Celeste Friend's Primary: Organizing Wins!
Celeste Friend Mayoral Primary: Organizing Wins
Congratulations to Celeste Friend and her Purple Posse of campaign volunteers! Celeste's win was the result of her campaign's inclusive vision: Utica for All, and her commitment as an elected official and a candidate to transparency, sustainability, and livable neighborhoods. Celeste secured campaign contributions and endorsements from many progressive PACs, labor unions, Citizen Action, and the Working Families Party. Now she will be on the Democratic Party line and the WFP line for the November election. Please see below for the press release that IMV sent earlier this week.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 28th, 2023
Indivisible Mohawk Valley Congratulates Member Celeste Friend on Her Primary Win
Utica, NY - Indivisible Mohawk Valley member and candidate for Utica Mayor, Celeste Friend, has won the Democratic primary and now advances to the general election. IMV members have been knocking on doors and organizing as volunteers for Friend’s campaign for months. We congratulate her on her victory on Tuesday.
Celeste Friend is a candidate who advocates for all people in Utica. They are drawn to her values of transparency, communication, inclusivity and back her bold vision for the city where everyone benefits. She’s the right person at the right time to take Utica into a bright future.
Learn more about Indivisible Mohawk Valley by visiting our website and Facebook page.
***
We believe that years of knocking doors in every ward for James Paul and other IMV supported candidates in Utica softened the ground for Celeste's field organization, and that the next four months offer the opportunity to engage even more voters in local elections and to reach out to people who are not yet registered to vote but could be part of the people power on display on Tuesday. Thanks to all in IMV who have contributed and volunteered in many roles over the past many months. It's not too late to get involved in the campaign for the general election. To sign up to volunteer or to donate to Celeste's groundbreaking campaign at: https://www.uticaforall.com/
Everyone is welcome to join Celeste's Purple Posse at Utica's 4th of July parade on Tuesday, July 4th. Meet up is the parking lot at Our Lady of Lourdes Church, 2222 Genesee St, at 9:30 am. Wear your purple shirt. We'll be passing out candy and purple basil plants---and sharing waves, smiles, and good vibes! #UticaForAll.
Letter to the Editor in the Daily Sentinel
In case you missed it, Dick Meili, convener of our IMV LTE group, had an excellent letter published in the Sentinel. There are paywalls, so here it is for your reading pleasure.
LETTER: Williams touts pair of actions that aren’t in our interests
Posted Thursday, June 22, 2023 12:00 pm
In his last two constituent mailings, Rep. Brandon Williams touts two of his actions — which are not in our best interests.
As the saying goes, “The devil is in the details.”
Among other effective measures, President Joe Biden lowered Medicare costs by capping the price of insulin at $35 and allowing Medicare to negotiate drug prices. The resulting $288 billion savings over 10 years enabled him to reduce Medicare’s portion of his current budget.
These factual details give us a completely different understanding of the impact of Biden’s budget on Medicare, one that in reality saves money rather than — as Williams falsely claims — “cuts billions.”
Likewise, his vote to rescind new IRS funding was not in our best interests. That money was earmarked to replace obsolete computer systems, process returns and issue refunds more quickly and hire needed customer service representatives. Those funds were also expected to hire additional auditors to crack down on wealthy taxpayer cheats, thereby boosting revenue by $124 billion over the next decade.
Apparently, Williams has completely bought into his fellow Republicans’ fear of alienating their wealthy supporters, simply by requiring them to pay their fair share of taxes.
Again, truth is found in the troublesome details.
Whenever Congressman Williams sends future mailings, my hope is we will read them with much more than the usual grain of salt.
— Richard Meili, Waterville
Everybody, start sharpening your LTE pencils! It's up to us to call attention to the terrible votes Williams is taking (not to mention his relentless dog-whistles attacking his constituents) and to share with the community why we are supporting local Democratic candidates for the 2023 elections.
One Easy Email for the Climate this week
This summer, New York’s state agencies are developing a cap-and-invest system to make corporate polluters pay for their emissions. This system has the potential to raise billions of dollars to address the climate crisis head-on—that is, if it’s done with justice at the fore.
Can you email regulators and Governor Hochul to call for a just cap-and-invest program? Done right, a cap-and-invest program would make the state’s corporate polluters pay up for their toxic pollution. But done wrong, NY’s cap program could lead to pollution hotspots in Black, brown, and working-class communities.
IMV Summer Potluck Picnic, Wednesday, July 19th
Plan to attend our annual summer potluck picnic Wednesday, July 19th, 5:30-7:00 pm at Sherrill Brook Park in New Hartford (enter the park from Rt. 12, turn to the left, and go to Birch Pavilion, near the large playground. Please bring a dish to share, and if you can, your own drink, plate, and utensils (we'll have extras).
Local candidates we are supporting will be invited to join us as will our allies in local political activism. Bring your friends, family, kids, and dogs. Our annual picnic is always a highlight of the year!
Save the Date: Oneida County NY22 Candidate Forum
Please mark your calendar for our Oneida County #NY22 Candidate Forum on Wednesday, August 16th, 6-8 pm. There are four declared Democratic candidates to date, and we want to get to know all of them better by hearing their reasons for running and their answers to wide ranging questions in a friendly forum. This event is just the beginning of a long process leading to a Democratic primary in 2024.
Last year, because of redistricting, we did not have much time to meet our congressional candidates before the primary, but we still enjoyed their insights, their willingness to engage with Democratic and WFP voters, and their collegial respect for one another. We'll be at MVCC in Utica once again, this time on Aug. 16th, 6-8 pm, and look forward to seeing you! Registration coming soon.
