March Newsletter  - Volume 7, Issue 6

 
CONTENTS:

 
You may click on one of the above titles to go directly to that subject, or simply scroll down the newsletter.     

Thanks to Sybil Cantor, Teddi Pensinger, Linda Kolko, Enid Light, Fran Rothstein, Emily Shetty, Elissa Blattman, Bonnie Wicklund, Joan Gervino, John Pensinger, Lucy Freeman, Nancy Garrison, Marian Kisch, Ed Kimmel, Mary Lou Fox, Ginger Macomber, Shruti Bhatnagar, Melanie Kreidich, Riki Sheehan, Joan Riggs, Diana Conway, Beth Tomasello, Jordan Cooper, Paul Schwartz, and Ashley Rhinehart for their contributions to this newsletter

The next newsletter will be published at the end of April. In the interim, information will be sent out via email and social media (Facebook and Twitter).  



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NOTE FROM WDC PRESIDENT LINDA KOLKO


Another great month for WDC!  So many terrific events supported by our ever growing membership!  Many thanks to Beth Tomasello and Lucy Freeman for helping to organize our wonderful visit to the National Museum of African American History and Culture. We are pleased to once again have co-sponsored the Fourth Annual State of Black Montgomery which some of our members attended. And kudos to our Membership Co-Chairs Enid Light and Joan Gervino for their continuing efforts to help us expand our membership. Since last November, we've had over 200 new members join the Club!  

We want to continue to harness the energy of all of our members, both new and old.  We need each and every one of you! The one silver lining of the current national political situation is that it has spurred so many people to up their activism - a great thing for WDC, for the Democratic Party, and for our country.  You will get so much more out of your WDC membership if you are an active committee member.  Our standing committees include:  Events (arranging our luncheons and other large gatherings), Education (planning and organizing topical sessions such as the recent ones on fracking and the upcoming one on civility), Advocacy (working with our state and county legislators to enact legislation that improves women's and families' lives), Communications (producing this newsletter, managing the website, and handling other member communications, including producing flyers for and publicizing and photographing our events, as well as handling email communications to our members, and maintaining our Facebook and Twitter feeds), and Membership and Outreach (recruiting new members, organizing monthly happy hours, providing new member orientation materials, and managing volunteer coordination). We also need someone to work with our Historian, who has been flying solo for several years.  We are considering establishing a new Building the Party committee that would coordinate our voter registration and GOTV activities (in Maryland and nearby states) as well as other activities that strengthen the Democratic Party.  If any of these sound interesting, and if you'd like to get involved at any level, please let us know.

And, if you've been actively involved, and want to move up in the WDC leadership, please let us know that as well.

We also have occasional ad hoc committees.  For example, in 2018 (which is just around the corner), we'll be running candidate forums (for County Executive, Governor and for At-Large Council); perhaps you want to work on those forums?  Other ad hoc committees: our By-Laws Review committee is wrapping up its work, and our Nominating Committee will be finishing up the 2017-2019 slate soon.  
 
We have begun looking at the committee line-up for next year. Although we are fortunate to have several continuing committee chairs, we may have a few openings.  Plus, due to unforeseen circumstances, chairs do open up mid-year on occasion.  So:  If you have any interest in co-chairing a committee in the next year or so, please let us know.

A job description for new member orientation follows; we need a reliable, detail-oriented person to take over for Ginger Macomber, who's done a terrific job for several years but is now moving on to co-chair the Advocacy Committee.  If you are looking for a really important job that you can do from home, new member orientation might be for you.

Duties of the WDC New Member Coordinator:

1. Keep our WDC Welcome Letter/email, Reasons to Get Involved and Volunteer Form updated.

2. Mail or email New Member Welcome packets at least twice a month.

3. Maintain an excel file of all New Member Mailings/emails.

4. Send each month the updated New Member excel file to the WDC treasurer, Email Coordinator, WDC President and Membership Committee Chairs for reconciliation with their records.  

5. Send periodic reimbursement requests for costs to the WDC treasurer.

As you can see, it takes a village to run WDC, and we need you to be part of our village!  We are a completely volunteer-run club, and our members make it work!

Click here to volunteer.
Finally, a huge "thank you" to all the members who are already serving on WDC committees!


