Primary Results After Your Hard Work

IMV members knocked doors and wrote postcards in recent weeks to turn out voters for Matt Castelli in NY21 and Sarah Klee Hood in NY22. Matt won, and will now challenge Elise Stefanik.  Sarah Klee Hood, with grassroots support in Oneida and Madison County, came very close but was about 900 votes (a few percentage points) shy of the frontrunner, Fran Conole. (On the Republican side, it was an upset, with MAGA extremist Brandon Williams defeating establishment candidate Steve Wells.) 

We were thrilled to see Sarah Klee Hood at our IMV picnic on Wednesday night; she thanked her many IMV volunteers and she and her campaign manager husband received a standing ovation for their hard work and outreach in Oneida county, and commitment to our shared values including small dollar donations and door to door conversations.  Those values are ones that IMV will bring to our work in the next eleven weeks (YIKES!) on the NY21 and NY22 congressional campaigns.  

We also appreciated that our Oneida County Clerk candidate, Merima Smajic-Oren, attended the picnic and spoke to us about her race, as did Judge David Murad, who is running for re-election in November.  Dan Butterman, who is challenging Brian Miller (R) for the 122nd State Assembly seat, also spoke about the importance of the upcoming election.  The district includes the towns of Kirkland and New Hartford. 

Now what?  There's a lot of work to do.  Dylan Black, who is on Governor Hochul's re-election campaign, announced that they are opening a field office in Washington Mills (Yes, the old Brindisi campaign office) and will run a coordinated campaign with a focus on knocking doors for all the Democrats, up and down the ballot.  In addition, IMV is organizing several regular, weekly canvass launch points.  Information about those will be in the newsletter next week.  We'll have late afternoon/early evening shifts during the week, as well as weekend door knocking opportunities.  We will carry lit for all the candidates we can that are relevant for the turf we are knocking.  More to come!
 

#NY22 Unity Event on Sunday in Manlius

You are invited to a UNITY EVENT organized by Caz Call to Action (Madison County) to celebrate the winner of the NY22 Democratic Party Congressional Primary, Francis Conole, and to thank the other three candidates for their efforts.  All four candidates are attending (Francis Conole, Sarah Klee Hood, Chol Majok, and Sam Roberts).  The event is this Sunday, August 28th, 2-4 pm at Golub's "Our Farm" (1590 Peth Road, Manlius).  The Dave Novak Trio will be on hand for musical entertainment.  And refreshments will be provided.

No donation is required to attend...but we hope that you will recognize the winner by making a donation at the event or by volunteering to support the winner.  WHAT'S MORE IMPORTANT: a big turnout in support of the NY22 Congressional Candidate.

So that we can make sure there are enough seats for attendees, please let us know you are attending by emailing CAZCTA@gmail.com and letting them know you are coming (and if you are bringing others, how many). 
 

Support Emanu-El's bold action on Reproductive Rights

On August 30 at 6PM, Temple Emanu-El (2710 Genesee Street, Utica) will be dedicating a banner on our front lawn that reads “Reproductive Freedom is a Jewish Value.”  The congregation has invited IMV members and the interfaith community to attend the event and also to express your support for the displaying of this banner in other ways.

Rabbi Peter Schaktman, writes: "The recent Dobbs decision by the SCOTUS overturned decades of reproductive freedom in the United States, and is already leading to consequences that can hardly be characterized as “pro-life.”

The Dobbs decision was also a gut-punch to the Constitutional principle of religious freedom, and not just theoretically.  Dobbs outlaws and criminalizes important elements of reproductive health care that are not only permitted by the Jewish law, but, in certain cases, required by it. So, in addition to being an affront to the basic rights of those who can get pregnant, Dobbs also infringes on the right of Jews (as well as others, perhaps) to practice our faith tradition and express our religious values.

The decision to display this banner was not an easy one for the congregation to make. In the course of many meetings and discussions about it, a significant amount of fear was expressed by a number of people who were concerned about how others in the community would respond to this assertion of Jewish presence in the community, and this challenge to the notion that denying people reproductive health care is a universal religious value.

Your presence would go a long way to reassure the leaders and members of Temple Emanu-El that the interfaith community 'has our back.' Though we may not all share the same personal or religious approaches to reproductive health care, we all, I believe, support the right of religious communities in the United States to practice their religion in freedom (see: Pastor Martin Niemoller)."

