NTD NEWS
October 11, 2017
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 On Sunday, the New Trier Dems held their annual fundraising dinner. The turnout was impressive. And as the crowd gathered during the social hour prior to the dinner, the energy generated by so many politically engaged Democrats was palpable.
I suppose that's not surprising as we approach a crucially important election year. However, there seemed to be an additional vibe to the evening that struck me as unusual. Some of this feeling may have simply come from the exceptional number of serious candidates mingling with the crowd. But I think beyond that, there was an undercurrent of urgency in the conversations I had or overheard that I haven't felt in years - or maybe never.
 Without specifically saying the words, a lot of thoughtful people are starting to recognize that the United States is in real danger of being destroyed or at the least permanently disfigured by our psychologically defective President and his blindly loyal supporters.
I never felt this vibe during the bumbling years of George  W. Bush with his disastrous involvement in Iraq. Nor during the Vietnam War years when our country was so deeply  divided. Or even during Nixon's Watergate crimes (when, thankfully, we still had a Congress that wasn't dysfunctional). Back then I knew our country was being harmed but I never had this sense that we were in danger of forever losing America's potential to be a better nation.
That's the danger we face today. Maybe this sense of foreboding is not much different from what Tea Partiers feared after the election of Barack  Obama. Their fears were irrational and unwarranted but they energized an activist movement that gained disproportionate power in Congress. Fear of a threat, real or imagined, is always a great motivator. Perhaps today the majority of Americans are beginning to see how perilous these times are for our United States. Attending a gathering like Sunday's NTDO Dinner does help me hold on to that hope.
And now... the details of Sunday's dinner segment, thanks to Maggiano's family-style format we were able to comfortably listen to the speakers while we ate. This moved the evening along at a nice pace. Our  Democratic Committeeman, Dean Maragos, led things off by recognizing dignitaries in attendance (too many to mention here). He then introduced Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky who fired up the crowd with grassroots action plans for turning  nearby House seats in Illinois and Wisconsin blue. Then Congressman Mike Quigley, a member of the House Select Committee on Intelligence, took the podium. Without revealing any specifics about alleged Russian involvement in our 2016 Presidential Election, he characterized the affair as tantamount to a foreign invasion. Serious stuff, in an investigation far from finished.
Next on the evening's agenda were Democratic candidates for Illinois' Governor and Illinois' Attorney General. -- All of the candidates' comments were brief thanks to prearranged time limits and the diligent (but gentle) oversight of the segment's M.C., County Commissioner Larry Suffredin. I won't attempt to sum up what each of them said. They each had their own style, qualifications and talking points but most did share the priorities you'd expect from good Democrats.
The NTDO Endorsement Session will not be held until January. But it's not too soon to begin becoming familiar with the candidates for these two top Illinois offices. And the same goes for the healthy list of Democratic candidates vying for the Illinois House 17th District seat. It's being vacated by our State Rep. Laura Fine. And familiarize yourself with Laura too. She's running for the Illinois Senate 9th District seat being vacated by State Senator Daniel Biss (now running for Governor). To help you learn more about all the Democratic candidates who attended the Dinner, I've listed them just below this commentary.
The NTDO has long encouraged citizens to become involved in public service. This group of candidates who've stepped forward to serve is impressive, as are their backgrounds. Altogether they are a healthy sign that we Democrats aren't ready to give up on believing in rational, representative government at every level of our Democracy.
Nels Howard
NTDO member since 1973
Here's a list of local and statewide Democratic candidates
(so far) seeking your vote in the 2018 Primary Election.
At this point, we don't have Internet addresses for all of them but we hope to in the next issue of the NTD News. Of course, you can cut and paste each name in your browser right now and find those candidates with campaign websites.
Governor:
Chris Kennedy
JB Pritzger representative-Andrew Pryzbylo, Mayor of Niles
Bob Daiber
Teo Hardiman
Robert Marshal
Alex Paterakis
Daniel Biss, State Senator 9th District
Illinois Attorney General:
Jesse Ruiz, Board of Commisioners, Park District
Kwame Raoul, IL State Senator13th District
Nancy Rotering, Mayor of Highland Park
Aaron Goldstein, 33rd Ward Committeeman
Scott Drury, IL State Rep, 58th District
Renato Mariotti
Illinois State Representative - 17th District:
Candace Chow
Alexandra Eidenberg
Mary Rita Luecke
Jennifer Gong-Gershowitz
58th District:
Bob Morgan
6th District:
Carol Cheney
Cook County Assessor:
Frederick (Fritz) Kaegi
Are your NTD annual dues up to date? You can only vote at endorsement meetings if you're paid up.
Check with the NTD office if you're not sure when your "annual dues date" is.
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To renew your NTD membership or to become an official member of the New Trier Dems for the first time,
visit our
NTDO website. You'll see information on all your membership options.
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Next Monday, Oct. 16 in Evanston --
Join State Reps. Robyn Gabel and Laura Fine
at the Evanston Ecology Center
to learn more about important environmental topics
and what you can do to deal with them.
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Other events of interest:
This Saturday, October 14 in Glenview - A Career Resource Center Oktoberfest.
When: Saturday, October 14, from 6:00 - 10:00pm
Where: Ten Ninety Brewing Co., 1025 N. Waukegan Rd., Glenview
What: Career Resource Center (CRC) hosts
an evening of camaraderie, unlimited craft beer, wine, BBQ, and an auction. Proceeds benefit CRC's mission to help change lives and strengthen communities with confidence-building, results-focused employment resources. For additional information or to RSVP,
register online or
contact Kristina Phillips, Executive Director, by
email or call 847-295-5626.
This Monday, October 16 in Skokie - A Health Care Hiring Event with Brad Schneider and Jan Schakowsky.
