May 2021 Newsletter: Democracy begins at home and local elections are 🔑

Hello!,

Democracy Begins at Home

As the Delaware County Democratic Party, we aim to:

• Get Democrats elected to local office
• Energize our local members
• Challenge the current single party rule of Delaware County

In order to turn Delaware County “blue,” we need to create a foundation to build on.

In 2021, every city, village, township, and Board of Education will be electing or re-electing local officials. While these contests are non-partisan, we need to support candidates who reflect our values. These public servants make decisions that directly impact your life, such as zoning and tax issues, as well as local school board policies. As Delaware County grows, decisions at the local level determine the shape of our neighborhoods and commercial areas.

Local elections are often decided by hundreds, not thousands of votes. In the Village of Galena, one of the winners received 128 votes in 2017, and the 4^th place winner for Shawnee Hills Village Council was elected with 95 votes. Some seats are not only uncontested, there are no candidates on the ballot at all. In 2017, the villages of Ashley and Ostrander each had only 3 candidates running for 4 offices. 

This year, we all have the opportunity to help identify, support, and vote for the most local government officials. Consider who is currently on the board of township trustees or city or village council and board of education where you live. Do you know who currently holds these positions? 

Township Trustee: Roger Van Sickle, a long-time party member and former Chair and Treasurer, served 40 years as a Township Trustee in Delaware Township. During his tenure, Township Trustees LOWERED TAXES on township residents twice, built a new Township Hall, with its surrounding park and maintenance areas, updated township zoning codes, and made improvements to Township roads. You can read more here.

City Council: Heather Stevens Karr, Powell, elected in 2019, has already made a positive impact in her city. Heather reached across the aisle to work with fellow Council members to get the restructuring of the Powell city income tax passed.  This realignment of revenue will allow the city to support the level of services that Powell residents deserve. Heather also drafted a Resolution Against Racism which created the Powell Community Diversity Advisory Committee. This resolution passed unanimously.

Fielding candidates for every race is important even when our candidates don’t win. Here are just a few good reasons to put a candidate’s name on the ballot: 

• Demonstrates that there are alternatives to single party rule in our county
• Energizes party members
• Gives voice to issues not always raised by Republican candidates
• Helps us measure changes in voting behavior
• Creates a “farm team” of citizens with valuable campaign experience

Let us know if you or someone you know has the desire, the reputation, and the skills to be a candidate. Contact Joyce Bourgault (joycedemocratic@gmail.com or 614.778.0153), to learn more, or go directly to the Board of Elections Candidate Portal to take out a petition and start collecting signatures.

Peg Watkins

Chair, Delaware County Democratic Party

Delaware County Democratic Party News

In May, we won’t have a Forward Focus, but encourage our members to learn about local candidates in your city, villages, township, and school district.

You can view videos of our previous forums on YouTube!

• April Forum: Making an Impact at the Statehouse. Watch the forum here.
• March Forum: Women Changing Course to Change the World. Watch the forum here.
• February Forum: Antiracism: What can we do in Delaware County? Watch the forum here. Read an article in the Delaware Gazette on the forum here.
• January Forum: Redistricting in 2021: Watch the forum here and get Calls to Action from each speaker here.

If you have ideas for future topics, email us!

💵Powell Voters Vote to Reconfigure Income Tax Structure: Thanks in part to the advocacy efforts led by Heather Karr, on Tuesday May 5, the Powell community approved a tax restructuring plan by a two to one margin. Powell City Manager, Andrew White, said of the plan, “We can put this money back into public safety, our infrastructure, and to support our local businesses. The additional revenue will help keep the small-town charm that our citizens have come to love about Powell.” Read more here.

✅ OWU College Democrats Elect New Leaders:  We are always glad to keep in touch with  the College Democrats at Ohio Wesleyan. Learn more about their new leadership team here.

🗓️ Regular Business Meeting: Our next meeting of the Executive Committee is Thursday, June 17 at 7:00pm via Zoom. Members of the Executive Committee will receive registration information via email. Party members and the public may view the meeting live on our Facebook page.

🍎Food Drive: Many of our neighbors are struggling due to the COVID-19 pandemic, job loss and other factors. Two of our amazing volunteers have organized food donation drive every quarter over the next year, the second will be on Sat., June 12 at Conger Elementary School, 10 Channing Street, Delaware, from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Please contribute what you can and get more information here.

Join us!

Membership to our county party is more than just a word. We are a community of like-minded Democrats passionate about bringing change to our community and electing Democrats. Read more here about how to become a member if you aren’t one yet. We’d love to have you!

Get Involved

Our party meets to discuss our priorities and organize to meet our goals. There are also candidate events, precinct and regional organizing and community events. Check out our news and events pages to see what is happening — and be sure to keep reading this newsletter for updates.

We hope to see you around soon. If you have additional questions or insights, contact our chair, Peg Watkins.

Paid for by the Democratic Party of Delaware County

P.O. Box 872, Delaware, OH 43015

(614) 259-8020