Campaign for Ohio Organizing Meeting

June 20, 2018

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Join Organizing 4UA and Sarah Grace Spurgin of the Campaign for Ohio for an organizational meeting in the Friends Theater at the main Upper Arlington Library on Tremont Rd.

When: Sunday, July 8, 2-3:30 pm
Where: Friends Theater (lower level), 2800 Tremont Rd., Upper Arlington, OH

Agenda:

1) Introductions/State of the Race

2) What is at Stake

3) Organizing Model

4) Digital Team Info

5) Breakdown of Roles
– Neighborhood Team Leader
– Neighborhood Team Captains
– Auxiliary Roles

6) Announcement of Upcoming Events and Goals

We hope to see you there!

Campaign for Ohio/Fair Districts Debriefing

June 14, 2018

Now that Issue 1 has passed, plan on attending the Fair Districts = Fair Elections debrief, planning, and celebration session in Columbus, Sunday, June 24th, 1:30-5:00 pm at the Northside Branch of Columbus Metropolitan Library (1423 N. High St, Columbus, Ohio 43201). This is our opportunity to congratulate ourselves for a job well done, to learn from our experiences, and think about what comes next!

The Debrief Session will:

• Include an opportunity for volunteers to discuss the campaign, both what worked best and what they would do differently next time around;

• Discuss results of the follow-up survey;

• Provide updates on the ACLU Ohio lawsuit, the upcoming Supreme Court decisions, and other redistricting reform news;

• Allow coalition partners to update volunteers on next campaigns;

• Allow volunteers to talk about their interests in engaging in future campaigns to improve democracy;

• Have an informative presentation from Catherine Turcer about dark money in politics, and a short presentation from Camille Wimbish about Election Protection and the Verify Your Vote campaign.

After the planned program (1:30-5:00 pm) participants are invited to join organizers at a nearby eating and drinking establishment for a social hour.

Space is limited, so please reserve your spot at THIS LINK!

Ohio House of Representatives District 24

April 19, 2018

 

Andrea Bonny, Allison Russo, and Mary B. Relotto

Thanks to everyone who attended our candidate event for the Democratic candidates for Ohio House of Representatives District 24! It was a packed house, and it was great to see everyone there!

In case you missed the event, here’s a quick introduction to the candidates:

Andrea Bonny is a physician, wife, and mother of 3. She graduated from Upper Arlington High School, received her undergraduate degree at the University of Notre Dame and her medical degree from Washington University in St. Louis.

She has worked as an academic physician for over 20 years. In this role, she has served as a clinician, researcher, educator, advocate, and community organizer. Recently, she has focused on treating adolescents and young adults with opioid addiction.

Mary B. Relotto received her bachelors degree from Ohio University in Journalism with a minor in Sociology. She is the founder of Dames Bond, an organization that began in 2007, to bridge the gap between women and entrepreneurship.

Mary B. worked in the non-profit industry for 15 years, serving some of the most marginalized people in our community. She’s won various awards for championing small business owners and women, was appointed on the Columbus Women’s Commission and sits on the advisory board for the Women’s Business Center of Ohio.

Allison Russo is a public health policy expert who has spent nearly two decades advising government leaders and policymakers on issues related to the healthcare financing and care delivery needs of seniors, vulnerable populations, Veterans, and military families.

She is currently the Policy Research Director for a public policy consulting firm.  Allison serves on the Women’s Leadership Council of the United Way of Central Ohio, is an active member of Rotary Club and Leadership UA, the Ohio Women’s Public Policy Network. Allison is married to Brian, a Veteran, and together they have three children who attend public school in Upper Arlington.

Get out there and volunteer for one of these amazing candidates between now and the primary on May 8!  If you are still undecided, Progress Hilliard is hosting a District 24 candidate forum on April 27th.

