Assorted Thoughts!

Albuquerque Municipal Election – October 4, 2011

Yesterday I went to early vote at the City Annex at 604 Menaul NW. I was not surprised to see that there were no cars in front, it was mid-afternoon, but I was appalled to find that I was voter number 50 for the day!  What is going on? Do people care so little about their city that they are not showing up to vote on these very important bond measures and City Councilor races?  

I know it is a secret ballot, but I am happy to report that I voted yes for Bonds 1-11 and on Bond 13. I voted NO on Bond 12.

Question # 12:  Gross Receipts Tax Revenue Bond

“Shall the City of Albuquerque issue up to $50,000,000 of its gross receipts tax revenue bonds to finance certain capital projects: Paseo Del Norte and I-25 Interchange Improvements (not to exceed $25 million) and a Multi-Sports Complex (not to exceed $25 million) as identified as part of the program generally known as ABQ the Plan?”  *http:www.cabq.gov/clerk

I voted no because I do not believe the hype and I do not trust the Mayor. I encourage everyone to vote and to be sure to vote no on # 12.

I was also asked for a picture ID in order to cast my ballot. I had forgotten that “the voters of Albuquerque passed an amendment to the Election Code of the Albuquerque City Charter on October 4, 2005, that requires voters in a city election to provide a photo identification card prior to voting.” *http://www.lwvabc.org/elections/index.html

HOW DID WE LET THAT HAPPEN??  I vaguely remember the amendment passing, and believe me, I am kicking myself because I did not become a militant fanatic about keeping it from passing. I am like most other voters; things slip by me as life occurs. Well, I am saying something about it now. One of my litmus test questions to a candidate for mayor or city councilor will be: Do you believe in repealing the amendment that demands photo ID for voting in municipal elections? If they answer yes, I will consider them, if they answer no, they will not get my support and I will be vocal in sharing their answers.

One of the joys about being an openly, active Democrat is that people I know in my everyday life often ask me for my opinion on who to vote for and which issues to approve. I estimate that every election I am responsible for 25+ votes. In a low turnout election, like the October 4^th seems doomed to be, this is a huge number. That is why speaking up and sharing your Democratic beliefs is so very important.

Upcoming State Central Committee Meeting and Executive Committee Meeting – September 23 & 24

When I lost the race for State Vice-Chair I also gave up my seat on the State Central Committee (SCC). Well, I am an interested and involved Democrat and I am driving down to Roswell on Friday to spend my money and my time supporting Chaves County Dems and carrying several proxies from my county so that I will have a voice and a vote. I don’t believe that the agenda for the meeting is very pressing but the State Party Bylaws mandate a fall meeting and by golly, a Fall meeting we will have. SCC meetings are always a great opportunity to see Democrats from around the state, old friends, new faces and our State officers. I have attended several of the standing committee meetings and look forward to their reports to the SCC. I am hoping to hear from our DNC members and get substantive reports about what the Democratic National Committee is up to. There was a meeting in mid-September and one earlier this summer. I haven’t seen any reports coming from them as yet. One of the key points of my campaign was the promise to notify each SCC member before I went to a DNC meeting to get their input and then a follow up report when I returned. Let’s see if we can get the current DNC members to do just that.

 

 

 

A Cautionary Tale

The last several weeks of my life have been eaten up by a mistake that I made and tried to rectify. I will tell the story without using the real names or organization. It is a story that needs to be told.

The moral of this tale is: Choose your elected organizational leaders wisely, be rigorous in your questioning of their character, their devotion to the organization and their vision of their leadership.

The story begins with an election. The president of the group was going to run for a second term. While the first term was lack-luster at best, the president’s first board seemed to be hostile.  Not much was accomplished, meetings were rarely held and activities were very limited. This is an organization that has flourished for over 40 years. There have been outstanding presidents, mediocre presidents and a few who did absolutely nothing.

The group survived these inconsistencies because the membership remained steadfast and worked around the bad and mediocre and followed the outstanding to great accomplishments. Now, back to the recent election — The person running for re-election packed the appointed members of the  board with  people who had little history with the organization, only a history with the president.  These folks had no idea of the mission of the group, the by-laws or of the many accomplishments of the organization.  The planning on the part of the president was very clever. The board consists of the president, the immediate past president, the recording secretary, the treasurer and appointed standing committee chairs. In this case there were 9 board members.