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UPCOMING WDC AND WDC CO-SPONSORED EVENTS    
                         
Wednesday, April 5
                                                                                                                                  
WDC Advocates   -
1:30 PM
3rd Floor Hearing Room
Montgomery County Council, 100 Maryland Avenue, Rockville MD, 

Come to the County Council Public FY 18 Budget Hearings and show WDC's strong support for increased County Council funding for Montgomery County's first supervised visitation and monitored child exchange service center for families struggling with domestic violence throughout the county. WDC's Vice President Fran Rothstein will be testifying along with a host of other organizations led by Court Watch Montgomery. Help to eliminate what the Washington Post recently called "the hole in MoCo's domestic violence safety net." Please come out and fill the gallery with supporters wearing SAFE VISITS, SAFE KIDS buttons. After 3 years of talking about this problem, it's time to act!

For more information, contact WDC Advocacy Committee member Lynn Olson at   rlynnolson@verizon.net



Saturday, April 8










Register VA Voters Event with Woman's Democratic Club of Montgomery County
Start time: 10:00 AM
New Virginia Majority Offices, 3801 Mt Vernon Ave, Alexandria, VA 22305.

Virginia has a critical governor's election in 2017 and we are volunteering with the New Virginia Majority Education Fund to register voters. Monthly Event, and every Second Saturday onward! All members and nonmembers are welcome!

Must RSVP, please email to:   Melanie.kreidich@gmail.com with the subject line April 8 Voter registration. If you could tell Melanie whether you want to go Door to Door or sit at the table that would be helpful. This is a nonpartisan monthly event, so no partisan clothing.  What is the New Virginia Majority? To learn more, please click here.


Thursday, April 13 - NEW LOCATION FOR THIS MONTH'S HAPPY HOUR!!!

Happy Hour Image Happy Hour  
5:30 to 7 PM  
Not Your Average Joe's
8661 Colesville Road, Silver Spring
240-839-3400

Not Your Average Joe's is on the corner of Colesville and Fenton directly across the street from the Fillmore Theatre. There's a parking garage across the street, entrance on Ellsworth and on Roeder, and another garage with the entrance on Wayne Avenue. There is also metered street parking within a few blocks. NYAJ's is also two blocks from the Silver Spring Metro.

Want to meet new people and talk politics?  Join us at the next WDC Happy Hour. Every second Thursday of each month, Democrats who are passionate about politics gather to relax and network with WDC members and their guests. Whether you want to meet elected officials, make new friends, form new business contacts or just have fun, the WDC Happy Hour is the perfect place to meet and greet fellowDemocrats.  Members and potential members are welcome, so come and bring your friends


Wednesday, April 19

Civic Activism....Combatting Intolerance
7-9 PM
Courtyard by Marriott
5520 Wisconsin Avenue, Chevy Chase

Free Parking in back.

Lucas Wright, researcher, Dangerous Speech Projec t
 
           Jill Ortman-Fouse, member, Montgomery County Board of Education 


Incivility and intolerance have become more prevalent throughout this last election cycle, both during the primaries and after the election. This has included damaging speech, racism, misogyny and anti-Semitism. People are protesting and calling their representatives.
Want to find out how to become more effective at civic activism? Learn about the forms of harmful speech, including hate speech and "dangerous speech".  Hear about successful methods to diminish harmful speech offline, online, and social media.
Our schools are also taking action as a result of alarming incidents this past year. From powerful messages to cultural proficiency training for staff that encourages self-examination of biases, they are continuing to build appreciation for diversity and shine light on difficult subjects.

Please make your reservation by Monday, April 17th.  A light meal will be provided.  $25 for members and guests.

Reserve online at   www.womansdemocraticclub.org  or send a check to:  Judith Heimann, 6900 Marbury Road, Bethesda, MD 20817.



Friday April 21st   SAVE THE DATE!  

