2016 DWCUP CALENDAR

2016 CALENDAR

Democratic Women's Club ofUpper Pinellas

Mark your calendars for DWCUP 2016 meetings, please.

DWCUP meetings are generally held on the 4th Monday of the month, with dates adjusted for holidays and other special events.  Monthly meetings start at 11:30 am, with the business segment and presentations starting approximately at noon.  A light lunch is available for $5.00.  Meeting locations are specified below if identified.

"Tally Dates" and the State Convention of the Democratic Women's Club of Florida (DWCF) are also noted.

              - Donna Dennis, President

2016 DWCUP Calendar

January 25 - Safety Harbor Library

February 21 - 23

TALLY DAYS 

DWCF Lobbying Action, Tallahassee

February 29 - Clearwater Main Library, 11:30 am

March 21 - Clearwater Main Library (date early due to Easter)

April 25 - location to be announced

May 23 - location to be announced (date early due to Memorial Day)

June Fun Day - date, time and event to be announced

July 25 - location to be announced

August 29 - location to be announced

September 15 - 18

DWCF STATE CONVENTION

Bayfront Hilton Hotel, St. Petersburg 

September 26 - location to be announced

October 24 - location to be announced (date early due to Halloween), 

November 8

GENERAL ELECTION

November - no meeting (cancelled because of early December meeting date)

December 5 - HOLIDAY LUNCHEON (details to be announced)

(and as many breaths as required)

DWCUP YEAR IN REVIEW: 

Donna Dennis became president in 2015 and reports on her first year of leadership.

Donna Dennis, DWCUP President

2015 was a year of learning, growing, and celebrating. I know that in my first year as president of the DWCUP, I did all three.

We started by hosting Dr. Susan McManus, who provided us with an analysis of Florida politics. Not a pretty picture! But we also added Mary Lou Ambrose to our board as 1st VP. And she’s done a great job in providing excellent speakers for our meetings.

In February, Lisa Wheeler Brown spoke to our club about her quest for justice after her son’s murder. She tackled the subjects of prison sentence reform and improvements needed in the juvenile justice system. In addition, our club gave her a check in support for her bid for the St Petersburg City Council race. (DWCUP is pleased to report she won her race in November!)  We also kicked off a major fundraiser for a two-night stay at Shephard’s on Clearwater Beach.

March is Women’s History Month. Our speaker was Susan McGrath, chair of the PCDEC, and she spoke about research on women’s leadership and the need for women’s leadership at all levels, from local offices and boards, to the national level.

That was also the month of Tally Days, our yearly gathering in Tallahassee, which includes meeting with Democratic legislators, current issues, a press conference and an opportunity to lobby our legislators about our issues. Several of our members participated.

At our April meeting, Janet Long told us about her recent trip to Cuba, now that it has been reopened to travel from the US. The drawing was held for the Shephard’s stay and was won by Cora Kostka. We made her pay by speaking about alternatives to Duke Energy at our July meeting!

Cookie Kennedy of the Metropolitan Planning Commission spoke to us in May about the work being done in Pinellas County, including transportation, environmental concerns and support for small businesses. May was also the month of the STEM program fundraiser for Girls Inc. Our board attended the luncheon in St Petersburg to show our support for this invaluable work in the education of young women.

In June we took a break from our usual meetings for our annual Fun Day. We took the Jolley Trolley from Clearwater Beach through Dunedin and Palm Harbor to Tarpon Springs, where we had lunch together at Hellas restaurant.

However, the major event of the year was the 75th Anniversary celebration of the DWCUP. We are acknowledged as one of the oldest women’s Democratic Clubs in the country and we did it up well. Held at the Royal Palms in Largo, we had a lovely luncheon with live entertainment from the duo Mother Jones, and terrific drawings for baskets, gift certificates and many other items. We recalled the early history of the group and recognized the recent history with the presentation of certificates to all the past presidents of the DWCUP who were able to attend. Our State President, Maureen McKenna, addressed and congratulated our group along with several other elected officials. It was a marvelous celebration and the result of a great deal of work on the part of our members and board. In addition, we raised over $1000 for our treasury. Let’s have another round of applause for this tremendous anniversary!