When: Monday, October 16, from 10:00 am --1:00pm.
Early entry for veterans at 9:30am
Where: Oakton Community College, 7701 Lincoln Ave., Skokie
What: U.S. Representatives Brad Schneider and Jan Schakowsky hold a health care hiring event with health care providers; nursing homes, assisted-living facilities and hospice providers; pharmacies; and pharmaceutical companies that have current job openings and are looking to hire. For questions call Rep. Jan Schakowsky's office at 847-328-3409.
Tuesday, Oct. 17 in Evanston - A Reception in Support of Rep. Laura Fine for State Senate.
 When
: Tuesday, October 17, from 5:30 - 7:00pm
Where
: Terra & Vine, 1710 Maple Ave., Evanston
What
: Please join "Women for Laura" host committee (in formation) to support Rep. Fine's Senate Campaign!
Note: The NTDO Endorsement Meeting will not be held until January of 2018. Although Rep. Fine has been enthusiastically endorsed several times to be our State Rep., this event announcement is not a formal endorsement for Laura's State Senate candidacy.
Sunday afternoon, Oct. 22 in Northbrook -
See "The Pajama Game" - A Tenth Dems event.
 When:
Sunday, October 22, at 2:00pm
Where:
Northbrook Theater, 3323 Walters Ave., Northbrook
What:
Join Tenth Dems at the Highland Park Players' production of The Pajama Game, winner of Tony awards for Best Musical and, 50 years later, Best Musical Revival. Set in the 1950s, The Pajama Game depicts the battle between a pajama factory's management and the employees and their union over a 7 1/2 cent raise. Classic Broadway songs include "Steam Heat," "Hey There," and "Hernando's Hideaway."
Ticket price in honor of next year's election: $20.18, (less than the box office price.) There will be a moderated conversation after the show.
Saturday, Oct. 28 in Glenview -
The Democrats of Northfield Township Fundraiser Luncheon
with U.S. Reps. Schakowsky and Schneider.
Saturday, October 28, from 12:00 noon - 2:00pm
Where:
The Glen Club, 2901 W. Lake Ave., Glenview
What:
The Democrats of Northfield Township hold their annual Fundraiser Luncheon featuring remarks from Congressional Representatives Jan Schakowsky and Brad Schneider; and Resistance Recognition Honorees Action for a Better Tomorrow - Northern Suburbs, Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America, United Advocacy, and Northbrook Working Families Coalition.
Luncheon proceeds support field efforts to keep Northfield Township blue and our primary and general election Township mailings.
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Have you visited Senator Biss' website "The Road Back" --
click on the link to his video -- then, throughout the summer follow his plan's development on the website.
Daniel explains a lot about how Illinois got where it is today and how we can begin the journey on the road back toward achieving our state's tremendous economic potential.
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Your Legislators:
 Democratic Legislators
who represent New Trier Township in
Washington, Springfield and Cook County
You'll be hearing a lot from these exceptional public servants. --
And they want to be hearing a lot from you.
The fact is, they need to hear from you and want to hear from you in order to represent you most effectively. So, the first thing you can do is get to know who these people are. The links below to their campaign websites are a good place to start.
Jan Schakowsky
, 9th U.S. Congressional District Representative
and Chief Deputy House Democratic Whip. The new Ninth District boundaries include all of New Trier except for Glencoe.
Brad Schneider
, 10th U.S. Congressional District Representative which includes a number of precincts in Glencoe.
Daniel Biss,
State Senator for Illinois' 9th State Senate District.The Ninth District includes all of New Trier Township.
Julie Morrison, State Senator for Illinois' 29th State Senate District. The district includes New Trier's northernmost precincts.
Robyn Gabel,
IL 18th District State Representative. The 18th District includes much of New Trier up to Hazel Avenue and Dundee Road.
Laura Fine
, IL 17th District State Representative.
The 17th District includes the East Glenview and West Wilmette areas of New Trier Township.
Scott Drury
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IL 58th District State Representative.
The 58th District includes the northernmost precincts in Glencoe.
Larry Suffredin, Cook County 13th District Commissioner. The 13th District includes all of New Trier, Evanston and Niles Townships.
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| Dear Fellow Democrats, If you are not already an NTDO member, and enjoy our Newsletter, we hope you consider joining us as a dues-paying member. NTDO is a not-for-profit political action organization. We depend on our membership dues to support our Democratic causes and candidates. There are two options for dues payments: by check or credit card. By Check: Make check payable to NTDO and mail to our office: NTDO 800 Oak St., Suite 112 Winnetka, IL 60093 OR By Credit Card: visit our website by clicking here Click on the "Join/Contribute" button
Find the link for "contribute with ActBlue"
or go directly to ActBlue by clicking here.
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Still not a member of the New Trier Dems? Your participation in grassroots political action will make a difference. -- Come join us.
 When you're a member of the New Trier Democratic Organization, you have an active role in affecting the political process; participating in grassroots campaigns, staying in touch with elected officials, playing a role in deciding which candidates are endorsed. You'll also gain free admission to select forums and events throughout the year.
Come be a part of New Trier's grassroots political community.
About Us:
The New Trier Democratic Organization is made up of hundreds of grassroots volunteers dedicated to advancing progressive ideals through the political process. We welcome your participation.
Sincerely,
Dean T. Maragos, Committeeman New Trier Township
We are located at 800 Oak Street, Suite 112, in Winnetka, IL. Ph: 847-446-8030
*This Internet communication paid for by the New Trier Democratic Organization and not authorized by any federal or state candidate or campaign committee. A copy of our report filed with the State Board of Elections is available for purchase from the State Board of Elections in Springfield, Illinois.
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