What’s inside

  • What’s New From Clermont To Columbus And Beyond
  • In Memoriam – Tom Jenkins
  • Word From The Chair
  • Reading Room
  • Attend Your Local School Board Meetings
  • Run For Office In 2022
  • Organize For Your Local Democratic Party
  • COVID19 In Ohio
  • Join The Donkey Club
  • Clermont County Democratic Club Directory

 

WHAT’S NEW FROM CLERMONT TO COLUMBUS AND BEYOND

CLICK ON THE HEADLINE TO ACCESS THE FULL ARTICLE

HOUSE PASSES BILL CREATING ELECTRIC VEHICLE COMMISSION

The Ohio House has approved legislation that would set up an Electric Vehicle Commission to help advise state lawmakers on policy while also providing tax breaks for EV manufacturers. The proposal’s commission would study existing EV policy and write annual reports with recommendations for developing the market. The ten-member panel would be made up of six appointees selected by the governor and two each from the General Assembly and the Senate. The bipartisan measure is co-sponsored by Rep. Al Cutrona, R-Canfield, and Rep. Lisa Sobecki, D-Toledo. In a press release after the House approved the bill, Sobecki said the legislation would prepare the state for an “electric vehicle future.” READ MORE

FBI, OHIO INVESTIGATING WHETHER ELECTED OFFICIAL AIDED IN ATTEMPTED BREACH OF VOTER SYSTEM

Ohio is investigating whether someone tried to gain access to Lake County’s election network in order to find evidence of voter fraud. According to The Washington Post, federal and local investigators are looking into what happened when a private laptop was plugged into the county network inside the office of Republican John Hamercheck, chairman of the Lake County Board of Commissioners. READ MORE

BIPARTISAN INFRASTRUCTURE BILL SET TO BRING SOME $20 MILLION IN FEDERAL FUNDS, AND MORE JOBS, TO REGION

On Nov. 15, President Joe Biden signed into law the $1.2 trillion Bipartisan Infrastructure bill, the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. Ohio can expect to receive an estimated $13 million more in infrastructure funding, and Kentucky can expect to get an added $6 million, around $20 million total, explained Ohio-Kentucky-Indiana Regional Council of Governments Chief Executive Officer Mark Policinski. READ MORE

We have lost a good friend and dedicated activist. You will be missed. Rest in peace Tom.

Message from Tom Jenkins’ family: Our thoughtful, kind, and generous father and grandfather Thomas Jenkins died on Wednesday, November 24. Tom was steadfast in service to community and society, as a math professor and university administrator; a volunteer supporting refugees and others in need of food, housing, and education; and a quiet but passionate advocate for justice and equity, especially for LGBTQ+ people. He and Marie Mendelsohn Jenkins were active in PFLAG, Democratic politics, and the Episcopal church. We are deeply thankful for all the years we had Tom in our lives. We will miss him terribly, and we treasure all the ways he is with us still.

We plan to hold a memorial service on January 15, 2022 at 2:00pm at St. Thomas Episcopal Church in Cincinnati. Thank you Elizabeth Erb, Diana Gibson, Anne Marie Jenkins

 

WORD FROM THE CHAIR – RAYMOND LEMBKE

We have lost a very good man. I was informed over the weekend that Tom Jenkins passed away last week. Tom was a steadfast supporter of the Clermont County Democratic Party and a reliable source of wisdom. Tom served on our Executive Committee at the time of his passing as he had done for many years. Tom chaired the County Party’s audit committee and served as Treasurer of the West Clermont Democrats. READ MORE

READING ROOM

The Sum of Us: What Racism Costs Everyone and How We Can Prosper Togetherby Heather McGhee

McGhee embarks on a deeply personal journey across the country from Maine to Mississippi to California, tallying what we lose when we buy into the zero-sum paradigm—the idea that progress for some of us must come at the expense of others. Along the way, she meets white people who confide in her about losing their homes, their dreams, and their shot at better jobs to the toxic mix of American racism and greed. This is the story of how public goods in this country—from parks and pools to functioning schools—have become private luxuries; of how unions collapsed, wages stagnated, and inequality increased; and of how this country, unique among the world’s advanced economies, has thwarted universal healthcare.

