Welcome to Jefferson County Democrats of Washington!
We are currently meeting on Zoom because of rising levels of COVID-19 in our community. Executive Board meetings are held the first Wednesday of each month; day and date for Membership meetings varies to accommodate speakers and programming. See the calendar and updates below for upcoming events!
NEWS AND EVENTS BLOG
Juneteenth 2022
The JeffCo Democrats published this ad last year in The Port Townsend & Jefferson County Leader. Again, this year, we honor that significant state and national holiday.
JCD Member Meeting June 23
Endorsement Votes
The Jefferson County Democrats will hold a member meeting at 6 PM on Thursday, June 23. The meeting will be held on Zoom. Zoom sign-in information will be published here a few days prior to the event.
The evening will begin at 6 pm with a panel discussion:
Jefferson County Forests: Balancing Interests and Climate in Managing Our Public Natural Resources
Jefferson County Board of Commissioners is taking courageous steps to tackle the challenge of managing our forests for their ecological value, funding for essential services, and climate. Jefferson County Democrats will present a panel discussion of the challenges facing our county and the innovative work of local elected officials and conservation leaders. Panelists include:
- The Honorable Heidi Eisenhour, Commissioner District 2, Jefferson County Board of County Commissioners, updating us on recent BOCC decisions regarding Jefferson county board lands managed by the Dept. of Natural Resources (DNR)
- Peter Goldman, Washington Forest Law Center, discussing the Washington Supreme Court “All the People” case
- Stephen Kropp, Center for Responsible Forestry, discussing the ecological importance of older forests managed by DNR
- Peter Bahls, Northwest Watershed Institute, discussing the Dabob Bay natural preserve and its ecological importance and Hood Canal impacts.
Following the panel discussion, we will hold votes on endorsements, beginning at approximately 7 pm. The Executive Board has recommended that our membership endorse the following candidates; endorsement votes will be taken on June 23:
• Auditor – Brenda Huntingford, no party preference, unopposed
• Assessor – Jeff Chapman, Democrat, endorsed in the past, unopposed incumbent
• Clerk – Amanda Hamilton, Democrat, unopposed
• Prosecutor/ Coroner – James Kennedy, Democrat, endorsed in the past, unopposed incumbent
• Treasurer – Stacie Prada, Democrat, endorsed in the past, unopposed incumbent
• PUD Commissioner District 1 – Jeff Randall, Nonpartisan, incumbent
• District Court, Judge Position No. 1 – Mindy Walker, Nonpartisan, endorsed in the past, incumbent
Sheriff Candidates’ Forum
July 7, 2022
Jefferson County Democrats will host a Zoom forum for both candidates for Jefferson County Sheriff the evening of July 7, 2022. More details coming soon.
Memorial Day 2022
Honoring our fallen heroes
JCD ad published in the May 26, 2021, edition of the Port Townsend & Jefferson County Leader.
Membership meeting 4/21 6pm
JCD Membership Meeting
including
Endorsement Votes and Resolution
Thursday, April 21 2022 at 6PM on Zoom
Zoom sign-in information:
Topic: JCD Member Meeting
Time: Apr 21, 2022 Room open at 5:45 PM, program begins at 6 PM
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us06web.zoom.us/j/83841820923
Meeting ID: 838 4182 0923
Dial by your location
+1 253 215 8782 US (Tacoma)
+1 720 707 2699 US (Denver)
Program
JCD members will hear from the following five candidates. The JCD Executive Board has recommended endorsement of these candidates:
– Greg Brotherton, Jefferson County Commissioner
– Mike Chapman, 24th Legislative District Representative
– Steve Tharinger, 24th Legislative District Representative
– Derek Kilmer, 6th District Congressional Representative
– Patty Murray, US Senate
Candidates Brotherton, Chapman, and Tharinger will be available for questions following their presentation to us. Questions can be submitted during the meeting using the Chat feature in Zoom and will be moderated.
Business Meeting
The major business of the member meeting is endorsement votes for each of the five candidates listed above.
