News

Ohio has some of the most egregiously gerrymandered districts in the county. In 2011, Ohio’s districts were drawn in a private hotel room. The public didn’t get a chance to view the maps until hours before they were voted on. These maps produced some of the most outlandishly shaped districts in the country, including “The Duck” (OH-04 – U.S. Rep Jim Jordan).In 2015 and 2018, Ohioans overwhelmingly voted for redistricting reforms to stop gerrymandering. These referendums rejected how redistricting had been done and overhauled the process. Your voice is needed to ensure the state’s current redistricting plan produces fair legislative redistricting maps. Ohio Democratic Party Chair Elizabeth Walters issued the following statement in response to the Ohio Supreme Court ruling: “Twice, Ohioans overwhelmingly demanded change and fair representation and I’m glad that the Ohio Supreme Court listened. The Supreme Court today recognized what Ohioans already knew – GOP politicians tried to ram through an unconstitutional map that further rigs the state in favor of one party over another. Now that the Supreme Court has ruled, it’s imperative that the commission actually do their jobs this time and create maps that reflect our state, not a Republican party wish list.

LET YOUR VOICE BE HEARD!

Click on the link below for information on how YOU can take action!

https://mailchi.mp/c463ef89a919/greene-county-democratic-party-current-newsletter-20120433?fbclid=IwAR18gB-wEIqwSyuir-tMf6PQd3FKzkzwcCytn60OFW8Vto7MiySEQkeGJL8

We need more signatures for 2 more new candidate petitions!  We need Democratic signatures in order for these great Democratic candidates to be on the ballot in our Mid-Term Primary in May.  In order to sign, you must be a Greene County registered voter who is a Declared Democrat.  You are a Declared Democrat if you voted a Democratic ballot in the last primary election.  Encourage any voter you know, who meets these criteria. If you have already signed for the first 3 candidates, please stop & sign for the latest 2 candidates. If you haven’t signed for any of our candidates, don’t sit back. Greene County is great for being supportive. Don’t stop now. The candidates are: 1. Jennifer Brunner running for Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Ohio  2. Jeffery Crossman running for Ohio Attorney General 3. Marilyn Zayas running for Justice of the Supreme Court of Ohio 4. Taylor Sappington running for Auditor of State 5. Chelsea Clark running for Secretary of State To sign the petitions, please come to GCDP HQ at 10 S. Detroit St. in Xenia on Thursday, Friday, or Saturday from 10 AM to 4 PM  during the next 2 weeks (Jan. 6-7-8 & Jan. 13-14-15).

For the 17^th annual Adopt Greene County Families for the Holidays program, Greene County Ohio Democrats outdid themselves once again in their generosity to eight local families, with a holiday to remember for the rest of their lives.

Care packages were distributed to eight families with children on December 18th. Each family received food (fresh, frozen, and canned), toiletries, personal and cleaning supplies, gifts for the children, and gift cards.  This event always generates a tremendous response from the GCDP membership

Each family was told to bring an empty van or truck to accommodate the number of packages the GCDP members had for each family.  Vans were literally filled front to back and floor to ceiling, including the rear and often front seats, with packages.  Each family member who arrived to receive the packages was overwhelmed with what they received.  The comment most often heard was “I never expected so much – thank you!” 

GCDP’s office manager and chief organizer for the program, Eileen Martin, said, “The members’ response to this year’s request for donations was magnificent!  It was a touching experience to see that the families’ needs were so well filled.”  Members shopped, wrapped, donated, packed, and helped put packages into the vans of the folks when they arrived to pick up the packages.  Eileen added a special “thank you” to Cindy Curtis and Bev Hogue.  “They helped to make this program a success at every step of the process.” 

We, the membership of the GDCP wish to thank the families that we adopted for giving us the privilege of helping them to have a more joyful holiday season. 

Click here to see it.

When you read that the Infrastructure bill will provide clean water – what does that mean?

A major item is replacement of lead pipes in our water supply system.