LTEs: There is Help to Get Started

From Dick Meili, IMV LTE Group Convener

Now that we know who is running for Congress in NY-21 and NY-22, it’s time to spring into action regarding Letters to the Editor.  At Wednesday’s picnic, Sarah Reeske called for LTEs along with other efforts that have made IMV so effective -- canvassing, postcards, lawn signs and phone banks. But admittedly there may be the so-called ‘elephant in the room’.  Namely, in this day of digital media we may question if LTEs are effective in printed newspapers.

John Lipe, Field Organizer for Anthony Brindisi’s successful 2018 campaign and then a member of his Washington staff, has returned to Utica and is active with IMV.  At the picnic I asked John if LTEs are still relevant. He said “Definitely, especially if they contain the Congressperson’s name. Congressional staffs closely check the newspapers in their district to learn constituents’ views on issues.” I have to believe candidates for office likewise pay attention to LTEs. So we go all out on this effort in this most important election, which is only 67 days away. But where do we begin?

In the Spring of 2021 I was asked to start IMV’s LTE Group. To be sure, some members wrote letters well before then, so why have the Group? A group facilitates coordination concerning choice of topics and of papers for publication. It allows for a ‘buddy system’ in which an experienced writer can work with someone who has never written an LTE. Members can readily find someone to critique their writings. Of course, those who prefer to work alone are free to do so. We’re a very flexible group in which people are left to proceed as they wish, knowing others are more than willing to assist when asked. If you think you might be interested but are a little hesitant, the following two points may allay your concerns.

On Thursday, September 8th, (see Calendar) Sarah is presenting a virtual LTE Training Session from 6-7 pm. I found her first session to be very interesting and informative. (In fact, I’m currently
using her advice in writing an LTE regarding the Stefanik/Castelli race.) The training is hands-on, as she walks you through composing a letter. Please take advantage of the workshop.

So after you’ve written a letter, how do you about getting it published? I have compiled a list of newspapers in NY-21 and NY-22 that indicated they will publish political letters. It has contact information and LTE
guidelines, such as word limit, for each paper. Sounds interesting? Or like an offer you can’t refuse? Questions?  Contact Dick Meili at 315-841-8231 or meilinys@frontiernet.net.

Looking Ahead

• Mark Your Calendar for IMV's September Meeting.  It's Tuesday, Sept. 13th, 7:30-8:30 pm on Zoom.  We'll go over in detail our win plan for the November election.  By that time we should be canvassing on a weekly basis, actively, writing LTEs, prepping postcards, and/or phone banking so we'll keep things tight on the agenda. 

• If you are attending the Mohawk Valley Latino Festival at Hanna Park in Utica this weekend, (Organized by IMV member and MVLA Executive Director Sonia Martinez), be sure you stop by the table of the brand new group, Oneida County Pride Association.  Ace Morreale, a new IMV member has been working to launch this group, and would love to connect on Facebook (Oneida County Pride Association) or email: oneidacountypride@gmail.com.  

• Please attend events listed in this email: NY22 Unity event in Manlius, Sarah Reeske's LTE Workshop, CAFE Friday (this morning!), or the weekly Thursday afternoon stand on Court Street in Utica.  Support Temple Emanu-El on Tuesday evening as they take a bold stand on reproductive rights.  Fran Conole will be in Oneida County for a fundraiser on Sept. 8, and it's a great opportunity to connect with him if you can't attend the unity event. 

• Start thinking about which evening (or weekend day) that you will commit to knocking doors this fall for our candidates. Plan to do it with a friend a put it on your calendars now.  It's only about 10 weeks, so it is doable, and the payoff is huge. 

We all know that the threats facing our democracy are real.  We must fight for every seat.  If Democrats lose the House or Senate, we will be facing abortion bans, repeals of civil and human rights, rollbacks on climate, healthcare, and much more.  Instead, let's hold seats and flip seats blue.  We have very strong down ballot candidates this year who need our help too. 

On Wednesday, President Biden announced student loan debt forgiveness of $10,000 for individuals who earn less than $125,000 and up to $20,000 for those who received Pell grants (were low income) when they were in college. 

The same day, our current NY22 MAGA extremist congresswoman, Claudia Tenney, posted on her social media accounts that she was "hearing reports" that "illegal immigrants" were being "flown into the town of Westmoreland without the knowledge of local officials" and that she was "backing legislation in Congress to put an end to Biden's midnight flights under cover of darkness."   (What? There's an airport in Westmo?)   

So that is the difference that every voter in NY21 and NY22 needs to understand before early voting begins in October.  One party is working hard to improve the lives of regular people in our community, and one is spreading racist conspiracies and MAGA lies in order to hold on to power. 

Together WE have the power to impact what happens on Nov 8th.  Democracy is not a spectator sport.  
 
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