August 2018
Democrats Newsletter
we're here to spread the word
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Collegeville Meeting Updates:
July Borough Council Update:
Six Council members were present at the June meeting. Mat McKnight and Mayor Wright-Riggins were not present. Here's what happened:
- Approved: June meeting minutes (unanimous vote)
- Approved: Santangelo Escrow Release No. 1: Mr. Leh said the first one has been built and there is still one to go. $21,107.50 has been released and there is still $15K (unanimous vote)
- Approved: Payment for the 9th Ave. Pipe Replacement : Mr. Leh said that stomwater pipe was collapsing and needed to be repaired prior to paving on 9th Ave. The estimate was for $20,752.80 and because of the extra repair, the actual cost is $22,777.80. (unanimous vote)
- Approved: Ordinance No. 588 Clamer Avenue Parking Permits: the permits benefit the 5 homes on Clamer Ave that have no driveways. They will be granted 2 permits per household and 1 guest pass each. This is the first Permit Parking Ordinance in the Borough. Placards and signs have been ordered and the stickers are at the printer’s. (Motion adopted 6-0)
- Approved: Advertisement of Ordinance No. 589 Adopting the Codified Ordinances: Mr. Thompson explained that the ordinance codification process began in 2017. All the ordinances that have been adopted since the last codification have been incorporated in the code. The final step of the codification process is for Borough Council to advertise and formally approve the new code. The legal notice will go in the paper again and he is requesting final approval from Council in September.
- The agenda was opened and the following item was considered: Trappe Borough has voted and now Collegeville Borough has to vote to approve the Environmental Phase II Assessment study for the salt storage property. There is a $7500 fee for this assessment to be split evenly between Trappe & Collegeville. (Motion adopted 6-0)
July Collegeville Dems meeting Wednesday, July 25
We discussed a number of topics at the July meeting, including:
- Canvassing strategy and upcoming canvassing events
- Possible coordination of events with Trappe Dems
- GOTV strategies at Ursinus
- National political issues (more to come on this in future issues)
- Newsletter strategy
- Update from the Joe Webster campaign, thanks to Marcus Muli (sorry for the misspelling last month)!
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PA Democrats History: We are working hard to turn what used to be a reliably red state into a solid blue state. We've got a road ahead of us, but we will get there if we work together to get Dems elected *every year* and at all levels! Read more about our PA Democrats history here.
PA Democratic Leaders: learn more about the Democrats who are currently in office here.
Area 4 Update: We are working with Coordinated Campaign this year. This means when we go out to campaign, we are campaigning for ALL the democrats on the ballot. We've got to turn this around folks! The focus right now for us in MontCo is canvassing for and hosting fundraisers for candidates. Also, anyone interested in signing up for an Area 4 committee, please contact Ashley Wilkerson at this email address.
MCDC Update:
This weekend marks just 100 days until the 2018 Election! MCDC is sponsoring a “Knock Your Neighborhood” canvassing effort this weekend (July 28-29). Here in Collegeville we'll be canvassing for Katie Muth and Joe Webster on Sunday the 29th from 11-2! Meet at 63 East 3rd Ave in Collegeville at 10:45am.
There will be no August meeting of MCDC and the September meeting has been moved to September 13.
Andrea Baptiste, Municipal Chair
collegevilledemocrats@gmail.com
(610) 733-4329
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Thoughts on the National Front
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Supreme Court Nominee a Dangerous Choice for Democracy:
Trump's nominee to replace Justice Anthony Kennedy on the Supreme Court is a judge who leans far to the right. This would impact everyone in legal decisions large and small. So buckle up, get informed, and call your Senators.
Start by reading our own Dean Miller's piece about Judge Brett Kavanaugh here: Judge Dread.
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Upcoming Events
Sunday 7/29, 11-2: Knock Your Neighborhood - canvassing for Katie Muth and Joe Webster in Collegeville: only 100 days until the 2018 election!! Meet at 10:45am at 63 E 3rd Ave, Collegeville
Wednesday, 8/1, 7:30pm: MCDC trainings for committee people are now open to non-committee people. Training session will be at UFCW 1776, 3031-A Walton Road, Plymouth Meeting, PA 19462 Sign up here.
Sunday 8/5, 1-3: Backyard Progressive Picnic - join Madeleine Dean and Katie Muth for a picnic with your fellow progressives. Suggested contributions. 63 E. 3rd Ave, Collegeville. Please RSVP here.
Monday, 8/13: MCDC Golf Outing - register online here. And then email Amy Calamari if you'd like to join the Area 4 table.
Sunday, 9/29, 12-4pm: Area 4 Beer Fest - at the Variety Club Camp in Worcester, PA. Tickets available online here.
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Candidate Closeup: Madeleine Dean, running for PA 4th District U.S. Congressional seat
Madeleine graduated from La Salle University, and earned her law degree at Widener University. She taught in the English Department at LaSalle for 10 years. Madeleine spent decades volunteering in the political world and then became a public servant herself. She served as a local township commissioner and soon after, was elected to be a state representative in 2012.
Following the shooting at Sandy Hook, Madeleine founded and served as Co-Chair of the PA SAFE caucus. The group is an active coalition of legislators and advocates dedicated to passing legislation to end gun violence. In a legislature comprised of only 19% women, Mad was appointed to the Governor’s Pennsylvania Commission for Women.
Since elected to the State House, Madeleine has been an outspoken member, championing progressive priorities like public education, combating addiction, equal rights, access to healthcare, ethics, criminal justice reform, and gun violence. Issues that matter to those too often ignored. Read about her priorities here.
Want to volunteer to help get Madeleine Dean elected? Click here to sign up.
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Secure Elections
As a swing state, secure elections in Pennsylvania are crucial to maintaining faith in the validity of our elections. To address the issue of secure elections, the Blue Ribbon Commission on Pennsylvania's Election Security was established to bring about concrete improvements in voting security before the next presidential election in 2020. The commission brings together experts from the fields of justice, law and education to assess the state's election security architecture. It is a collaboration between Verified Voting; the University of Pittsburgh's Institute for Cyber Law, Policy and Security; and Carnegie Mellon's Software Engineering Institute CERT Division. It will receive additional support from The Heinz Endowments.
The commission will convene experts and leaders from across the state with a clear goal: strengthening the security of the Pennsylvania voting system. Pennsylvanians rely on this system, including the voting machines, to exercise their right to vote. The announcement of the Blue Ribbon Commission last month received press coverage in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and was detailed in an op-ed in the Philadelphia Inquirer. Here's coverage from the Pottstown-Mercury.
Digital First Media File Photo
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Meetings: Collegeville Dems monthly meetings, to which all Democrats are invited, are held on the last Wednesday of every month from 7:30 to 9 p.m. in the faculty/staff dining room of the Wismer Center on the Ursinus College campus.
Email us at: collegevilledemocrats@gmail.com
Political Resources:
Here are your elected state reps' numbers:
Here are your elected US Congressional reps' numbers:
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Our 2018 Democratic Candidates:
(click on the images to visit their pages)
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