GREG ABBOTT'S MULTI-MILLION DOLLAR DONOR | |
Photo Omar Vega/Dallas Morning News | |
It’s widely understood that the root cause for the state-wide power outages during our February deep freeze was primarily thermal power plants - fired by coal and natural gas - going offline due to a failure to winterize. Because Texas produces so much natural gas, it’s cost-effective for power plants to take delivery of natural gas directly from the oil and gas wells, rather than storing it. Across Texas, these lines froze, and combined with other cold-related problems, took so many plants offline that there simply wasn’t enough power for the Texas grid. As we all know and experienced, the result was a week of rolling blackouts, or just blackouts, that killed at least 200 and possibly as many as 700 Texans.
But even though natural gas was a key factor, many gas companies made billions due to skyrocketing rates caused by high demand. One of those companies is Dallas-based Energy Transfer Partners, led by executive chairman Kelcy Warren. Energy Transfer Partners earned a windfall of $2.4 billion during the week-long deep freeze. We found out last week that Warren cut a campaign check to Governor Abbott for $1 million on June 24 - on top of the over $1 million he’s previously given Abbott over the past years.
Why is Warren so supportive of Greg Abbott? Our Governor has done everything possible to divert attention away from the oil and gas industry as a cause of the near grid collapse and has specifically tried to blame and punish wind and solar generators even though there were far more problems with gas-fired plants. Abbott pushed through a very weak bill during the regular session that will not force plants to winterize and gave billions of tax dollars to power companies to cover losses from the outages. He also ordered the Public Utilities Commission, freshly stocked with Abbott appointees, to create incentives for fossil fuel and nuclear power generators and impose new costs on wind and solar plants.
Meanwhile, in the Special Legislative Session Abbott called immediately after the regular Lege session ended with a Democratic walk-out to prevent the passage of an omnibus voter suppression bill, Abbott refused to consider any new items related to the power grid, instead of stocking the session with more unnecessary red meat for the far-right base, including a fresh new voter suppression bill. Our Democratic House caucus almost immediately left, breaking quorum again to prevent a vote on that and other onerous and unnecessary bills that will hurt, and not help, Texans.
Greg Abbott is a terrible Governor who has stood by while over 52,000 Texans died from COVID, while as many as 700 Texans died due to the near-collapse of our power grid, and hundreds of Texans have died in mass shootings and other gun violence. His legacy as Governor has been not to serve the public interest but rather business interests and far-right extremists. It is long past time for Texans to say good riddance to Greg Abbott, and we’ll have that chance in 2022 when he’s up for re-election.
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DALLAS-BASED NEXT-GENERATION CIVIL RIGHTS ORGANIZATION FEATURED ON CBS NEWS | |
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The Young Black Lawyers’ Organizing Coalition (YBLOC) is a nonpartisan movement of young Black lawyers and law students committed to protecting and empowering Black voters. YBLOC was recently featured on CBS Evening News, talking about their work nationally and in Texas fighting Black voter suppression.
Watch the video here (via CBS News)
CCDP Communications Team volunteer Laurel Bush is a Strategy Consultant with YBLOC!
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TURNING COLLIN BLUE IN '22 | |
The REGISTER COLLIN campaign is back in McKinney this weekend to canvass for new voters in our county seat!
Sign up below for dates on Saturday and Sunday, July 24 and 25. If you're new, we'll train you, and you'll be paired with an experienced canvasser regardless. Come on out and help us flip Collin County #Blue2022!
If you'd rather phone bank, you can do that too! Sign up below.
Learn about the REGISTER COLLIN campaign.
Want to know when we'll be registering voters where you are? Check out the schedule on collindemocrats.org!
#Blue2022 #RegisterCollin
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Commissioners Court: Duncan Webb was absent and this was the second consecutive meeting Chris Hill missed. Given his high salary, he should at least show up for these short meetings. The last few meetings have been under 30 minutes, with most of the time taken up by public speakers. The commissioners just received the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds in June, are presenting on the budget in August, and are dealing with ongoing situations at the jail yet their last several meetings have been brief. This seems unwise.
