Howard County Jefferson-Jackson Dinner, Tuesday, May 20, 2008
Hon. Elijah Cummings, who represents Howard County in MD Congressional District 7, will be the keynote speaker at the 2008 Jefferson-Jackson Dinner scheduled for Tuesday, May 20, 2008 at the 10 Oaks Ballroom in Clarksville near the intersection of MD 32 and MD 108. Socialization will begin at the reception at 6:30 p.m. followed by the dinner at 7:30 p.m. The Dinner is the principal fund-raising event of the year for the Howard County Democratic Party.
Last year’s event was a huge success, built around the theme of Democratic Party Building – making Howard County all blue in 2010. The greatest challenge is in Western Howard where all four offices (State Senate, Assembly (2) and County Council) are presently held by Republicans. WHCDC made a strong showing last year selling five of the 33 tables, a total of 50 seats including 19 high school students or sponsors.
Party-building, especially in Western Howard, remains a central theme this year. WHCDC has reserved six tables with 10 seats each. The initial plan is to set aside 30 seats for high school students and 30 seats for regular club members. Our goal is to conclude ticket sales by May 1 so we can secure additional tables if necessary. Regular membership seating will be $87 and high school/sponsor seats will be $75. Students will pay $20 and the club will seek sponsors for the remaining $55. The six tables will be together and will feature reserved seating.
Seven of the 12 county high schools service Western Howard. Two (Mt. Hebron and Centennial) have established clubs, another (Marriotts Ridge) established a Club this year; one (Atholton) is in the process of organizing, and three (Glenelg, River Hill and Reservoir) need organizational effort. Our goal is to have at least potential organizer students from each of the seven high schools present at the dinner. Rich Corkran, State Senate candidate in 2006 and a recently retired teacher, is playing a leadership role in helping to organize these student clubs.
These tickets will go fast Club members who purchased tickets or supported student tickets last year will be given priority consideration this year. All club members will be contacted individually this week to determine their interest in tickets for themselves or supporting student tickets ($55 each). Those Interested in attending should contact Mearl Grabill, Club Secretary, at 410-800-8984 or grabill@bnin.net ASAP. Thanks in advance for your enthusiastic support of this important program.
Rep. Elijah Cummings Meets with HoCo HS Democratic Club members
Our Congressional Representative Elijah Cummings got some probing, thoughtful questions from our Howard County High School Democratic Club members who interrupted their spring break to attend our monthly meeting last night. (click image for larger picture,)
WHCDC President’s Message - March 2008
At our March meeting we have the honor of having Congressman Elijah Cummings as our special guest. We will have a wide-ranging discussion with him about the presidential race, what is going on in Congress and politics in general. Please do not miss this wonderful opportunity to spend some time with an amazing man who is being seen more and more as a leading voice for our Democratic values!
Our next meeting is Tuesday, March 18th from 7:00 – 9:00 p.m. at the Howard County Conservancy, 10520 Old Fredrick Rd. (Rte. 99), Woodstock, MD. Link to our website if you need directions at Western Howard County Democratic Club. Of course, this is during Spring Break for Howard County schools, so you don’t have to worry about getting home in time to help with homework and get everyone in bed!
As for the presidential primary, I am going to stop predicting that we will know our presidential candidate by our next meeting. It looks like this contest is going to go on quite a bit longer… As we discussed at our last meeting, it is important for us to model restraint and positive attitudes toward both candidates regardless of the tone of the tone of the campaign. Our friends and families look to us to see how Democrats are going to be able to work together after we finally know our presidential ticket. On a more personal note, there was a nice article on our very own Mary Jo Neville and her life as a superdelegate in the Baltimore Sun.
Finally, there is a lot going on during our legislative session in Annapolis. The Sun provides ongoing coverage of the session. In addition to the stories, there is a link to General Assembly Resources on the right hand side of the Politics page. Another good source is the General Assembly Home Page. When writing your legislator, it is helpful if you can find the bill number to reference in your letter. We have invited members of our delegation to our April meeting after the session ends for an overview of the session.
Again, do not miss the opportunity to meet Congressman Cummings! He calls WHCDC “the bravest Democrats in my district”…. I hope to see you all at the March meeting!!
Clyde Robinette
301-854-6507
WHCDC President’s Message - February 2008
This has certainly turned into an interesting primary season in the Democratic Party!! I hope everyone got out to vote. The turnout set a record for a primary in Maryland, as has been the case in many states. I know many of us were involved with the campaigns and are probably glad our part is over, at least for now. While the primaries are ongoing in other parts of the country, it is time for us to start looking toward uniting behind the eventual candidate for the fall election. The beauty for us in this election is that we have two excellent candidates who are very similar in their positions on the issues that mean most to us as Democrats!!
At our February meeting, we will begin to look forward to the fall election season. We will have an open discussion of how we help with the healing process from a hard fought campaign. Then we will look at how we start building our structures as a club to prepare for the November election and beyond. Three members have agreed to help us with that discussion. They include MaryJo Neville (a Super-delegate to the convention), Cathy Zomlefer (member of HoCo Dem Central Committee) and Tony McGuffin (former Chair of HCDCC and founding member of WHCDC). Each one will bring a different perspective to the discussion.
As always, please come with your ideas and energy! I hope to see you all at the February meeting!!
Clyde Robinette
301-854-6507
WHCDC President’s Message - January 2008
HAPPY NEW YEAR!! I hope everyone had a peaceful holiday season with family and friends. Well, it has been a while since I have had much to say!! I had a rough Autumn with my health. I had two nasal/sinus surgeries with a major sinus infection in between. I missed all of the club meetings from September through November. I want to give a special thanks to Mearl Grabill, Bill Hudock, and Jim Mellicant who stepped in to lead the club while I was out of commission.
Our next meeting is Tuesday, January 15th from 7:00 – 9:00 p.m. at the Howard County Conservancy, 10520 Old Fredrick Rd. (Rte. 99), Woodstock, MD. Link to our website if you need directions at http://westernhowarddems.com/main/
Well, things are certainly heating up in the Presidential Primaries!! We have invited representatives of the four presidential candidates who have active committees in Howard County to speak at our January meeting. It is the last meeting before the Maryland Primary on Tuesday, February 12th. So, this is our last chance to hear from the campaigns and start to lay the groundwork for the November election. Also, the legislature will be in session when we meet, so we will also have an overview of the major initiatives likely to be addressed in the session.
This is going to be a busy election year, so let’s get started!!! Things are certainly moving in a strongly Democratic direction, so I am optimistic about our prospects this year. I hope to see you all at the January meeting!!
Clyde Robinette
301-854-6507
