Social Activities are Happening!!! |
Breakfast Club - Join DWC members for breakfast and conversation at local restaurants. We meet the second Thursday of the month at 8:30 a.m. Email marywhitcomb@gmail.com to join this lively group.
Walking - (Update) The Walking Group meets Tuesdays at 11 a.m. (weather permitting). Join us walking around Stephen Decatur Park in Berlin. We walk and talk and share views .Contact Debra Fisher-Reynolds at dfreyns@comcast.net
Book Clubs - If you are a paid up DWC member and are interested in joining an existing book club or starting a new book club, please contact Ellen Krawczak at egkraw@outlook.com. It's a great way to make new friends, challenge your mind and have fun. We have several active book clubs and always welcome new members.
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The DWC Chili Cook-Off Has Been Rescheduled! |
After much discussion at the latest Board meeting, it was decided that the popular Chili Cookoff would be postponed this year until November -- and that the cost to enter and to sample would be reduced to $15. More details here in the months to come!
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Political Action Committee (PAC) Report
The PAC is always open and new members are welcome to join any time. Our meetings are on the second Monday of each month at 2 p.m. via Zoom. The next meeting will be . Check your email for Action Alerts or contact Joan Roache (beachyogi@me.com) for the link. Since it is a non-election year, our focus in 2023 will be legislation, voter education and registration, and any new ideas anyone might have.
Join Our February PAC Work Sessions - 2/1, 2/8, 2/15, 2/22
The success of the postcard parties has led us to think we need more opportunities to get together to take political action. The next session of the General Assembly begins in January, so we have booked PAC Work Sessions every Wednesday in February from 2 to 3:30 p.m. (in the East Room of the Ocean Pines Community Center). The idea is to write postcards and letters to our elected officials asking them to support legislation we care about. In addition, we can brainstorm and outline letters to the editor about issues we would want to promote. If this proves successful, we will extend these opportunities further. Join us for the First Work Session February 1!
Strong Schools Worcester County Report
The Blueprint: Next Steps: We would like to talk to the members of the Board of Education about how they will engage the community as they develop their plan and how we can help. If you are interested in getting involved, contact Joan Roache (beachyogi@me.com)
New School Board members will be sworn in at the Board of Education meeting January 17 (meeting starts at 12:30 p.m.). We would like to have a good turnout -- wear red or wear a Strong Schools T-shirt provided by Joan. We want to develop a plan and talking points for speaking at the meetings, especially to share what we believe the vision of a fully implemented Blueprint will look like. Questions? Ideas?Contact Joan Roache.
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Want to Attend the Swearing-In Ceremony for our new Governor and Lt. Governor?
Governor-elect Wes Moore and Lieutenant Governor-elect Aruna Miller will be sworn in on Wednesday, January 18, 2023 at noon ET at the State Capitol in Annapolis. The swearing-in ceremony is free and open to the public, and you are invited to attend this time-honored tradition.
The ceremony is held outdoors, and attendees should dress for the winter weather.
Parking and ADA accessibility information will soon be posted on the inauguration web site. Complimentary round-trip bus service is being provided from various parts of the state, including the Lower and Upper Eastern Shore! Information about complimentary round-trip bus services to the ceremony in Annapolis is located within the web site page for the inauguration at www.https://mooremillerinauguration.com (the link is under Swearing In Ceremony).
For general questions related to the ceremony, please contact info@mooremillerinauguration.com.