The president worked diligently to get her votes to the election and won by 2 votes. Not what anyone would call a mandate, except for the president.  I am embarrassed to say that I was one of those votes. I was flummoxed! I admit it because I like to admit my mistakes, learn from them and move on. I was among the few who recognized the truth eventually, but we were slow in coming to that conclusion. We noted a complete disregard for the organization’s by-laws, a dictatorial behavior that was absolutely unapologetic and the slave like devotion to the president of most of the newer board members.

I was appointed to the board and once there started to point out the problems to the president and the board. Monies were spent without board approval, monies were removed from the bank account and subsequently moved to another bank without board approval and without anyone else on the board having access to the organizational funds.  Meetings were conducted without a proper agenda, the president had virtually no understanding of the process of running a meeting (motions, seconds, discussion and voting) and seemed to feel that if the president stated what would happen, then that was the end of that discussion, case closed.

Once there was dissent in the ranks of the board the president ordered a closed board meeting (against all Democratic Party principles) enlisted a bouncer to keep all but those on the list out and proceeded to remove two of the dissenting board members. No big surprise!  

This is a truncated version of the boring details of this current president. The group is stuck with the president for now but many of us are still working to remedy the situation. I will keep you posted. My purpose is not to tell my little story but to warn all – listen to what your instincts are telling you, I knew from the first time I met the president that this person had major issues, as time wore on I looked the other way and it has caused an organization that I care deeply about to suffer.  The suffering will not be permanent, the organization will persevere but as Democrats we do NOT NEED this distraction, we need to WIN elections.

Redistricting

REDISTRICTING – This vital activity is happening now.  Several weeks ago Senator Linda Lopez presented a great workshop on redistricting, hosted by the Democratic Women of New Mexico, CD 1.About 50 people met at the UNM Law School for the two hour event.   I knew a lot about why the process happens, it follows the ten year census so that populations are more equally represented.  I knew that keeping strong Democratic districts is crucial and that losing a Democratic district due to population shift is always a threat. What I certainly did not know was just how complex and multi-pronged the process is.

 Senator Lopez serves as the Co-Chair of the Legislature’s Redistricting Committee. She knows what she is talking about. She has served as a state senator for more than 15 years which gives her added as well as experienced insight. I will not write about the intricacies involved, but I will point you in the direction she gave to the attendees – right to the legislative website!  http://www.nmlegis.gov/lcs/redcensus/

 There is a wealth of information there including current district maps, proposed district maps, public hearing schedules and other information sources concerning redistricting.  You can even join the redistricting email list, I did.  The committee is meeting in Acoma, Gallup and Farmington August 3 – 5 and in Albuquerque and Rio Rancho August 15 – 16.  They will head north to Las Vegas and Santa Fe August 30-31.  Public input is encouraged. You can get more about that at their website.

 I have been concerned about the role that the Democratic State Party has been taking in redistricting.  I am told that the Party leadership is in conversation with the redistricting committee and the legislative leadership, but I don’t see anything going out to members of the Party.  There are several gatherings planned in August for interested parties but there does not seem to be a concerted and specific effort to educate and mobilize Party members.  The Democratic Party barely holds the majority in the State House (36 D, 33 R and 1 I). We do better in the State Senate (27 D, 15 R).  These narrow margins are in jeopardy.  This is just the kind of issue that our State Party should be addressing.

 Where is our leadership? Where are the educational events, where are the press releases, where are the press conferences?  I already know that we are stuck with Martinez as our Governor, I already know that she is a nightmare walking, I already know that Heather Wilson is in “bed” with Karl Rove! I want leadership to LEAD my Party. I want them to push our Democratic Values by example and by deed. 

 These are questions we need to ask our Party leadership.  They should be called to answer and then to act.  I plan to attend the Albuquerque redistricting meeting. I will post the location as soon as it is announced. I hope to see many of you there, and I sure hope to see our State and County Party leadership in attendance.

