State of the Club Report
Democratic Club of Wicomico County
January 19, 2022
By Gains Hawkins, President
2020 was a test of one’s hope. Save for Joe Biden’s election as President, it was a lousy year on most counts.
Turns out 2021 was just as bad for many, with the Jan. 6 insurrection kicking off a year once again dominated by Covid and mask mandates. The bipartisan American Rescue Plan Act (Covid relief) and Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act were noteworthy successes. However, Congressional Democrats’ inability to pass Build Back Better legislation and inflation obscured a national economic resurgence.
For 2022 we must manufacture our own hope. For those of us who regularly read The Washington Post and The New York Times and watch MSNBC, we are bombarded with the message that America’s constitutional democracy is at grave risk. While I acknowledge less consumption of news about a potential American apocalypse this fall (or at the latest 2024) would be good for my mental health, nonetheless I believe we do face a critical time for our country. But what can we do about saving our nation’s democracy in Wicomico County?
The answer is as simple as it is challenging. We must elect more Democrats locally. We must encourage Democrats to run for elected office, or better yet, take the plunge ourselves. And not just the more obvious political positions, like county council, central committee and county executive (thank you Ernie Davis). Trumpists here are trying to take over our board of education. If you recognize the very real threat this implies for our public schools, do something, preferably by becoming a candidate. There are other ways you can help fend off the autocratic impulses of Republicans. Apply to become an election judge, or better yet a chief judge. You can register with the Board of Elections to be an election challenger or watcher.
There is much you can do besides making the necessary financial contributions to local Democratic candidates. Let’s turn hope into accomplishment.
Covid vaccines were arguably last year’s major accomplishment .While most of our members received the desired pair of vaccine shots as well as the booster, the first seven club meetings of the year were held via Zoom. Staring at a computer screen was certainly suboptimal, but it didn’t discourage members from attending the virtual meetings. In fact some meetings drew extraordinary attendance as the club was able to attract speakers who might not ordinarily commit to traveling to Salisbury for a mid-week meeting.
February’s meeting was a perfect illustration. Dr. Kathryn Barrett-Gaines, professor of African history and African American history at the University of Maryland Eastern Shore, discussed “White Supremacist Thinking: The Nation's Oldest Problem.” Over 65 people participated.
Later that month Salisbury Police Chief Barbara Duncan was the featured speaker Also making presentations were Jack Heath, president of the Salisbury City Council, and Josh Hastings and Bill McCain, members of the Wicomico County Council. The club is enormously appreciative of the monthly updates members of the City Council and County Council provided. Over 55 people participated.
In March Dr. Harry Basehart shared a “Guide to Legislative Redistricting in Maryland” featuring charts, maps and commentary; and Sheree Sample-Hughes, Speaker Pro Tempore of the Maryland House of Delegates who represents legislative District 37A in Dorchester and Wicomico counties, gave a summary of the recently completed Maryland General Assembly Session.
April featured Julia Rentsch, environmental reporter for The (Salisbury) Daily Times, Wicomico Superintendent of Schools Donna Hanlin and PUSH4Education founder Eileen Johnson. The club’s stated policy priorities are public education and environmental issues, both represented by the April speakers.
The next three meetings featured the Democratic candidates for the District 1 seat in the House of Representatives: Dave Harden, Heather Mizeur and Jennifer Pingley. All three have agreed to return in April 2022 for an in-person debate.
The club returned to meetings at the Salisbury Art Space in September in robust style with “A Rally About Wicomico’s Future—and How Politics Can Shape It.” Salisbury Mayor Jake Day offered as Vision for Wicomico County; Del. Sample-Hughes shared ways to influence Annapolis and provide the resources vital to realizing that vision; and Councilman McCain observed that political office is not an onerous commitment, but securing a Democratic majority paves the way to effective visionary policy. Also speaking at the rally: Dr. Basehart with handouts about the steps to take to file for elected office; and Club Treasurer Keith Henry indicating ways in which the club can support local candidates.
Other fall speakers were Salisbury University Political Science Department Chair Adam Hoffman and SU College Democrats President Zoe Bradshaw, discussing how to get younger Democrats involved in the political process Later Dr. Philip Lebel, Emeritus Professor of Economics at Montclair (NJ) State University, talked about his new book, “Risk and the State - How Economics and Neuroscience Shape Political Legitimacy to Address Geopolitical, Environmental, and Health Risks for Sustainable Governance.”
