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| Thursday, September 09, 2010 |
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WE WON!!! JOHN DINGFELDER WILL BE ON THE BALLOT!!! We won!!! John Dingfelder will be on our ballot. Republican Party supporters filed a lawsuit against John Dingfelder and Linda Saul-Sena and the Hillsborough Democratic Party. The Republicans wanted not only to remove our nominees names from the ballot, but they also claimed that the Democrats should then have no nominees in these two important races.
Judge William Levens issued a decision in the Dingfelder case keeping John Dingfelder on the ballot. In his decision, Judge Levens cited a 1956 Florida Case -- "The right to vote is among the most important rights we all share as Floridians and Americans. Judges must be very careful in determining whether a candidate nominated by a political party is legally qualified to run for office because the effect of a mistake could disenfranchise a large segment of the population. Thus the law requires judges to resolve doubts about qualification of a political candidate in favor of the candidate."
We agree --- the voters need to decide who will represent them.
We thank Sharon Samek for her excellent pro-bono representation of the Democratic Party.
Now is the time for us all to step up our game!!! Please contact Chris Mitchell at
728-6331 or cmitchell1384@yahoo.com to volunteer with the Hillsborough Democratic Party. You need to do your part now to keep Hillsborough BLUE!!!!
Democratic Friends:
I am extremely concerned about Bud Chiles announcement he will run as an NPA, not because I think he can win, but because he can't. The most he will do is to win a small percentage. As we all know, Florida is a state that wins and loses on the margins and if Chiles gets just a few percentage points, he could hand the election to the Republicans. We need to make sure that doesn't happen. Please call Bud Chiles and email him and forward this information to your friends. Florida faces a bleak future if Bud Chiles spoils this election. We applaud and appreciate Bud Chiles work on behalf of children in Florida. Alex Sink and Bud Chiles share the same deep concerns about Florida's future and both would be willing work hard to stop the short-sighted and irresponsible policies that are leaving this state in a mess. But only Alex Sink can be elected Governor. Bud Chiles needs to back down. Please CALL & EMAIL, BUD CHILES, JOIN THE FB GROUP "WALK AWAY BUD CHILES!", SIGN THE ONLINE PETITION, "WALK AWAY BUD CHILES" AND ASK YOUR FRIENDS TO DO THE SAME. Bud Chiles needs to drop out of the Governors race. He can't win -- He'll be a spoiler handing the Gov's office to Republicans yet again. It will be devastating! We need Governor Alex Sink to veto all the terrible bills the right wing Republican majority intend to hit us with next year. Call Chiles and get him to get out for the sake of Florida's future - 850-421-2010 or info@iwalkwithbud.com Petition: http://www.petitiononline.com/NoBud/ Thank you -- This is so important!
LIGHT RAIL FOR HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY TO BE ON THE NOVEMBER BALLOT! Hillsborough County voters will finally get a chance to decide on commuter rail. A 5-2 majority of the Hillsborough County Commission, including both Democratic County Commissioners Kevin Beckner and Kevin White, approved a ballot question so that voters in November can decide if they support raising the sales tax by a penny to pay for rail, buses and roads. About 400 people showed up for the public hearing at the All People's Life Center auditorium in East Tampa asking for a chance to vote on the ballot. The crowd overwhelmingly were in support of rail, many wearing green shirts. The Sierra Club, and members of the Democratic Party, neighborhood groups along with members of the Greater Tampa Chamber of Commerce and other business groups supported the referendum. The initial rail system would link downtown Tampa with the University of South Florida area. Another line would connect downtown and the West Shore business district. Downtown light rail would also connect with the planned high-speed train line between Tampa and Orlando.
Vote Yes on Questions 5 and 6 - Fair Districts - on the November Ballot!!!!!
CONE RANCH - GREAT NEWS - GREAT WORK!!!The Cone Ranch Advisory Committee - appointed by the Hillsborough Board of County Commissioners - just voted unanimously to recommend the sale of Cone Ranch to the Environmental Lands Acquisition and Preservation Program (ELAPP).
The Democratic Party with Sierra Club and others have been working hard to preserve and protect Cone Ranch and has steadfastly opposed the shady, undocumented and questionable deal to sell Cone Ranch to developers - a deal that would have provided no protection at all for this important water resource and wildlife corridor. Further the initial deal would have sold the land that was already owned by taxpayers - the Hillsborough County Water Department - to middlemen who expected to make substantial profit from this important resource.
