Baldwin County Democrats Newsletter Dec. 1, 2024

Dec. 1, 2024

Looking for upcoming events? Scroll to bottom

So Now What?

Fielding and Funding Local Candidates

So now what?

That’s what Baldwin County Democrats are asking county and state leaders.

The answer is clear and simple.

Going into 2025, Baldwin County Democrats will be laser-focused on getting names on as many municipal ballots as possible, raising money to support them and recruiting volunteers to take their message to the voters.

Rest assured the wheels are turning. County chairs across Alabama already are banding together for this mission. Workshops on fielding and training candidates are on the January calendar. Baldwin County volunteers right now are making lists of municipal races, logging election dates and filing deadlines.

Our political focus going into 2025 will switch to local issues and local races. Shomari Figures was out ahead of that on his winning campaign. His focus on local Alabama issues like healthcare and rural hospital closings, jobs, childcare and local economy is what lifted him to victory, he said on MSNBC’s The Weekend right after his election.

“The focus on local culture, local history, local knowledge of what’s happening in your community” and not “playing into national issues” is the tactic that is taking him to Congress, he said.

We’re looking for school board members who will champion real history and science, library board members who will fight against right-wing censorship, mayors and city council members who will steward our environment in the face of unchecked development. We’re seeking out young people ready to take the reins to grow Baldwin County Democrats and usher us into the future.

As we focus on day-to-day issues that rule people’s lives, we will not abandon our commitment to supporting the dignity, health and civil rights of all genders in the face of Conservatives emboldened in their attempts to erode our freedoms.

Our pregnant wives and daughters can bleed out in a hospital parking lot - if they can find one in the midst of rampant Alabama hospital closings. That's real and it's happening right here right now.

Our LGBTQ+ neighbors are actively scapegoated at GOP town halls, fearing now more than ever for their loves and livelihoods. That's real and it's happening right here right now.

Schools are erasing Black history form curriculums and businesses are tossing Diversity, Equity and inclusion policies into the circular file. That's real and it's happening right here right now.

We’re going to need an influx of cash to fund our local candidates. State and national Democratic organizations are not going to send us any money, so we’re going to have to rely on our own resources. This is not a result of the historic dysfunction of the Alabama Democratic party (BTW, we have a plan for that) but is the typical relationship between counties, states and the national party across the country. So funding our candidates for success is on us. Fortunately, we have lots of resources here in Baldwin County.

Going forward, we can see each name on a ballot as a win, no matter how the votes tally up in the end. Each time a voter sees a Dem in a local race, they know they have a choice. That's the first step on the long road to reversing the red grip on Alabama politics.

Donate to fund 2025 candidates here

Landmark Status Wins Big

Look for Environment and Infrastructure to Headline 2025 Local Elections

Landmark districts won big on Baldwin County ballots Nov. 5.

Local constitutional amendments on the Nov. 5 ballot created “landmark districts” around three unincorporated communities in Baldwin County to fend off possible annexation by larger nearby cities.

Supporters of the proposed districts of White House Fork, Stapleton and Bon Secour won about 85 percent approval by Baldwin County voters in a move to push back against municipalities that already have expanded their police and zoning jurisdiction beyond city limits, a move many voters view as a first step to annexing them later.

Landmark status will “help preserve our way of life, our identity and our heritage,” Bart Rider, advocate for the measure in White House Fork, said. “The landmark district would give our community a legal identity and a collective voice. Residents of White House Fork and surrounding communities would have the right to vote should a municipality propose annexation - taxation.”

Baldwin County Democrats can look for these resoundingly popular environmental and quality-of-life issues to be at the center of municipal, county and state elections over the coming two years. Community leaders are campaigning for infrastructure and environmental standards to be met before granting approval to new development.

From Loxley to Lillian, voters are turning out in numbers to county commission meetings to oppose developers’ rezoning bids that would transform agricultural and forest lands to moderate or dense urban residential neighborhoods. They want updates to roads, schools, public safety agencies, water and sewer systems before giving the green light to developers.

