NY22 Congressional Forum a Huge Success!

Thank you to everyone who attended the event last night!  You showed up and proved that democracy is not a spectator sport!

• We had over 200 registered and attendance close to 200! 

• Attendees came not just from Oneida County but also Madison and Onondaga County. 

• The event was well covered by the media--TV and print--showing the public that we are already on the job when it comes to flipping NY22

• Our candidates--local and congressional-- did a great job inspiring and energizing us for the work ahead in 2023 and 2024. 

• All the co-sponsoring organizations were well-represented in the audience, and we especially appreciate Monalisa Firman and Shana Dahlin as well as Jill Farnham-Us and Sarah Reeske for their excellent leadership on the stage, and the many behind-the-scenes volunteers that it took to hold such a large event.

• You raised $518 for stamps for handwritten postcards to voters in the 2023 local elections. Thank you for dropping a couple bucks in the stamp jar!" 

Coming together like this is the first step, not just to getting to know the Democratic congressional candidates who will be on the primary ballot in 2024, but to organizing ourselves to defeat Brandon Williams and flip NY22.  

Want to keep the conversation about the candidates going?  Be sure to join CAFE Friday this morning at 9:30 am.  Zoom link in the calendar below.  

"No More Williams Wednesday" on August 30th

NY-22 Congressman Brandon Williams stands for a racist, xenophobic, and backwards agenda that doesn't represent the real people of Central New York. He has been actively voting against the interests of the working Black and Brown families he is paid by our tax dollars to represent. Brandon Williams and the other MAGA extremists of the House have threatened to cut or raise requirements for programs like Social Security, veterans' services, SNAP, and more, while making it harder for parents to feed their young children, opposing reductions in health insurance costs, making seniors pay more for medicine and work longer hours for basic food benefits, and voting to protect the ultra-wealthy and corporate tax cheats. Central New Yorkers deserve better than Williams and his kind, and it's time to let them know! 

Please join CNY Citizen Action at No More Williams Wednesday this August 30th at 12pm outside his Utica office (421 Broad Street) to protest his MAGA agenda!  Register here: https://www.mobilize.us/citizenactionny/event/574978/
 

IMV Postcard Party Thursday, August 31st

We ordered thousands of postcards to get Democratic and unaffiliated women to the polls to vote for women candidates in targeted election districts in the Mohawk Valley. Now it's time to handwrite messages on those cards and get them labeled and stamped.  We'll be having a series of postcard parties in the coming weeks starting on Thursday, August 31st, 3-5 pm.  Please join us at the New Hartford Library, 2 Library Lane, New Hartford for a fun, social event.  And yes, of course, it's always possible to pick up postcards and write them at home.  

Celeste Friend Campaign Events 

Celeste's campaign team is inviting all her volunteers, friends, and supporters to join the Canvassing Team!  In IMV we have long believed in and practiced neighborhood canvassing as a way of listening to and respecting voters, engaging people in community and civic life, and impacting elections in ways that align with our values and improve all of our lives. 

We encourage everyone to sign up today for a canvassing orientation Thursday, Aug. 24th., 5:15-7:30 or Thursday, Sept. 7th. 5:15-7:30 pm. The sooner the better, because there are a lot of voters to meet in every ward in Utica. Click this link to RSVP: https://forms.gle/hfurKbDPFT4dRirX6

Annual Celeste Friend Ice Cream Social
Come get a sweet treat and support Celeste's campaign at the same time. Saturday, August 26th, 2-5 pm. Tickets are $40, but kids under 12 eat for free. There will be fun activities for kids, the Vision Board, and all sorts of ice cream treats. Buy your tickets here!

NYS Federation of Democratic Women in Utica This Year

 The NYS Federation of Democratic Women 2nd annual awards dinner and annual meeting will be held on Saturday, September 30th in Utica, NY, and the Democratic Women's Club of Oneida County is hosting this event right here in the Mohawk Valley.  The schedule of events will include: a luncheon with speakers, sponsored by SEIU 1199; a panel of experts who will talk about building a culture of respect for women veterans; a campaign training; a business meeting with the election of new officers; an awards dinner recognizing New York's Democratic women of distinction.  Keynote speakers for the event are: NYS Controller Tom DiNapoli, DNC Finance Chair and Co-Chair of the DNC Women's Leadership Forum Virginia McGregor, and Kristen Stavisky, Co-Executive Director, NYS Board of Elections.  Register now: 

Cost per person:
$75 dinner only (5 pm to 8 pm)
$125 full day, including lunch, panel, campaign training, and dinner (12 pm to 8 pm)

Purchase tickets online at:https://secure.actblue.com/donate/awards2023
 

IMV Friends: Democracy is not a spectator sport.  Let's keep making political activism local, bit-size, and fun!

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