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THE VOICE
Volume 28 . Issue 1 . February 2026
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SUSAN DOLLAR
President
Saddened. Appalled. Fearful. Horrified. Worried. Anxious.
Apprehensive. Dismayed. Distraught. Despondent.
These words are how I feel. Day and night. 24/7. 381 days.
We are living through an unsettling and dark time. It's easy to lose sight of a future in which we return this country to what it was and has always wanted to be - a country that began with "We the People of the United States, in order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America."
We have witnessed children in handcuffs. Federal agents shooting people in our streets. Inhumane abuse in government custody. Immigrant families facing the United States legal system alone. As U.S. District Judge Fred Biery said, "The Trump administation's failure to adhere to the law and due process is also a failure to honor basic morailty and decency." This is why we must take action.
The Texas primary elections will be underway soon and our participation has never been more important. For the first time in modern history, a Democrat is running in every state and federal race on the Texas ballot! The last Democrat elected to the U.S. Senate seat was Lyndon B. Johnson, who won in 1960, while also running for vice president.
We have an opportunity to turn things around in this state. Here's what we have to do to make our voices heard:
- Get involved!
- Vote!
- Call your Representatives
- Write postcards
- Sign up to help with candidate campaigns
- Block walk
- Volunteer at our BAD community activities like Market Days
- Volunteer to staff the Dem Office
- Attend various trainings to stay informed and engaged
- Talk to your friends, family, and neighbors
- Encourage people to vote
- Participate in protests
- Donate, donate, donate
So let's seize these opportunities - I'll see you out there! And remember..."Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it is the only thing that ever has."
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FEBRUARY BAD MEETING
Thursday, February 12
12:00 p.m.
NOTE THE LOCATION:
Longhorn Cafe (upstairs)
Our speakers:
Kristin Hook, candidate for US House Texas District 21
Adriann Wolfe, candidate for Justice of the Peace Place 1
Jon Tipton, candidate for Justice of the Peace Place 3
Judge Toni Arteaga, candidate for Chief Justice, 4th Court of Appeals
Note: If you plan to eat, please arrive early. You can order food beginning at 11:00 a.m. and eat downstairs or bring your meal upstairs.
If you arrive at or after 11:30, you can place and order at the ocunter, let the cafe staff know that you will be upstairs, and they will bring your food to you. You can also phone in an order ahead of time by calling 830-331-4011. Note that the counter line to order can get long, so please arrive early, as the meeting will begin at noon.
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NEW DAY'S LYRIC
By Amanda Gorman
May this be the day
We come together.
Mourning, we come to mend,
Withered, we come to weather,
Torn, we come to tend,
Battered, we come to better.
Tethered by this year of yearning,
We are learning
That though we weren't ready for this,
We have been readied by it.
We steadily vow that no matter
How we are weighed down,
We must always pave a way forward.
This hope is our door, our portal.
Even if we never get back to normal,
Someday we can venture beyond it,
To leave the known and take the first steps.
So let us not return to what was normal,
But reach toward what is next.
What was cursed, we will cure.
What was plagued, we will prove pure.
Where we tend to argue, we will try to agree,
Those fortunes we forswore, now the future we foresee,
Where we weren't aware, we're now awake;
Those moments we missed
Are now these moments we make,
The moments we meet,
And our hearts, once all together beaten,
Now all together beat.
Come, look up with kindness yet,
For even solace can be sourced from sorrow.
We remember, not just for the sake of yesterday,
But to take on tomorrow.
We heed this old spirit,
In a new day's lyric,
In our hearts, we hear it:
For auld lang syne, my dear,
For auld lang syne.
Be bold, sang Time this year,
Be bold, sang Time,
For when you honor yesterday,
Tomorrow ye will find.
Know what we've fought
Need not be forgot nor for none.
It defines us, binds us as one,
Come over, join this day just begun.
For wherever we come together,
We will forever overcome.
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Center for Refugee Services 2025 Annual Report
Learn about how CRS assisted thousands of legally resettled refugees. They help clients with healthcare, social services, ESL, employment, and material goods as they rebuild their lives in San Antonio. In 2025, the Boerne Area Democrats donated $250 to help support the Center's efforts for resettlement.