Our next WDC Luncheon will be held at Normandie Farm Restaurant in Potomac
 Our Speaker will be Damon Silvers, Director of Policy and Special Counsel for the AFL-CIO who will discuss "Rebuilding the Labor-Democratic Alliance in the Age of Trump"


 





Sunday, April 23
CUAH Launch
4:30-6:30 PM
B-CC High School, 4301 East-West Highway, Bethesda

WDC is one of many sponsors of a new coalition, Communities United Against Hate - Montgomery County (CUAH), uniting our diverse community to combat bigotry, support victims of hate, and promote inclusiveness in Montgomery County.  Please come to CUAH's launch on Sunday, April 23, 4:30-6:30 pm, at B-CC High School, 4301 East-West Highway, Bethesda.  Attorney General Brian Frosh will keynote, followed by a panel discussion on combatting hate and bigotry and a volunteer fair featuring WDC and other CUAH member organizations.  CUAH is a direct response to the spike in hate crimes since the 2016 election; this is your chance to take a stand against hate and bigotry.  WDC has been on CUAH's organizing committee since the beginning; other WDC members are also involved, representing organizations such as the NAACP and the Indian American Democratic Club.   If you would like to join as a WDC representative, please contact Fran Rothstein ( rothsteinfran@gmail.com ).  If you'd like to help staff the WDC volunteer table on April 23, please contact Enid Light ( enid530@aol.com ).  For more information:   www.cuahmcmd.org .



Thursday, April 27 - IT'S YOUR PARTY!!
 
MC DEMS FORUM:  CONNECT WITH YOUR COUNTY PARTY
7-9:30 PM
County Council Auditorium, 100 Maryland Avenue, Rockville, MD

How does the Montgomery County Democratic Party work? Who's in charge?  What do they do?  How can you get involved?  And why should you get involved?
In response to the groundswell of political activity since the election, the Woman's Democratic Club is pleased to invite new and veteran activists to join party leaders to learn about:
  • The role of the Party's Central Committee (MCDCC);
  • The evolution of the County Democratic Party over the years;
  • How Central Committee members are elected (or appointed);
  • How the County Party raises funds;
  • The Central Committee's gender balance policy;
  • The relationship between the County Party and the State Party;
  • The County Party's critical role in voter registration, voter education, and GOTV; and
  • How and why you should get involved.
 
Together, we can help Democrats hang onto the Virginia governor's mansion, defeat Governor Hogan in 2018, and ensure high voter turnout among Montgomery County Democrats in every election.

Take Metro to the Rockville station, or park free in the Council Building garage. Networking with party leaders 7-7:30; the program will begin promptly at 7:30.

Questions?  Contact Fran Rothstein, fran.rothstein@verizon.net




Sunday April 30th - SAVE THE DATE!  

WDC/MCDCC SOCIAL MEDIA TRAINING

Due to popular demand, WDC member Pam Holland has offered to conduct another training on social media.  Details to follow. 




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SCIENCE AND CLIMATE MARCHES


Saturday, April 22

MARCH FOR SCIENCE AND EARTH DAY NETWORK RALLY AND MARCH IN DC
Join with friends and colleagues to March for Science, particularly important in light of the President's proposed budget cuts to scientific research at the NIH. This is an unprecedented gathering of people standing together to acknowledge and voice the critical role that science plays in each of our lives. For more information, see the group's facebook page
More information will be posted on the WDC Facebook page as it becomes available.





Saturday, April 29

PEOPLE'S CLIMATE MARCH AND MOBILIZATION


Join our friends in the Sierra Club and become part of the People's Climate March on April 29th! See the WDC Facebook Page for additional information or click on this link

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SAVE THE DATE - MONTGOMERY COUNTY DEMOCRATIC PARTY'S ANNUAL SPRING BALL

When the going gets tough, the Democrats get marching, and this year's Spring Ball,  Lace 'Em Up! , will highlight the grass-roots actions that boosted our party and made the country better.
So save this date and time, Saturday, May 13 at 6 p.m. for the 2017 Spring Ball which will be held at the Bethesda North Marriott Hotel and Conference Center. More details will be posted soon.


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WDC Luncheon on February 27, 2017 With Washington Post Senior Affairs Correspondent Juliet Eilperin                                                           
                                                          by Joan Gervino with additions from John Pensinger

Juliet Elperin Speaking to WDC
First Vice President Betsy Loyless introduced our guest speaker Juliet Eilperin, a journalist at the Washington Post. She graduated Magna cum Laude from Princeton University, where she received a bachelor's in Politics with a certificate in Latin American Studies. Ms. Eilperin is currently the Washington Post's senior national affairs correspondent, covering the new administration. She previously was Chief White House correspondent, House of Representatives correspondent, and earlier national environmental reporter, among other positions. She is the author of Fight Club Politics: How Partisanship Is Poisoning the House of Representatives (Rowman & Littlefield, 2007). More recently she wrote Demon Fish: Travels Through the Hidden World of Sharks (Gerald Duckworth & Company, 2012).