The desire by Democrats to escape the indoors and Covid hibernation was evident by a record turnout at our annual Crab Feast, with some 150 in attendance. We were joined by several elected officials s well as Distict1 candidates Harden and Pingley.
The club suffered a grievous loss in the fall when Sandra Martin, our corresponding secretary, died after being hospitalized for several weeks. Mrs. Martin had been named the Member of the Year in January. The club made a $200 gift in memory of Mrs. Martin to the Elks Success Temple.
November elections put new officers in place. Outgoing, in addition to Mrs. Martin, was Dr. Ernie Gibb, second vice president, who did a great job filling in for President Hawkins during his absence for health reasons in October and November. Returning and new officers for two-year terms: Hawkins, president; Alyssa Hastings, first vice president; Deborah Finkbeiner, second vice president,; Dr. Mike Folkoff, corresponding secretary; Dr. Ellen Lawler, recording secretary; Keith Henry, treasurer; and Kelsie Mattox, sergeant-at-arms.
Covid’s endurance played havoc with the club’s ability to meet some of its goals for the year. The club canceled its annual Holiday Party for the second consecutive year. A Digital Outreach plan never materialized, but the new club officers met in December and identified who would be responsible for communication platforms: MailChimp and Instagram, Folkoff, web site, Finkbeiner; and Facebook, Hawkins and Hastings.
In a non-election year, our membership stayed stable, around 220. In 2021 according to the data, we acquired about 14 new members. This relatively small number can in part be explained by our limited encounters with membership, relying on Zoom rather than in-person meetings. We signed up a lot of members during the 2020 election season, but that was due in large part to our management of Democratic Headquarters which saw lots of visitors seeking Biden signs and subsequently signed membership forms.
We chose not to purchase a tent at the annual Tawes Crab and Clam Bake. Selling the 40 $50 tickets that come with the tent purchase was deemed improbable.
As outlined previously, we attracted a sterling cast of speakers. The three District 1 Democrats candidates as well as presentations by Dr. Basehart and others reinforced our year’s overarching goal of efforts to unseat Andy Harris.
Another example of our motivation to replace Harris was one of our major accomplishments, the establishment of the Eastern Shore Coalition of Democratic Clubs, an effort spearheaded by our club. Some 10 clubs actively participate.
A group of members who meet Wednesdays mornings for political talk had been discussing potential Democratic candidates for elected office. Under the leadership of Bruce Robson, Basehart, Hawkins, Henry, McCain and Tony Sarbanes formed a candidate recruitment committee, identifying prospective Democratic candidates for elected office including the county council, county executive and board of education. The group recently added the Wicomico County Democratic Central Committee President Sarah Myers, Councilman Josh Hastings, Alyssa Hastings, Teresa McCain, Gibb and Jared Schablein, chair of the Lower Shore Progressive Caucus.
Financial reports were presented monthly and reflected some of the club’s most notable successes. The club began 2021 with a bank balance of $6,914.75 held in checking and savings accounts at First Shore Federal. The year closed out with a bank balance of $12,823.23. The spring fundraising appeal added $6,050 from 66 donations. The club’s annual August Crab Feast took in proceeds of $6,270 and netted $3,687. Highlights of community expenditures include: Tri-County MLK Coalition scholarship fund, $400; Chipman Cultural Center (Juneteenth event), $100; National Folk Festival, $1,000; Wicomico County NAACP (Freedom Fund), $100; and Elks Success Temple #154 (Memory of Sandra Martin), $200.
Club member Eddie Boyd conducted an audit of club finances and gave them an excellent grade. Financial records are open to review by any board member.
Goals for the year:
The 2021 Member of the Year was ………….
The President’s Award went to ………………
Democratic Club of Wicomico County
January 19, 2022
By Gains Hawkins, President
2020 was a test of one’s hope. Save for Joe Biden’s election as President, it was a lousy year on most counts.
Turns out 2021 was just as bad for many, with the Jan. 6 insurrection kicking off a year once again dominated by Covid and mask mandates. The bipartisan American Rescue Plan Act (Covid relief) and Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act were noteworthy successes. However, Congressional Democrats’ inability to pass Build Back Better legislation and inflation obscured a national economic resurgence.