Other agenda items include:
2021 Financial Review
Resolution – Conserve Legacy Forests in Jefferson County
January Membership Meeting
| JCD Program and Member Meeting January 27, 2022 at 6 PM on Zoom Time: Jan 27, 2022 06:00 PM Pacific Time (US and Canada) Join Zoom Meeting Meeting ID: 868 5536 5495 Passcode: 050725 Dial by your location +1 253 215 8782 US (Tacoma) +1 720 707 2699 US (Denver) +1 346 248 7799 US (Houston) +1 646 558 8656 US (New York) Program Welcome to 2022, yet another critical election year. Our member program will include presentations on: Coordinated Campaign What is a coordinated campaign? Why do we have one? What do we do with it in Jefferson County? What should we avoid doing? Rebecca Duran, our Field Organizer from the Washington State Democratic Party will explain. She will describe how the coordinated campaign can help re-elect our local elected Democrats, and how we participate. Washington State Taxes Last year, Washington implemented a capital gains tax! That was one important step toward making Washington’s taxes more equitable. This year? We have to defend the capital gains tax in court, and push forward with taxes on ultra-high earners in Washington. We also need to reform the inheritance tax. Treasure Mackley from Invest in WA Now will provide the status of these bills, and let us know how we can help in this short legislative session. Indivisible’s WITH Campaign Washington has an important US Senate campaign and we want to re-elect Senator Patty Murray. Other states, though, have Senate seats that are more at risk than ours. We know that many of our members want to help in those states, and Indivisible has a program for that. “Washington Indivisible Teams Helping” (WITH) has already started their work to defend Senator Mark Kelly’s seat in Arizona and to flip the Senate seat in Pennsylvania. Learn about what is happening, and how you can help. Here is a program description: Indivisible WITH Program Member Meeting A member meeting of the Jefferson County Democrats will follow the program. Major agenda items include: Approval of the 2022 Budget Consideration of three Resolutions Resolution – Personal Rapid transit (postponed from last meeting) Resolution – Salmon, Orca, and Snake River Dams Resolution – Supporting HR303, Veterans Benefits MEETINGS AND EVENTS January 27 – JCD Program and Member Meeting Jan. 29-30 – State Committee Meeting – WSDCC Feb. 2 – JCD Board Meeting Feb 8 – SPECIAL ELECTIONS in Jefferson County |
October Membership Meeting 10/14: Derek Kilmer & Redistricting
Jefferson County Democrats
Member Program
October 14, 2021 at 6 PM, Zoom (Link below)
Representative Derek Kilmer will update us on the critical bills being debated in the US House of Representatives.
Ed Martinez, Co-Chair of the State Democratic Party’s Redistricting Committee, will let us know the latest developments in the redistricting discussions. More importantly, he will tell us how we can each give testimony to help guide the critical redistricting process in Washington.
Washington has a bipartisan redistricting process under the direction of the Washington State Redistricting Commission. The Commission has an interactive website, “Draw your WA”, where you can learn about the process, view the maps proposed by the four commissioners, and provide testimony about the proposed maps.
Each of the four commissioners has drawn proposed maps for the Legislative and Congressional Districts. Some of the draft maps have a real impact on our LD-24 and CD-6 boundaries. Draft maps can be reviewed here:
Proposed Legislative Districts
Proposed Congressional Districts
This month is the time to review these proposed maps, and submit written comments, because the final plan will be submitted to the legislature on November 15. Written comments become part of the official records of the Redistricting Commission so they really do matter. Several ways to provide public testimony are shown here:
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us06web.zoom.us/j/
Meeting ID: 872 5658 4384
Dial by your location
+1 253 215 8782 US (Tacoma)
+1 346 248 7799 US (Houston)
+1 720 707 2699 US (Denver)
League of Women Voters Candidate Forum *TODAY* 10/7
September Membership Meeting 9/21 6 pm
and Q&A
Housing in Jefferson County
The Jefferson County Democrats will present a panel discussion on the critical issue of housing in Jefferson County, followed by a moderated Question and Answer period. The Panel will be moderated by Amanda Funaro, member of the Joint Housing Oversight Board. You do not have to be a member of JCD or register to attend the Panel Discussion. The panel discussion will begin at 6 PM. See below for ZOOM link information.
