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Save the Date: The next CCDC meeting will be Sept. 13, 3-5pm, via Zoom. Details will follow as we put the agenda together. There will be elections for two positions. We will elect a female as a delegate to the Democratic State Committee, and we will elect the Cumberland County representative to the Rules Committee. You can plan on plenty of campaign information.If you are not on our email list, you will not get an invitation to the meeting. If you want to join the list, please email rhndrcksn@aol.com and provide your name, address, and preferred email.

It was recorded and may be viewed on our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCWOFFmufxG2Scv2tDgLOB0A/

It is not too late to donate. Just use the link in the header above.

We call it a ZOOM-A-THON and it is a mix of Watch Party and Telethon Fundraiser. It will occur, via Zoom and live YouTube and Facebook feeds, from 7:30 – 10 PM on July 14th. In addition to local results from the municipalities, we will have short presentations to fill the time between results…stories, history, and ideas for a fall campaign like no other. Gov Mills will provide a welcome.

Originally, it began as a simple fundraiser in February called “101 Years of Activism: Celebrating Strong Women in Politics and Community – Honoring the Legacy of Frances Perkins”. But times change and so do we. This virtual event no longer requires a separate admission ticket. But campaign cost have not gone away. The Sponsors and other supporters from the earlier event are still with us. A bit like PBS – You can watch for FREE! But we will ask for donations during the event.

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCWOFFmufxG2Scv2tDgLOB0A/live

FaceBook: https://www.facebook.com/events/309529823415455

DONATE: https://secure.actblue.com/contribute/page/ccdcpledge

Sponsors

Congresswoman Chellie Pingree

Steve & Rachel Hendrickson

Neil & Heather Jamieson

Patrons

Senator Rebecca Millett & Kevin Kobel

Bill & Karen Birthisel

Rev. Dr. Scott DeBlock & Heidi DeBlock MD

Friends

Karen Hessel, Harlan Baker

For immediate release: The Cumberland County Democratic Committee has issued a statement concerning the events unfolding in cities around the US and the injustice that is at their root.

Message from CCDC on Racism and Justice in the context of the murder of George Floyd by Minneapolis Police:

We shared anger and grief as we witnessed the murder of George Floyd by Minneapolis police. A litany of names at this moment need to be repeated as we mourn the unbearable truth as Black Americans continue to be murdered, and subjected to police violence and abuse.  George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Aubery, and so many more.

We recognize the consequences of failing to deal effectively with police brutality and racial oppression. We affirm that we can and must work harder to transform ourselves, our communities, Cumberland County, and our broader culture. We pledge to respond to the genuine despair of those our country has marginalized and failed as we work to make ways for voices for justice to be heard. We seek to bridge divisions destroying the fabric of our society with renewed energy to create better systems that serve justice and liberty for all. The Cumberland County Democratic Committee in Maine encourages us all to rise up, organize, and mobilize for racial justice throughout our municipalities, and with intentional focus to elect candidates of integrity with clear commitments to racial justice. With hope and courage may we find strength for this journey.

The CCDC represents the 110,000 Democrats in Cumberland County. FMI – Karen Hessel, Second Vice Chair, CCDC kmhessel@me.com 207-939-2242

 Are you a state alternate or delegate? Want to be able to vote on important Party positions and issues? You need to check-in TODAY by 3:00 PM! You can use your personalized check-in and voting link previously emailed to you (which can be retrieved here if you’ve lost it: mainedems.org/vote) or call the MDP at (207) 387-7500. If you do not check-in TODAY by 3:00 PM, you will forfeit your position and an alternate will be upgraded to fill it. 

To – all Cumberland County delegates to the state convention:

You now have access to your sample ballot. In the absence of an in-person convention, it is difficult for candidates for various offices to present their qualifications to the delegates of Cumberland County. We have offered candidates for the Democratic State Committee from Cumberland County and to the Democratic National Committee (statewide) the opportunity to develop a video (maximum duration, 3 minutes) that we would post on this website. For each office, we asked the candidates to respond to questions concerning their qualifications for the office.

Democratic State Committee (DSC). Cumberland County will elect 12 delegates and 1 alternate through the convention process. The DSC functions as the governing body of the Maine Democratic Party (MDP) between conventions. Essentially, it functions as the board of a corporation whose work is defined in the MDP Charter. https://www.mainedems.org/party/documents

1. What do you see as the primary work of the MDP in non-general election years? In general election years?
2. If elected to the DSC, what are three institutional priorities you believe the DSC should address and how has your past experience prepared you to contribute to addressing the three priorities?
3. How has your political, volunteer, or organization work in Cumberland County prepared to you represent the county on the DSC?

Lawrence Flaherty

Lois Reckitt

Meghan Casey

Kathy Bouchard

Matthew Dubois

Seth Berner

Margaret Johnson

Steve Hendrickson

Dan Harris

Richard Rudolf   

Democratic National Committee (DNC). In addition to the Chair and Vice-Chair of the MDP, the state convention elects a committeeman and committeewoman to represent Maine at the DNC. The DNC, in addition to being the governing body of the Democratic Party between conventions, provides resources to state parties to enable them to maintain a party structure in each state and to build capacity.

1. What in your experience or training uniquely qualifies you to serve as Maine’s delegate to the DNC?
2. What are three priorities you intend to work on in your role should you be elected to the DNC and how has your past experience prepared you for that work?
3. You will be only one of over 400 delegates to the DNC. How do you propose to advance the interests of the MDP in you role?

Drew Gattine

Jon Hinck

Jonathan Goble

Maureen Ramsey

Matt Bear-Fowler

Megan Smith

DISCLAIMER: The CCDC does not endorse specific candidates. We offered to post statements for all the candidates and these are the ones we received.

Under shutdown conditions, until further notice, Democratic events, including CCDC meetings, have been moved to Zoom. Want to meet a candidate? Zoom it. Got a municipal meeting? Zoom it. Want to interact with other Democrats? Zoom it. Everyone is a first-time Zoomer at some point. YouTube has a series of videos, some good, some not so, to help you get to your first meeting and then become more proficient in the use of Zoom This url starts with how to handle your first experience. After you’ve watched it (just ignore the ads), browse some of the other videos and learn more techniques for making the most of your Zoom experience.

This public health crisis has forced us all to change our routines to protect our communities. Having face-to-face conversations is the best way to ensure that Democrats are elected, but we’ve canceled all door knocking because your safety is our top priority.

We’re still fighting for our Democratic values, but we are adapting to keep everyone safe.

Fill out our new digital “Commit to Vote” card to make a difference on Election Day.

A YES response will direct you to the Maine.gov page to request an Absentee ballot. Or you can go there directly.

On May 3rd, from 3 to 5 PM, we held a virtual meeting that centered around the draft Platform.  Ben Grant, Chair of the 2020 Maine Democratic Party Platform committee, assisted us and accepted comments and discussion.

We also held a brief business meeting. One of the necessary actions was to elect at-large members of the CCDC (who can participate and vote in future meetings).

The zoom meeting was streamed live to YouTube and recorded so everyone can see the presentation and discussion.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCXPM_vWVbD56TI_DCbXhUxQ/live

A recording of the meeting in zoom format is available here:

Recording Password: 3y.3n1Nj