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Chair: Ginger Blair
Deputy Chair: Kimberly Valdez
Secretary: Carmen McZeal
Treasurer: Natalie Ward
Sergeant At Arms: Marc Meyer
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Click on the Contribute button to help turn Montgomery County Blue!
Please consider becoming a sustaining member at $10 per month (or more!).
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Montgomery County Democratic Headquarters
704 N. Thompson St. #195
Conroe, Texas 77301
936-703-5841
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Montgomery County Democratic Headquarters Hours
Hours of operation: 10:00 am to 4:00 pm.
Monday through Friday
Due to the continuing spread of COVID, our policy now is for staff and visitors to comply with social distancing guidelines and masks are optional. To reach us, call MCDP headquarters at 936-703-5841 or email office@mcdptx.org. For urgent matters outside of office hours, please text 713-256-1420 or email chair@mcdptx.org.
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April 1, 2023 Newsletter
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THE DEADLINE TO REGISTER TO VOTE IN THE
MAY 6, 2023, ELECTION IS
April 6, 2023
LA FECHA LÍMITE PARA REGISTRARSE PARA VOTAR EN LA
6 DE MAYO DE 2023 ELECCIÓN ES
6 de abril de 2023
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Please note: our newsletters contain a lot of links to make viewing the source easier - just click on images or linked text to explore
IN THIS ISSUE:
Cesar Chavez Day - March 31
Commissioners' Court Report
From TDC - School Safety, Legislation, Property Tax Reform
Check the Status of Your Voter Registration
CEC Report
Volunteer to Help Your Precinct
May 6, 2023, Local Elections
County Non-Profit Spotlight - Legal Immigration Clinic
Farewell to Claretna Vaxner
Democratic Party Events Around the County
Legislative Update
Training, Education and Activism Resources for Democrats
Working Wednesday - Get Involved!
Looking for Cards!
Joe and Kamala's Corner (click on an image to open)
Tweets (click on an image to open)
Blue Store - Show Your Commitment to Democracy!
Democratic Party Calendar of Upcoming Events
Other Groups and Community Events
This newsletter is published on or about the 1st and the 15th of every month.
no later than 3 days before publication.
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Celebrating Cesar Chavez
Belated Happy Birthday!
Cesar Chavez Day on March 31 is a federal commemorative holiday, celebrated to honor the enduring legacy of the American labor rights hero. The day was initiated by former President Barack Obama in 2014. Born to migrant laborers, Chavez’s early life experiences shaped his leftist ideology and made him the face of the 1960s labor movement. Through his persistent efforts and non-violent protests, he became America’s lightning rod. On March 31, union members and community leaders come together to celebrate the life of this American icon and take inspiration from his four decades of selfless service to the workers of the United States.
Cesar Estrada Chavez was born on March 31, 1927, to a Mexican-American family in Yuma, Arizona. He spent his early years at a farm where his mother worked as a part-time laborer. As the Great Depression periled the states in the late 1930s, Chavez’s family lost their homestead to foreclosure. Now a nomad in their own country, his family moved to California in search of a livelihood.
The migration had a grave impact on Chavez, who dropped out of school soon after and began working in the fields. In 1946, he joined the navy and served for two years. After his discharge, he rejoined farm work, got married, and settled in Delano, California.
After living a life of instability, low wages, and no ownership, Chavez began questioning the rationality behind his lack of accumulated wealth after years of hard work and dedication. His quest for answers led him down the path of grassroots organizing. In 1952, he became a mobilizer for a Latino civil rights group called the Community Service Organization (C.S.O.).
Chavez spent the next decade of his life fighting against racial and economic discrimination. He encouraged his community members to participate in democracy and led hundreds of voter registration drives. He later became the national director of C.S.O. After a dispute within the organization, Chavez resigned from his post in 1962 and joined hands with Dolores Huerta. Together, they founded the National Farm Workers Association.
He spent the following years of his life involved in regular protests, strikes, and participating in labor uprisings throughout the country. Inspired by Gandhi’s principles of non-violence, he led hundreds of sit-in protests and hunger strikes.
Chavez passed away in 1993. Later that year, he was posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Bill Clinton. Even after decades of his passing, he continues to inspire human rights activists everywhere and is a folk hero for millions of Americans.
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Commissioners' Court Report
Ginger Blair, our County Chair stays in tune with happenings throughout the County by regularly reviewing the County Commissioner’s agendas and minutes and by attending the County Commissioner’s Meetings in person as often as she can. The Party is actively looking for volunteers who can regularly attend public meetings across the county at every level of government so that we can all become better informed and more productive citizens. If you are interested in learning more about this volunteer program, please contact Ginger at chair@mcdptx.org.