But in unlikely places of worship and work, McGhee finds proof of what she calls the Solidarity Dividend: the benefits we gain when people come together across race to accomplish what we simply can’t do on our own. The Sum of Us is not only a brilliant analysis of how we arrived here but also a heartfelt message, delivered with startling empathy, from a black woman to a multiracial America. It leaves us with a new vision for a future in which we finally realize that life can be more than a zero-sum game. READ MORE

NEWSLETTERS

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The Morning Headlines Delivered To Your Inbox

With waggish headlines and sharp insight, you can start your news morning off right with the latest from the Ohio Capital Journal and highlights from other publications across the state. We will lead the charge sharing political insight, stories impacting Ohioans, and the latest from Ohio government, while highlighting other important work from other publications big and small. Subscribe to The Eye-Opener newsletter here.

 

CALL TO ACTION

NOMINATING PETITIONS FOR 2022 CANDIDATES NEED CIRCULATORS TO COLLECT SIGNATURES

We need to circulate petitions to get statewide candidates on the ballot for the May, 2022 primary. We have petitions for Tim Ryan for the U.S. Senate, Rep. Jeff Crossman for Attorney General, Judge Marilyn Zayas for Supreme Court, and Justice Jennifer Brunner for Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. We need circulators, who must witness each signature on the petition sheet, and we need signatures. Please let us know if you can help! Another thing we cannot forget is that declarations of candidacy for Central Committee must be filed with the BOE by 4:00 p.m. on February 2, 2022. You may call Ray Lembke, Chair of the Clermont County Democratic Party at (513) 236-5426 or email clermontdems@clermontdems.org

 

ATTEND YOUR LOCAL SCHOOL BOARD MEETINGS

For the 2021-22 school year, there are 47 public schools serving 27,546 students in Clermont County, OH. Clermont County has one of the highest concentrations of top ranked public schools in Ohio. There are nine school districts in Clermont County and each district is overseen by a board of education whose members are elected officials.

Whether you have a child attending school or not the decisions these boards make affect the entire community. A school board sets educational goals and establishes policy for the school system based upon state laws and community values. Perhaps the most important responsibility of a school board is to employ a superintendent and treasurer and hold them responsible for managing the schools in accordance with the school board’s policies.

As with all elected officials school board members must be held accountable for the decisions they make. It is incumbent upon us as responsible citizens to attend the school board meetings to be sure our community values are being reflected in the school curriculum.

Below are the the nine school districts in Clermont County. Each link will take you to the school board page on that district’s website where you can find the calendar of board meetings. If you can’t physically attend a meeting many of the the districts publicly post their agendas and meeting minutes. Take some time and pay attention. Our future depends on it.

School Districts in Clermont County, Ohio

CONSIDER RUNNING FOR OFFICE IN 2022

LEADership Academy for Candidates

The Candidate Academy is a comprehensive, 50 hour training to prepares candidates to run for office. Over the course of 6 weekends the LEADership Academy covers campaign best practices and candidate development, taught by some of Ohio’s most seasoned professionals in respective areas of expertise. MORE INFORMATION

BUILD YOUR ORGANIZATION’S INFRASTRUCTURE

Non-Electoral Organizing for Your Local Democratic Party

VIRTUAL LIVE TRAINING
Dec 2, 2021
1:00pm – 2:30pm (ET)

If you are working to build your local party’s or organization’s infrastructure, you know that building relationships and connecting with voters happens year-round, not just during a big election year. But that’s sometimes easier said than done, especially depending on your community. We’re here to help! MORE INFORMATION

COVID19 IN OHIO

AS IF COVID WASN’T BAD ENOUGH, EXPERTS WARN OF LINGERING SYMPTOMS

With nearly 5,000 new cases of COVID per day, Ohio and the rest of the world are still dealing with a pandemic that started nearly two years ago. What we’ve barely begun to deal with, two experts said last week, is the long hangover many experience as “long COVID.”