For 2022 we must manufacture our own hope. For those of us who regularly read The Washington Post and The New York Times and watch MSNBC, we are bombarded with the message that America’s constitutional democracy is at grave risk. While I acknowledge less consumption of news about a potential American apocalypse this fall (or at the latest 2024) would be good for my mental health, nonetheless I believe we do face a critical time for our country. But what can we do about saving our nation’s democracy in Wicomico County?
The answer is as simple as it is challenging. We must elect more Democrats locally. We must encourage Democrats to run for elected office, or better yet, take the plunge ourselves. And not just the more obvious political positions, like county council, central committee and county executive (thank you Ernie Davis). Trumpists here are trying to take over our board of education. If you recognize the very real threat this implies for our public schools, do something, preferably by becoming a candidate. There are other ways you can help fend off the autocratic impulses of Republicans. Apply to become an election judge, or better yet a chief judge. You can register with the Board of Elections to be an election challenger or watcher.
There is much you can do besides making the necessary financial contributions to local Democratic candidates. Let’s turn hope into accomplishment.
Covid vaccines were arguably last year’s major accomplishment .While most of our members received the desired pair of vaccine shots as well as the booster, the first seven club meetings of the year were held via Zoom. Staring at a computer screen was certainly suboptimal, but it didn’t discourage members from attending the virtual meetings. In fact some meetings drew extraordinary attendance as the club was able to attract speakers who might not ordinarily commit to traveling to Salisbury for a mid-week meeting.
February’s meeting was a perfect illustration. Dr. Kathryn Barrett-Gaines, professor of African history and African American history at the University of Maryland Eastern Shore, discussed “White Supremacist Thinking: The Nation's Oldest Problem.” Over 65 people participated.
Later that month Salisbury Police Chief Barbara Duncan was the featured speaker Also making presentations were Jack Heath, president of the Salisbury City Council, and Josh Hastings and Bill McCain, members of the Wicomico County Council. The club is enormously appreciative of the monthly updates members of the City Council and County Council provided. Over 55 people participated.
In March Dr. Harry Basehart shared a “Guide to Legislative Redistricting in Maryland” featuring charts, maps and commentary; and Sheree Sample-Hughes, Speaker Pro Tempore of the Maryland House of Delegates who represents legislative District 37A in Dorchester and Wicomico counties, gave a summary of the recently completed Maryland General Assembly Session.
April featured Julia Rentsch, environmental reporter for The (Salisbury) Daily Times, Wicomico Superintendent of Schools Donna Hanlin and PUSH4Education founder Eileen Johnson. The club’s stated policy priorities are public education and environmental issues, both represented by the April speakers.
The next three meetings featured the Democratic candidates for the District 1 seat in the House of Representatives: Dave Harden, Heather Mizeur and Jennifer Pingley. All three have agreed to return in April 2022 for an in-person debate.
The club returned to meetings at the Salisbury Art Space in September in robust style with “A Rally About Wicomico’s Future—and How Politics Can Shape It.” Salisbury Mayor Jake Day offered as Vision for Wicomico County; Del. Sample-Hughes shared ways to influence Annapolis and provide the resources vital to realizing that vision; and Councilman McCain observed that political office is not an onerous commitment, but securing a Democratic majority paves the way to effective visionary policy. Also speaking at the rally: Dr. Basehart with handouts about the steps to take to file for elected office; and Club Treasurer Keith Henry indicating ways in which the club can support local candidates.
Other fall speakers were Salisbury University Political Science Department Chair Adam Hoffman and SU College Democrats President Zoe Bradshaw, discussing how to get younger Democrats involved in the political process Later Dr. Philip Lebel, Emeritus Professor of Economics at Montclair (NJ) State University, talked about his new book, “Risk and the State - How Economics and Neuroscience Shape Political Legitimacy to Address Geopolitical, Environmental, and Health Risks for Sustainable Governance.”
The desire by Democrats to escape the indoors and Covid hibernation was evident by a record turnout at our annual Crab Feast, with some 150 in attendance. We were joined by several elected officials s well as Distict1 candidates Harden and Pingley.
The club suffered a grievous loss in the fall when Sandra Martin, our corresponding secretary, died after being hospitalized for several weeks. Mrs. Martin had been named the Member of the Year in January. The club made a $200 gift in memory of Mrs. Martin to the Elks Success Temple.