The original proposal that came through Commissioner Ken Hagan was so full of holes and smoke and mirrors that the resources of the county should have never been wasted to seriously consider the deal - but the whole process was valuable in that we have all come to understand the need to protect this critical and rare resource that is our backyard.
Every drink of water we take in the city of Tampa and most of Hillsborough County makes it way through Cone Ranch and Cone Ranch is an important wildlife corridor as well. The HCDP extends thanks member Kent Bailey and Joyce Newnam for watching the process closely and keeping us informed and aware. Thank you to all members who have made it to meeting or written an email, letter or made a phone call. Mariella Smith, Sierra Club, has also kept us well-informed and been closely watching; and UCAN for speaking out to protect Cone Ranch. City Councilor Mary Mulhern brought this to the attention of the City Council so that they could weigh in unanimously in favor of protecting this critical wetland. Also Mariella Smith worked to make sure that ELAPP was renewed last year so that we would be able to protect important resources like Cone Ranch. We should also recognize the excellent reporting by Bill Varian of the St. Petersburg Times and Mike Salinero of the Tampa Tribune, and to WMNF radio for its reporting and talk show on Cone Ranch. No thanks for the woefully uninformed editorial of the Tampa Tribune on this issue. Finally – we need to bring this one in. We need to protect Cone Ranch in perpetuity. We need to make sure our County Commission approves the purchase of Cone Ranch by ELAPP. Contact your County Commissioners listed below – and contact them more than once. Pass this information on through emails and FB and everywhere else.
Website link to County Commission: Click here
County Commission Office: 272-5660
Kevin White 272-5720 whitek@hillsboroughcounty.org
Rose Ferlita 272-5470 ferlitar@hillsboroughcounty.org
Ken Hagan 272-5452 hagank@hillsboroughcounty.org
Al Higginbotham 272-5740 higginbothama@hillsboroughcounty.org
Representing all of Hillsborough County: Jim Norman 272-5725 normanj@hillsboroughcounty.org
Kevin Beckner 272-5730 becknerk@hillsboroughcounty.org
Mark Sharpe 272-5735 sharpem@hillsboroughcounty.org
“We are the people we have been waiting for” - Paul Wellstone
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Hillsborough GLBTA Caucus Wins Netroots Award for Best Local Website! At the recent FDP Convention, the Hillsborough County GLBTA Democratic Caucus retained its Netroots award for Best Local Party website, beating out Leon, Pasco, Sarasota, and two Broward County websites to win. Congratulations!
Special kudos go to Dave Cutler, who designed the award-winning site, which features action alerts, legislative agenda items, announcements, links to their Facebook page, flickr pics, and YouTube channel, and much more. Dave, now in Arizona, commented on his victory: "I considered it my personal political last hurrah in Hillsborough County, and it was an honor and a privilege to win it on behalf of the Caucus!"
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South Tampa Dems Meeting AnnouncementOctober's South Tampa Democrats meeting will feature Florida AFL-CIO Regional Coordinator, Aaron Carmella, who will give an update on the Employee Free Choice Act. Also attending the meeting will be Hillsborough County Supervisor of Elections Earl Lennard.
The meeting will take place at The Tahitian Inn on South Dale Mabry on Tuesday, October 20th. Happy Hour starts at 6pm; the formal meeting begins at 6:45 pm.
The South Tampa Democrats meet on the third Tuesday of the month for their Happy Hour. Come meet and greet your fellow Democratic neighbors!
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Better Know a Precinct: #641by Patrick Cannon
Do not adjust your monitor. The map above is an actual Hillsborough County Precinct, the second part of our 898 part series, Better Know a Precinct.
Today, it's Precinct 641—the Fightin' 641st!
Precinct 641 lies just east of the University of South Florida. Listing its boundaries would exceed the limits of this feature, but, roughly speaking, it is bordered by Fletcher to the north, Fowler to the south, 50th Street to the west, and 60th Street to the east.
Precinct 641 so gerrymandered, the 6 in 641 bleeds over into the next precinct! It's so gerrymandered, there's a 2-block sliver just south of Fletcher that's too small to Photoshop! And look where they put the polling place! The westernmost boundary of the precinct! (Can you say "Fair Districts Florida?")
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Camp Wellstone Hits Tampa this Week, October 23-25!Camp Wellstone is an intensive and energizing training program that is open to anyone interested in gaining practical skills in progressive political action. Over 16,000 people have graduated from the camps since they began in 2003, and camps have been held in 39 states.
