Please join IMV at our December 2023 meeting, Sunday, December 17th, 2:00-3:30 pm. NY Energy Zone, 35 Utica Zoo Way, Utica.

We’re meeting in this beautiful, conference room space for the first time. It’s up the hill off the Parkway, on the right, before you get to the Utica Zoo parking lot. There is plenty of parking in the lot at the building. We’ll be talking about what we want to do for a Jan. 6th action and discussing how we can call out #NY22’s #WeakWilliams and hold him accountable in 2024. See you there!

We've seen Brandon Williams' arrogance, fragile ego, and "people skills deficit" at town halls in the past year, but now millions of Americans, including many NY22 voters, have had a glimpse of his true personality and near-violent behavior as well.

We're heading into the home stretch of 2023, and gearing up for a busy year of progressive political action in 2024, especially as we work toward our goal of flipping NY22 blue.

We had a good turnout at the Jewish Community Center on Sunday afternoon for our annual post-election fall fiesta celebration. Thanks to all who attended and brought a number of first timers to our monthly meeting. We know that many of you were unable to attend as well, and we missed you! Our theme was "Gratitude."

The walls were covered with expressions of gratitude and appreciation as well as hopes for the future. And... there was a very long standing ovation for Celeste Friend when she arrived.

Please join us for our annual IMV Fall Fiesta Post Election Celebration on Sunday, November 12th, 1:00-3:30 pm at the Jewish Community Center, 2310 Oneida St, Utica.

And read about what happened on Tuesday.

From Celeste Friend

“… for this final week, we really need to lean into everything we've ever done and ever stood for: a more transparent and inclusive government and politics; neighborhoods that keep everyone safe and happy; and a commitment to making smart investments that will sustain the City for generations to come.”

Please join us for this final part of the campaign! We need all hands on deck in this last week.

1. Help out IMV with Harvest on the Hill tomorrow.
2. Vote! Early voting starts tomorrow.
3. Sign up now for Indivisible's Halloween Eve Unrepresentative Text Party to hold Brandon Williams Accountable.
4. Help Caroline Reale get re-elected (County Leg). Canvass for her on Sunday October 29th at 3:30 PM.
5. Volunteer for GOTV for Celeste Friend for Mayor.

Early voting starts a week from tomorrow, and election day is 18 days away, so we need everyone to put the pedal to metal and show up for GOTV activities. Please participate in candidate events in the next couple of weeks,

And to read about Brandon Williams vote for a “political terrorist,” read on…

Last year at Harvest on the Hill in Utica, IMV's "kids vote" table was a huge success! We saw hundreds of children in costumes, showed them how to vote for their favorite candy by secret ballot, talked to their adults about registering to vote and/or voting in the upcoming election, and provided apples, candy, and water to families as they headed down James Street. We even had hundreds of kids take photos with our big blow up dinosaur with a "Dinos for Democracy" sign. So fun!

We need your help for the event again this year.

You are invited to join our celebration of diversity and inclusion on the village green in Clinton tomorrow, on the last day of Banned Book Week 2023, Freedom to Learn and Love is a counter demonstration to the Moms for Liberty event at the Alexander Hamilton Institute. They want to ban books in libraries and schools, and make schools less welcoming and inclusive. Yuk.

IMV Freedom to Learn and Love Rally
Saturday, Oct. 7
12:30-2:00 pm
Clinton Village Green

Weather: The forecast is iffy. With a little rain, we're all about umbrellas. If the rain is very heavy, there may be a change in plan so please check the Facebook event at noon.

As you know, our country is facing a MAGA Republican government shutdown because of reckless Republican extremists. It's not just the fault of "arsonists" like Matt Gaetz. The entire shutdown could be avoided if Brandon Williams and five of the other 17 "Unrepresentatives" (Republican reps in districts Biden won in 2020) would simply sign a a discharge petition to allow Democrats to bring a bipartisan bill to the floor.

But...instead of signing the petition so that the government can function and pay its workers, Williams is doing nothing to help federal employees who do the work of the people every day and need to pay their bills just like anyone else. Instead, Brandon Williams told a reporter on national TV that he will accept his pay, even while lower paid workers who are furloughed or have to show up for work are NOT paid, adding that government workers shouldn't expect "a huge amount of sympathy." He wears his cruelty and disregard for the lives of the people in NY22 on his sleeve.

To make a long story short, MAGAs are driving us off a cliff and Brandon Williams is at the wheel. That's why, if the government shuts down Sept. 30, we will stand in solidarity of our neighbors who are federal workers going without the pay need for rent, mortgage, food, and utilities, and make sure the public knows who is to blame. Please join us for these important rallies.

Brandon Williams is just making up problems--like who is using which bathroom, and who is reading what library book --these are phony issues designed to gaslight and distract from the Republican failure to get things done that benefit Americans. He's not focused on helping constituents and his district; he's trying to get people believe that the services, investments, and institutions that serve them every day are somehow failed or corrupt. UGH!

What can you do? Read on for suggestions…

We’re meeting with Senator Gillibrand on Zoom

Join IMV and rural friends from across New York for a Rural Discussion with Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand on Zoom starting at 5:00 pm on Tuesday, September 19th. She’s answering questions about the Rebuilding Rural America Act and Farm Bill. We’ll get time with her staff as well to dive deeper into how we can make a difference in our own communities when it comes to making sure we get available funding that can make a difference. Let’s all show up together!

George Santos (NY-3) is a liar and fraud, and Republicans in Congress like Brandon Williams called for him to resign when the headlines were about his disgraceful fraud and lies to voters. But instead they voted to keep Santos in office and launched an investigation that did nothing but delay his expulsion and keep a confessed thief in Congress. We know the truth: Santos is still in office because Republicans want him there. They don’t care about his lies or about his constituents, they just want him to vote for their priorities and help them protect their majority.

What can we do? Read on…

You may have seen Citizen Action’s More Williams Wednesday event coverage on local tv news and in print media. Of course, it was especially fun for the media because the planned Citizen Action protest was counterprotested by MAGAs. Yes, it was a throwback to the old #OneTermTenney days where we stood outside the district office of our member of Congress, and the Trumpy MAGAs showed up once in a blue moon.

Through monthly protests, Citizen Action plans to keep calling attention to Brandon Williams' failure to represent all the people in the district and his prioritization of the MAGA agenda.

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.

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

If you've been relaxing at camp, traveling, or working in the garden all summer and just realized that you haven't registered for the NY22 Congressional forum--it's not too late!

Aug. 17th NY22 Congressional Forum: Register NOW

All three Democratic candidates for NY22 have confirmed they will participate in the forum. Hear all of them together on why we need to beat Brandon Williams at the ballot box in 2024 and how they plan to be the candidate to help us flip NY22 and take back the House.

• Meet NY22 Candidates Sarah Klee Hood, Clemmie Harris, and John Mannion

• This event is for registered Democrats and WFP members only.

• Co-sponsored by Indivisible Mohawk Valley, Citizen Action CNY, NAACP Utica/Oneida County, Oneida County Democratic Committee, Working Families Party, and Oneida County Democratic Women's Club

Have You Registered for the NY22 Forum?

If you have, then your next step is to invite your NY22 (Dem & WFP) friends and colleagues. We're excited about the 85+ people who have registered in the past week, but we want to make sure that all registered Democratic and WFP voters in NY22 know about this event and have the opportunity to attend. Invite them!