News from the Democratic Central Committee
Cherie McNett
Democratic Central Committee Seeks Candidates for Expanded Membership
By-laws changes to ensure gender equality enacted by the Maryland Democratic Party doubled the seats available on all county Democratic committees. These committees differ from the various Democratic Clubs (such as DWC or the Democratic Club of Worcester County) in that they serve as affiliated arms of the State party. Through the county Central Committees, nominations are made to the State for a variety of boards including county election boards. They are also tasked with recruiting and supporting Democratic candidates for local, state and federal elections as well as ensuring representation a/non-t the polls and election sites. There are currently 9 openings available for the Democratic Central Committee of Worcester County (DCCWC). Those include: 2 slots for male and female or non-binary for District 1 and 3 as well as a slot for a male/non-binary in Districts 2, 5 and 7 and for a female or non-binary individual for District 6. Additionally, there is one at-large seat available for a male/non-binary person. If you are interested in serving on the DCCWC, please contact Vicky Wallace at vick1947@aol.com or Cherie McNett at clmcnett@gmail.com
Make-up of the Worcester County Board of Elections to Change with Governor Moore
With the election of a new Democratic Governor, several boards and commissions will undergo significant changes. One of those is to the Worcester County Board of Elections, which will change from having only two Democratic seats on the five-member board to having three such members. The Central Committee of each county goes through the process of picking names to send to the Governor for approval. The Central Committee will publicize, meet with, and send names to the Governor for these slots. If you are interested in being considered for the county board of elections, please contact Vicky Wallace at vick1947@aol.com.
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DWC Member Ellen Krawczak recently self-published her fourth children's book, "Jeff Giraffe to the Rescue." She says she has received a lot of support from The Greyhound, the Indie book store in Berlin, where you can find her latest work. Ellen is one of the editors/readers for the Bay to Ocean Anthology, a yearly anthology sponsored by the Eastern Shore Writers Association. She is also the liaison for the DWC Book Clubs. So if you'd like to join one of the clubs, Ellen says please contact her at egkraw@outlook.com.
We say congratulations, Ellen!!!!
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Update on the "Dignity Bibs" Project for Coastal Hospice
During the November general meeting, Maggie Miller, a long-time Coastal Hospice volunteer, announced the need for donations of new or gently used hand towels for a unique project to serve patients there. The response from DWC members and others in the community was great! On January 4. Quilters by the Sea Guild of Ocean Pines brought their sewing machines, pieces of donated fabric, ironing boards and other tools to the Ocean Pines Community Center where a group of volunteers were able to put together 100 bibs for use at Coastal Hospice. These bibs give residents the ability to eat without fear of spilling food and are easily washable. Thank you to all the DWC members who donated hand towels and helped out, and to the greater community for supporting this project!
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Democratic Women's Club Treasurers' Report
Closing Balance November 2022 $11,499.12
Expenses:
Sally Moore (Website) $750.00
PAC Postcards $294.74
Residence Inn (luncheon) $1,620.00
Total Expenses: $2,664.74
Income:
50/50 and Raffles (luncheon) $523.00
Dues and luncheon paid $319.00
Total Income: $842.00
Closing Balance December 2022 $9,676.38
NOTE: Holiday Luncheon: Income: $2,769.00; expenses, $1,770.00 Profit $999.00 (budgeted $1,000)
Respectfully submitted,
Margaret R. Miller, Treasurer, Democratic Women's Club of Worcester County MD
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2023 DWC Board of Directors Sworn In
The New Board was sworn in by DWC Past President Susan Hubbard at our December luncheon. What a great time and a great fundraiser for DWC!
Left to right are your new Board members:
Debi Koczen-Doyle, Member at Large, Vice President, Susan Buyer, Maggie Miller, Treasurer,
Co-Presidents: Mary Anne Whitcomb and Debra Fisher-Reynolds, Sue Challis, Corresponding Secretary/Newsletter and Recording Secretary, Dana Barney
At-large members not shown: Rosie Bean and Becky Simonds
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Notes on the 2023 Maryland General Assembly
(excerpted from recent news articles by MarylandMatters.org)
A Season of Change: 445th Maryland General Assembly Begins Work
It's impossible to miss the signs of change in Annapolis lately. Moving boxes -- incoming and outgoing -- intermittently line halls and walkways. Furniture's being shuffled around. Floors are being waxed. And coffee pots that have seen better days are set out in hallways to be hauled away.
As outgoing lawmakers host portrait unveilings and reflect on their tenures in elective office, a new crop of officials are finding their way through the corridors of power.
