President's Report from the PA State Committee Meeting

The Pennsylvania State Democratic Party held its state committee meeting on September 24th and 25th. It was my pleasure to attend the meeting as your elected State Committeewoman. The Franklin County delegation also included State Committeeman, Garrett Blanchet, and the Franklin County Democrats Chairman, Paul Politis. The three of us covered a lot of ground.


 Roger Lund, Chair of the South Central Caucus (this is the caucus we belong to) and the Adams County Democrats Chairman, presided over a session devoted to developing revenue streams. All of our clubs could use a little help in this department! Several of the ideas to increase the funds raised did not incur additional overhead costs:
• An annual dinner honoring someone or some special group. This increases ticket sales & donations
• Premium seating. Seating at the table with the honored guest or speaker has a higher ticket price.

• An annual event focusing on raising funds for a scholarship.

• Instead of, or in addition to ad books at events, some clubs have been displaying ads on screens or walls of the venue.

• Have roving photographers at the event and sell a CD of the photos to event goers.

• Remind Democrats to consider giving a donation to their clubs as holiday gifts for their friends & family who are notoriously difficult to buy for!

• Monthly cheese & wine get-togethers specifically to raise funds via a donation basket.

The second session focused on getting out our vote. Bob Kefauver from the York County Democrats presented his club’s “GOOSE” guide. “Get Out Our Supporters Everywhere” (GOOSE) effort helps to more clearly focus on getting out Democrats. The top priority with this effort is to find a volunteer to chair a committee of dedicated people willing to manage such a program. The effort is most intense the 21 days prior to an election. However, the planning & organizing is ongoing all year. It involves identifying supporters, precinct by precinct, canvassing, telephoning, and growing the volunteer base.

Organizing for America (OFA) delivered the third session. The representatives described how OFA has become the Vote 2010 Coordinated Campaign. There was much discussion over the coordination between the county & local Democratic clubs and the Coordinated Campaign. Ryan and Devora will be conducting Webinars on how to use the VoteBuilder system. Also, the campaign will be posting daily talking points on the PA Dems website. To learn more about the Coordinated Campaign effort contact Jeff@padems.com.

 Jim Burn, State Democratic Party Chairman, and I spoke at length about the need in Franklin County. He said he feels he has a “a place to hang my hat in Franklin County, I feel at home there.” He is interested in meeting potential candidates. He said he wants to provide as much assistance as he can with growing our number of elected officials. Scott Conklin was very excited to see us, too. He is comfortable with helping our area because he knows what it is like living in the “T.” Dan Onorato addressed our small caucus meeting. He makes a great presentation; very personable & hard-hitting without all the hoopla. He apologized for not spending more time in our parts and attributed that to the money pouring in to the Corbett campaign from the new corporate citizens. Dan needs to concentrate on the areas where he can raise the most money & most votes.
Democratically yours,

Sheri Morgan
Franklin County State Committeewoman

Don't Miss the Franklin County Democrats Dinner on October 22

Our keynote speaker Jim Young is a Democratic Party and trade union leader with many years of experience in Pennsylvania. He promises to deliver a "BARN BURNER" speech for us. DON'T MISS IT! We want to have a good turnout for a guest traveling to Franklin County. Reserve your spot by sending a check

to Paul Politis, 357 Blue Bird Trail, Greencastle, PA 17225. Tickets are $25. or $10. for students  and people who are unemployed.

Monday October 18 Greencastle Antrim Democratic Club Meeting

Important news on pre-election activities, updates on the Franklin County dinner, opportunities to take part in this most important election on November 2. There's nothing "off" about the 2010 election. We need to get every registered Democrat to the polls.

Did You Hear President Obama in Wisconsin?

What a crowd! What enthusiasm! And, what a terrific speech! There were thousands of students and townspeople at the Madison rally and he gave them the speech they were hoping for. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dh2QcLq1ytc

Check Out Our Candidates Web Sites and Blogs

http://www.joesestak.com/

http://www.onorato.com/

http://www.connersforcongress.com/

Check out their position papers, ideas for building a better Pennsylvania and a stronger nation.