Juliet Eilperin began with her perspective on operating in the current political environment by mentioning the Post's current motto that "Democracy Dies in Darkness" and its previous one "If you don't get it, you don't get it" and how significant both are in these days of fake news and how transparency is impacted when newspapers such as the New York Times are shut out from White House news briefings.

She described the functioning of the White House press pool of 50 members of the press.  Unlike President Obama, President Trump has been avoiding the press. Moreover, new modes of calling on journalists at daily briefings affect the news that is disseminated and made available to the public when the important questions of the day are not answered or are ignored. President Trump tends not to call on certain reporters, but does tend to call on right wing and Republican media outlets. Additionally, he avoids certain questions, i.e., he dodged the Russia issue after Flynn left.  And, when there are reporters on the golf course, the President does not tell reporters either when he plays golf or with whom he plays.  Despite the current hurdles Ms. Eilperin shared that it is an exciting time to be in the news business. Getting the real facts out is so important.

Betsy Loyless presenting gift to Ms. Elperin
Not to blame all on Mr. Trump, Ms. Eilperin told us that controlling access to information and sources was prevalent during the Obama administration, when only specific policy makers were designated to speak to the press on topics of interest. Indeed, she feels there may be more transparency now than during the Obama Administration. In the mid-1990s members of both parties in the House of Representatives and the White House were eager to talk with the press. Now the media are termed the "opposition party", making it almost impossible for meaningful conversations.

Ms. Eilperin gave her remarks and then answered several questions from the audience. Here is a sampling of them:

Q: Is the press giving President Trump a fair shake?

A:  Reporters need to avoid being adversarial, yet it is important to provide context such as when news outlets are kept out of briefings.

Q: Are environmental regulations in jeopardy?

A:  Most will actually take time to undo. The Congressional Review Act offers the opportunity and therefore there is a danger, but planned cuts to the EPA budget as well as non-enforcement of the current environmental regulations and laws pose even more threats. Although the House and President are in synch, the Senate and courts may curb some of these actions.

Q: Can the press be bullied?

A:  Trump has berated journalists, called their editors, and tried other modes of intimidating the press. But there are also leaks when someone thinks some of the news is not getting out to the public.

Q:  What keeps Juliet Eilperin going?

A:  Being a reporter is an incredible privilege and rewarding in its own right. An example of how she makes a difference was a story about a couple she met that had difficulty getting health insurance when the Affordable Care Act was first introduced. Her article in the Post highlighted this woman who then was able to get needed coverage. Recently the woman wrote to Juliet again that with the new administration's goal to replace and dilute the ACA, she now fears she will lose her good health insurance.

In her final comments to the WDC audience, Ms. Eilperin stated that it is essential to keep in mind how we can make a difference in preserving democracy that we must get involved, make our views known to our legislators, and hold them responsible.

Ms. Elperin autographs her books for WDC members.



  Article5a   REPORT ON WDC/MCDCC SOCIAL MEDIA TRAINING  
                                                                                           by Linda Kolko

The WDC and Montgomery County Democratic Central Committee held a very successful social media training on Sunday, March 5th at MCDCC headquarters. WDC member Pam Holland trained 30 enthusiastic Democrats on how to use Facebook to promote our Party's agenda! Special thanks to Shruti Bhatnagar and MCDCC Chair Dave Kunes for helping with organizing and set up.
Pam Holland Conducts Social Media Class



    
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MARCH HAPPY HOUR REPORT 
 
 
                               
by Enid Light

The March WDC Happy Hour at Lebanese Taverna on March 9th was a huge success! We stayed talking and networking and eating and drinking for many, many hours. Our newest members are showing up and signing up for upcoming grassroots events.

Melanie Kreidich recruited many members to conduct voter registration in Virginia. Teddi Pensinger was busy recruiting for communications. Joan Gervino was our Board host. We 
 our WDC sisters and our flags! So much energy, so much compassion, so much knowledge. Want to get something done right? Ask a WDC member.


