From the County Chair – March 2024 – In Like a Lion and Out Like a Donkey!
Hello Democrats!
As you all know, the Rio Rancho Municipal elections are underway, and the last day to vote is March 5th. The Rio Rancho Municipal Candidates are Deb Dapson in District 1, Aleta “Tweety” Suazo in District 4, and yours truly, Alexandria Piland in District 4. Please ask all your Rio Rancho friends and family to vote for us.
Speaking of Rio Rancho Municipal elections, we are holding a group fundraiser at Vice Chair Suazo’s house on March 2nd from 2-4 p.m. at 1724 Black River Ct. NE, Rio Rancho, NM 87144.
HELP WANTED
Do you keep hearing that this is the most important election of our lifetime? How about that the ex-president is an existential threat to democracy? Have you heard that? I keep hearing it repeatedly. You know why? Because it is true — again. Unfortunately, it will probably be true in two years, two more years after that, and again two years later.
But it isn’t Trump who concerns me, it is Trumpism. It is the hate, misogyny, racism, election denial, and desire to tear down our government. That is why this year, and every election cycle for the foreseeable future, we will have to work harder and smarter than those whose hearts are filled with hate and those who blindly follow. That is why it is important that YOU get involved wherever and however you are able.
As you may or may not know, the book-banning hate group has turned its focus to our school districts. If you were angry and upset about the potential banning of LGBTQIA+ books from our libraries, if you believe that slavery was a cruel, inhumane, genocidal time in our history that must be remembered, if you believe that equity among diverse groups makes the group stronger, then you may want to consider running for your local school board. I know it sounds crazy. It always sounds crazy until you do it, but we cannot let these hate groups continue to deny children access to our history in all its shame AND all its glory. RUN FOR OFFICE! (Just think about it.)
Speaking of running for something. We have all our candidates for this year’s election, but it is not too early to think about 2026. Consider running for office. It’s okay if you’ve never done it before. The DPSC has been working on a candidate support program for the past three years, and we are making it stronger and better every election cycle.
If you just don’t think you can run for office, but you want to become more involved, consider being part of a candidate management team? What is your strength? Are you good at bookkeeping? Do you love to post on social media? Do you like to call people and ask them to canvass for or drive a candidate while they canvass door-to-door? Can you create graphics or flyers for events? All those skills can be used to help democrats win. If you want to volunteer, we will point you in a direction where your skills can be put to good use. We are going to need everyone’s skills to win this year.
CALENDAR
Our February events were cancelled to accommodate the required Ward meetings and County Convention, but we will be back to our normal schedule for March. First Friday is March 1st, and Candidate Amina Everett will be our featured speaker. Amina has an extensive vita, and I look forward to hearing her speak. We will meet at 11:00 at the Range Café in the Town of Bernalillo.
For Second Saturday on March 9th we will feature Senator Brenda McKenna and Representative Kathleen Cates. Our wonderful legislators will give a recap of the 2024 Thirty-Day Session. It is always interesting!
The Democratic Party of New Mexico’s 2024 Pre-Primary Convention is being held virtually on March 9th. Absentee online voting will occur after the convention. DPNM will be reaching out to all delegates and State Central Committee members.
We will hold our regular Coffee Klatch on March 30th. Of course, all Democrats are welcome at all our events.
April’s Second Saturday will feature Rio Rancho School Board Member Gary Tripp. It’s been a while since we’ve heard Gary, so it will be great to find out what he has been doing lately!
I hope to see you soon at one of our events, if not ALL of them. In the meantime, stay true blue.
Alexandria Piland, DPSC Chair