Here are a *few* facts to know about lead in your drinking water. Please share this information.

Children’s health impacts: – damaged central and peripheral nerve systems – lower IQ – irritability and fatigue – developmental delay

Adult’s health impacts: – high blood pressure – memory loss – pain and numbness in extremities – miscarriages and premature birth

https://www.whitehouse.gov/bipartisan-infrastructure-deal/

The Infrastructure legislation includes monies to “ensure every American has acccess to high-speed internet”. What does that mean?

Here are a *few* items to consider.

– access to internet and reduced costs

– children who are able to do their homework from home

– close the digital divide between the haves and have nots

– ability to apply on-line for jobs (the *only* way to apply for many jobs these days)

– ability to apply for unemployment, SNAP, and many other US government programs and benefits

– ability to do on-line banking for those who have difficulty driving, walking, standing, or whose bank is distant

If you need help now here is a great program that started about June 1st this year. Please share this on your social media.

https://www.fcc.gov/broadbandbenefit

This legislation will provide monies to repair, eliminate maintenance backlogs, and reduce congestion. Years of neglect have left us with crumbling roads and bridges.

Millions are designated for repairing, upgrading, and reimagining our ports and airports. Reducing the congestion at our ports has been noted to be the first priority.

Yes, covid has had an impact on what we can and cannot buy when we want due to factory closings, but our ports and airports have not been invested in over the years and that failure to invest in our ports is now evident as demand for goods has increased.

This legislation will strength our supply chain to help move goods faster, more efficiently, and make us more competitive in global commerce.

This work will create good Union jobs. Our President Biden has noted often how important Union jobs are to the middle class.

There will be non-Union jobs as well – all the other businesses that benefit from the increased monies coming into the community.

https://www.whitehouse.gov/bipartisan-infrastructure-deal/

Education

• 3-4 year olds will have universal and free preschool

– preschool kids do better in school

– preschool kids are more likely to graduate high school

– preschool kids are more likely to graduate college

– preschool kids earn more as adults

* education beyond high school

– training and college

– Pell Grants will e increased

* investments in Historically Black Colleges/Universities

* investments in Tribal Colleges/Universityies

* investments in minority serving institutions

* financial aid to low-income students

* quality training support for good, union, middle class jobs

* investment in proven approaches like Registered Apprenticeships

https://www.whitehouse.gov/build-back-better/

Many thanks to those who helped pass out slates for this Non-Partisan election – those who volunteered as Poll Workers, Rovers, logistics and accuracy testing, and those who provided added muscle at the Board of Elections.

     Most people don’t realize that the amount of attention to detail and effort that goes into a Local Non-Partisan election is the same as a Presidential election.  As soon as this election is finished and certified, we start preparing for the next election. (May 03, 2022 – Primary, then Nov. 08, 2022, Gubernatorial.)

     Our party and our Democracy need you – when we participate by volunteering, getting informed, voting, and donating, we can make a difference. Democracy is messy but I wouldn’t trade it for anything. The United States may be a young nation but we are the longest continuous democracy. Don’t let it fail because we get tired or depressed due to the conspiracy theories that so many believe in or due to the ignorance of folks in how elections take place. Keep talking to your neighbors, family, friends, and co-workers.  “Truth matters here.” – Lt. Col. Vindman.

   Our Democratic Party principles are people-oriented and worth struggling to put into place as well as talking to others about them.  Patriotic Democrats are working to get to bottom of the January 6 Capitol attack while Republicans and others are busy trying to ignore what happened and put it behind them.  

    Unfortunately, Trump and his followers, with the complicit approval of many in the Republican party, have emboldened bullying behavior and the pushing of false narratives to create chaos, mutilate the truth, and divide society.  Don’t let lies and bullying dissuade you from standing firm for our ideals and for sympathizing with those less fortunate.  We have many battles to fight, keep up your courage, fight the good fight, and don’t ever give up.

Doris Adams, GCDP Chairman