!
JOIN THE BOERNE AREA DEMOCRATS
Email: BAD@boerne-area-democrats.com
Web: boerne-area-democrats.org
Facebook: facebook.com/boerne.area.democrats
Notice Regarding Photography and/or Audio/Video Recording
The Boerne Area Democrats captures photographs and/or audio/video recordings during our events.
Such photographs and recordings may be used in BAD's advertising and social media relations to let others
know of our events. In addition, local news organizations may hear of our events, and BAD may allow
them to record events for news reporting. If you do not wish to be in photos/videos,
please let the photographer/videographer know in advance.
This newsletter is intended for people interested in the work of the Boerne Area Democrats and the Democratic Party in general. To be removed from this mailing list, please click on Unsubscribe below
or email us at bad@boerne-area-democrats.com.
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