The Island County Democrats publish a monthly newsletter, which we are posting here. We believe that the statements made by the leadership of each party is of general public interest.
Message from ICD Chair, Jennifer Haase Morris
Thank you to all who encouraged and supported me. I am humbled by your trust in my ability to lead our Democratic Committee over the next two years. For those whom I haven’t yet met through the past 10+ years of campaign work, it may be helpful to know a bit about me.
I was born and raised in Kansas, the fourth child of a high school teacher and civil engineer. My mother, Marilyn Haase, was a PCO for the Republican Party in Republic County, Kansas. Marilyn took me out doorbelling for Senator Bob Dole when I was eight years old. Much to her dismay, 3 of her 4 children found the Democratic Party to be a much better fit with our values and outlook for the future of the U.S. democracy. But she had instilled in us the belief that every vote matters, that our democracy is strengthened by having an educated electorate, and that we should consider the skills of each candidate when deciding who will best represent their constituents.
At the heart of it, that is the person you elected as Chair of the Island County Democrats. I look forward to working with each of you over the next two years to engage as many people as possible, to educate constituents about the ideals and accomplishments of the Democratic Party, and to identify and support individuals who have the skills and the enthusiasm to run for office in the next election cycle. And the next. And the next.
In the last presidential election just before my mother’s death from late-stage dementia, her caregiver asked if I wanted her to take Marilyn to vote. If there had been any confidence that she would have understood what to do in that voting booth, I would have flown back to Kansas to take her myself to honor her life-long commitment to exercising her constitutional right. For a few playful moments, I wondered if I could have convinced her that Barack Obama was the best candidate in the race.
I remain ever hopeful that we can approach our work together in a way that strengthens our democracy, seeking the best possible Democratic candidates to serve the diverse constituents in our communities.
Jennifer Haase Morris
Chair, Island County Democrats
Message from Outgoing Chair, Joseph Busig
Dear ICD,
December 15th marked our Reorganization Meeting which was simultaneously my last day as Chair of ICD after serving you since April of 2020. I first would like to congratulate the new Executive Board which was elected by acclamation. Chair Jennifer Haase Morris, Vice Chair/First State Committee-Member Albert Ondo, Second State Committee-Member Fe Mischo, Treasurer Jim Deanne, Secretary Satin-Deseree Arnett, and PCO Representatives Adriane Fain (Dis. 1), Barb Spence (Dis. 2), and Mary Kanter (Dis. 3) are a wonderful group of people and will do a fantastic job. One of the final honors of my service was to preside over the Reorganization meeting in which such fine people were elected. Incoming Chair Haase Morris, Madame Chair, will be the first woman to hold the position in a long time. She brings substantial political, campaign, and leadership experience with her. I look forward to passing the gavel to her as she heads the new 2022-2024 administration. It is also with pride that our immediate Executive Board is majority women, a trend in our organization in recent years that is nothing short of inspiring. I wish each of them, and the Executive Board as a whole, the best of luck. I also urge PCOs and Members alike to support them in any way you can. The success of the party depends on engagement from PCOs, Members, volunteers, and voters alike. Without everyone participating, we fall short of achieving what we can be.
Dr. Cornel West, a profound activist and scholar, famously said “Never forget that justice is what love looks like in public.” This has been a sentiment which has guided me, and will continue to guide me, wherever I go. From 2020 to 2022, I had the immense privilege of serving with the most diverse and youngest Executive Board in local party history. When I took office in 2020 at 19 years old, as the youngest Chair of a county political party in the state, I didn’t know what to expect. I’m glad now that at 22 I stuck through – for what we achieved and the lifelong connections I’ll carry with me. I’ll never forget the work I was entrusted with and the confidence I was given by the Central Committee to take the lead of the organization, especially amidst the uncertainty and unprecedented historic times. I want to thank each officer of the previous administration for their hard work, dedication, and diligence: First Vice Chair Ashley Newman, Second Vice Chair Matthew Colston, First State Committee-Member Albert Ondo, Second State Committee-Member Fe Mischo, Treasurer Logan Ince, and Secretary Preston Ossman. I also want to express my gratitude to Chair of the Young Democrats of Island County, ICD Parliamentarian, and man of many committees Ivan Lewis. Each of you was a part of history. Each of you navigated the organization through an ongoing pandemic despite personal challenges that our shared times presented us with. We also formed a unique bond in the process of our work, something I’ll forever cherish.
