Hello Tompkins County Democrats,
Happy New Year and welcome to 2022! I hope you all had a peaceful and safe holiday.
Our hearts are heavy mourning the loss of our friend and former Chair, Jim Gustafson. Jim’s last words to me were “Continue the mission. I trust you to lead the committee through this change.”
In that spirit, it is critical that we work together to carry on Jim’s legacy of service and his steadfast commitment to upholding our strong democratic values. Our committee is strong and we are fortunate to serve in one of our state’s Democratic strongholds.
Over the last few weeks, key committee members have been working tirelessly to revamp our internal systems. We will have a robust social media presence and implement new fundraising ideas including a Peter Stein Memorial Internship Program and a Jim Gustafson Memorial Golf Tournament, while still continuing our Wine and Cheese and Summer BBQ events. We are exploring tools that will help us learn about issues that affect Tompkins County residents to craft messaging and education.
Struggle has always been part of our democratic journey. Today is no different. We must persevere to ensure future generations thrive and enjoy a cool glass of water on a warm summer evening. We must keep moving forward even when we are tired, even when we think we can’t give anymore. We must strive to reach for our democratic ideals.
In the coming years, our community will be facing severe weather change, pandemics, supply shortages, social justice issues, and many future unknowns. We must be prepared. Our government is reactive; it responds to what the people demand. We must stand with our ideals. We are surrounded by fear and despair. We must dig deep to keep the fire of democracy burning.
This year we are calling on all Democrats to share the weight of this responsibility. We need you. We never stopped needing you. We have individuals from our community that hear the call to become a public servant. They may not come from money or have the right connections, but that is why we are here. To ring true that no matter where you come from and no matter your background, the Democratic party is here to help you serve.
We will need volunteers to knock on doors, stuff envelopes, develop signs, text, call, and set up virtual meet and greets. Most importantly, we must give democratic candidates the tools to succeed. We need you to invest in us, so we can invest in democracy. Whether it is your time or your money, we need you! We need Democrats to support every aspect of democracy. If you have time to volunteer, sign up at tcdcvolunteers@gmail.com. If you don’t have time, consider donating to the TCDC (https://tcdemocrats.org/tc-
— Stacey Dimas, Interim Chair