A VERY BIG DEAL!! Supporting the Democratic Party

State Party Rule 4 outlines the State Central Committee’s Powers and Authority. Financing is one of those. It reads: “The policy of the DPNM is that its business shall be financed primarily by the contributions from each of its individual members as their means allow. The State Central Committee has the responsibility of fulfilling that policy by maintaining a systematic program for soliciting and collecting such contributions. It shall have the authority for appropriation of state party funds.”  This is a VERY BIG DEAL!!

 It is also totally overlooked by SCC members and most state officers.  I know that none of us want to give to any organization until we have clarity concerning how the funds are to be used and then see a report on those expenditures, but ignoring the harsh reality of funding the Party is not an option. The State Party needs our financial support. If you want to be a member of the SCC then you had better be prepared to demand a budget and financial reports AND then to contribute as you can afford. I don’t care if it is $5 a month, it is necessary and it is meaningful. My point being, we have to do more than demand transparency, we have to contribute as well.

 I have long believed that this is the answer to Democratic Party finances. When I worked at the Bernalillo County Democratic Party I worked hard to create a sustaining member program – the ask was $10 per month. Some people got on board but most ignored my many requests and some just went ballistic!   There are around 425 SCC members, if each were to give $10 per month we would have $4,240 in the bank each month, a total for the year of $51,000. While this would not completely support the Party’s efforts it would certainly help.  

 Each SCC member should be giving time in some way as a volunteer.  The SCC is the governing body of the State Democratic Party.  SCC members should be the first to step up in their county or in their community.  Recently I was asked to serve on the Bernalillo County Party Budget Committee.  I was honored to be asked by our County Chair and I look forward to serving.   

 The same goes for members of County Central Committees, the responsibility needs to be shared by all.  Financing your party is part of the job description and we can no longer afford to ignore it.

Mission Statement

My reason for writing this blog is very simple; I want elected Party officials from precinct chairs to state chair to be held accountable for their actions. I want Democrats who seek and win those positions to pay attention! I want them to understand that they have a job to do and then I want them to do it. The rules spell out the basic duties but I believe responsibility goes deeper than that. I believe that as a Party officer you need to hold your leaders accountable to their promises. You need to demand transparency in financial dealings. You need to ask for a timeline for completion of projects and you need to be there to help get the job done.

Party officers at all levels need to have a good familiarity of the party rules; they are available at http://nmdemocrats.org/ under the PARTY heading. The rules are the bones of the organization and are there to make sure that all members are on the same page. I’ve talked about the rules before, they are messy, they are incomplete, they are sometimes confusing, but they are ours. If you want them changed, and I do, go to the Rules Committee meetings so that you can see what they are up to. The Chair, David Thomson, will take comments from non-members as time permits. Every time I raised my hand he called on me.

I am not a person who keeps referring to Robert’s Rules of Order to make sure that every word is compliant but having a firm foundation to go to in times of confusion or conflict is important.

In my experience, the Democratic Party is loaded with differing opinions, personalities and plans for the future. Those are some of the many things I love about being a Democrat. If I wanted people telling me how to think and then let them do everything they wanted without consulting me, I would be a Republican. Clearly, I do not feel that questioning authority in the Party is wrong. I think it is necessary. I will ask a precinct chair if they are holding meetings, walking or calling their precinct members just like I will question a County or State Chair about what they are doing to forward the Party. I will also ask if I can help in any way. We all need to work together but that does not mean we cannot expect the absolute best from one another.

Democrats are stepping up every day to support candidates, educate each other and spread the good word. On Saturday the Democratic Women of New Mexico, CD 1, are sponsoring a workshop on Re-districting. Senator Linda Lopez will be presenting and this is just one of many opportunities made available by Democratic Party affiliated organizations. This workshop will be held at the UNM Law School, Room 2401 from 1:00-3:00 PM and is free. I know I will be there to learn more about the process and how I might impact the eventual outcome. Last weekend I went to a house party for Sen. Tim Keller to help with his 2012 re-election. There are more planned in the near future. Sen. Keller is not in my district but he is an outstanding Senator and I want to support him.

In my view, this is some of what a political party does. We are a community, we help each other, we educate each other and we support each other to further our common goal – electing Democrats to office.

