Sunday Potluck and Canvass in Little Falls, Rome

Once again, a “White Lives Matter” group has held an event at a park in Little Falls, a community commonly described as a “small blue dot” in a red sea. The first time they did so, they plastered stickers at First Presbyterian Church and in Burke Park located directly across the street from the church. Pastor Tamara Razzano, who has addressed IMV rallies in Utica in the past, notes that none of the other churches in Little Falls were affected.  First Presbyterian is the one church in town that flies a rainbow flag, has a large BLM sign in their window, and participates in the annual Pride event located in the park.  It appears that the church is being targeted.

In response, the church is hosting a Black Lives Matter & Embrace Diversity community potluck on Sunday, October 16th. at 11:30 AM.   This is NOT a political event, but a values based event that aligns with IMVs values around building inclusive anti-racist community.  IMV encourages our members to bring a dish to share and attend this event to provide support and solidarity as the Little Falls community takes a strong and firm stand against hate and for diversity.  IMV member Chris Brown will be one of a series of speakers at the event.

Then, because IMV is committed to political action and encouraging voting, we will move across the street at 1:00 pm and get turfs and Matt Castelli campaign materials, and go out to knock doors to get out the vote for Matt, who has also been strong and firm against the hateful rhetoric of Elise Stefanik.  We'll canvass 1-3 pm for Matt Castelli and Herkimer County Democratic candidates. Please sign up for the event HERE.   Please feel free to attend the potluck or the canvass or both. 

Rome Canvass: If you are not free until later in the day, please consider the weekly Sunday canvass in Rome at 3-5 pm.   We've had excellent turnout the past two Sundays and continue to need volunteers to knock doors in Rome.  
 

IMV Postcard Party Monday, Oct. 17th

IMV received 2000 postcards and stamps from Indivisible to get out the vote. Our goal is to write a short message on each card about voting for Francis Conole, stamp, label, and send them out in time for the start of early voting. But we need volunteers! The postcard party is Monday, Oct. 17th, 11am-5pm at Utica HQ (238 Genesee Street). Anne Gill-Wood and Carole Gehrig are hosting the party 11-3 and Kathy Wojo will host 3-5 pm. Don’t leave them there alone to do all those postcards! Stop by with your favorite pen, and write as many as you can. Thanks for helping with this GOTV project!

Herkimer Postcard Project Needs Your Help Too

Herkimer County Democrats are doing a GOTV Postcard Project. We have postcards packaged in groups of 30, with address lists, and distributed in the three spots below. The Committee will stamp them unless you want to help. There will be a STAMPING PARTY on October 23 from 1-3 at 525 Albany Street, Little Falls NY (Also H&H Accounting, just past Kinneys on the way to the Co-Op). Get a FREE T-shirt!

We are encouraging less frequent Dem voters to PLAN their VOTE. This is also an important point of contact for the party. Please help us handwrite the postcards. Pick up any time now, and DUE to us by FRIDAY, OCTOBER 21, 2022 in one of these drop boxes:

Ø 2 Laurelwood Road, New Hartford, NY 13413 (Just off of Paris Road) Pick-up/ Drop box is next to front door.
Ø 15 West Center Street, Mohawk, NY 13407 (Near Jarvis Middle School) Pick-up/ Drop box is on the front porch.
Ø 525 Albany Street, Little Falls, NY 13365, during business hours, Monday – Thursday. Not open on Friday, Saturday or Sunday. See Chuck in that office. He does take a lunch break so early, or a later afternoon ~ 3, is best or call him at (315) 823-0008 if you want to be sure that the office is open. Signs are also available there!

Any questions or concerns? Call or text ( preferred) Betsy Briggs at 315-717-1363 or email Betsy at puperdoo@gmail.com THANK YOU SO MUCH!!

Climate Crisis Workgroup Update

One minute, two clicks for climate: In April, NY Renews (with IMV members help!) submitted over 10,000 public comments to the New York Climate Action Council and ensured that the public interest was represented in the scoping plan for implementing the CLCPA (Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act.) However, even though the public commenting period is over, industries continue to lobby the council. Let’s continue to make our voices heard as well. Take one minute to email the Climate Action Council today and help ensure that NY’s future is free of false climate solutions!

Tired of Wordle? Climate Disinformation Quiz: Industry leaders also spend tons of money spreading misinformation to the public. Have a little fun and check your ability to spot some of the disinformation with the online quiz, What The Actual Frack?) 