During the camp, participants divide into three tracks:
- * Electoral Campaigns: Tools and Tactics for Success
- * Citizen Activism: Grassroots Advocacy and Organizing
- * Being a Candidate: How to Run and Win a Progressive Campaign
This 2.5 day training, runs from 3-9pm Friday, 9am-6pm Saturday, and 9am-3:30pm Sunday, and combines lectures, stimulating exercises, and interactive simulations.
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Local Dems Make a Difference: Northwest Hillsborough Democratic Club's Community Serviceby Gail Parsons
At the beginning of the school year, our club chose to participate in a community service project.
At Bobbie Sandler's suggestion, Mort Elementary School was chosen as a school in need. After contacting the school, Bobbie learned from the principal that the school had a need for supplies to help combat the H1N1 virus. So Bobbie and I shopped for hand sanitizer and boxes of tissues as the principal had suggested. We bought enough to supply each classroom and made a delivery the first week of school. Club members were very generous in donating over a $100.00 for this project. In addition, some members did their own shopping and contributed to the total. The school administration was very grateful for our donations.
At our September meeting, Bernadette Storck, told us that the Metropolitan Ministries Partnership School also had a need. In this case, it was for underwear for its students. Once again, our club members came through with over a $100.00 to buy the requested underwear. As the school mentioned in its thank you letter, "It takes a village to raise a child."
Gail Parsons is Vice-President of the Northwest Hillsborough Democratic Club
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Urge Senator Nelson to Support the Public Optionby Jane Gibbons
President Obama gave a rousing speech to a joint session of Congress last week and signaled the need to move beyond partisan bickering and get on with the serious work of meaningful health care reform.
After a noted silence, our own Senator Bill Nelson publicly discussed his efforts to bring about reform in a recent letter to the St. Petersburg Times. Senator Nelson is to be commended for offering several legislative amendments to help pay for reform, however, nowhere has he expressed support for the public option, the key to providing the competition that will force private insurance companies to bring down premiums.
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Cone Ranch Updates!by Kent Bailey Local Activists are Saving Cone Ranch, But the Work isn't DoneCone Ranch is one more important step closer to permanent protection!
After receiving 64 emails and with more than 22 public supporters in attendance, ELAPP's site selection team re-evaluated Cone Ranch, giving it one of the highest scores the panel has awarded. We have made a difference!
The recommendation to purchase Cone Ranch now goes to the county's Parks Advisory Board. Eventually, the final decision will be made by the County Commission, but that's not likely until after final report from the Cone Ranch Environmental Advisory Panel.
The next meeting of the Cone Ranch Panel will be Friday, October 16th at 2:00 PM.
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Local Stories Shared: The 50-State “Health Insurance Reform Now” Bus Tour Hits Tampaby Terry R. Watson
At 4pm, Saturday, September 12th, the rain stopped just in time for the start of Organizing for America's "Health Insurance Reform Now" Bus Tour Rally. The scene was reminiscent of then-Senator Obama's Ybor City rally 2 years ago. Then, too, the rain paused just before Obama spoke. On both occasions, people came together to support change and express their hopes for the future. Despite the terrible weather and short notice, over 500 people showed up to the rally.
I had been asked to speak about my own struggles with our health care system. After being diagnosed with cancer three years ago, I was turned down for surgery at a major cancer treatment facility because of “extenuating risk factors.” To get the treatment I needed, I ended up traveling to Japan. There I underwent a scientifically-proven procedure that eliminated the unnecessary risk. That procedure was not available in the U.S., despite its use in advanced industrialized nations for the last 18 years.
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Better Know a Precinct: #135Where can you buy a tan, doggie diapers, beds, cell phones, Frappucinos, sandwiches, and decorative international knickknacks, plus, bank and trade stocks all on one street corner?
The answer lies in the first part in our 898 part series, Better Know a Precinct.
Today, it's Hillsborough County's 135th Precinct—the Fightin' 135th!
Precinct 135 is bordered by Kennedy Boulevard on the north, Morrison Avenue on the south, Himes Avenue on the east, and West Shore Boulevard to the west.
The 135th is known for its luxurious old houses, tall, majestic trees, and winding, low traffic streets. Schools serving the 135th are Grady Elementary, Coleman Middle School, and Plant High School. The 135th is home to beautiful Swann Circle Park, where children play, animals are walked, and events are held, such as the Beach Park Homeowner's Association Annual Holiday Event in the Park and the Easter Egg Hunt.