Wow! A Democratic State Party Legislative Fund Request

I imagine many of you received the letter from DPNM requesting that we help to “hold our majorities”. We are told that we can do this by contributing $20, $40, $60 or more to the Legislative Fund.  Sounds reasonable, but when anyone asks me to blindly trust them to spend money on my behalf, I expect to either see a plan, see some results or at the very least have trust for them going in. I do not trust the State Party with my money.

I have trusted them in the past, I have been a monthly contributor but, when we know better we do better. I was an enabler.  I have allowed the State Party to spend my money and yours by not demanding a detailed and clear financial report at SCC meetings.  I served as CD 1 Vice Chair for four years and although I requested it many times, I was NEVER provided with a financial report that gave easy to read information. I have been told for years that all the monies spent are on record with both the FEC and the Secretary of State, available on line.   This is not good enough, we deserve better!

I have looked at the FEC reports on line; they are often over 50 pages in length and are confusing. They reflect monies spent from several of the many accounts political parties must have in order to be compliant, federal, non-federal, and on and on. I worked at the State Party for many years and have more than a passing knowledge of this system but I have not been to compliance training in years and believe me, those rules change almost weekly.

When I say I want a financial report I want to see how much money came in and how it was raised. Was it the result of a fund raising event (like the annual Legislative Dinner), was it from individual one time donors, was it from sustaining (monthly or quarterly donors) was it raised by the Chairman during call time or was it contributed by the DNC? Then I want to see how it was spent. Did it go for staff salaries, rent, utilities, office supplies, printing, or equipment?  I want to know how much was in the various accounts at the beginning of the month and how much was in it at the end of the month. I want to see that report EVERY month. In my experience, when people hide what should be open information, it is usually because they have something to hide.  I am not insinuating malfeasance, I am suggesting incompetence.  I don’t think that the State Party is raising enough money and I don’t think that what is raised is being wisely spent.

One of the State Party employees was at a meeting I attended last week This person proudly stated that a fundraising letter had gone out and that they had done the ENTIRE mailing in house. Are you kidding me? All mailings should be done entirely in house.  They have interns, staff and volunteers who can do those mailings. Copying, folding, stuffing envelopes and stamping a nonprofit post office permit number on the envelope are jobs that interns, staff and volunteers have done for years. Why are any mailings done at a professional printer or a mail house?

I am all for using good union printers when their expertise is needed for flyers, slick mailers, etc. but this kind of project is perfect for volunteers. I have offered my services many times and have not been called.  I know it is easier on the staff to take everything to a printer and whoosh! Just like magic the job is done. Recruiting volunteers and training them can be messy and time consuming.  However the benefit is more than financial.  Volunteers want to volunteer. They want to do their part and they are a part of the much larger picture of getting votes to the candidates for every election.

I have always said that every involved Democrat brings their own vote and the vote of many others to the polls with them. My friends, family and acquaintances know that I am politically involved and come election time they are asking me who to vote for, I am happy to tell them and that gets another person’s vote.  The key word in that sentence is involved.  This is a win/win/win situation. The Party gets free labor, the party members get to contribute and be included and the candidates reap the benefits of more votes at election time.

We can talk all we want about the horror that is Susana Martinez and how she is ruining our state, but something tells me that we can undermine her destruction by getting Democrats to vote, and we can do that in great part by involving Democrats at every level.  I will be pleased to contribute financially in the future… just as soon as I see the budget and monthly financial reports that tell me that there is a plan in place and that the plan is being followed.

A Few Words on Committees

Let me begin by saying that ALL meetings of the Democratic Party are public. You do not need to be a committee member to attend.  The meetings are posted on the state party website at www.nmdemocrats.org.  Every two years, following the election of the Democratic Party State Chair and some committee members, the Chair appoints the remaining members as outlined in the Party rules.  There are four standing committees and the Judicial Council.

The Judicial Council

The Council reviews challenges concerning the election of delegates, State Central Committee Members, County officers and County Central Committee members. They are also empowered to interpret rules if the Chair requests in writing that the do so. The State Vice Chair presides and the CD representatives both male and female are automatic members. The Chair appoints three more members and three alternate members.