At the last meeting of the County Commissioner’s Court on March 28, 2023, the Commissioners approved an application for a grant by Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office for a $400,000 two-year grant for a crisis intervention team.
According to the Sheriff’s news release, the Crisis Intervention team is designed to be a program that partners with law enforcement and mental health professionals, probably employed by Tri-County Behavioral Healthcare, to respond to emergency calls that may involve a mental health crisis.
Precinct 1 has already rolled out a similar program that pairs law enforcement with a crisis assessment specialist who assists with immediate safety and action plans as well as helps in identifying the least restrictive intervention needed to stabilize the crisis.
If the $400,000 grant application is successful, the two programs will be combined to streamline and extend the program to all of Montgomery County. The grant will extend from October 2023 through September 2025.
Additional information regarding this grant and the Crisis Intervention Team program will be forthcoming at future County Commissioner’s meetings.
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Click on Images (including the white box) or Links to Open Full Content and Sign Petition |
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Weekly Talking Points 3/29/23
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Texas Democratic Women 2023 Blue Ribbon Lobby Day
Tuesday April 18, 2023
The State Capitol
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Check the Status of Your Voter Registration |
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We strongly recommend you check periodically to be sure you are still registered to vote in Montgomery County. Your registration might be suspended, and you may not be notified. To check go to Montgomery County Elections - you need only your name and DOB. If you are suspended, you will be able to take steps to re-register. But make sure you protect your right to vote!! Maybe you could calendar a reminder to check every 6-12 months?
On March 10, the new Secretary of State, Jane Nelson’s office announced it would develop an interstate voter registration crosscheck program. Under state law, Texas must work with other state governments to identify voters whose addresses have changed and ensure people are not registered to vote in more than one state. However, Texas already has a good system, ERIC, in place that interfaces with DPS and Postal records to match up identifying personal data to the voters. The "interstate crosscheck" system is less accurate and it has a shady history of being used to target thousands of legal voters, mostly minorities with common names, who were wrongly purged from the rolls in multiple states. See: ‘Crosscheck’ System Shuttered After Wrongly Tagging Legal Voters
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County Executive Committee (CEC) Report
March 16, 2023
By Ginger Blair, County Chair
The CEC Meeting this month coincided with Spring Break and lots of family activities. Nonetheless, the meeting was very well attended both in person and via Zoom as shown in the picture below.
The Chair, Ginger Blair, focused her report on the survey that has just been completed by the Communications Committee. She stated that, in conducting their survey, they reached out to the volunteers, donors, precinct chairs, outreach committees, event committees, and the party leadership to find out how to improve the Party as a whole and better support those of us who work so hard to Get Out the Vote. Most of the responses covered 7 general areas of concern: Fundraising, Volunteering, Donating, Outreach, Communications, Visibility, and Training. The Communications Committee will continue to support the Party to make improvements in each of these areas.
Natalie Ward, Treasurer, reported that the “Odd Couple Valentines Party” was a fundraising success and that the crowd in attendance had a great time with the cake auction and trivia game. Lore Breitmeyer Jones noted that Final Friday is going to be a Final Friday Fish Fry Fundraiser this month. It will also feature a cake auction and trivia game with prizes. More fundraisers are planned and we will all be working hard on a new sustaining member campaign.
Chris Powell, Erin Wilson, and Tyler Diaz were appointed and sworn in as precinct chairs for Precinct 108, Precinct 77, and Precinct 80 respectively.
Reports were received from the following Committees and Outreach Groups: Montgomery County Young Democrats, Women’s Outreach Committee, The Blue Texas Store, Working Wednesdays Legislative Response Team, The Go Texan Parade, and the Democratic Dames Dining for Democracy. Keep your eye out for a new look at the Blue Texas Store.
The Gulf Coast Regional Blood Drive Bus was parked in front of our headquarters on March 16, 2023, and thanks to our Coat of Many Colors sponsorship we had a successful first time blood drive. Another is planned in a few months.
Happy Springtime, everyone!
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Volunteer to Help Your Precinct!
If you want more information about what is expected of a Precinct Chair go to the NDTC virtual training scheduled April 11, 2023 at noon called What is a Democratic Precinct Chair.
Three new Precinct Chairs were sworn in at the CEC meeting on March 16th! Congratulations to Chris Powell (Precinct 108), Erin Wilson (Precinct 77), and Tyler Diaz (Precinct 80). Will you consider joining them in the fight to turn Montgomery County Blue - one precinct at a time!
