Skagit County Democrats Annual Gala Attracts a Crowd

        Over 200 hundred Democrats from Skagit and Snohomish Counties attended their Annual Gala in Mt. Vernon last Saturday.  Eight major labor unions and about a dozen office holders were among those attending.  The keynote speaker, WA State  Democratic Party Chairman Dwight Pelz, reminded us of all the gruesome things the Republicans would do if and when they took office.  So we know the battle lines.  But the good news is that we have some great, younger candidates with good ideas running for office.  I enjoyed the chance to talk to two of them - Darcy Burner (running for the  1st Congressional District) and Tom Riggs ( running for 10th District State Rep.)

Several Luminaries graced the table reserved for the 10th State Legislative District (LD).  Seated from the left are: Phil Lewis,  Snohomish County Democratic Chair & Vice Chair -  Laura Lewis,  DNC Representative to the National Committee - Lona Wilbur,  Jennifer Antione, and  Democratic 10th LD Chair - Ray Miller.  We are all disappointed that the State Redistricting will place Ray outside of the 10th LD, but we are sure that Ray will provide great leadership wherever he is placed. 

Democrats at the Evergreen State Fair

While manning the Democrat's booth at the Evergreen State Fair in Monroe WA the Party's Legislative District Chairs Ray Miller (left) of the 10th LD and  Rick Bligh of the 39th LD review the Democrats Celebrity Cook Book . My favorite recipe was the 1779 election cake which called for 1 quart of yeast.  People back then had to travel several days to the city to vote and needed a big cake to keep fed.  Our forebears were robust about voting.

    When I arrived 10 a.m on Tuesday, August 29th at the Evergreen State Fair,  Chairman Rick Bligh had already set up the Democratic Party booth for the day.  Rich explained about a half dozen simple things for me to do.  As I stood in the booth that day, it was obvious that not everyone was interested in politics, but we did attract a variety of people.  A small group of men gathered around Chairman Ray Miller for an animated discussion about what Democrats were going to do to increase employment.  I was busy with other visitors so I only heard the end of the conversation.   Ray's organization has posted a strong platform on Economic Justice and Development.  Among the 22 items listed in that section of the platform are three directed specifically at job development:

• Support for small businesses, including tax credits, low interest loans, and non-profit micro-lending.
• Targeted economic development incentives to businesses that provide verifiable, immediate, and lasting benefits to our communities.
• opposing tax advantages to companies that outsource American jobs.

Meanwhile I was busy registering voters.  I decided to take Tom Sawyer's approach to painting fences.   When people asked if they could register to vote,  I told them we don't allow just anyone to vote.  I required that they  count up the goats and roosters at the fair and report an accurate census to me.  About a dozen people pushed pass me and filled out the forms.  My request didn't stop anyone.