In September, we heard Franco Ripple describe the legislative redistricting situation in Florida. What a mess! Republicans keep trying to gerrymander themselves into office. The courts got involved and resolved the issue just last week.

September was also the annual state convention, this time in Cocoa Beach. Several of our board members attended. New Region V officers were elected, including Mary Freeman, Chair, and Donna Dennis, Secretary. State President Maureen McKenna was reelected and our own Jessie Forcan received the DWCF Humanitarian of the Year award. 

Charlie Justice, Pinellas County Commissioner, spoke to us at the October meeting and described the progress being made in Pinellas County as we now have a Democratic majority on the commission for the first time in 50 years. Great progress is evident in the environmental efforts, human trafficking assistance for victims, EMS coordination and improvements in some of the poorest neighborhoods in the County. The county is also looking forward to developing the best uses of the BP damages payment.

Finally (and you thought I’d never get there), in November, Joe Barkley spoke to us about the mass transit issues in Pinellas County and the need for electric buses. We also went as a group to see the film, Suffragette, about the British struggle for women’s suffrage, starring Carey Mulligan and Helena Bonham Carter. I do recommend it if you haven’t seen it. Then this last Saturday, our group was represented at Largo Central Park as we commissioned artist Ilona Fries to depict our logo and contact info to spread the word that we are here.

We had our traditional holiday celebration in December and wished our members the season’s best ... whether it was MERRY CHRISTMAS, HAPPY HOLIDAYS, HAPPY HANNUKAH, a Blessed KWANZA, a Joyous Winter Solstice or whatever holiday our members and friends celebrated.

Here’s to another great year in 2016! 

March - Women's History Month:  Women's Suffrage, Recognizing Women Leaders

by Mary Freeman, DWCF Region V Representative and
DWCF 2016 Convention Chair

Women's History Month gives us a special opportunity to celebrate the accomplishments and achievements -- and sacrifices -- of American women and to be empowered by hearing women’s stories.  DVDs, books and websites help us gain appreciation of the long struggle which gained American women the right to vote, and then to share that history with children and young adults to help them appreciate what our country has achieved so far.  

Two particularly excellent DVDs focus on the women's suffrage movement in the US, and both are available in the libraries of the Pinellas County Library system. 

First, Iron Jawed Angels was directed by Katja von Garnier and stars Oscar-winner Hilary Swank and Anjelica Huston (who received the Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress for her work in this HBO film); it tells the story of Alice Paul and Lucy Burns, two young women's rights activists participated in the suffrage battle -- through White House pickets, imprisonment, hunger strikes, and force-feeding. Recommended for viewers 13 and up.

Second, Ken Burns' Emmy Award-winning documentary Not for Ourselves Alone: The Story of Elizabeth Cady Stanton & Susan B. Anthony recounts the trials, tribulations, and triumphs of two pioneers striving to give birth to the women's movement and their drive to secure the right to vote for American women.

If you wish to introduce children and youth to the amazing women of the US suffrage movement, check out the reading recommendations this Mighty Girl website post: How Women Won the Vote: Teaching Kids About the U.S. Suffrage Movement. Many specialized historical resources may be found on the Women's History Month webpage for teachers.

One current noteworthy campaign relating to women's history is the effort to put a woman's picture on the $20 bill. The website Women on 20s urges that decision be implemented by 2020, the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment which gave American women the right to vote.

On that website, you  may vote for 3 of any of the following American women leaders (there will be a later run-off vote and the names are listed here in the same order as they are presented for voting):  Shirley Chisholm; ‎Betty Friedan; ‎Frances Perkins‎; Rosa Parks; ‎Rachel Carson; ‎Sojourner Truth‎; Barbara Jordan‎; Patsy Mink‎; Eleanor Roosevelt; ‎Susan B. Anthony‎; Alice Paul‎; Elizabeth Cady Stanton‎; Harriet Tubman‎; Clara Barton‎; and/or Margaret Sanger‎.  A brief biography of each woman is on the website.