Read their annual report here:
https://files.constantcontact.com/50465591801/5c936319-ab26-47e5-a92e-b1bbf77eee69.pdf?rdr=true
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SONG OF THE MONTH: THE COMIN' ROUND IS GOING THROUGH
by Bonnie Raitt
You got a way of running your mouth
You rant and rave, you left it all out
The thing about it is, little that you say is true
Why bother checkin', the facts'll be damned
It's how you spin it, it's part of the plan
I'm here to tell you that your sicken loan is coming due
Only so long you can keep this charade
Before they wake up and see they've been played
Too many people with their livin' at stake
Ain't gonna take it
The comin' round is going through
The comin' round is going through
You say it's workin', it's tricklin' down
Yeah, there's a trick, 'cause the jobs ain't around
From where you're sittin' tell me how you think you possibly know?
The way it feels to get turned away
Never enough, it's day after day
Yank that by your bootstraps
'Cause that's the way it really goes
Only so long you can keep this charade
Before they wake up and see they've been played
Too many people with their livin' at stake
Ain't gonna take it
The comin' round is going through
The comin' round is going through
'Cause when the money's makin' money, it comes down to a few
Got their hands on the throttle and nobody gets through
You can work all your life for a hand that will play
With one role of the dice, it gets swept away
Just look around, things are startin' to slip
You're outta control, and you're losin' your grip
No way to stop it, that river's spillin' over for good
We don't have the answer, we know what it's not
'Cause the people will keep pushin' 'til they get a shot
Your money's no good there, we wouldn't cash you a check if we could
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=haSKkzIHO_c
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LET'S SHOW OUR SUPPORT
for these businesses that exemplify the values of Democrats
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Cibolo Creek Brewing Co. is proudly owned and operated by the Mazour and Wolosin families. As residents of Boerne, we love and appreciate our community, neighbors, and our town’s rich history, and hope to be part of adding to each of these. Our purpose is simple…provide a welcoming environment for family, friends, neighbors, and travelers alike. We hope our beer inspires you, our farm-sourced food fuels you, and our home provides the comforts of your own. As a family, we share a love for a good drink, a great meal, and good old fashioned conversation.
Visit 28 Songs Brewhouse & Kitchen at 110 Market Avenue in Boerne.
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When Bombas customers make a purchase, they spark a donation, helping to keep their Giving Partner Organizations stocked up wtih plenty of socks, underwear, and t-shirts to distribute to thise who need them.
Bombas donates socks to the Center for Refugee Services in San Antonio.
Read more about Bombas here:
https://beebetter.bombas.com/impact
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EARLY VOTING FOR THE
MARCH PRIMARY
STARTS ON FEBRUARY 17!
Texas will hold its 2026 primary elections on March 3. Voters in each primary will choose which candidates they want to represent their party in the November general election.
On the ballot are many statewide seats, including governor, lieutenant governor, attorney general, land commissioner, agriculture commissioner, comptroller, one of three seats on the Railroad Commission and judges for statewide courts. Republicans and Democrats will also choose their candidates for district-based congressional and legislative offices, the State Board of Education and judicial seats.
Early voting begins Feb. 17. If no candidate receives a majority of the vote in the primary, the top two vote-getters will compete in a runoff on May 26. Texas is an open-primary state, meaning voters can decide every two years whether to pick Republican or Democratic nominees (or hold out and instead go to third-party conventions for the Green or Libertarian parties).
Of note: whichever primary you decide to vote in, you can vote only in that same party’s runoff. But you can vote for either party's candidates in the general election.
Elections in Texas are run by the 254 counties, and each county determines the order of candidates on the ballots printed there. To see each county’s ballot order for the primary, visit the Texas Secretary of State’s site.
Check with your County Elections Office to see locations and hours.
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COMFORT AREA DEMOCRATS, INDEPENDENTS & OTHERS (CADIO)
will meet on Monday, February 9,
at noon at Fajita Street in Comfort.