Attention Retired Teachers: Remember to please vote for Sally Courtright and return your ballot for the retired teacher member seat on NYSTRS' 10-member Board. Sally has been endorsed by Divest NY.  For more information go to https://www.divestnyteachers.org or https://nystrs.org/About-Us/Press-Room/Headlines/Election-to-be-Held-for-Retired-Teacher-Board-Seat
 

Letters to the Editor: "Conole is One of Us"

We saw a really good one this week! Jennifer Boulanger's letter supporting Fran Conole for Congress was published in the Rome Sentinel. Please share this LTE with friends and family and make sure they know which NY22 candidate is actually connected to our community and in tune with our values and the needs of central NY. And let the letter be inspiration to you to write your own letter to the editor about a candidate you support on Nov. 8th. In case you hit a pay wall, here is the text.

The area’s “other newspaper” included a headline that Brandon Williams is leading Francis Conole in the race for Congress.

People, please. For once, let’s not revert to our corners, voting habitually “right” or “left,” but let’s actually become informed. I urge you, if you do nothing else when considering your vote, go to the Williams and Conole websites. Here’s what you’ll find:

Williams is both unprepared for the job and disconnected to our community. A silicon valley tech executive and multi-millionaire who bought a 67-acre farm in Cayuga County in 2019, Williams has no political experience. While he touts his outsider status as refreshing, his “stances” are vacuous generalizations that communicate only what he is for— no concrete ideas or solutions. Anyone can state what he is for. But what is he actually planning to do? And, living out of our district, Williams cannot even vote for himself!

Even GOP leadership failed to endorse Brandon Williams in last summer’s primary, their PAC-sponsored ad calling him a “liberal elitist.” After he won, Elise Stefanik miraculously changed her opinion. Not surprising. Stefanik is known for gauging the political winds and reversing course: Remember when she couldn’t even utter Trump’s name and now she’s ultra-MAGA? When her own Republican colleague described her “ambition unmoored to principle”? The hypocrisy would be stunning if it wasn’t so predictable.

In contrast, Francis Conole is a lifelong CNY-er from a family of middle-class public servants. His website includes real ideas and actionable plans: to provide rural broadband to students in Madison County, to support the “Build Local/Hire Local” act, to invest in green energy, to boost aid for STEM education and invest in affordable childcare. Enmeshed in our community and its needs, Conole can hit the ground running. And, unlike Williams, he would not have to learn about us. He is us.
— Jennifer Boulanger, Rome

26 Days Until Election Day: Please Write Postcards, Knock Doors

This election may be the most consequential of our lifetimes. We thought that was 2020, but it turns out that defeating Trump was not enough to save democracy. We must come together and do the work to defeat Trumpism. MAGA extremism can not have its way in our central NY communities.

Not sure where to start? Write postcards. That can be done at a postcard party (Monday, Oct. 17th 11 am-5 pm at 238 Genesee Street, Utica), or stop by and pick up some to do at home. Any questions about how to help with postcards? Email IndivisibleMV@gmail.com

Please bookmark the Fran Conole Campaign on Mobilize, so you can easily keep up to date with canvass and phone banking opportunities, especially as we near GOTV (Get Out the Vote). The Conole campaign is starting a major GOTV push one week before the start of early voting, on Sat. Oct. 22. There are shifts all day. You just sign up, and show up at Campaign HQ, 238 Genesee Street, Utica.

In the meantime, please keep in mind that you have many options for canvassing this week with IMV or the Conole Campaign:

Saturday, Oct. 15th, 10am-1 pm or 1pm-4pm, 238 Genesee Street, Utica
Sunday, Oct. 16th 1-3 pm, 524 E Main Street, Little Falls (following the non-political potluck at First Presbyterian Church)
Sunday, Oct. 16th, 3-5 pm, 1101 Floyd Ave, Rome
Wednesday, Oct. 19th, 10:30am-1:00pm, 8 Lyndon Rd. Whitesboro
Wednesday, Oct. 19th, 5-7pm, 19 Proctor Ave, Clinton
Thursday, Oct. 29th, 5-7pm, New Hartford Village Green (Genesee Street & Paris Road)

Whether you canvass in Utica, Little Falls, Rome, Whitesboro, Clinton or New Hartford, you are powering the blue wave that we need to prevent MAGA extremists from winning their elections. The voters we have been talking to so far have been grateful to see the IMV slate cards that help them to navigate the ballot, and to make their plan for voting.

THANK YOU for all you are doing: writing postcards, donating money, phone or text banking, and especially, knocking doors.
Democracy is not a spectator sport.

Follow us on Twitter using @indivisiblemv and of course our Facebook page and IMV Activism Group.