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| Thursday, September 09, 2010 |
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Home > DEC News > Newsletters > the Activist, October 2009
| Welcome to The Activist - the official newsletter of the Hillsborough County Democratic Party. | In This Issue: Cone Ranch Update Progress, but We're Not Done
Hillsborough GLBTA Caucus Wins Netroots Award for Best Local Website!
South Tampa Dems Meeting Announcement
Better Know a Precinct! This Month: Precinct 641
Camp Wellstone Hits Tampa this Week, October 23-25!
Local Dems Make a Difference Northwest Hillsborough Democratic Club's Community Service
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Click to visit the Cone Ranch site on Facebook
Cone Ranch Update - Progress, but We're Not Done by Kent Bailey
October 23 Meeting Critical to Fate of Cone Ranch
On Friday, October 23, the Cone Ranch Advisory Panel will meet at 2pm on the 26th floor of the County Center Building, 601 E. Kennedy. This is the first meeting since the Environmental Lands Acquisition and Preservation Program (ELAPP) moved Cone Ranch to the top of their priority list. The public is invited and will have the opportunity to speak on the record. Please plan to attend. Your presence is critical to saving Cone Ranch from devastation by land developers.
Originally, four meetings had been scheduled, but two were canceled in the wake of an outpouring of public support for the acquisition of Cone Ranch by ELAPP, who expanded the area nominated for preservation to include the entire ranch. ELAPP accomplished in one night what the Cone Ranch Advisory Panel has failed to do after months of public meetings.
Our work is not done.
The Advisory Panel must recommend the title of Cone Ranch be transferred from the Hillsborough County water enterprise system to ELAPP. For this to happen, the Hillsborough County Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) must follow through. Without relentless public pressure, the BOCC may simply do nothing, setting the stage for yet another bogus proposal (by any name) to develop Cone Ranch in the future.
Make the BOCC feel the heat! The days of insider deals for politically connected fat cats must end. The BOCC is paid to serve the People, not their Republican partners and deep pocket contributors.
Also of interest is an upcoming presentation and panel discussion entitled, "The Global Water Crisis: Solutions from Tampa Bay" to be held at USF's College of Public Health November 4 at 6:30pm. The keynote speaker will be Dr. Noel Brown, President and CEO of Friends of the United Nations, and former Director of the United Nations Environment Programme. The discussion panel will include Phil Compton from the Florida Sierra Club and Tampa City Council Member Mary Mulhern. Phil Compton will present the restoration of Cone Ranch wetlands as a simple, low-cost solution to ease our perennial water shortage. For more information, click here. Please plan to attend.
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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!"
An excited GLBTA Caucus President Sally Phillips thanked Dave: "Dave, you can be proud of the legacy you left behind when you re-located to Phoenix, adding, "Thanks to everyone who voted for our website! We are proud of what our Caucus has accomplished since our creation in 2005, and we now will move forward and continue to support and help elect fair-minded Democrats in 2009, 2010 and beyond."
To learn more about the Caucus, click here or call (813) 382-8172.
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South Tampa Dems Meeting Announcement October'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: #641 by 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?")
Democrats outnumber Republicans more than 2 to 1, with 967 Democrats, and 411 Republicans in the 641st, and Obama creamed McCain 1074—352 in the 2008 Presidential Election. It seems 641 has the 411 on these Republicans!
And who helped embarrass McCain, is "bullish" enough to represent the 641st, and is the only person named "Tim Heberlein" on Facebook?
Well, it's none other than our featured Committeeperson, Tim Heberlein! A stalwart Democratic volunteer, Tim's grit and determination inspire us all. When we spoke to Tim, he gave us the following wish list for his precinct: "I'd like more assistance in mailings to precinct 641 constituents and getting volunteers to flyer the precinct. I'd also like a mailing from elected officials or the HCDEC to distribute in 641, and perhaps have an event the DEC could help with." Hey, 641sters, how ‘bout lending Tim a hand?
Committeeman Tim Heberlein:
1. Birthday (month, day): May 20
2. Hometown: Military brat (so…none, I guess)
3. What do you do for a living? Counselor/case manager
4. When did you become politically active? 2006 when I moved to Tampa.
5. What inspired you to become politically active? Personal interest to become more involved in shaping my community
6. When did you become a member of the HCDEC? 2006
7. What have you done to elect a Democrat to office in Hillsborough County? Volunteered on Obama campaign and several local campaigns
8. Favorite political movie: Milk (though I don't consider it political, it's the most inspirational)
9. Favorite food: hot wings
10. What was the last thing you read? America Anonymous
11. If you were head of a major TV network, what show would you cancel? Heroes, then Glen Beck
12. If you could change one thing about Hillsborough County, what would it be? Greater Union presence
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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.
The cost of Camp Wellstone is based on a sliding scale based on ability to pay. Rates are as follows: $200 (full cost), $100 (50% of training cost), or $50 (25% of training cost). This fee covers organizing resources, other support materials, and three meals during the weekend.
This camp will be held at the Comfort Inn Conference Center located at 820 E Busch Blvd. in Tampa, FL 33612. Participants are responsible for their accommodations.
To learn more about Camp Wellstone, visit the website. For questions, contact Jen Haut at (651) 414-6037 or jennifer@wellstone.org.
Hope to see you there!
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Local Dems Make a Difference: Northwest Hillsborough Democratic Club's Community Service by 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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