Guest speaker: County Judge Shane Stolarczyk. Contact Peg Layton for more information: layton.peg@gmail.com
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CIBOLO CREEK INDIVISIBLE
will meet on Wednesday, February 11,
at 6:00 p.m.
Contact Georgia Miller for more information: georgiagln@hotmail.com
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VOTER CULTIVATION TRAINING
Monday, Feb. 16
5:30 pm at the Democratic Office
Grant Goldberg, San Antonio Region Organizer for Powered by People, will present proven methods for getting more voters registered and to the polls to vote! To register for the training: text or call Peg Layton at 210-287-2063 or email layton.peg@gmail.com
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BAD BOOK CLUB
will meet on Wednesday, February 18, at 5:30 p.m. at the Dem office. Contact Janice Bloodworth for more information:
lfjan74@gmail.com
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EMPTY BOWLS BOERNE 2026
Saturday February 21
11 AM – 1 PM
First United Methodist Church
Family Life Center, 205 James St. Boerne, TX
Tickets are $25 each and includes one local artisan-crafted bowl and a serving of soup. All proceeds benefit Hill Country Family Services.
Click here to purchase tickets:
https://www.hcfstx.org/events
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WINE DOWN WEDNESDAY
February 25
5:00 p.m.
Paid BAD members -
stay tuned for updates about the event location.
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KENDALL COUNTY DEMOCRATIC PARTY CONVENTION
Saturday, March 21
1:15 p.m.
Patrick Heath Public Library
Note: if you want to attend the State Democratic Convention in Coprus Christi in June, you must attend the County Convention. Contact Suanne Pyle for more information: pyle.kendallcountytx@outlook.com
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Mark your calendar for the next
NO KINGS PROTEST
on March 28! More info to follow!
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New 2026 T-shirts Available!
You're going to want one of these special edition 250th anniversary Democratic
t-shirts! Bring your $20 to the BAD meeting this week or purchase one at the Dem office!
Text Link
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Members of the 2026 BAD Board met for a planning session on January 5.
A toast to the new year!
| | Over 60 folks showed up at our January BAD meeting to hear candidates Regina Vanberg (TX 21) and Javi Andrade (TX 23). | | | Kudos to the Democrats and Independents that showed up for the ICE OUT protests in San Antonio and Kerrville on January 10-11. Text L | | | |
BAD members Marilyn Harrington, Susan Dollar, and Georgia and Gary
Miller attended a fundraiser on January 15 for Gina Hinojosa, candidate for Texas Governor. Also at the gathering were Wendy Davis, former Texas District 10 Senator, Barbara Gervin-Hawkins, State Representative District 120, Kristin Hook, Candidate for US House TX district 21, and Kristian Carranza, candidate for Texas House District 118.
| | People gathered in Main Plaza on January 19 for the Martin Luther King Memorial. Many thanks to Richard Caldwell for organizing the event and to Bryce Bodie and others that spoke in honor of Dr. King. | |
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BOERNE AREA DEMOCRATS BOARD
President: Susan Dollar
Vice President: Rachel Kilgore
Secretary: Shawn Bonner
Treasurer: Melinda Huff
Membership: Robin Prescott
Publicity: Kelly Skovbjerg
Webmaster: Andy Wine
At Large: Martha Barker
At Large: Lynn Bellow
At Large: Richard Caldwell
Past President: Whitney White
Ex Officio member: Laura Bray, KCDP
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Connect with us!
JOIN THE BOERNE AREA DEMOCRATS
Membership Form
Email: BAD@boerne-area-democrats.com
Web: boerne-area-democrats.org
Facebook: facebook.com/boerne.area.democrats
Notice Regarding Photography and/or Audio/Video Recording
The Boerne Area Democrats captures photographs and/or audio/video recordings during our events.
Such photographs and recordings may be used in BAD's advertising and social media relations to let others know of our events. In addition, local news organizations may hear of our events, and BAD may allow them to record events for news reporting. If you do not wish to be in photos/videos,
please let the photographer/videographer know in advance.
This newsletter is intended for people interested in the work of the Boerne Area Democrats and the Democratic Party in general. To be removed from this mailing list, please click on Unsubscribe below
or email us at bad@boerne-area-democrats.com.
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