Please contact us to talk about what is involved in being a Precinct Chair or in helping your Precinct Chair. There is a lot of support for Precinct Chairs and that support is getting stronger. You will not be going it alone; but you will make a huge difference in our County, State and Nation.
To talk with someone about how you can help, email office@mcdptx.org or call Headquarters at 936-703-5841.
If you are ready to apply for a Precinct Chair vacancy, please download, print, and complete this application form, and submit it to us by U.S. mail, email as an attachment to office@mcdptx.org, or drop it off in person at 704 N. Thompson St. #195, Conroe, TX 77301. If you have never visited Headquarters, it would be great to meet you!
You may find out whether your Precinct has a Chair and who your Precinct Chair is by going to the Secretary of State website. Or contact us and we'll let you know!
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May 6, 2023, Local Elections
Let’s Make a Difference
Let’s Make a Plan to VOTE!
April 6th – Last Day to Register to Vote
Check out the video of the new voting machines.
Request a Ballot by Mail
April 24th - Early Voting Begins
May 2nd - Early Voting Ends
Find Out What’s on Your Ballot and Where to Vote
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County Non-Profit Spotlight
Each month in 2023, we will share information about non-profit resources in Montgomery County in hopes that those in need receive assistance and to make everyone aware of the great resources in our county.
This month we feature: Legal Immigration Clinic
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The monthly immigration clinic in Montgomery County, Texas, is a collaborative of various local nonprofits, and of volunteers and people in need, like you and me. In 2018, several local lawyers and nonprofits saw the need for residents of Montgomery County to gather locally once a month, to learn about various legal and non-legal topics of interest, such as how to take advantage of our public libraries and other public resources, how to write a Will and Living Directives, how to start your credit history, how to do outreach with local elected officials regarding concerns in the communities (flooding being a big concern), how to file for asylum, and how to cope with stress and trauma, among others. The clinic opened its doors to the public in February of 2019, at Saints Simon and Saint Jude Catholic Church, in The Woodlands. By the summer of 2019, it moved to Conroe, at 1399 Airport Road, next to the Montgomery County Women's Center. In March 2020, due to the pandemic, consultations started to occur telephonically. This went on until 2022, when the clinic reopened its doors --this time at The Abundant Harvest/Saint Isidore Episcopal Church, 24803 Oakhurst Drive, in Spring. Meetings are held the third Thursday of every month. Training for volunteers (lawyers and non-lawyers) are programmed as needed.
Thank you to every one of our collaborative members.
Please reach out to us at mclac.immigration@gmail.com, if you have any questions, are someone who could benefit from our clinic or know of anyone who may, or wish to volunteer in your personal or institutional capacity. We at the clinic are SHAPING OUR COMMUNITY ONE RESIDENT AT A TIME.
La clínica mensual de inmigración del Condado de Montgomery, Texas, es una colaboración de varias organizaciones locales sin fines de lucro y de voluntarios y personas con necesidades como usted y como yo. En el 2018, varios abogados y organizaciones sin fines de lucro locales vieron la necesidad de los residentes del Condado de Montgomery de reunirse localmente una vez por mes, para conocer acerca de varios temas legales y no legales de interés, entre ellos cómo sacar ventaja de nuestras bibliotecas públicas y otros recursos públicos, cómo escribir un Testamento y Directrices, cómo comenzar tu historial crediticio, cómo lograr acercamiento con dirigentes gubernamentales locales respecto de preocupaciones en la comunidad (las inundaciones siempre han sido tema de preocupación), cómo radicar un asilo, y cómo sobrellevar el estrés y el trauma. La clínica abrió sus puertas al público en febrero de 2019, en la Iglesia Católica Santos Simón y Judas, en The Woodlands. Para el verano de 2019, la clínica se mudó para Conroe, en el edificio de al lado del Montgomery County Women's Center en Airport Road. En marzo de 2020, debido a la pandemia, las consultas a la clínica comenzaron a ser telefónicas, y continuó así hasta el 2022, cuando la clínica reabrió sus puertas, esta vez en The Abundant Harvest/Iglesia Episcopal San Isidro, en la 24803 Oakhurst Drive, in Spring. Las reuniones mensuales ocurren el tercer jueves de cada mes. A los voluntarios (abogados y no abogados por igual) se les entrena en programas organizados según surja la necesidad.
Gracias a cada uno de los miembros de esta colaboración.
Por favor contáctenos en mclac.immigration@gmail.com si usted tiene alguna pregunta, le gustaría saber si se puede beneficiar de nuestra clínica o conoce a alguien que podría beneficiarse de la misma, o le gustaría ser voluntario/a en su capacidad personal o como miembro de su institución. En la clínica, estamos MOLDEANDO A NUESTRA COMUNIDAD UN RESIDENTE A LA VEZ.
