Message from the First Vice-Chair

By Greg Bennett First Vice-Chair

I want to start by thanking all of you who showed-up to speak on behalf of our librarians at their recent Library Board meeting in Rio Rancho.  A member of Mass Resistance, who was greatly outnumbered by the Sandoval County Dems, once again, made his plea to ban books at our Public Library.  We, DPSC and friends, showed up to thank our library staff for upholding our first amendment rights, letting us read books of our choosing and for stocking their shelves with books on a variety of topics.  So, again, thanks to all who showed up and to those that spoke in favor of our library’s staff and for our LGBTQIA+ community. Without your participation I am sure the outcome to this and other board and city meetings would have been completely different, and not in a good way.

One of our goals for the DPSC this year is to be more visible on the Pueblos. It is incumbent upon us to visit these Pueblos more than just during an election cycle. As a start, we had a table at the Sandia Pueblo Feast which was held on June 13^th.  It was a fantastic day with food and dance. I think simply being present at this feast and being an ambassador for DPSC and Democratic candidates was a great way to foster better communication between us and those who live on the Pueblos. As these feast days continue, throughout the summer and fall, we can always use people to help staff our table. If you would like to help and want to experience an amazing atmosphere please consider spending some time at these Native feasts. The next feasts are at the Cochiti Pueblo on July 14^th, Santa Ana Pueblo on July 26^th, and Kewa Pueblo on August 4^th.   You can contact me or the DPSC Chair to get more details.

One event to definitely put on your calendar is our biennial “Keep Sandoval Blue Fundraiser” which will be held on August 13^th from 3-5PM at the Santa Ana Hotel. This will be the perfect time to get out of the heat, mingle with fellow Democrats and donate to our local Party.  Our keynote speaker will be U.S. Representative Melanie Stansbury (N.M. CD-1). This is an important fundraiser for us to maintain our momentum as we move into future elections. The donations from this fundraiser will fund such things as finding and promoting quality candidates for Sandoval County, fighting against the unfair redistricting our county board has hoisted on us and maintaining our office headquarters, which has been a tremendous asset.  So mark your calendars and plan on attending this event.  We need your financial support so please make a donation at the event or as soon as you can. As we all know, money is the driving force to winning elections.

Lastly, there are a few upcoming events that I would like to mention: the Fourth of July parades in Corrales (10am) and in Rio Rancho (5pm), First Friday July 7^th with Muriel Carpenter who is from the Environmental Justice Caucus and the fireworks in Cuba on July 8^th. There will not be a Second Saturday Event in July as we hope to see you all at the fireworks in Cuba, and our other events!