Water quality is a bipartisan issue with special resonance in our beauteous region of bays, beaches and bayous - many critically in danger or damaged not only by industrial irresponsibility, but also by careless residential growth. Poorly planned home construction is polluting our treasured waters with soil runoff, construction debris and sewage. It is drowning homeowners with expensive repair and insurance bills that come with flooding that happens when natural water flow patterns are fecklessly disrupted.

Democrats and Republicans alike bear the brunt of this negligence. But it is no secret that Republican county commissioners and city planners are prone to the powers of the purse, usually voting in favor of land investors even in the face of massive opposition at public hearings, on petitions, mailings and at meetings.

Disregarding hundreds of signatures and compelling vocal opposition in several rezoning cases, the county commission last month OK’d 2-1 another of several unpopular Lillian area rezoning cases brought over the last year. Skip Gruber and Jeb Ball voted to approve, Matt McKenzie to deny and Billie Jo Underwood was conveniently absent.

Gruber said it may be time to update the master plan to be more favorable to “property owners.” It is not fair to deny a property owner’s right to develop an investment property bought with the intent of making a profit, he said.

“Sometimes the master plan outgrows itself, “ he said. "I think our master plan needs to be redone and looked at.”

“We are a property owners’ rights state and I take that seriously,” Gruber said.

But property owners who live nearby spoke at the meeting about ways the new development could infringe on their investment and their way of life. Neighbors cited flooding, foul odor and sewage issues, referring to Alabama Department of Environmental Action involvement regarding existing problems with sewage in the creek flowing into Perdido Bay.

“They just want the money,” said Lillian landowner Andrea Andrews. “They don’t want to do what was proposed by the original settlers and citizens.”

Lillian neighbors are now circulating petitions to apply for landmark status.

News From Across the Bridge

Blue Panhandle Coalition Eyes Gaetz Seat

A Message to Baldwin County From former Harris Campaign Manager Dianne Krumel

The Pensacola Harris campaign volunteers are going to be canvassing for the special election to replace Matt Gaetz's seat! So we're all staying together and a lot of us have joined our Blue Panhandle Coalition organization.

The primary is January 28th and the General Election for this race will be April 1st. We are trying to help collect petitions for the Democrat the Blue Panhandle Coalition will support, Gay Valimont, (she was on the 2024 ballot). We'll be canvassing to get people to sign up for Vote by Mail again as everyone's request for a ballot in the mail expires the end of this year.

We'll also be letting Democrats know abut the special election coming up. We have HOPE! Look what y'all did with Doug Jones! Anyway, if ever y'all want to join us for canvassing again, we'd love to have you join with us.

While we lost horribly in the state of Florida, the average county moving further to the right by 10 percent, Escambia only moved 3 percent to the right in support of Trump. For that I am extremely proud and know that it was with your help from the Alabama team that we were able to achieve those numbers.

But now it looks like Matt Gaetz is going to run for governor of Florida!

UPCOMING EVENTS

Please join us

LuLu's

December 10

4:30 - 6:30

EACH year our club gives back to the community. This year we have chosen the South Baldwin Literacy Council

to show that we "CARE."

They have just moved into a new building. Click on their web page link below and it will tell you all about them.

It will show you everything they do,

and they have a wish list for the new building.

If you want and are able to give,

you can buy something on the list or just bring a donation in the form of a check or cash to our social.

To give you an idea, sponsoring one child

for a month is $26.00.

SBLC

The Baldwin County Democrats Newsletter...

Comes out the first Sunday of every month in your inbox.

We encourage reader submissions and suggestions for content. Deadline for submissions of articles and event listings is the last Wednesday of the month.

Please send submissions, suggestions and comments to bcdchair@baldwindemocrats.org

PLEASE NOTE CHANGED EMAIL ADDRESS

Baldwin County Democrats

P.O. Box 2942

Gulf Shores, AL 36542

(251) 284-3947

info@baldwindemocrats.org

PLEASE DONATE TO BCD!