The commissioners also should be (but probably aren’t) monitoring the increasing cases of Covid. An average of 81 cases per day was reported in Collin County, which is a 55% increase from the average two weeks ago. It’s going to get even worse. With about 42% of Texans fully vaccinated and the highly contagious delta variant spreading like wildfire, the percentage of Covid cases is climbing. As of this weekend, Texas’ positivity rate is over 10% — a level that Governor Abbott identified as a red flag earlier in the pandemic. As such, our commissioners should be planning for how they’re going to keep us safe but you know they aren’t. We, as always, are on our own. (Read More)
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Soap Box Alert: The United States doesn’t adequately pay mental healthcare providers but we absolutely must do it. Counseling is challenging and delicate work. There never have been enough counselors nationally or locally but lately, it’s gotten even worse. A number of mental health professionals quit during the pandemic as the caseloads were overwhelming and unusually difficult. Many of us are laboring under significant student debt for work that pays minimally well. That’s especially true for those employed by community agencies like Lifepath. I have no knowledge about what they pay their counselors but I can guarantee their salaries are low. This is unacceptable, especially since we’re one of the richest counties in the state. But it all depends on what you value. In 2018, County Administrator Bill Bilyeu was making $286,000 per year. His salary is 636% higher than average and 645% higher than the median salary in Collin County.
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McKinney City Council: The city was given over $11 million in June from ARPA. This means that, in combination with other federal grants, including CARES Act money, McKinney has received over $60 million. They spent over $22 million, on things like small business grants, PPE, medical equipment, building upgrades, telework assistance, public safety equipment, airport assistance (including repairs), operating assistance and preventative maintenance for transit programs, decontamination systems for the police department, and reimbursing revenue for EMS COVID patients who were unable to pay.
The city council is trying to figure out how to spend the remaining $38 million. Proposals put forward by city staff included a $2.9 million revenue replacement for the APEX Center and replenishing the $150,000 loss suffered by the McKinney Performing Arts Center. Three major East McKinney infrastructure projects were suggested and an additional amount was proposed for City Hall infrastructure. There also was a $1 million project for fiber expansion to City parks and the Square. Active and future City Improvement Projects (CIP) requests included money for public water and wastewater infrastructure, broadband infrastructure, and drainage and stormwater projects. These last projects would offset otherwise required revenue bonds. (Read More)
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CCDP SPONSORS BACK-TO-SCHOOL BASH! | |
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Calling all Collin County Democrats!
Get your back to school mode on and join the Collin County Democratic Party for family, food and fun on Saturday, Aug. 7 from 11 - 1:00 at Finch Park, 301 W. Standifer Street, in McKinney.
Finch Park sports plenty of shade and a splash pad for kids. There will be games, a dunk tank, snow cones, craft vendors and more!
Come celebrate the last days of summer, meet your fellow Democrats from around the county, and enjoy some family time.
Please bring a school supply that will be donated to the Love Life Foundation Back Pack Drive.
Look for the pavilion marked CCDP with blue and gold balloons. The shady park also features a splash pad, so pack plenty of towels! Please RSVP below so we know how many to expect. We also need volunteers - sign up below! See you August 7.
When: Saturday, August 7, 11 a.m. - 1 p.m.
Where: Finch Park, 301 W. Standifer, McKinney
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PLANO VOTER REGISTRATION KICKOFF | |
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Join Get Out the Vote Texas, Plano Dems, WOW Dems, and the Collin County Democratic Party for a voter registration summer social and Happy Hour! Find out how we're working to flip Texas blue one community at a time. Your investment goes directly to voter registration and voter outreach efforts.