                                     

  Article6a   GROUP TOUR OF NATIONAL MUSEUM OF AFRICAN AMERICAN HISTORY AND CULTURE           by Enid Light

On Tuesday, March 21 a group of about 50 WDC members met to tour the National Museum of African American History and Culture. Displaying the WDC flags as we assembled and took pictures drew a lot of thumbs up and cheers from others going to the museum and encouraged conversations. When a few of our members failed to show up we gave their tickets to a group that was hosting young people and was short a few tickets. They were so grateful they wanted to send WDC a donation!
 
Once inside the museum we followed the recommendation to begin our tour with the lower three levels of history. On the trip to the lowest level of the museum the elevator guide described the history sections. He noted that we should not miss the pictures and display of President Barack Obama's Inauguration. People started calling out, "Bring him back". We knew we were with friends!

As everyone acknowledges, this is one of the most powerfully designed, carefully researched and displayed, and emotionally engaging museums in the world. One member who attended shared a number of reflections: She, noted how visitors were talking to each other, including strangers of different races. She also noted that there were so many families, and people of all ages, and mentioned how the children asked questions and how the parents tried to explain difficult topics such as the sight of people in shackles. She found that some of the most disturbing photos were those of the white children, smiling innocently at public lynchings. Finally, she observed that as one approaches the present, the contrasts between progress and problems that get worse are even more disturbing. It would be good to know more about what the school groups focus on and discuss.

Lunch at the outstanding museum restaurant, the Sweet Home Cafe was a bonus, as it is often too crowded to visit. We all learned so much - but the scale and magnitude of museum exhibits calls for repeat visits.





 

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ACTION NOT ANGER RALLY 
                                       by Linda Kolko


The WDC was in the House! Members rallied in Annapolis on March 25 with the Action Not Anger Rally, along with Senator
Chris Van Hollen , Congressman John Sarbanes., Congressman  Jamie Raskin , Interim Chair of the Maryland Democratic Party Kathleen Matthews. Thanks to Yvette Lewis, Vivian Malloy, Emerge, Consumer Health First and others who organized the event. We cheered yesterday's defeat of Trumpcare but we are ready to take back the House, the Senate and the Governor's House!
  
  brigade MARYLAND DEMOCRATIC PARTY PRESS CONFERENCE                                                                                                                                          by Linda Kolko

WDC members spoke at the Maryland Democratic Party press conference on March 27 calling out Governor Hogan to stand up against the Trump Administration's 2018 budget to severely cut funding at NIH and other federal agencies along with their failed Trumpcare, which would take away health care for 24 million Americans. Thanks Senator Rich Madaleno , Delegate Bill Frick, MD Democratic Party Interim Chair Kathleen Matthews along with WDC board members Ashley Rhinehart and Emily Shetty for speaking out!  Click here to view a new report on the press conference:

Ashley Rhinehart, Richard Madaleno, Emily Shetty, Fran Rothstein, Linda  Kolko, Bill Frick and Carla Holt at conference.

ArticleB 
ADVOCACY COMMITTEE REPORT 
                                by Fran Rothstein and Emily Shelty 

The WDC Advocacy Committee has been highly engaged in the 2017 session in Annapolis, as our Montgomery County state delegation has introduced/co-sponsored so many bills of importance to women and families in the county.  For example, we testified to ban fracking, which has been linked with detrimental health impacts as well as environmental degradation, and to protect Maryland's health care system, in the face of attacks from Republicans in Congress.  We spoke out in favor of the Healthy Working Families Act, which will provide earned sick leave to employees across the state, and the Fight for Fifteen, which will increase the minimum wage to $15/hour.  We worked to end the requirement that rape victims demonstrate that they had physically resisted sexual assault, and to ensure that individuals convicted of violent crimes surrender their firearms.  We supported expansion of meals for low-income students, and opposed school suspensions and expulsions of young children.   

Stay tuned - Next month's newsletter will include a legislative wrap-up of the state's 2017 legislative session. However, if you are interested in receiving advocacy alerts regarding ways that you can engage and help us further our advocacy agenda, please contact Advocacy Committee co-chair Emily Shetty ( emily.shetty@gmail.com ) with the subject line "WDC Advocacy Alerts."  