That expression refers to a set of symptoms that linger for months after a person is infected with coronavirus. They include maladies of the lungs, heart, eyes, liver, brain, bladder, kidneys and pancreas. They also include problems of a less tangible nature, such as a loss of smell, chronic brain fog, headache and fatigue. READ MORE

WHITE HOUSE IMPOSES TRAVEL RESTRICTIONS FOR AFRICA AMID NEW COVID19 VARIANT

WASHINGTON — The White House is set to announce travel restrictions to eight countries in Southern Africa on Monday due to the discovery of a new coronavirus variant, according to senior administration officials. The World Health Organization classified the COVID-19 variant as a “variant of concern” due to its high mutation and transmission rate, and is calling the new strain the “omicron.” READ MORE

 

HOW TO CHOOSE A COVID19 VACCINE BOOSTER SHOT

It’s been a little over six months since I got my second dose of the COVID-19 vaccine from Pfizer and its German partner BioNTech, and a phone call from my state health department over the weekend reminded me that I am eligible for a booster. But do I really need to get a third COVID-19 shot? If so, which of the three authorized or approved vaccines available in the United States should I get? To make my decision, I looked at the evidence and talked to some experts. What I found out could be useful to anyone deciding on a booster. READ MORE

VACCINES SAVE LIVES YARD SIGNS AVAILABLE

We all know vaccines save lives. Local attorney Carl Zugelter and about 40 members of the Clermont County Bar Association firmly believe that “Vaccines save lives” too so they collaborated together and had yard signs made with this very important message. There is no charge for the signs. We only ask that you display them in a prominent place for a reasonable period of time. You can request a sign online here. OR you can pick up a sign outside of these two locations: 1285 West Ohio Pike Amelia, Ohio 45102 or 110 Main Street, Milford, Ohio 45150. OR call Carl Zugelter at 513-312-5358 OR you may contact us at clermontdems@clermontdems.org and we’ll get them to you.

 

Where to get booster shots in Clermont County https://ccphohio.org/covid-19-vaccine-info/

For information for COVID19 testing in Ohio go here.For more information about the numbers in Ohio, what precautions you need to take and where you can find resources for testing, mental health assistance and employment visit the Ohio Department of Health Coronavirus Portal

JOIN THE DONKEY CLUB

Your Clermont County Democratic Party believes the economy should work for everyone, diversity is a strength, health care is a right, facts and truth matter, fair and effective government is fundamental, and justice is for ALL. We strive to cultivate and elect public servants who reflect these beliefs. There are two ways you can impact Clermont County Democratic Party with donations: (1) Monthly contributions help us manage our yearly expenses. (2) Annual donations in any amount are welcome. Whether it’s a one-time contribution or a recurring monthly contribution we appreciate your support. Join online by clicking the Donation button below or join by mailing a check made out to CCDP PO Box 475, Batavia, Ohio 45103

CLERMONT COUNTY DEMOCRATIC CLUB UPDATES

Reminder: per the Ohio Democratic Party’s directive in-person meetings are suspended due to increases in COVID cases overwhelming our hospital systems. Please contact the leaders of our Democratic clubs to find out their meeting arrangements.

CLERMONT COUNTY DEMOCRATIC CLUB DIRECTORY

Below is a listing of Democratic groups in Clermont County. Right now a lot of upcoming meetings are cancelled due to the concerns about COVID19. Remember this is temporary. We will get through this! Click on the name of each club and it will take you to their website or Facebook page with updated information about meetings. Some groups are conducting virtual meetings while others are looking to outside locations.

Quin-T Democrat ClubDemocracy In Action
West Clermont DemocratsClermont County Young Democrats
The Goshen Democratic ClubDrinking Liberally

Clermont County Democratic Party Central Committee

Please contact Patty Lawrence, Central Committee Chair at: p.lawrence@fuse.net for more information.

Clermont County Democratic Party Executive Committee
The November CCDP Executive meeting is cancelled as it falls on Thanksgiving. The Executive Committee will meet on Thursday, December 9, 2021 at 6pm via Zoom

STAY CONNECTED

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This is your newsletter. We welcome you to submit news items, events, book reviews or anything else you feel is important to advance our Democratic values in Clermont County. Next issue will be published Tuesday, December 14, 2021. Deadline for submissions for the next issue is Friday, December 10, 2021. Send your submission with “CCDP Newsletter” in the subject line to our newsletter editor Cheryl Richards at: cheryl1richards@gmail.com

Share the newsletter with your friends and encourage them to sign up for our bi-weekly newsletter at clermontdems.org

Clermont County Democratic Party
174 E. Main Street P.O. Box 475
Batavia, OH, 45103
513-732-2378
Paid for by the Clermont County Democratic Party, Judith Miller, Treasurer