From the County Chair – September 2023
Hello, Democrats!
The Keep Sandoval Blue Fundraiser was a BIG SUCCESS! We had over 110 people attend, the food was great, and we met our fundraising goal.
You may have noticed that I was not at Keep Sandoval Blue. Unfortunately, I had a mild case of COVID, and I am happy to say that I am feeling much better. Since I was out, other people stepped up and took over organizing the event.
First, a huge thank you to Vice Chairs Bennet and Sauzo for stepping up to make things run smoothly. It is always so nice to hear our land acknowledgement from one of its authors, so mil gracias to Vice Chair Suazo. Vice Chair Bennett was responsible for the Run of Show, and all accounts say it was a well-orchestrated event!
I like to operate with the basic principle that I don’t ask anyone to do something that I wouldn’t do. Because of that, I bit off way more than I could chew and let some very important things fall through the cracks. Honestly, leading up to the event prior to getting sick, I was on a crash course with disaster. I have learned, though, that good leaders delegate and include people, so I relied upon and included people, and they did not let our party down!
Karen Schafer completed the organizing of the volunteers and contacted donors. This one sentence does not convey how much work that really was, but from where I was at the time, it seemed like a herculean task that required the tenacity of a woodpecker! Well Karen was the person who could pull it off, so an especially big thank you to Karen Schafer!
Suzanne Bingham was instrumental in overseeing the event details like food, drinks, table set-up, and service with Santa Ana Hotel. I relied on Suzanne and Greg Bennett when we were initially contracting with Santa Ana and during the event to make sure everything went well.
It was so nice to feel the love of our elected officials who donated to the event, United States Senator Martin Heinrich, NM Secretary of State Maggie Toulouse Oliver, Commissioner Kathy Bruch, NM Representative Kathleen Cates, NM Representative Matthew McQueen, DPNM Secretary Isaac Casados, D.A. Barbara Romo, Land Commissioner Stephanie Garcia Richard, NM Senator Brend McKenna, State Auditor Joseph Maestas, Commissioner Josh Jones, Sandoval County Clerk Anne Brady Romero, Sandoval County Treasurer Jennifer Taylor, Corrales Village Councilor Rick Miera, and Corrales Village Councilor Bill Woldman all generously supported our party.
Hosts of the Keep Sandoval Blue event included Vicki Gottlieb, Greg & Jeanie Bennett, Ion Sirbu, Pam & Mike Neas, Doris Fields & Anne Grey Frost, Doug & Carla Clark, and Peter & Vickie Coha. We were thrilled to receive a donation at the host level from Adriennne Enghouse!
Notable donations by long-time friends and supporters of the Democratic Party of Sandoval County included Brian & Aleli Colón, Senator Fred Harris & former DPNM and DPSC Chair Marg Elliston, and former DPSC Vice Chair Leah Ahkee.
Finally, our Keynote Speaker, United States Representative Melanie Stansbury did not disappoint! I heard she was fun, funny, inspirational, and full of great information – like always! She was THE STAR of the show, and we are all so thankful for her help and even more thankful that she represents us so very well in Washington. Thank you, Congresswoman Stansbury!
(As always, I am happy to share our financial information with any democrat in good standing.)
Feed Rio Rancho Kids –
Kitty Perez and Karen Schafer have struck again! They organized Feed Rio Rancho to be the featured charity at the NM United soccer match on August 23rd, and we anticipate that PNM will be donating a yet to be determined amount to help feed hungry littles in our community. The deadline for submissions to our newsletter is August 23rd, so check back in September to see how things went!
Feast Days –
Vice Chair Tweety Suazo has been VERY busy during July and August. First, she visited each Pueblo to make sure that we could have a space at each Feast Day. She organized tables, volunteers and handed out stickers and water at Sandia, Cochiti, Jemez, San Felipe, Kewa, and Zia Pueblos. Vice Chair Bennet, Judy Gordon, Chris Daul, Vicki Gottlieb, and I also pitched in when we could. Our goal is to reach out to the Pueblo Communities more consistently, so this is a great step.
Parades –
I hope you didn’t miss our beautiful birthday cake float in Corrales or Rio Rancho on the 4th of July, or the three kicking donkeys at the County Fair parade in Cuba. The pictures do not do justice to either! A big shout out to Maggie and Ray Burgess for putting their time, effort, energy, and money into these beautiful floats. Last Christmas we won a third-place ribbon in the beautiful Town of Bernalillo, but I hear that this year we are bucking for first place. FYI-there is a Veteran’s Day Parade in Rio Rancho, and we are asking now for candy donations for November 11th. 😉
