Happy Fall!

The leaves will soon be changing colors, Halloween is right around the corner, and we can feel the temperature changing!

Locally, COVID-19 community spread is categorized as High by the CDC. We encourage all residents of St. Mary’s County to wear masks, wash their hands, and socially distance when possible. You can view the latest data on the Health Department’s COVID-19 Data Dashboard (https://smchd.org/covid-19-data/). One of the best things you can do to protect yourself and others from COVID-19 is getting vaccinated. Find out more about local vaccination opportunities from the Health Department (https://smchd.org/covid-19-vaccine/). It’s up to all of us, working together, to stop the spread of COVID-19.

Read on for more local developments involving St. Mary’s County Democrats!

Democratic Central Committee

Last month, volunteers helped staff the St. Mary’s County Democrat’s table at the St. Mary’s County Fair! We met a lot of local Dems who are looking to get involved and learn about our local priorities.

We were visited by Charles County Commissioner Gilbert “BJ” Bowling. Thanks for stopping by!

We also participated in the St. Mary's County Fair Parade!

Have you thought about running for office?

We’re fielding candidates RIGHT NOW and would love to speak with you. Not ready to run? Join us in supporting great candidates by working on their team. Email us at [email protected] and say “Let’s get to work!”

Have you joined our recurring donor program, Skipjack Circle? Perks received at each of the four levels are explained in the above photo. Your small dollar monthly donations--no matter the amount--help us grow our party and support Democratic candidates. ANY AMOUNT HELPS!

The DCC is currently conducting interviews to fill vacancies for three Associate Members. These members may be appointed anytime and do not need to run for election to keep their position. All appointments will be made with gender-balancing in mind. To apply, please send a copy of your resume to [email protected]. 

You can view the Candidate Form, and more information about gender balancing, on our website. (https://www.stmarysdemocrats.org/interested_in_running) 

We are also looking for the next generation of Democrats! If you are interested in helping form the Young Democrats of St. Mary’s County, make sure you fill out the interest form HERE [(https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdR5AchU8i9Jj4uboEXaKrIDAxgR7EQRMVSnajjhXvGigd_0g/viewform)]

Upcoming Events:

• Next Meeting: October 20th at 6pm. If interested in attending, please email [email protected] or message us on social media for the link.

• Knock the 8th: Over the next few months, we will be knocking on doors of Democrats in the 8th Election Precinct to engage them in conversations about what local and national issues are important to them. Contact Roderick Lewis at [email protected] for more information, or Sign Up Here

• Ashwani Jain, candidate for Governor, will have his MOBILE OFFICE in St. Mary's County on October 8th. He will be at Chaptico Park (26600 Budds Creek Rd.) from 10-11AM, and at John G. Lancaster Park (21550 Willows Rd.) from 3-4PM. 

• Join us at Brudergarten on October 29th for our Election Season Kickoff! 

Democratic Club

The Club met on September 20th, with Doug Gansler, candidate for governor, as our guest. We appreciate Mr. Gansler spending time connecting with local democrats and explaining his vision for Maryland.

You may now pay your dues online. Annual dues are $25 for an individual and $35 for a family. To join, renew, or make a donation to the club online please visit St. Mary’s Democratic Club Paypal

When paying, please include your email address and indicate whether you are a new or renewing member.

You can also mail a check to:

St. Mary’s County Democratic Club
PO BOX 631
Leonardtown, MD 20650

Upcoming Events:

• Our next meeting is October 18th at 7PM. John King, candidate for governor, will join to discuss his vision for Maryland.

I Am St. Mary’s

The next general meeting of IAMSTMARYS, Democratic Women of St. Mary’s is Wednesday, October 27, 2021 at 6:00pm Social and 6:30pm Business. We’ll be at the Leonardtown Library in meeting room #2. Topics include GOTV activities in our county and brainstorming a Report Card of SMC Commissioners.

IAMSTMARYS held an in person general meeting on September 13, at the Pavilion at the Port of Leonardtown Winery; and yes, it was hot, but so great to see all those hardy women! 

Meeting Highlights— 

—Brenda Songy made a presentation on the GOTV post card writing being done by a number of women in our county through Marcia Greenberg and her friends. The group has written GOTV messages to Democratic voters in Georgia, California, Florida, and now Virginia.

—Julie Randall spoke about the importance of women being involved in elections, as well as the importance of the YMCA project, which has had a strong committee pushing for the Y over the last 6 years. As of now the site selection of either Nicolette Park or the Great Mills HS area is being studied. It is important that we continue to advance this project. Contact Marcia Greenberg or Janice Walthour if you would like to be involved, and/or please fill out this county comprehensive plan survey at https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/comp_plan_update_CRC2Z9M. See our private FB page Nevertheless, she persisted… for Marcia’s tips on filling out the survey. If you are not part of our private FB page and would like to be, please email [email protected].  

—Miriam Klapka gave a very informative presentation about the Redistricting Boards—the Governor’s at the state level, charged with determining the congressional and legislative districts; and our county’s redistricting board, charged with determining the commissioner districts. The state’s board of 9 members are evenly represented by Democrats, Republicans and Unaffiliateds; the county’s is all Republican. Link to presentation here https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1A7lDxYl3PgKbpvbCwah_xcpFs_Y2blfi/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=110819738904281151262&rtpof=true&sd=true

Show your County Democratic Pride! T shirts are available for $20. Send an email to [email protected] to request one. 

Members of #IAMSTMARYS participated in the St. Mary's County Fair Parade as well!

Delegate Brian Crosby

Delegate Brian Crosby held a fundraiser at Woodlawn Farm on Oct. 3. The event was well-attended and was an open-air event where people were able to maintain social distance and safety while enjoying each other's company. Gubernatorial Candidate, John King, attended the event (all democratic gubernatorial and comptroller candidates were invited). He made remarks focused around how important it is for us, locally, to support Delegate Crosby in his re-election bid. If you were unable to attend the event, but you would still like to contribute to the Delegate's re-election campaign, click here. Any contribution you can give is much appreciated.

St. Mary's County Democratic Central Committee Vice Chair, Brandon Russell, encourages attendees to get involved locally.

John King, Maryland Gubernatorial Candidate, shares his story and his vision for Maryland.

Team Crosby, in tandem with the DCC, is also knocking doors this fall in 29B.  If you would like to help, please sign up here.  The purpose of this canvassing effort is to find out what is on voters' minds right now and to let people know that we have another very important election year coming up in 2022. If you sign up, you will receive a t-shirt to wear and you will be working with a team and knocking "friendly" doors!

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