It's a perfect project for Women's History Month, so go cast your votes!

* * * 

Inspiration:  Noteworthy Women / 2015 Black History Month Observed 

by Nancy Hamilton, Corresponding Secretary, and Diane Lebedeff, Recording Secretary

African American women have been remarkable women leaders in both politics and letters.  At our February 2015 meeting, we saluted four such women.

Sojourner Truth (1797– 1883), an African-American abolitionist and women's rights activist, was born in slavery, escaped to freedom in 1826 and took the name Sojourner Truth in 1843. 

Her best-known speech -- "Ain't I a Woman?" -- was delivered in 1851 at the Ohio Women's Rights Convention in Akron, Ohio.

Shirley Chisholm (1924 – 2005) represented  New York's 12th Congressional District for seven terms from 1969 to 1983; by reason of her 1968 election, she was the first African-American woman elected to Congress. From 1977 to 1981, she was Secretary of the House Democratic Caucus.  In 1972, she became the first major-party black candidate for President of the United States and the first woman to run for the Democratic presidential nomination.  She received 152 first-ballot votes at the 1972 Democratic National Convention.

Shirley Chisholm authored two books and, after her retirement from Congress, was a professor at Mount Holyoke College.   One of her notable statements was: "In the end, anti-black, anti-female, and all forms of discrimination are equivalent to the same thing -- anti-humanism."

Barbara Jordan (1936 – 1996) was an American politician and a leader of the Civil Rights movement. She was the first African-American elected to the Texas Senate, the first southern black female elected to the United States House of Representatives, and the first African-American woman to deliver the keynote address at a Democratic National Convention.

Her 1976 convention speech is often regarded as one of the top 100 American speeches of all time.  Many of her remarks still ring true today, such as this one: "But this is the great danger America faces. That we will cease to be one nation and become instead a collection of interest groups: city against suburb, region against region, individual against individual. Each seeking to satisfy private wants."

Maya Angelou  (1928 – 2014) was an American author, poet, dancer, actress, and singer. She published seven autobiographies, three books of essays, and several books of poetry, and is credited with a list of plays, movies, and television shows spanning over 50 years. She received dozens of awards and more than 50 honorary degrees.  Her first autobiography, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings (1969), tells of her life up to the age of 17 and brought her international recognition.

Her poems are known for a lovely cadence; many can be found here.  She shall be honored by a portrayal on a US "Forever" stamp.

* * * 

We close with this Maya Angelou observation:  "in diversity, there is beauty and there is strength."

* * * 

2015 -- DWCUP'S 75th Anniversary Year!

by Donna Dennis, President

DWCUP, the oldest established women's democratic club in the country, will celebrate its birthday on September 8, 2015 -- and we are as vibrant and vital as ever!

Our January 2015 membership meeting featured USF's political science Professor Susan MacManus, who gave us her take on political trends in Florida. Read this overview of Prof. MacManus' positions and background -- it has a terrific photograph and details why she is such an exciting speaker on politics. Two interesting tidbits were the increasing number of voters registered as independents and that younger voters find appealing candidates who break glass ceilings (do I hear "Hillary"?).

Our club is busy preparing for Tally Days, when all clubs embraced by the Democratic Women's Club of Florida (DWCF) send members to Tallahassee to speak to our legislators.  This March event was founded by our own lifetime member and former DWCF president Janet Goen.

We are also preparing for 2016, not just for the presidential elections but for the DWCF state convention which will be held in our county in September, 2016 -- that effort is headed by our own Mary Freeman.  Exciting plans are afoot!

Please join us for our February meeting to be held on Monday, February 23 at 11:30am.  Note that the meeting location is 2165 Sunnydale Blvd, Suite M, Clearwater.  The green arrow marks the location -- it is just west of Belcher, which is identified as Route 501 (click on the map to enlarge it). 