At the County level, in partnership with Court Watch Montgomery, we are advocating for establishment of safe transfer and supervised visitation centers for domestic violence victims and their children, and many WDC volunteers recently participated in Court Watch Montgomery's postcard advocacy campaign. For these efforts, Court Watch Montgomery Volunteers -- including WDC members Laurie Duker, Lynn Olson, and Mary Silva -- will be honored by Montgomery Serves at its April 24 awards event. 
 
   
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CONSUMER HEALTH FIRST UPDATE  
                                                                    by Mary Lou Fox, Consumer Health First

The Promise of the Affordable Care Act  Seven years ago President Obama signed the ACA and the following day Governor O'Malley began the implementation process in Maryland.  The ACA advances are priceless, as is Maryland's expansion of Medicaid to cover our most vulnerable neighbors. But we also gained other important protections that many are unaware of, such as requiring insurance companies to spend more on their services and less on administrative costs, and far greater transparency in the pricing and quality of health benefit plans.
 
In addition, the ACA established an Innovation Center, which has allowed Maryland to create an initiative - the All-Payer Model - that is designed to drive down costs while delivering more coordinated and consumer-centric care. There was also funding to expand services in clinics in our state's medically underserved areas. And, so much more.
 
Was the ACA perfect?  No. The ACA was the product of a painful year-long sausage-making process. During that time, compromises were made that undercut some of its provisions. And after initial implementation, important market stability provisions  weren't fully funded.  Certainly the initial roll-out of our health exchange in Maryland was rocky at best. But, today  Maryland Health Connection , the state's health insurance marketplace, is an invaluable resource for hundreds of thousands of Marylanders.
 
Can it be improved? Yes. It is worth noting that the law establishing the Medicare and Medicaid programs was signed by President Lyndon Johnson in 1965. Since then there have been continuous legislative and regulatory steps taken to improve both programs.
 
What's next after the failure of the Republican American Health Care Act?
 
We must be very attentive to additional proposals from the administration or Congress to pass components of the AHCA in separate bills and to add them to must pass bills.   In addition, Secretary of HHS Price will use his regulatory authority to weaken the ACA, such as these proposed new rules  that would water down the promise of the ACA, such as decreasing the timeframe of the enrollment periods and putting up roadblocks to special enrollment periods.  As the AHCA was being negotiated the administration included the elimination of the essential health benefits, a clear indication of their intent.  Read a  recent Milliman white paper  on the subject.

Secretary Price has said that the AHCA is just the first step. We don't know yet what more is to come, but it is important to remember that not all changes will require passage of legislation and the impact of some may not be immediately clear. 
 
See our website  for more information on the report and read our latest newsletter .




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MEMBER SPOTLIGHT

We know our President Linda Kolko is a star!  Linda was recently interviewed by WDC Member Jordan Cooper's Public Interest Podcast.   This is the fifty-fifth episode of Public Interest Podcast during which Linda speaks of her transition from a volunteer in Barack Obama's campaign to her current leadership role in Montgomery County, Maryland. 

In her words: "I was just interviewed for an episode of Public Interest Podcast  I hope you would enjoy listening to me speak about how I have, in my own way, sought to give of myself for the benefit of others throughout my life. Please listen to this episode and consider sending it along to your contacts as a means of promoting tolerance and understanding of difference in our increasingly antagonistic world. 

By forwarding this episode to you I hope to demonstrate that we each wish to advance the public interest in our own way and that we only differ in our conception of what constitutes the public interest and how to advance the public interest. This episode, and others like it, may very well serve to generate productive, respectful dialogue in this nation. Please consider forwarding this episode if you agree that our world could benefit from greater exposure to different perspectives, to a little more civility, and more recognition of our shared humanity." 

Congratulations are in order for WDC Member Paul Schwartz on the publication of his book: A Citizen's Perspective  which is a compilation of the author's columns for the Montgomery County Sentinel during the period leading up to and including the 2016 election season. Paul states: "These weekly columns for the Sentinel, which began in February of 2015, comprise the content of this book. I have categorized the columns under six themes relating to societal challenges, such as those that we experienced somewhat recently in Baltimore and Charleston; needed steps to improve our communities, such as our failing infrastructure; today's political landscape, including voter identification to fix a nonexistent problem; the impact of Supreme Court rulings; campaigns and candidate interviews; and the economy, which includes the ever-shrinking middle class and its relation to the Reagan cure-all-trickle-down economics. More than anything, these columns are intended to capture the hypocrisy rampant throughout today's society " For more information, please visit his website.  