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We Sadly Say Goodbye to Claretna Vaxter
And Wish Her all the Best
Claretna has been an important and tireless worker for Democracy for the Democratic Party wherever she has lived in Texas, and that includes, most recently, the Montgomery County Democratic Party. She started serving as Chair of Precinct 26 at just about the same time the moving van moved away from her door. Shortly after that she was busy recruiting other precinct chairs and then served as our Party’s Elections Coordinator through the last primary and general election.
In her role as Coordinator of our Elections, Claretna worked with passion, patience and good humor to find poll workers and election judges for all 111 precincts in Montgomery, and worked to make sure that all were treated fairly at the polls.
While Claretna has moved away from Montgomery County, her impact will long be felt here and we know her new Texas home county will be lucky to have her working for them!! She is a tenacious advocate for diversity, equal voting rights, and making good trouble. Stay in touch, Claretna!
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Democratic Party Events Around the County
psst: you're missing a lot of fun if you aren't joining us!!
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The Coat of Many Colors Ministries and the Gulf Coast Regional Blood Center teamed up for a successful blood drive at our last CEC meeting on March 16. It is almost impossible to think of a better way to give back to our community than through the gift of life. It costs us nothing and it helps so many.
Their next sponsored blood drive will again be held at Montgomery County Democratic Headquarters in May.
Most of the folks who wanted to give but could not at the last drive were not rejected because of age, or illness, or the kind of medications they were on, it was simply because they were low on iron! So, eat your spinach, folks, and please keep your eyes out for our next announcements.
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Blue Magnolia
Morning Monthly Social
On March 23rd Blue Magnolia held its first morning monthly social at 5 de Mayo restaurant in Magnolia. We had the best turnout so far and several new faces. Great food, great conversations, fun and connections being made!!
Follow us on Facebook to keep up with all of our events. |
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Democratic Dames Dining for Democracy
On March 23rd Democratic women from around the county met to Dine for Democracy. The turnout was amazing and everyone had a wonderful time. It was great to spend time with like-minded women, socialize, and discuss important issues.
Stay tuned for the next Dames Dining event – it will be held monthly!
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YOUNG DEMS MOVIE NIGHT
On March 25th, the dynamic and growing Young Democrats group held a movie night for fun and fundraising. They viewed the Academy Award winning movie Everything, Everywhere, All at Once. The turn out was great - folks of all ages were there! The food and snacks were also great. Thanks to everyone who worked hard to make this event happen and to all those who attended and supported the Young Dems.
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Final Friday
Fish Fry
Fundraiser
March 31st was a very informative meeting and raised funds for the Party. There was a large in-person crowd and some Zoomers, too!
Speakers Scott Atnip and Katie Wang from Texas Impact provided a ton of great information, much specific to Montgomery County. Their organization teaches its members how to use information and outreach tools to educate their communities and engage with lawmakers on pressing public policy issues.
There was also a fun trivia contest related to Women's History Month and a spirited cake auction.
Thanks to Lore, Margie, Dianne, Bill, Ginger, Natalie, Carol S., Bryan, Michele, Carol O., and Ambryn who worked hard to make this happen.
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Legislative Update!
Meet Fritz Houston
MCDP Intern
Fritz has become a valuable member of the MCDP Team and regularly will be contributing to our newsletter about happenings in the Texas Legislature.
We are just halfway done with this year’s legislative session. What started as over 2500 bills is slowly being whittled away by committees into what will likely be only around 500 to make it to the Governor’s desk. But in the last two weeks many bills have taken the first steps to becoming laws by passing the Senate or the House. I will cover the most important and controversial bills, but certainly not all.
In what is a win for all Texans, the Finance Committee came to an agreement on what to do with the $32.7 billion surplus. $5 billion will be going towards education with a focus on raising teachers’ salaries and new school safety measures. This increase in salaries is something Democrats have been pushing for years - the average teacher makes less than $60,000 a year. This impacts all Texans because our teachers are responsible for teaching our future generations and deserve to be duly compensated. The budget also includes $1 billion in new broadband projects and $500 million in future water projects.
While the budget is a win to public education our local Montgomery County State Senator Brandon Creighton, the Chair of the Education Committee, is attempting to squander the new funding. A bill proposed by Creighton has passed the Committee that would give tax benefits to those parents who have children attending private schools. This is another attempt by Republicans to weaken public schools in favor of private schools which often teach religiously conservative values. The new funding for public schools and the new tax benefits for parents with children in private schools may seem contradictory - that’s because they are. Republicans are doing what looks good for them while doing what benefits them. This is a symbol of their economic incompetence and wasting of public funds.
