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ACTION ITEM
OF THE MONTH
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Let's Be Honest
We're not where we want to be with our goal to raise $10,000 to support local campaigns.
With only two weeks to go, we are about half-way to our goal.
We need your help!
Reserve your seats now for the BCD Event of the Year
Please invite friends to join us to
fund Blues on our Baldwin County Ballots.
Once again, Where Does the Money Go?
All the proceeds go to fund campaigns in Baldwin County
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What's The Most Impactful Thing You Can Do
This Spring
To Build a Blue Baldwin County?
We organized community involvement teams.
We came out to canvas for Gay Valimont.
We made headlines when about 100 of us stood up to tell Barry Moore that Project 2025 is not business as usual.
So this ask is an easy one:
Treat yourself to a place at the table for "A Candid Conversation with Doug Jones." Then call five friends and ask them to join you.
Our major fundraising event of the year, BCD invites you to a magical evening of personal chats with former Alabama Sen. Doug Jones amid the charm and elegance of a local vineyard.
Why is this so Important?
If we want to see candidates on our ballot, we have to be able to support them. All proceeds from the event go to funding Baldwin County campaigns. Your generous donations will buy things like yard signs, flyers and promotional items. This will also be a first opportunity to meet local candidates running in Baldwin County municipal and state elections over the next two years. Alabama U.S. Senate candidate Kyle Sweetser, Mobile, will also speak.
Don't miss this opportunity to experience the BCD event of the year, "A Candid Conversation With Doug Jones." Join like-minded folks on May 18 and bring your personal questions to beloved former U.S. Senator Doug Jones. Tickets are $50.
Jones will mix and mingle in a Q and A with Baldwin Dems 6-9 p.m. Sun., May 18 at the Southern Grove Vineyard, 10176 CR 32, Fairhope. Jones will host a “fireside chat” style discussion as he welcomes questions on the topics of the day, focusing on the disturbing threats to democracy in DC and at home.
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Baldwin County
Beats
This is a new feature that will spotlight reports from local Dems who are attending municipal meetings around the county as part of our initiative to promote civic engagement and pinpoint winning issues for local candidates
Please send your briefs to bcdchair@baldwindemocrats.org
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Overflow Crowd Faces off with Moms for Liberty
at Fairhope City Council
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Tuesday’s Fairhope City Council meeting was emotional and packed to overflow, as residents turned out in force to weigh in on the future of the Fairhope Public Library.
The opposition is largely driven by Moms for Liberty, led locally by Rebecca Watson, who claims the library is out of compliance with new Alabama Public Library Service (APLS) policies. These policies threaten to withhold state funding unless “sexually explicit” books are removed or relocated from youth sections, even when, as in this case, the books in question (Grown by Tiffany Jackson and Sold by Patricia McCormick) were deemed appropriate by librarians and contain no explicit content.
Watson’s complaint, brought to the APLS board in March, led to a temporary suspension of $42,000 in annual state funding. Although the city funds the majority of the library’s $1 million budget and has pledged not to reduce its support, the pressure campaign has sparked concerns about partisan overreach and ideological censorship. Watson also inaccurately claimed that most of the library’s funding comes from non-local sources.
Opposition rhetoric was overtly political and, at times, extreme. Fairhope attorney Brian Dasinger chastised the council for not aligning with the “Trump agenda,” referencing a past executive order targeting agencies that promote “gender ideology.” He called the council “worthless” and equated supporting them with supporting the “woke” Joe Biden and Kamala Harris, despite Fairhope’s elections being nonpartisan.
Wendy Pickering of Orange Beach, known for her role in recent book challenges across Baldwin County, threatened legal action against the council. The speakers also attacked Pride events and drag shows, accused the council of indoctrination and demanded conservative leadership for the city. They called for a “true conservative” to step forward and run.
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Support for the library, however, was strong and grounded in community values. The majority of speakers backed the library, emphasizing the importance of inclusive books for youth navigating trauma, identity, or difficult life experiences. Many reiterated that the library had followed proper APLS review procedures, procedures the opposition simply did not like. Several also raised concerns that due process had not been followed by the state. Supporters urged the council to remain firm and not be intimidated by a vocal minority.
Elizabeth Williams, the Baldwin County organizer for Read Freely Alabama, noted that 42 percent of recent donations to support the library came directly from Fairhope, with the rest from other Alabama residents.