Upcoming Candidate and Campaign Meetings

March 29, 2018

Ohio State House of Representatives District 24 Candidate Forum

When: March 31, 2018, 2:30-4:00 pm
Where: Friends Theater, Upper Arlington Public Library
2800 Tremont Rd, Upper Arlington, OH 43221

Organizing4UA and NW Columbus is hosting a candidate forum for the Democratic candidates for the Ohio State House of Representatives District 24.  All three candidates (Andrea Bonny, Mary B. Relotto, and Allison Russo) have confirmed their attendance. We hope to see you there!

CAIR-Columbus District 15 Congressional Candidate Forum

When: April 7, 2018, 1:30-3:30 pm
Where: Friends Theater, Upper Arlington Public Library
2800 Tremont Rd, Upper Arlington, OH 43221

Join CAIR-Columbus for a District 15 Congressional Candidate Forum starting at 1:30 PM at the Upper Arlington Public Library at 2800 Tremont Rd in the Friends Theater on Saturday, April 7th. Doors will open at 1:00, event begins at 1:30.  Confirmed participants include Mr. Rick Neal and Mr. Rob Jarvis. The questions from CAIR-Columbus will focus on health care, immigration, infrastructure, the opioid crisis, foreign policy, and more. We will also be taking questions from the audience. The event is free, but you must register in advance.

Ohio Coordinated Campaign Meeting

When: April 14, 2018, 12pm
Where: Friends Theater, Upper Arlington Public Library
2800 Tremont Rd, Upper Arlington, OH 43221

This organizing meeting in the Friends Theater at the main UA Public Library will be an opportunity to learn about the Ohio Coordinated Campaign’s field outreach program. You will hear about the neighborhood team model and all of the ways you can get involved locally this year. There will also be time for questions with staff member John Chick!

If you can attend, please RSVP to jchick@ohiodems.org

Update on redistricting reform

February 12, 2018

Below is a message from the League of Women Voters:

“Last Tuesday, the League of Women Voters of Ohio and Common Cause Ohio applauded the overwhelming passage of Substitute Senate Joint Resolution 5 by the Ohio General Assembly. SJR 5 will place an issue on the May ballot reforming Ohio’s congressional redistricting process to protect voters’ interests.

After weeks of negotiations, the Fair Districts = Fair Elections coalition reached a compromise last Monday with legislative leaders of both parties on a new process for drawing congressional districts. The proposed constitutional amendment will go before Ohio voters for approval in May.  Meanwhile, the coalition will continue our petition effort in case the legislature measure does not pass. We are committed to the principles put forth in our proposal, and are prepared to submit the amendment for the November ballot if the legislature’s proposal fails.

“This compromise was hard-fought – down to the last minute – requiring concessions on both sides, and we are not entering into it lightly. We will work to educate voters and support this issue on the May ballot, but we will not abandon our proposal until redistricting reform is a reality, not just an agreement,” said Beth Taggart, interim Executive Director of LWV Ohio. “Ultimately, what brought legislators to the table and kept them talking to us was the record-breaking work of our incredible volunteers collecting over 200,000 petition signatures.”

By requiring significant bipartisan support, first in the legislature and then in the Ohio redistricting commission, and triggering strict rules for drawing districts if the parties cannot come to an agreement, this process will set up checks and balances to improve congressional maps. Partisan gerrymandering has a long and ignominious history, dating back to America’s founding fathers, but this measure will make significant progress toward fairer districts. For more information, see a more detailed summary and the text of the resolution .

“Voters have waited far too long for state lawmakers to come together to fix gerrymandering and create fairer elections,” said Catherine Turcer of Common Cause Ohio. “Voters deserve to participate in meaningful elections, and Democrats and Republicans came together to pass a resolution that will help rein in the worst excesses of partisan gerrymandering.””

Until redistricting reform passes in May, the petition drive will remain open. If you have petitions with signatures, please email actionteam@organizing4ua.com to arrange to turn them in. You may continue to collect signatures, as long as it is made clear that the Fair Districts = Fair Elections coalition is supporting the Ohio General Assembly’s proposal, and that petitions would only be submitted as a backup plan if the issue fails in May.

Thank you for your efforts on this important issue!