Please park in the Queen's Pizza parking lot on Belcher on the north side of Sunnydale Blvd.

We will carpool attendees over to the Sunnydale meeting location. 

We thank CWA 3179 the use of your space!  

All are welcome.  We have great speakers and are great lunch companions.  Lunch is $5.

Pinellas County Voting -- Follow These Steps

Pinellas County Voting -- Follow These Steps, Click on the Links Below for More Information

by Victoria Najjar, President / Diane Lebedeff, Recording Secretary
Democratic Women's Club of Upper Pinellas County

Remember That Every Vote Is Important:

PSST:  We do recommend voting by mail.

First:  Check your voter registration status

     Check your Pinellas County voter registration status by clicking here.  You should make sure all your information is correct, update any changed information, and see a sample ballot.  If you need directions or advice, call the Pinellas County Supervisor of Elections (727-464-8683).
    If you are not registered, the registration deadline was October 6th and is now passed.
    If you or anyone you know wonders whether a felony criminal conviction means he or she cannot vote, investigate your voting status by following the instructions here.  If the last conviction was before March of 2011, search here to see if civil rights were restored automatically (if the last conviction was later, the person had to make application and probably knows the result but it is a good idea to search anyway). 

Second:  Check vote by mail status

     If you were already signed up, you should have received your mail ballot already.  If you didn't get it, follow the steps in the next paragraph.
    Through 5 p.m. on Oct. 29th, you may request a mail ballot by clicking here and following the directions.  Alternatively you can call (727) 464-VOTE (8683), or email absentee@votepinellas.com (if you email, include your date of birth in your email).

Third:  Use your mail ballot -- or plan to vote on an Early Voting Day or on Election Day

     When you choose to vote by mail ballot, vote.  It is best to send in your ballot early, and note that election mail and robocalls to your house usually stop coming about a week after you mail your mail ballot to the Supervisor of Elections. Mail ballots must be received by 7 p.m. on Nov. 4th.
     If you use the mail ballot, the ballot directions will spell out how to sign, seal and mail your ballot.  Study the instructions and follow them precisely.
    Alternatively, you can do "early voting" on October 20th through November 2nd, 7 a.m.-7 p.m. daily.  The dates, times and locations for early voting are here.
    If you wait until Election Day (Nov. 4th), you must go to your precinct; check for the location and hours of your voting precinct here.  
     For both early voting and voting on Election Day, a voter should bring a photo ID with your signature, or two IDs (one with a photo and one with a signature) to the poll with you; a driver's license will satisfy the requirement for a photo ID with signature.  If you don't bring the right ID and are a registered voter, you are entitled to cast a provisional ballot; see the ID rules at the bottom of the linked page.  If you vote by mail, the ID rules do not apply.

Fourth:  Vote for these great Democrats and for these heavily endorsed Non-Partisan candidates

Click on each candidate's name for further information. 

• Governor:  Charlie Crist
• Attorney General:  George Sheldon
• Chief Financial Officer:  William “Will” Rankin
• Congress, District 12:  No Democratic Candidate*
• Congress, District 13:  No Democratic Candidate* (also see note below)
• Congress, District 14:  Kathy Castor 
• State Senate, District 20:  No Democratic Candidate*
• State Senate, District 22:  Judithanne McLauchlan
• State House, District 64:  No Democratic Candidate*
• State House, District 65:  Carl Zimmerman
• State House, District 66:  Lorena Grizzle
• State House, District 67:  Steve Sarnoff
• State House, District 68:  Dwight Dudley
• State House, District 69:  Scott Orsini
• State House, District 70:  Darryl Rouson
• Pinellas County Commission, District 2:  Pat Gerard
• Pinellas County Commission, District 4:  Mark Weinkrantz
• Pinellas County School Board, District 4:  Beverley Billiris
• Pinellas County School Board, District 7:  Rene Flowers
• Dunedin Mayor:  Julie Bujalski
• Dunedin City Commission:  Deborah Kynes
• Largo City Commissioner, Seat 1:  Michael Smith
• Largo City Commissioner, Seat 3: Samantha Fenger

 *Congressional Districts 12 and 13 have no Democratic congressional candidate, and several local partisan races also lack a Democratic candidate.  For those races, if there is a "write in line" for a candidate, if you wish to do so, write in "None of the Above" -- many Democrats feel disenfranchised and will indicate their feelings in that manner.