“If we roll over, we’re letting down all the other libraries in the state watching to see what we do,' Williams said.
As the debate continues, it is clear that the future of the Fairhope Public Library has become a symbol of something much larger: the fight to preserve intellectual freedom in the face of growing political pressure. Community members are being called not only to speak out, but to stay involved, stay informed, and ensure that local leadership reflects the inclusive values they want to see in their public institutions.
By Emily Mann,
Chair, Baldwin County Young Democrats
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Blues News
from Around Alabama
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New Baldwin County Young Dems Chair Attends Alabama Young Democrats Conference in Birmingham
Baldwin County Democrats were proud to have representation this year at the Alabama Young Democrats annual state conference last month.
Emyle Mann (pictured above), a 25-year-old educator and political organizer based in Fairhope, stepped up to resurrect the BCYD, which has been inactive for more than two years.
Mann is the founder and former president of the Spring Hill College Democrats, where she also served as Developmental Director. In 2021, she was appointed Developmental Director for the Alabama College Democrats and served nationally as the Disability Caucus Representative for the College Democrats of America. Her organizing work began in high school when she reestablished the Young Democrats chapter at Robertsdale High School.
Emyle holds a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics from Spring Hill College (2022) and a Master of Science in Mathematics from Florida State University. She is currently pursuing a Master of Education in Alternative-A Mathematics Education at the University of West Alabama.
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Across Alabama,
Town Halls Target Lawmaker No-Shows
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From the caverns of Marshall County in northern Alabama to the beaches of Baldwin on the southern Gulf coast, Alabama Democrats are making noise when GOP representatives go silent.
The joke was on no-show Congressman Robert Aderholt at the U.S. Congressional District 4 Town Hall held April 1 in Guntersville where almost a hundred attendees addressed their concerns to an empty suit.
“If our representative in Washington won’t address his constituents in a public forum, it’s up to us to make sure our voices are heard,” said Marshall County Democratic Party Chair Susan McKenney.
Democrats also wrote “You’re Fired” messages on pre-addressed postcards which were delivered to Aderholt’s Cullman office since he doesn’t have an office in Marshall County, McKenney said. And everyone who attended is now sporting a ‘Do Your Job, Bob’ window sticker on their vehicle as well.
In Huntsville, demonstrators took to the streets for most of a week to spotlight the absence of the U.S. Rep. Dale Strong, claiming that Huntsville is “not represented at all” in Congress. Alabama Rep. Gary Palmer, Hoover, dismissed angry constituents as “a bunch of malcontents” as he refused to schedule a town hall to hear their concerns.
In Foley, about 100 chanted “Back Door Moore,” as their Congressional Representative evaded protestors by ducking in the rear entrance for an April 17 Chamber of Commerce appearance after ignoring calls to schedule a town hall with voters. Moore hasn’t held a town hall since 2021.
“We repeatedly asked Moore to schedule a town hall in Baldwin County, but instead he chooses to appear at a ticketed event for an audience of well-heeled yes-men,” said Robyn Monaghan, Baldwin County Democrats Chair.
"Do we think our demonstration is going to change the way Barry Moore, CPAC”S anointed ‘most conservative Congressman in Alabama’ votes for everything Trump tells him? I don’t," she said. “But we are his constituents. We are seizing this moment to tell him what we’d like him to do on our behalf.”
Fallout from the Trump agenda of lay-offs, tariffs, and ICE raids is spawning ever-growing crowds and sky-high headlines. When Baldwin County Dems tried to organize an Inauguration Day rally, only 10 signed on and they had to abandon the plan. After three months of Team Trump, about 100 came out to confront Moore. A Hands Off protest drew about 100 to Mobile city streets April 5. Two weeks later, 700 gathered in Mobile and hundreds in Birmingham for No Kings Day rallies. Footage of the Foley and Mobile demonstrations made multiple local headlines and landed national attention when it played on MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow Show.
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Fallout from the Trump agenda of lay-offs,tariffs, and ICE raids is spawning ever-growing crowds and sky-high headlines. When Baldwin County Dems tried to organize an Inauguration Day rally, only 10 signed on and they had to abandon the plan. After three months of Team Trump, about 100 came out to confront Moore. A Hands Off protest drew about 100 to Mobile city streets April 5. Two weeks later, 700 gathered in Mobile and hundreds in Birmingham for No Kings Day rallies. Footage of the Foley and Mobile demonstrations made multiple local headlines and landed national attention when it played on MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow Show.