Housing Panel members will include:
- Greg Brotherton, Jefferson County Commissioner
- Cherish Cronmiller, OlyCAP Executive Director
- Scott Rosekrans, Pastor, Community United Methodist Church (where Peter’s Place is located)
- Justine Gonzalez-Berg, Director, Housing Solutions Network
A business meeting will be held following the presentation. You must be a member of JCD and have pre-registered to be able to vote on the endorsement vote. The business meeting will include an endorsement vote, and votes on resolutions. The Zoom room opens at 5:45 PM and the program begins at 6 PM. Zoom Meeting link:
https://us06web.zoom.us/j/
Meeting ID: 857 8261 4508 Passcode: 221260
Endorsement consideration – The Executive Board of the Jefferson County Democrats recommends endorsement of Libby Wennstrom for Port Townsend City Council. This endorsement will require a 2/3 vote of eligible pre-registered JCD members present and voting at the Sept 21 meeting to take effect. We are still operating under the emergency rules mandated by the State Democratic Party, so we must meet and vote virtually, without paper ballots. Voting methods will be similar to those used at the JCD reorganization last December.
UPDATE: The membership voted to endorse Libby Wennstrom for Port Townsend City Council Position 5. The Vote tally was 46 for, 11 against.
You must have Pre-Registered by September 14, 2021 to be able to vote on the endorsement vote. Eligible voters include all JCD Members in good standing on August 31, 2021. Eligible voters also include former members whose membership has lapsed since September 21, 2020, and who renewed their membership before the September 14, 2021 Pre-Registration deadline. To check your membership status or to renew, contact membership@jeffcodemocrats.com Everyone who pre-registered should have received a unique voting ID via email.
JCD PICNIC THIS SUNDAY! 8/8 3-5 PM HJ CARROLL PARK
Join us for the JeffCo Democrats Picnic!
Join your fellow Democrats for a Picnic at H.J Carroll Park, Rotary Pavilion, Sunday August 8, 3-5 pm. BRING YOUR OWN FOOD AND DRINK – we have an alcohol permit so it’s ok to bring your own alcohol. Seating will be limited, bring folding chairs.
WA State Party Chair Tina Podlodowski and State Rep Mike Chapman will be speaking around 4pm.
No Fish Feast this year, but we really want to see actual faces instead of Zoom boxes!
Approximate times are:
3 PM – Picnic begins
4 PM – Speakers
5 PM – Event ends
PT City Council Candidates Forum July 1 7pm
A Zoom Primary Candidate Forum with the three primary candidates for Port Townsend City Council, Position 5 will take place on July 1 from 7:00-8:30 PM. Moderated by Janette Force, the forum is sponsored by the League of Women Voters-Jefferson County and American Association of University Women-Port Townsend.
The forum will feature candidates Sky Hardesty-Thompson, Tyler Miles Vega, and Libby Urner Wennstrom. The two candidates winning the most votes in the August 3 primary will advance to the general election on November 2.
You can access the Zoom forum by computer or phone at the link below. Observers are asked to stay muted with their camera turned off so that we can focus our full attention on the candidates. Media partner KPTZ 91.9 FM will simulcast the July 1 forum and livestream it at KTPZ.org. The forum will also be recorded, edited for brevity, and eventually linked on the League’s website at lwvwa.org/Jefferson
Time: Jul 1, 2021 07:00 PM Pacific Time (US and Canada)
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83690676346
Meeting ID: 836 9067 6346
One tap mobile
+12532158782,,83690676346# US (Tacoma)
+13462487799,,83690676346# US (Houston)
By phone:
+1 253 215 8782 US (Tacoma)
Meeting ID: 836 9067 6346
Win with Women “Rising Stars” Event Celebrates Legislative Successes
Win With Women is celebrating the successes of the 2021 Washington Legislative Session with a “Rising Stars” event Wednesday, June 30th from 6-7pm, showcasing the WWW-endorsed “Rising Stars” that helped make it possible. From the Working Families Tax Credit and the Fair Chance for Kids child care expansion, to major action on climate change and winning overtime pay for farmworkers, those wins wouldn’t have happened without our newly elected, WWW-endorsed Rising Stars. Let’s celebrate our victories together!
Click the link below to purchase your ticket:
https://winwithwomen.nationbuilder.com/rising_stars
Win With Women PAC
http://winwithwomen.nationbuilder.com/