Let's Reach Every Democratic Voter Before the Election

The most effective way to reach Democrats is by knocking on doors.This will augment our telephone banks. Please volunteer for visits. People will go out in teams of two. You can volunteer by adding a comment here, or by sending an email to your blog editor. ruthjcommunications@comcast.net

Phone Bank Efforts Pay Off, Second Call-Out Scheduled

Thanks to the 13 folks who came out for the phone bank this evening. We made 319 calls & spoke with 90 voters. Twenty-five of the voters strongly support Joe Sestak and 19 are leaning towards him. Thirty-eight voters were undecided. Many voters did not know either candidate!

We're holding our second phone bank for Sestak and Onorato at the Gentle Laser Skin Care Center in Waynesboro, Monday 9/27/10 at 6:30pm. 1700 East Main St. (across from Burger King in Wayne Heights). There will be food and drink provided.

It's good to know that Chambersburg, Shippensburg, Greencastle and Waynesboro are all participating. Let's keep the United State Senate and the Governor's office Democratic! So much depends on it.

Mark Your Calendar

Telephone Bank -- call fellow Democrats beginning 6:30 pm on Monday, September 20 at Greencastle Presbyterian Church basement..bring your cell phone!

Make BIG signs on Sunday 9/26 or, if rain on 10./3,  from 2-6 pm at 16 Eastland Circle Waynesboro, across from the Renfrew Museum.

Make signs for Halloween parade, join us on Sunday, October 25 at 2 pm. Call
717 597 3902 for address and directions.

Picnic Was a Great Success

Three cheers go out to Sheri Morgan for the generous use of her home for the Franklin County Democrats picnic, and to daughter Rosie for organizing everything, and to Karin Johnson for her hard work. Good attendance but not as many as we could have hoped for. The food was fabulous, the speakers excellent, and the band and fireworks great fun. If you didn't come, you missed a good one and we urge you to support our efforts as we move into the election season. We have a governor, lt. governor, and senator to elect along with a Democratic challenger to Rep. Shuster -- Tom Conners. Follow County Chair Paul Politis' EMails for information on campaign events.

Franklin County Democratic Picnic August 6

It's that time of year again..... time for the annual picnic! It will be held on Friday, August 6, 5 pm to 10 pm, at 431 Leitersburg Street in Greencastle. The picnic's location gives us front row seating for the firework display. In addition to the fireworks there will be a musical performance by a great local string band: The Knuckle Dusters. As always, we will be hearing messages from our Democratic candidates, which this year include candidates for the senatorial, congressional, and gubernatorial races.

This year's menu will be a bar-b-que dinner complete with 2 sides and a cup for the beverage of your choice. Tickets are $15 for adults and $7 for kids 12 and under. Hope to see you there, because August 6th simply won't be the same without you! Our organizer is Rosie Morgan and you can get tickets and additional information by calling: 717-593-9950, or email franklincountydempicnic@gmail.com and Rosie will send you the form to return with your payments. We need your early commitment so we can order the proper amount of food and drink. Join your fellow Democrats and have an evening of fun and good food!

In Memorium

The Greencastle Antrim Democratic Club has lost a good Democrat and true friend: Joshua "Joe" Lewis. Brother Lewis died suddenly on Sunday, May 23. His widow, Sara Flythe-Lewis would love to hear from fellow Democrats. Their address is: 118 South Jefferson Street, Greencastle.

Our Next Meeting

PLEASE NOTE: THE REGULAR JULY MEETNG OF THE GREENCASTLE ANTRIM DEMOCRATS HAS BEEN POSTPONED AND WILL BE RESCHEDULED. WATCH THIS SPACE FOR MORE INFORMATION.

AND....
The Franklin County Democrats Picnic will be held in Greencastle on Friday, August 6 Watch our blog for further information and ways you can participate.