I served on the judicial Council for four years as CD one Vice Chair. It was always interesting, and sometimes challenging.

Rules Committee

This committee is self explanatory. They recommend revisions to the rules and assist counties in adopting and amending county rules as well. Rules are tough!  The rules don’t state it but the members also have to act as cheerleaders and lobbyists to make sure their rules revisions get passed by the State Central Committee! There have been SCC meetings in the past where a quorum was not present, the only real business was to pass rules revisions and everyone went home unhappy and annoyed because business could not be conducted. The State Rules Committee HAS to make sure that the SCC members are educated about the changes and they need to make sure they can get those members to attend.

The State Rules can be contradictory and confusing. They have needed major revisions for years. The rules are the “bones” of any organization and you want a sturdy set to see the organization through the tough times. Chairman Gonzales appointed David Thomson of Santa Fe as the Chair. The State Chair appoints all eleven members. I attended Chairman Thomson’s first meeting and was impressed. He seems a fair-minded, intelligent man and ran a very good meeting. I have hope for this group and will keep reporting as they progress.

State Platform and Resolutions Committee (SPARC)

I confess, this committee is not my cup of tea. I applaud the members; they are dedicated and work diligently to look over the many resolutions that come from wards and precincts (and districts if you live in Dona Ana County). They meld these diverse resolutions into a workable group that they submit to the SCC for approval.  The final outcomes of the resolutions, after being approved by the SCC go to the DNC for the consideration of the National Platform and Resolutions Committee for possible inclusion in the Democratic Party Platform.  

This year the committee re-elected Nancy Denker as their Chair. She served during the last cycle and has made enormous inroads into the consistency and tenor of the meetings. She and the committee implemented an electronic form for submission of resolutions that was long needed. When I worked at DPNM I can remember long nights of typing resolutions scribbled on envelopes, napkins, whatever  else might have been submitted. The resolutions had to be presented in readable print and, WOW, what a challenge. Sometimes you only had one page, you had no idea who the author was and you just had to soldier on.  Perhaps that is why I cannot fathom why someone would want to do that work, but I am certainly happy that they do.

SPARC is on the frontline of protecting our Democratic Party principles. I encourage everyone to attend a meeting or two just to see how hard they work.

 

Budget Committee

This is a fairly recent addition. The State Party Treasurer is the Chair and there are two members elected from each CD, one male, one female, and the State Chair appoints the other four members. They are  charged with “assuring that SCC members are provided with accurate and adequate financial information to allow them to make an informed decision when asked to approve the proposed budget.”  Well, we have a new Treasurer and I am willing to give him the time to perform this duty. The first meeting has to be formally called by July 15, 2011 and rumor has it that the meeting will be held on July 30^th.  In my estimation, the SCC has NEVER been given adequate information  in order to approve a budget. 

I feel that the budget and supporting information should be sent to each SCC member at least 1 month before the SCC meeting that has budget approval on its agenda. Printing a little report in the booklet that is handed out the day of the meeting is not sufficient. SCC members need time to digest the information, ask questions and get answers, before being asked to vote yes or no.  If that kind of (and I hate to use the term!) transparency is not present then there should be no approval… period. This is one of those times when SCC members need to pay attention and perform thier fiduciary duty to the organization.

Affirmative Action Committee

New Mexico should be bursting with pride! We are one of about a dozen states that have an active Affirmative Action Committee. Most states only activate their committees to help with the Delegate Selection process for the national conventions.  Not here, we are a diverse state and there is always plenty of work to be done to assure the participation of all Democrats in our process. The committee is ably led by Chair Barb Glazer.  The committee’s purpose is “to reach out to any and all American Citizens, especially minorities to take an active part in the ongoing political process of the Democratic Party of New Mexico.”  The committee meets every other month and includes ten elected members, six by CD, four at large and four appointed by the State Chair.  These are thoughtful meetings and I again recommend that everyone attend occasionally, I know I will.