Finally, there are two bills that just passed their respective committees that attack LGBTQ+ individuals. First is the bill to block doctors from prescribing necessary hormone therapies for trans individuals as well as stop any active prescriptions. This is an attempt to forcefully de-transition individuals who are currently happy with their change. Another bill would ban drag shows in settings not directly made for explicit content. I covered bills like these before when they were purely theoretical because they had not passed out of committee. Now they’ve become a concrete threat with evidence that Republicans indeed plan to pass these bills.
While this update has good and bad news, we can’t lose hope. Democrats are quickly gaining the electoral upper hand in future elections. While we may not be able to stop these bills, we can always attempt to make them non-enforceable at the local level or even repeal them at the State or Federal level.
Fritz Houston
MCDP Intern
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Training, Education and Activism Resources
Sign up now!!
Texas Democratic Women 2023 Blue Ribbon Lobby Day on Tuesday, April 18, 2023 at the Texas Capitol - click here to register
Red Wine and Blue - Red Wine & Blue provides everything women need to successfully organize in their communities and beyond.
The States Project - We fuel majority-making campaigns for state lawmakers who will defend our democracy, safeguard our individual freedoms and improve lives.
Texas Freedom Network - The 2023 Texas Legislative Session is here! Join us in letting our state’s leadership know that we will continue fighting for our freedoms today, tomorrow, and forever. Click here to get in the fight!
National Democratic Training Committee (NDTC) has virtual training opportunities for all Democrats. Go to https://traindemocrats.org/events/ to sign up for any of their trainings.
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How in the World Can I really Make a Difference?
The news is awful. Prices are up. Your knees hurt. People aren’t kind. Our leaders don’t seem to understand what is really needed. The world is continually going downhill!
Don’t fret! Stop walking around in circles. No need to wring your hands! Volunteer with us at Headquarters every Wednesday and help make a difference!
We are looking for volunteers of all makes and models to join our “Working Wednesdays” crew. There are three shifts. Choose a time, chose a date. Come every Wednesday, once a month, or whenever you can drop in. We need your help, your camaraderie, your bright ideas and your willingness to pitch in with whatever is going on.
During the Legislative cycle we will be writing postcards to our legislators in support of positive legislation or to express our concerns about negative one. We can call, we can text, we can make signs, and buttons or crafts to sell. Update our databases. Write a letter to the editor. Attend a Commissioner’s Court hearing or a school board meeting and sit in the crowd to observe.
Would you like to help us? You can join us at a time below or we can try to find a program just for you at home, or as a quiet meeting observer. Call 936-703-5841 or email us at mcdpoffice@gmail.com and we will put the wheels in motion.
What: Working Wednesdays
Where: 704 N. Thompson Street #195, Conroe, Texas
When: Choose a shift:
- 10 am to 1 pm
- 1 pm to 4 pm
- Evenings for special projects
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Looking For Cards!
CARDS CARDS CARDS!
Do you have occasional cards you receive in the mail from non-profit organizations that you do not use?
WE CAN USE THEM to send to our legislators when we respond to important legislative alerts!
JUST BRING in your unwanted cards to our office and we will gladly put them to good use! (Or just call Headquarters at 936-703-5841 and we will try to arrange a pick-up!)
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JOE and KAMALA'S CORNER !
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Appointment of Commissioner Rochelle Mercedes Garza by President Joe Biden
We were all disappointed when Rochelle Garza was not elected in Texas but she has been tapped by President Biden to be a Commissioner of the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights. Now we can be very proud she is serving our country on a national level.
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Lots of new and great items to show your commitment to Democracy and support MCDPTX!
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Event Calendar - For more details, click on the image and follow link to the MCDPTX.org website; click on the date to view event.
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Other Groups & Community Events: |
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Democrats and Progressives of Montgomery County
Wednesday Evening Meetup
Wednesday, TBA
3091 College Park Dr #290 · The Woodlands, TX
Morning Breakfast MEETUP
Saturday, April 8, 9:00 am
Start the New Year right - with friends and breakfast!
11133 Interstate 45 S · Conroe, TX
Hosted by Karen Cavanagh
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DEMOCRATIC CLUB OF THE WOODLANDS
Monthly business meeting April 19, 6:30 pm
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Paid for by the Montgomery County Texas Democratic Party, www.mcdptx.org. This communication is not authorized by any candidate or candidate’s committee. |
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