WDC member Melanie Kreidich is featured in an article about an event she helped to organize. Way to go Melanie KreidichClick here to view the article.
                   
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INTERVIEW with  Joan Gervino
                     Edited by Bonnie Wicklund



Joan joined the board as co-chair of the Membership and Outreach committee last September.  Following graduation from Mount Holyoke College as an English major, Joan continued her education at Rutgers University, obtaining a Masters of Library Science. For a newly minted librarian, she said, Washington in the 1970's was a job-hunting mecca with its diverse government and institutional libraries. Her career as a library director included the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, the DC Bar Association, and the American Bankers Association. In retirement Joan began a new chapter as a consultant with a small woman-owned firm based in Bethesda where she was involved with training, management analysis, and information security projects.

 
POLITICS
I began as a Young Republican after arriving in Washington, with the hope of influencing them with my liberal ideas. The good part was the many volunteer activities, including taking children to the zoo, visiting seniors in nursing homes, and other such good works. Disillusionment with the GOP occurred quickly, however and I soon reregistered as a Democrat. 
 
My introduction to WDC was through my neighbor Bonnie Wicklund. I have been so impressed with the membership and officers of WDC. It is an organization that attracts smart, effective women and men, and makes a commitment to getting things done. As a result, I was inspired to become more active, since I believe it is essential that we elect knowledgeable, caring, and successful leaders - a critical priority for us in Montgomery County, in Maryland, and for our country.
 
READING
I found Hillbilly Elegy to be an eye opener regarding the current climate and new administration. Another exceptional read during the past year was Ta-Nehisi Coates' Between the World and Me, a searing view of being Black in America; it should be required reading for everyone.
 
VIEWING
I attend numerous performances at the Kennedy Center where I volunteer as a t our guide. I also volunteer at Hillwood Museum, take classes at Olli at American University, and spend a lot of time at the gym. 
 
EXCITING POLITICIAN  
Barack Obama is my hero and I hope that other outstanding Democrats will follow in his footsteps in the political arena. Right now we need to look ahead at 2018 and the next presidential race in 2020.
 
MOST URGENT POLITICAL ISSUE
Gun control, equal pay, and medical and elder care are my priority issues. 



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WOMEN'S CLUB REVIVED IN ANNE ARUNDEL COUNTY    
                                                                    as reported by WDC Member Diana Conway 

The Democratic Women's Club of Anne Arundel County had been moribund for a decade. The 2016 election and its results triggered its rapid revival. Organizer Stacy Korbelak is the president of the newly revived club, known as Anne Arundel County Democratic Women. In her opening comments, Korbelak said a group of women started discussing reactivating the club while watching the presidential debates in September. They thought if Hillary Clinton was in office, they'd want to harness the excitement of locally politically-minded women.  The WDC looks forward to working with them to elect a Democratic Governor in Maryland in 2018!


facebook

SOCIAL MEDIA UPDATE - WE'RE ON FACEBOOK AND TWITTER!    

 

Don't forget to like us on Facebook; we're listed as Woman's Democratic Club, Montgomery County. https://www.facebook.com/WomansDemocraticClub
 
WDC also has a Twitter account!   Our Twitter handle is @WomenDems.   Be sure to follow us!  

 

 

Article6
SUGGESTION BOX:

Suggestion Box  

Do you have ideas for future programs? Do you know someone who would be a great speaker at a future WDC event?  If so, please send an e-mail to wdcmcmd@gmail.com.

 

 

  

A lso, our Education Committee is seeking ideas for future programs in the Montgomery 101 series; if you have issues or subjects about the county you would like to learn about or study, please email Lucy Freeman at dorset4708@yahoo.com or call 301-654-8115.

   

 

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Woman's Democratic Club
Linda Kolko, President
www.womansdemocraticclub.org      wdcmcmd@gmail.com
Woman's Democratic Club
Sybil Cantor
Email Coordinator