ICD expanded its scope as a political party, spurring activist action and community outreach alike. We approved resolutions supporting Whole Washington, ranked choice voting, and declaring that Black Lives Matter through ending the failed War on Drugs and ending all forms of racialized oppression. We held our first educational seminars through our newly formed Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee spearheaded by Rachel Colston which involved mental health policy and housing as a human right. In this vein, we worked with the Young Democrats of Island County to host two educational summits on universal healthcare and ranked choice voting alongside 16 year old suffrage, also firsts. We held several youth engagement events which had seldom been done before – registering young people to vote and recruiting young people to join the party in historic numbers. ICD secured a campaign office for itself during the 2022 election cycle, something ICD has never had, where we coordinated volunteer efforts and get out the vote efforts. We expanded our community partnerships with local government, local activist groups, local labor unions, local elected officials, other local Democratic party organizations, the state party, and gained membership from historically underrepresented groups. Lastly, we improved the party structure with updated procedures, rules of order, and bylaws to ensure a more fair and just organization.
All of this led to profound change in our community, allowing us to shift Island County more blue, where we picked up a historic amount of municipal, county, and state seats while concurrently breaking voter turnout records. We invested heavily in local elections and we had a win rate of 90% with the candidates we endorsed/supported. This is thanks to the previous administration, PCOs, Members, volunteers, campaign staff, and voters.
After the last two election cycles, we see now more than ever how Gen Z has become a substantial voting bloc in the electorate. In fact, the so-called “Red Wave” which amounted to barely a drip, was largely halted by Gen Z and youth voter turnout. My generation’s turnout is far more than partisan politics. It is far more than a dedication to one candidate. It is a yearning, passion, and clamor for real change and a rejection of milquetoast status quo politics. It is a rejection of corporate and establishment partisan politics, a rejection of the false dichotomies the American electorate are often presented with. It is a volition to enact policies that put working-class people and the environment first while combating injustice and oppression across the U.S., an intersectional movement rooted in love and liberation. Our success as a party relies on building a bench of elected officials, from municipal to federal. Moreover, it demands we hold our elected officials accountable to their campaign platforms and the platform of our local and state parties, undoubtedly the most genuinely progressive Democratic platforms in the nation. The party must also continue the work in engaging youth voters in Island County. Not in the spirit of faux representation politics or tokenism, but in the spirit of making an inclusive party where young people are truly represented and not just cast aside as free campaign labor. We can’t afford to become complacent nor can we afford to be silent on issues that impact all oppressed people and working people. We must stay true to our values, our platform, and hold fast in our commitments of liberation and justice.
I personally can’t wait to see what the next Executive Board has in store, and I feel that ICD will continue to head in a direction we can all be proud of. It has been an honor to be entrusted with such an important position and to have served with such a distinguished Executive Board, Central Committee, membership, and volunteer base. When we fight in intersectional solidarity, we win. I am hoping that everyone stays safe, stays well, and has a very happy holiday season surrounded by loved ones whether in-person or virtually. I’d like to end with a quote from one of my favorite speeches given by a presidential candidate:
“Take a look around you. Now find someone you don’t know. Maybe someone who doesn’t look like you. Maybe somebody who might be of a different religion than you. Maybe they come from a different country. My question now to you is are you willing to fight for that person, who you don’t even know, as much as you are willing to fight for yourself? Are you willing to stand together and fight for those people who are struggling economically in this country? Are you willing to fight for young people drowning in student debt even if you are not? Are you willing to fight to ensure that every American has healthcare as a human right even if you don’t have good healthcare? Are you willing to fight for frightened immigrant neighbors even if you are native born? Are you willing to fight for a future for generations of people not even here but are entitled to live on a planet that is healthy and habitable? Because if you are willing to do that, if you are willing to love, if you are willing to fight for a government of compassion and justice and decency, if you are willing to stand up to those who seek to divide us up, if you are prepared to stand up to the greed and corruption of the corporate elite and capitalist class, if you and millions of others are prepared to do that there is no doubt in my mind that not only will we win, but we will transform this country.” U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders at one of his 2020 presidential campaign rallies in Brooklyn, New York City, NY.
In solidarity,
Joseph J. Busig
Past Chair, ICDCC (Apr. 2020 – Dec. 2022)
Message from Island County Commissioner, Janet St Clair
Dear Friends,
As this year draws to a close, I am grateful for all the support and encouragement in 2022. We will take our oath of office on December 30 at 4 pm if you want to join us. And now, there’s work to be done.