November elections put new officers in place. Outgoing, in addition to Mrs. Martin, was Dr. Ernie Gibb, second vice president, who did a great job filling in for President Hawkins during his absence for health reasons in October and November. Returning and new officers for two-year terms: Hawkins, president; Alyssa Hastings, first vice president; Deborah Finkbeiner, second vice president,; Dr. Mike Folkoff, corresponding secretary; Dr. Ellen Lawler, recording secretary; Keith Henry, treasurer; and Kelsie Mattox, sergeant-at-arms.
Covid’s endurance played havoc with the club’s ability to meet some of its goals for the year. The club canceled its annual Holiday Party for the second consecutive year. A Digital Outreach plan never materialized, but the new club officers met in December and identified who would be responsible for communication platforms: MailChimp and Instagram, Folkoff, web site, Finkbeiner; and Facebook, Hawkins and Hastings.
In a non-election year, our membership stayed stable, around 220. In 2021 according to the data, we acquired about 14 new members. This relatively small number can in part be explained by our limited encounters with membership, relying on Zoom rather than in-person meetings. We signed up a lot of members during the 2020 election season, but that was due in large part to our management of Democratic Headquarters which saw lots of visitors seeking Biden signs and subsequently signed membership forms.
We chose not to purchase a tent at the annual Tawes Crab and Clam Bake. Selling the 40 $50 tickets that come with the tent purchase was deemed improbable.
As outlined previously, we attracted a sterling cast of speakers. The three District 1 Democrats candidates as well as presentations by Dr. Basehart and others reinforced our year’s overarching goal of efforts to unseat Andy Harris.
Another example of our motivation to replace Harris was one of our major accomplishments, the establishment of the Eastern Shore Coalition of Democratic Clubs, an effort spearheaded by our club. Some 10 clubs actively participate.
A group of members who meet Wednesdays mornings for political talk had been discussing potential Democratic candidates for elected office. Under the leadership of Bruce Robson, Basehart, Hawkins, Henry, McCain and Tony Sarbanes formed a candidate recruitment committee, identifying prospective Democratic candidates for elected office including the county council, county executive and board of education. The group recently added the Wicomico County Democratic Central Committee President Sarah Myers, Councilman Josh Hastings, Alyssa Hastings, Teresa McCain, Gibb and Jared Schablein, chair of the Lower Shore Progressive Caucus.
Financial reports were presented monthly and reflected some of the club’s most notable successes. The club began 2021 with a bank balance of $6,914.75 held in checking and savings accounts at First Shore Federal. The year closed out with a bank balance of $12,823.23. The spring fundraising appeal added $6,050 from 66 donations. The club’s annual August Crab Feast took in proceeds of $6,270 and netted $3,687. Highlights of community expenditures include: Tri-County MLK Coalition scholarship fund, $400; Chipman Cultural Center (Juneteenth event), $100; National Folk Festival, $1,000; Wicomico County NAACP (Freedom Fund), $100; and Elks Success Temple #154 (Memory of Sandra Martin), $200.
Club member Eddie Boyd conducted an audit of club finances and gave them an excellent grade. Financial records are open to review by any board member.
Goals for the year:
- Support efforts in Wicomico and on the Shore to defeat Andy Harris.
- Secure and manage Democratic Headquarters from August-November.
- Increase membership to 250.
- Raise $7,000 with spring fundraising appeal with donations from 80 donors.
- Continue to provide leadership for the Eastern Shore Coalition of Democratic Clubs. Meet every other month and generate ways to collectively support the Democratic candidate for District 1, as well as Democratic candidates for governor and the U.S. Senate.
- Invite speakers who will be of interest to our membership. A focus will be on local Democratic candidates.
- Continue efforts to convince local Democrats to run for elected office. Following deadline to file, attempt to meet regularly with Central Committee and Lower Shore Progressives to build momentum for a more collaborative candidate recruitment effort in future years.
- Continue to invite City Council and County Council members to monthly meetings to provide updates on their respective activities.
- Support the National Folk Festival with sponsorship and volunteers.
- Discuss other local organizations we can support financially.
- Conduct audit of club finances by non-board member.
- Celebrate 2022 with a resumption of our Holiday Party.
The 2021 Member of the Year was ………….
The President’s Award went to ………………