Sponsorship levels:
- Texas Gold - $1000
- Texas Silver - $500
- Texas Bronze - $250
- Texas Star - $100
- Texas Friend - $50
All sponsors will be recognized at our Kickoff Happy Hour at Rodeo Goat. Appetizers will be provided. Vaccinated neighbors and friends are welcome to attend in person.
We're working together to help register voters and your financial support helps offset the costs for:
- Targeted digital voter registration efforts to apartments
- Targeted mapping of new community developments
- Continued voter identification and voter outreach
- Mobile outreach efforts and residential data
When: TODAY, Thursday, July 22, 5 p.m.
Where: Rodeo Goat, 640 Powell Lane, Plano
Tickets can be purchased in advance or at the event.
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RECEPTION TO BENEFIT VOTER REGISTRATION AND MOBILIZATION IN COLLIN COUNTY | |
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Mark Phariss and his husband Vic Holmes, and Collin County Democratic Party Chair Mike Rawlins invite you to attend a reception to support voter registration and mobilization efforts of the Texas Democratic Party and the Collin County Democratic Party. Get an inside look at the TDP's Project Texas, the CCDP's Register Collin project, and other efforts to prepare us to win in 2022 and beyond.
Special Guests will include Texas Democratic Party Chair Gilberto Hinojosa, Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins, and newly-elected Plano City Council Member Julie Holmer!
Sponsorships are available at $1000, $500, $250, and $100. The suggested donation at the door is $125.
Cocktails & Heavy Hors d’oeuvres will be served.
When: Thursday, August 5, 6:30 - 8:30 p.m.
Where: Plano, Address provided upon R.S.V.P.
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FRISCO DEMOCRATIC CLUB GENERAL MEETING | |
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In-Person General Meeting of the Frisco Democratic Club. Join us!
Agenda:
4:30 - 5 p.m. - (optional) Social Time. Get to know your Dem neighbors
5 - 5:10 p.m. - Welcome & Recognize Visiting Candidates & Electeds
5:10 - 6:00 p.m. Guest Speakers
We are excited to welcome Dr. Misty Hook speaking to us about the importance of local board meetings. How to watch meetings, analyze agenda items, and have a positive impact on your local community.
Second guest speaker(s) TBA
6 - 6:20 p.m. Committee Reports
6:20 - 6:30 p.m. Announcements, Upcoming Events. Wrap up & Good Night!
When: Sunday, July 25, 4:30 p.m.
Where: Rudy's Country Store and BBQ, 9828 Dallas Parkway, Frisco
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The Center for Women in Politics and Public Policy at Texas Woman's University will be hosting campaign workshops on July 17 and July 31. They are free, virtual, and nonpartisan, with an emphasis on helping women run for office.
This free, virtual workshop series will help attendees with the basics on how to prepare and run for office in Texas. The two-afternoon series will feature workshops and speakers covering topics like getting started, selecting a treasurer, profiling a district, working with political parties, getting out the vote, precinct walking, messaging, fundraising, and more. We'll have workshops with consultants, Q&As with noted officeholders, and panels with women officeholders and candidates sharing their experiences running for office.
Sign up for one afternoon or sign up both! The events are virtual via Zoom. They are open to anyone in Texas. Our schedule of events includes:
Saturday, July 17, 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.
Session 1: First Steps
Keynote + Q&A: Delilah Agho-Otoghile, Executive Director, Harris County Democratic Party
Session 2: Party Support and the Basics of Precinct Analysis
Panel Discussion: Voter outreach and meeting your voters
Saturday, July 31, 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.
Keynote + Q&A: Justice Eva Guzman, Texas Supreme Court
Session 3: Messaging
Panel Discussion: Media, Social Media, and Messaging
Session 4: Fundraising
To register, please visit our Eventbrite.
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The CCDP physical office is closed until further notice for safety. Our office staff are, however, working for you from home and available by telephone at 972-578-1483 or contact us on the web at collindemocrats.org.
Check our Online Events!
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Collin County Democratic Party (CCDP) | 972-578-1483 | www.collindemocrats.org © 2021
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