I want to share important information on the release of broadband internet maps that will determine state and local funding to expand internet access to under and unserved areas. You have the opportunity to provide public input and challenge data on these maps. They currently show Island County is 97% covered which we all know is inaccurate. Please join others in helping improve these maps and share this information. For more information on how you can provide input on FCC internet maps, go to https://www.fcc.gov/BroadbandData or email me at j.stclair@islandcountywa.gov. To participate, go to: https://broadbandmap.fcc.gov/home Enter your home or business address. You will see a dot for your location. If it is green, you are considered “covered” but note that you can go to the “settings” button in the broadband screen. You can change settings to see if you have fiber or wireless, to desired speed settings, etc. If you do not have the expected or noted coverage, you can do a challenge by clicking on the “location challenge” and choosing from the dropdown menu on what you wish to challenge. You can also submit additional information such as screen shots, descriptions of denial of service from providers, or other information. Your input helps assure Washington State will receive proportional and fair federal funding to our state and assist in grant funding for our county. I am actively working on broadband mapping and grant opportunities for our county. Thank you for participating. For more information, please email me at j.stclair@islandcountywa.gov.
Happy Holidays to all!
Janet
Message from Island County Commissioner, Melanie Bacon
Happy New Year!
Every week I send out a newsletter in which I summarize the actions the Board took that I deem citizens might most want to hear about, with video and audio links to meetings and specific conversations. I have received a lot of positive response since I started doing this, so I intend to continue with them in 2023. If you would like to be on the distribution list, email me at district1@islandcountywa.gov.
The Board talked a lot in 2022 about broadband, ferries, COVID, affordable housing, equity, and climate resiliency. You might consider those the main themes of the year. They will be among the main themes in 2023 as well.
Next year Commissioner Janet St. Clair will be the chair of the Board. I will move to the coveted position of Disruptor. Hee-Hee. Watch out, Janet!
Melanie
Message from State Representative, Dave Paul
Legislative committee assignments were recently announced, and I’m excited to be appointed to three key committees: the Postsecondary Education & Workforce Committee; the Innovation, Community & Economic Development, & Veterans Committee; and the Transportation Committee.
These committees align well with my legislative priorities for the 2023 Legislative Session.
I’m honored to be selected as a Vice Chair of the Transportation Committee. It’s critical that we have legislators who understand the importance of ferry services to the economic health of our community. We have a unique opportunity to transition our ferries to hybrid and electric vessels, which will reduce costs and help the environment and marine life. We also need to develop sustainable bridge replacement and road maintenance programs that ensure workers can get to their jobs and businesses can transport their goods.
The Innovation, Community & Economic Development, & Veterans Committee has been expanded to include more issues important to our district. The committee will focus much of its attention on building rural economic development, supporting small businesses, and assisting veterans. In addition, access to broadband is a major infrastructure priority for our community, and it’s critical for economic development, healthcare, and education.
I will continue to champion key K12 and post-secondary education programs that lead to family-wage jobs. We will be working to strengthen dual-credit programs that help students earn college credit while still in High School. The Postsecondary Education & Workforce Committee will focus on community college, workforce training, and apprenticeship programs that will help individuals find meaningful careers that pay a living wage.
Finally, I was recently elected as Deputy Floor Leader for the House Democratic Caucus. I’m excited to work with my colleagues in both parties to develop the Floor Calendar and organize debate as the House passes legislation that will help residents across our state.
As always, it’s an honor to serve you,
Dave
News from the State Party
From the Washington State Democratic Party:
The first meeting of the 2022-2024 Washington State Democratic Central Committee (WSDCC) will be held in Olympia, WA on 27-28 January 2023. Once again Fe Mischo and Albert Ondo will be representing the Island County Democrats (Thank You for your continued support!) This meeting’s primary purpose is an orientation for new state committee members, and the reorganization of the State Party. State Central Committee Members will be electing the State Party Chair, Vice Chair, Secretary, and Treasurer. State Central Committee Members from the 10 Congressional Districts will also elect one member to serve on the Executive Committee for the 2023-2024 term. Also, Friday, January 27 will see the return to “Lobby Days”, hosted by the WSDCC Advocacy Committee. More information to come on this exciting event but, importantly, if anyone from Island County would like to participate by meeting with our local representatives, please reach out to Albert, Fe, Jennifer Morris (our new ICD Chair), or John Amell (10th LD Chair) to let us know you would like to have a constituent meeting with our legislators. The WSDCC Advocacy Committee Co-Chairs will help provide the information necessary to schedule our meeting.
Thanks so much; stay safe and take care; wishing you all the best in this New Year and beyond!
Your State Committee Members
– Fe Mischo and Albert Ondo
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- Host local community education and information events
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- Train and inspire PCOs to action
- Provide tools, materials and space for local Democratic Party planning and organizing
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[Ed. Note: donation information omitted]
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