The 188 members of the 445th General Assembly, including 47 freshmen senators and delegates, were sworn in this week.
By the end of next week, Maryland will have a new set of barrier- breaking leaders in control of the upper echelons of state political power: Wes Moore as the state's first Black governor, Aruna Miller as the first Indian-American lieutenant governor, Anthony Brown as the first Black Attorney General, Brooke Lierman as the state's first woman to serve as comptroller.
"No state in the union has a leadership this diverse, and this reflective of the population it represents. No state is doing what Maryland is doing," House Speaker Adrienne A. Jones (D-Baltimore County), the first Black lawmaker and first woman to serve in her role of speaker, said at the recent Maryland Democratic Party luncheon.
This is the first legislative term when the presiding officers, Senate President Bill Ferguson (D-Baltimore County) and Jones will be fully in control of the legislature, rather than filling the remainder of their predecessor's terms. (Jones replaced the late House Speaker Michael Busch and Ferguson replaced the late Mike Miller, who held the gavel for 33 years}. "It does feel like a fresh start," said Ferguson. "We look forward to helping set the agenda and the policy framework for the new administration." So will the fact that the presiding officers and the new governor share the same political party and, to a great extent, a common agenda.
Some of Jones's priorities align with Ferguson's including investing in mental health services, making sure Maryland remains a "safe haven" for those seeking an abortion, and ensuring there's an equity component within a newly legalized recreational cannabis industry building in the state. Jones said another priority for her is implementing paid family and medical leave. Ferguson says lawmakers passed so many major pieces of legislation in recent years, such as the Blueprint for Maryland's Future and the Climate Solutions Now initiatives that one of their imperatives for the upcoming session is ensuring that these measures are being implemented properly. That's one of the areas where the legislature expects to work closely with the Moore administration, he said.
Moore's legislative agenda will include the unveiling of the proposed state budget on January 20. Thanks to a new set of rules, legislators will have more say over the budget than they have in the past.
Watch this space for monthly updates on what's happening in Annapolis. It's going to be an historic session!
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We are not going gently. We are taking our fight to every state house in this country January 22. Our movement is strong. Our movement is growing. Our movement is bigger than Roe. Gather with us in front of Salisbury University with signs to tell the world. This is Not Over!!
Bring signs, water/hot drinks, and a chair if you need it.
Co-sponsored by Indivisible Worcester MD, the Democratic Women's Club of Worcester County and the Suffrage Centennial Celebration Committee.
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Calendar of Events
Democratic Women's Club of Worcester County
MLK Weekend Fest at Ocean City Center for the Arts
Saturday, January 14, 3 to 5 p.m.
502 94th Street Bayside, Ocean City
Free Admission and Open to All!
Activities honoring Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Rev. Charles Tindley
Screenings of four films curated from the Black History Showcase of the upcoming Ocean City Film Festival, live performance by Bryan Russo and the Tindley Family Choir
DWC General Meeting
Monday, January 16, 2023
10 a.m. (coffee and conversation, 9:30 a.m. - NOTE - Please bring your own coffee or beverage)
Speaker will be Reverend J. Jones, African-American Leaders of the Eastern Shore
Worcester County Board of Education Meeting
Tuesday, January 17, 12:30 p.m.
Board Building, Newark, MD.
The new school board will be sworn in. Join us and WEAR RED!
(First) PAC Work Session
Wednesday, February 1, 2023, 2 to 3:30 p.m.
Ocean Pines Community Center - East Room
(see article above - PAC Report)
Drinking Liberally
Thursday, February 2, 5 to 7 p.m.
NOTE CHANGE OF LOCATION - Marriott Residence Inn, Ocean City.
Hope to see you there!
Political Action Committee Meeting
Monday, February 13, 2 p.m. vIia ZOOM
Watch your email for Action Alerts for details and the Zoom link
SAVE THE DATE!
The annual Kennedy-King Dinner will be held April 23, 2023 at Light House Sound.
We will publish more details as they become available. Put it on your new calendar now!
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