In the 135th, Republicans outnumber Democrats 1341 to 1042, and McCain beat Obama there 1426 –1030 in the 2008 Presidential Election.
But those numbers don't deter our featured Committeewoman, Matilda Garcia, one of Hillsborough County's most ardent and dedicated Democrats!
Matilda has lived an extraordinary life, filled with adventure and public service. Besides traveling the world several times over, Matilda was a delegate to the Democratic National Convention in 2000 and 2008 and was the Florida State Director of the League of United Latin American Citizens. She is currently Chair of the Affirmative Action Committee for the Hillsborough County Democratic Party.
 | Committeewoman Profile: Matilda Garcia, 135th Precinct
Birthday: May 30
Hometown: Tampa
Profession: Retired from Social Security Administration
First became politically active in: 1940
First became a HCDEC member in: 1991
Favorite political movie: Fahrenheit 9/11
Favorite food: Spanish, Cuban, Puerto Rican
The last thing she read: All local newspapers and the New York Times (she's still trying to finish War & Peace) |
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Please Help Terminate the Juggernaut of Hateby Patrick Cannon, PhD
A Dangerous Path
Since Barack Obama became president, it appears he can't do anything without being attacked by Republicans, even including what he puts on his hamburger or taking a well-deserved vacation. According to those who hate him, President Barack Obama is an enemy of the state, a racist, and the equivalent of every “bad guy” of history: Hitler, Mussolini, Lenin, Stalin, Mao Tse Tung, Castro, Osama bin Laden, Saddam Hussein, Kim Jong-il, and even the Devil. (I'm still waiting for Attila the Hun, Ivan the Terrible, and Hagar the Horrible.)
The Glenn Becks and Rush Limbaughs are whipping up the nation's loudest fringe elements into a frenzy: Birthers, Deathers, Tenthers, Twelvers, Tea-baggers, Czar-ers, racists, self-proclaimed “right wing terrorists,” secessionists, militia members, the confused, and the mentally disturbed.
The Republican leadership is not voicing any concern, much less telling their folks to tone down the inflammatory rhetoric, cool their jets, and teach them how adults participate in a democratic society. By refusing to do so, Republicans are giving the most extreme members of their party the green light to do the President harm.
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FairDistrictsFlorida: On the Verge of Fair Elections!by Susan Smith
Thanks to your commitment and hard work, we are well on the way to fairer elections in Florida! With over 1.5 million petitions collected, we've almost reached our goal of 1.6 million, which would put two amendments on the ballot in 2010 giving the Florida Legislature commonsense guidelines for redrawing electoral boundaries on the heels of the U.S. Census. These guidelines will prevent, or at least limit, drawing these boundaries to the political advantage of the party in power.
Now that the petition drive is almost over (deadline submitting petitions is October 31st), comes the next step—raising money! Petitions must be processed through county Supervisors of Elections at a cost of 10 cents each. Without sufficient funds, gerrymandering will continue unabated, depriving Floridians of an authentic democratic state government.
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Click image to access voter registration website
Voter Registration Suffers Cruel Blow: Republicans Get their Wish, Democracy Suffers by Jennifer Fenn
A law restricting voter registration by “third-party organizations” is now in effect. Originally passed in 2006, the law had languished under an injunction. Once the injunction was lifted, the Florida Division of Elections adopted Administrative Rule 1S-2.042 regarding third-party registration organizations. The rule took effect February 26, 2009.
What is a third party registration organization?
It is any person, entity or organization that solicits or collects any voter registration application. Those falling outside this classification are those collecting a voter registration application for a spouse, child or parent, employees or agents of the Division of Elections, Supervisors of Elections, the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles, or federally mandated voter registration agencies (Florida Statutes §97.021). It should also be noted that the law originally excluded political parties from this definition but that exception was eliminated in 2008.
So, they passed a new law about third-party voter registration organizations. What does that have to do with me?
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Two Miami-Dade Democrats now vie for open US Senate seat
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| | Join your Democratic Party for our Monthly Meeting on Monday, August 16th at 6:30 at the Children's Board.
For details about our monthly meeting which is usually held on the third Monday evening monthly at 6:30 at the Children's Board and more than 20 other Democratically-minded clubs and many other events in Hillsborough County, check out our calendar. |
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