To Sum it Up

All I ask is that committee members who won elections and those who sought and received appointments SHOW UP and PARTICIPATE!  There are many who did not win or who were not appointed who are willing and happy to do the work involved.  If you decide it is not for you, for whatever reason, resign and let someone else take your place.  If you are a State Central Committee Member, pay attention! See what these committees are doing and support them or if you don’t like what they are doing let them know. This Democratic Party silence is deafening.

County Party Elections

         I have helped organize and run Democratic Party elections for 16 years. I have been a volunteer and a paid staff member of the Democratic State Party and the Democratic Bernalillo County Party.  For most of that time there was a procedure in place for elections.  These processes and procedures were missing during the most recent County and State Party elections.

 Election of State Central Committee Members at the County Party Election 2011

         The election of State Central Committee members is done every two years at the County Central meeting. The voting is done according to Appendix A of the Democratic Party State Rules, this process is used for any office where there will be more than one person holding the same position, there are more than 125 Bernalillo County State Central Committee members elected. They must be equally men and women with a variance of only one.   Appendix A voting is simple, but it is only used every two years. It looks and sounds complex and most people who have participated less than one time are thoroughly confused.   The system could use a change, but that posting will come on another day! For the time being, Appendix A it is.  The process needs to be explained completely so that the voting done is meaningful.

          For many years there was a chalkboard available to write your name on if you wished to run for the State Central Committee. Only people who signed up to run were considered for election. For example, if I received a vote, but my name was not on the board, the vote would go to the next name down on the ballot.  This helped to preserve the integrity of the office, only people who wanted to serve were allowed to receive votes.  After a while it was determined that a permanent record of the names listed would be of value in possible disputes. At that time they started taping a long sheet of butcher paper to the wall and providing a Sharpie pen for candidates to write their name on. This could be rolled and preserved at headquarters in case of any problems.  This was a good system.

          At the last County election, those wanting to run had their name placed on a post-it note that was affixed to the wall. These could be lost or easily disposed of and were very hard to see but even that shortcoming did not matter, people were elected who did not have their name posted.  The vote counting process was chaotic and came at the end of a six+ hour day.  I have no idea as to the accuracy of the outcome. 

 Election of County Party Officers at the County Party Election 2011

            County Central Committee (CCC) members were directed to the lobby of the Convention Center where tables had been set up for checking in. The packets were organized by last name and one was told to sign by their name before they were allowed to receive their packet which contained their credentials and their ballots.  If you were carrying a proxy for another member of your Ward, you were asked to sign next to the County Central Member’s name in order to receive their packet.  That would seem to be good. It was not. The volunteers behind the sign-in tables seemed poorly trained, computers were not working and there was not a line for handicapped accessibility.  Signatures were often illegible for both the CCC members and the proxy holders.  It is not the fault of the volunteers, they were trying to do a good job, they just were unprepared for CCC members reaching over the tables in frustration to grab packets and then walk away without signing anything.  Not a good start to the day. 

             Once the elections began it was clear that the process was not in place.  CCC members filled in ballots and then were directed to dump them into large boxes that were being passed around. No one asked to see a credential; people were putting multiple ballots into the boxes unchecked.  In the past there was an orderly depositing of the ballots in a box at the front of the room after a poll watcher checked the CCC members name on the ballot and made a check mark on the credential to show that a ballot had been voted.  People have always left these meetings early and they have handed their ballots to remaining CCC members, but they were required to leave their credential as well to verify their vote.  I witnessed people picking up discarded ballots on chairs and voting them in addition to their own. There was absolutely no control of the vote.

             While the rules do not address the procedure and process of an election, there needs to be a process and procedure policy in place that does outline the proper way to conduct an election. Those running the election were shortsighted, they did not anticipate the chaos, but they also did not think it through nor did they ask for assistance.  County Central Committee members need to demand more. They need to insist on things being done correctly and fairly.  County Central members who left their ballots sitting on empty chairs should be ashamed of themselves. They were elected to represent their ward and not voting is as bad as not showing up.  People who picked these ballots up and voted them should be ashamed as well, as should those who were conducting the election and allowing people to vote multiple ballots without credentials. 

             I take these elections seriously, I take the duties of office seriously and being a County Central Committee member is a responsibility that is requested when a person asks to be elected.  We need to expect more of those office holders and to hold each other accountable.