In February, several hundred people protested outside the Statehouse in Montgomery to oppose a new law decreeing male and female as the only two sexes. Citizens stood shoulder to shoulder for four hours and shouted on the streets of Albertville, where they gathered to oppose local ICE raids and support undocumented people in the community.
“We want to show our community that they’re heard, they’re seen, and that if they can’t speak up, we will speak up for them,” Michelle Medina, protest organizer, told Alabama Political Reporter.
GOP leaders dig in to tow the line Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, R-Louisiana, drew when he told Republican representatives to stop holding town halls, falsely claiming they are staged by “professional protestors.” When no-show reps do respond to calls to meet face-to-face with constituents, their reactions are uniformly arrogant and dismissive.
Palmer proposed holding Tea Party rallies to charge his conservative base. Aderholt released a statement calling anti-ICE slogans “a game of dangerous rhetoric” that won’t be tolerated. Moore harkened back to the last series of town halls he held four years ago.
One of just two Democrats representing Alabama in Congress, Representative Terri Sewell told APR that Alabamians need to have the ear of elected representatives even more in these unsettling times.
“What I am hearing is that Alabamians are frightened,” Sewell said. “They see this Administration coming after their health care, Social Security, and so many other vital programs. Now more than ever, we as members of Congress need to listen to their concerns, bring them back to Washington, and take action accordingly.
“We as elected officials cannot represent our constituents if we are unwilling to listen to them,” she said.
Marshall County Democrats are partnering with DeKalb and Cullman County Democrats and Blue Print Alabama for their next Town Hall with Gov. Martin O’Malley, the former administrator of Social Security, on May 10.
By Robyn Monaghan,
as appears on the ADCCA website
| | Monaghan among four county chairs elected to the State Democratic Executive Committee last weekend | | |
Congratulations to Robyn Monaghan of Baldwin County, Rick Neighbors of Franklin County, Manfred Malone of Russell County, and Kim Fasking of Morgan County.
We now have 23 county chairs doing double-duty for democracy. Thank you all for your dedication to the cause.
Susan McKenney
ADCCA Chair
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Doug Jones Teams up with Beto O'Rourke and Kyle Sweetser
for "Tide Against Trump' Rally in Tuscaloosa.
There was a crowd at Coleman Coliseum May 1 to hear Donald Trump speak to a special voluntary graduation event yesterday- not the official graduation as there are over a half dozen official graduations starting today.
There were several anti- Trump events at the same time - all orderly and dignified . We went to a park nearby and joined crowd at an event run by the UA College Democrats . It was inspiring - young and old. We listened to Beto O’Rourke, former Senator Doug Jones and many inspiring students and several US Senate Candidates.
University of Alabama students WALK OUT of Trump speech on Mayday! Hundreds of residents showed up outside the venue to protest Trump’s uninvited and unwelcome visit to our university. We are so proud of the students that stood up and said “No Dictators at our graduation!”
.....Notes from a Baldwin County Democrat who was there
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School Board Member Andrea Lindsay to Speak at May 29th Eastern Shore Democrat Meeting
The Eastern Shore Democrats are pleased to announce that Andrea Lindsay, District 2
school board member and past president of the Baldwin County Board of Education, will
be the featured speaker at their next general membership meeting on Thursday
evening, May 29, from 6-8 pm, at Fairhope Unitarian Fellowship (1150 Fairhope Ave).
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Andrea, who is serving her second six-year term as Daphne’s school board
representative, is a retired Daphne Middle School teacher who has won multiple honors during her tenure including last year’s prestigious James A. Street Award presented by the Council for Leadership in Alabama’s Schools, the largest association of school administrators and district leaders in the state.
A brief state-of-the-system report including background on several pressing issues
before the board will be followed by a Q and A period for the audience.
All Baldwin County Democrats are invited to join us for what promises to be an informative and insightful evening.
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Baldwin County Democrats Executive Committee Meeting
There will be no May meeting because of preparations for our fundraiser, " A Candid Conversation With Doug Jones."
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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
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