Note that mail ballots for Congressional District 13 erroneously list Ed Jany as a candidate, although he withdrew and is not a candidate.  Do NOT vote for Ed Jany -- as the ballot insert instructs, any vote for Ed Jany will not count (and it might invalidate any other vote you cast for the District 13 Congressional race).

Fifth:  Vote on Judicial Retention candidates

     Florida has a system of "judicial retention elections" for appellate court judges who have served a full term of office -- voters are asked if the judge should continue to serve for another term of office.  Pinellas County is covered by the 2nd District, with three sitting judges subject to a retention vote.  Their professional qualifications are described by the Florida Bar Association here (starting at page 3), and the official judicial website's description of each judge's bio and resume can be seen by clicking on each name below:

• Judge Chris W. Altenbernd
• Judge Morris Silberman
• Judge Daniel H. Sleet

The Tampa Bay Times recommends retention of all three judges, based on a survey of official records and attorney opinion.

Sixth:  Vote on the Ballot Issues

There are four ballot issues:

• County Referendum:  Greenlight Pinellas
• State Amendment 1:  Water and Land Conservation Initiative
• State Amendment 2:  Use of Marijuana for Certain Medical Conditions
• State Amendment 3:  Prospective Filling of Certain Judicial Vacancies

Generally, Democratic organizations have urged voters vote "yes" for Greenlight Pinellas, "yes" for the Water and Land Conservation Initiative, and "yes" for Medical Use for Marijuana -- and also that voters vote "no" on the Court Packing State Amendment 3.  The League of Women Voters encourages a "yes" vote on Amendment 1, takes no position on Amendment 2, and supports a "no" vote on Amendment 3.

Seventh:  Followed these Steps?  Mailed in your ballot or voted in person on an Early Voting day or on Election Day? Congratulations!

                   

Join a Citizen Academy in Pinellas County -- July, 2014

Join a Citizen Academy in Pinellas County -- July, 2014  

-- Diane Lebedeff, Recording Secretary

How would you like to learn more about your local government and become an effective agent of change (or just a better debater about local issues)?  Increase the diversity of participation in your local government?  Find out how to advocate for a stop sign, a street light, more computers in your local library or have a positive impact on a local issue? Maybe apply for a local board or think about running for local office?  Or, if you are a former snowbird, find out how to push buttons the same way you did in the past?  A good first step is to sign up for a Citizen Academy offered by your local government!

Many Pinellas County local governments do offer citizen academies to their residents. The Women’s Democratic Club of Upper Pinellas County (WDCUP) has assembled this list of municipal citizen academies in Pinellas County -- a list we will try to update from time to time.

We encourage our members and all community residents to participate in available citizen academies and bring the knowledge you gain to civic organizations and, if so inclined, later apply for spots on municipal boards and commissions. Academy participation often improves your chance for appointment because it is a sign you have relevant knowledge and are willing to devote time and energy to your community.

Citizen academy programs require a resident to apply and commit to attending a series of meetings with elected and appointed officials, agency heads and operating personnel. The courses explore municipal departments and functions, often with field trips and tours to see local government offices and services in action. Citizen academies often last eight to ten weeks and have two-hour evening sessions.

Participants generally report gaining an increased ability to fix local problems or improve conditions – whether by work in community groups or by later serving on a government board – and increased expertise when talking about local issues with family, friends and members of civic or political organizations.

From the point of view of the community offering an academy, these programs increase both the number of citizens participating in civic affairs and the diversity of the participants.

So, take a look at the list of available academies and sign up!

Our list includes all the incorporated municipalities in the County and does note which ones have no citizens academy.  If your community does not have a citizen’s academy, you always can encourage your local government to start one.