            I will tackle the State Central Committee Elections in another post – it certainly deserves its own!!

Happy Fourth!

                My name is Terri and I am an unabashed Democratic Party Geek! I say this with considerable pride.  I am like so many others, I came to the Democratic Party through my parents, walking precincts and folding flyers.  I remember my parents watching the Democratic Convention on television and I remember my mom crying when Adlai Stevenson lost. I saw things very clearly, there was us and there were them!  

                 That was my viewpoint in my senior year of high school when our instructor had the class read “The Making of the President 1960” by Theodore H. White. She was a tough teacher and my friends and I practically memorized that book.  The behind the scenes view of political campaigns cemented my future.  I love the promise of a new and exciting leader. I love doing my best to help that person succeed. That is why the Party structure is so important to me.  The “bones” of the organization are important.

                I went to Washington, D.C. in May and was struck by the deep sense of gratitude and history that I had surrounded by so many symbols of our nation. Everywhere I looked there were purposeful people doing the business of our government.  Standing on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial and looking out past the Washington Monument and on to the Capitol was breathtaking. It occurred to me that every citizen, every inhabitant of our country should make a pilgrimage to our nation’s capitol regularly.  I know that I will be going back soon.

                Today is our countries birthday and I wish her well! The founding fathers were brave men.  They were risking their lives and the lives of their families by forming this nation. I don’t know that I would have had the foresight or the grit to do the same.  I still find most republicans hard to understand and don’t have many who are friends. I do know some who are family, but, what can you do?  I am by nature an optimist and I keep hoping that these poor, disillusioned folks will wake up!  Until that happens, the Democratic Party is where you will find me, trying hard, working hard and speaking out.

Party Finances

This week I attended an Executive Committee meeting of the Bernalillo County Democratic Party. It was very nice, a potluck and barbeque held in Vice-Chair Cheryl Harris’s back yard with her husband Bob at the grill.  There were 20 or so of the 44 wards represented, almost doubled from the meeting last month. I was very happy to see the greater participation. Party business was discussed, motions were made and voted on and then…the FUNDRAISING PROPOSAL was passed out. I agree, county parties need funding and the proposed goal was reasonable, $15,000. The plan has two components – (1) several large events scattered throughout the year and (2) member donations. 

Here is my question:

When will the Bernalillo County Democratic Party make a detailed financial statement available to its County Central members?  I am not talking about one of those “we raised $ xxx. We spent $ xxx and now we have $ xxx “ reports.  The County Central Committee  (CCC) serves the county much as the State Central Committee (SCC) serves the state, they are the governing body of the organization.  The CCC needs to have pertinent information in order to make informed decisions. The CCC must demand an accounting on at least a quarterly basis.  If the County Officers expect CCC members to raise funds then they had better tell us how the funds are being spent and they need to report this in a timely, professional way.

The County Party Treasurer is an appointed position and is strictly voluntary. That person should be provided with a detailed and public budget, all receipts for monies spent and copies of every check that is donated with the full contact information of every person donating.  Volunteers want to serve, they are entitled to have all the tools necessary to do their job well.

This is not just a problem with the Bernalillo County Democratic Party, it starts at the top with the State Democratic Party. The expense report provided to the State Central Committee is incomplete and confusing.  I want to see expenditures itemized by category. For example, at the last SCC meeting it was brought up that the State Party had spent $42,000 on the Pre-Primary Convention at Buffalo Thunder. This fact was not present in the Treasurer’s report, it came up as a question from the floor and was confirmed by Chairman Gonzales.  The Pre-Primary was a lot of fun, very energizing and the delegates got the job done, but at what financial cost?  Those funds could have been allocated more wisely.   One example is state legislative candidates who could have used a bit of seed money for their campaign.

Both the CCC and the SCC members get elected to govern their respective organizations. I feel that those members have a duty to PAY ATTENTION to what officers are saying and what they are doing.  It is similar to sitting on a board of directors. Would you abdicate responsibility for the actions of those at the top by ignoring what they are doing with corporate funds? I hope not. The duty here is no less important. If you don’t want to pay attention, don’t run for the office. If you notice these irregularities – SPEAK UP!