WHAT’S INSIDE

• Urgent Action Needed On HJR1
• CCDP Picnic – Save the Date
• Join The Donkey Club Today
• Word From The Chair – Raymond Lembke
• What’s New From Clermont to Columbus and Beyond
• Volunteer To Protect Reproductive Rights In Ohio
• Free Online Training
• Reading Room
• Clermont County Democratic Club Meetings
• Clermont County Democratic Party Committee Meetings
• Next Issue Publication Dates

Urgent Action Needed!

On January 11th, 2023, Ohio Rep. Brian Stewart and 35 co-sponsors reintroduced the so-called “Ohio Constitution Protection Amendment” in the Ohio House of Representatives. A constitutional amendment proposal to increase the passage threshold of new constitutional amendments to 60%, up from a simple majority (50% +1). The original version of the bill, HJR6, was recently defeated in the last General Assembly for lacking enough support for passage. Now the GOP are introducing HJR1 as a replacement to HJR6.

HJR1’s first hearing is scheduled to take place on Wednesday, March 22nd at 9:00AM in Ohio Hearing Room 17 at the Ohio Statehouse. Ballot initiatives allow us to exercise our freedom and to decide on issues that matter the most. However, if this amendment passes, it will mean more power for special interests and less power for voters like us. We must stop it.

If you can’t make the committee hearing, please join the online conversation by following #NOonHJR1 on social media and sign our online petition to stop this bill in its tracks.

In Solidarity,
Nick Tuell
Senior Communications Strategist
InnovationOhio

Save the Date! We’re Having a Picnic!

Clermont County Democratic Party is having a picnic on the afternoon of Saturday, May 20, 2023, at the American Legion Victor Stier Post 450, 450 Victor Stier Drive, Milford, Ohio 45150. The Legion Post is located on the banks of the Little Miami River in Old Milford. We expect to have some interesting speakers as well as games for both adults and children. Please watch our website, www.clermontdems.org, and your e-mail for more details. Please plan to join us on May 20.

Join The Donkey Club Today

It’s that time of year! We need your support. The Clermont County Democratic Party relies solely on donations from our friends to operate. Our Donkey Club is our major source of funding and we hope you will become a member today. Member benefits below.

• A headquarters located centrally in the county in Batavia
• A bi-monthly e-newsletter
• A robust Internet presence on our Website, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram
• Support for our Democratic candidates

Click the Donate button below and make your donation securely online through ActBlue or mail a check. Make Checks payable to: Clermont County Democratic Party (CCDP), PO Box 475, Batavia, OH 45103

Thank you for your support! Raymond W. Lembke, Party Chairman Clermont County Democratic Party

WORD FROM THE CHAIR– Raymond Lembke

It takes money for our voices in opposition to be heard. As we saw in 2022, winning office in Ohio takes lots of money and the candidate with more money behind him or her usually wins. The Clermont County Democratic Party needs money just to stay in existence as a voice countering the Republican lies, fear-mongering, and corruption. If the Party is going to provide meaningful support to our candidates for local offices, the Ohio House, and Ohio Senate, the Party needs more money than it has had at any time in recent years. Having the right values is necessary, but not sufficient. Money does make the world go around.

CONTINUE READING

What’s New From Clermont To Columbus And Beyond

Click on the headline to access the full article

Anti-abortion group Protect Women Ohio is spending $5 million on new ad campaign

Protect Women Ohio, a dark money 501(c)(4) organization founded in February, was created to fight the abortion ballot campaign. Protect Ohio Women is a coalition made up of several organizations including Ohio Right to Life, Center for Christian Virtue and Right to Life Action Coalition of Ohio. PWO released their first ad Wednesday and plans to spend $5 million on advertising over the next four weeks “for this first phase of its effort to defeat the amendment,” according to the release. Continue reading.

After other risky investments, Ohio pension system won’t say what it lost on failed bank

The Ohio State Teachers Retirement System still hasn’t said exactly how much of its members’ money it lost when Silicon Valley Bank failed last weekend. The system is already under fire for big salaries and for paying $10 million in bonuses last August — two months before actual losses of $5.3 billion came in for the prior year. That was 77% higher than some of the employees receiving bonuses estimated. And many of those paying into the system are rankled because the big money is going out to system employees while retirees have gotten only one, 3% cost-of-living increase since 2017. Continue reading.

Analysis: Bribery scandal shows how Ohio politics is polluted with dark money

A utility bailout at the center of a massive bribery and money laundering scandal was such bad legislation — and it was pushed in such bad faith — that it’s hard to see how it could have survived without the more than $60 million in bribes that sustained it.

And, while FirstEnergy CEO Chuck Jones claimed in text messages that the bill was good for “Bob and Betty Buckeye,” he clearly wasn’t eager for Bob or Betty to know that his company was behind it. The mechanism he used to fund the scheme — 501(c)(4) “dark money” groups — don’t have to disclose their donors. Continue reading.

Volunteer To Protect Reproductive Rights In Ohio

Restore Roe Ohio: Volunteer Signature Collection Training

Friday, March 24, 2023
12:00 PM – 1:00 PM ET
Virtual

Ready to roll up your sleeves and gather signatures to get reproductive rights on the ballot this November?! Team Ohio has got you covered! Join us for a virtual training and information session, and we’ll get you ready to hit the pavement! Sign up here.

Signature Drive Through Milford Shopping Center

Time
Saturday, March 25
11am – 3pm EDT
Location
Milford Shopping Center
1025 Lila Ave
Milford, OH 45150

Come Sign to make sure we have protections for reproductive rights on the ballot! We need to get over 5,000 signatures of registered voters by June. So come sign the petitions, sign up to volunteer, and do your part. Sign up to volunteer here.

Signature Drive East Loveland Nature Preserve

Time
Saturday, March 25
11am – 3pm EDT
Location
Loveland Nature Preserve
227 E Loveland Ave
Loveland, OH 45140

We need you to dive on down to the Loveland Nature Preserve and sign the petition to get REPRODUCTIVE RIGHTS ON THE BALLOT this November, Hamilton County, Clermont, Butler, Brown, and anyone else. Folks from Democracy in Action will be running the show at this location signing up volunteers for future events and canvassing so we can get to the 5,000 signatures we need in Clermont County and 16,000 we need in Hamilton County! Sign up here.

Sign Up to Protect Our Reproductive Freedoms!

After the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v Wade, Ohio Republicans moved quickly to limit our freedoms here in Ohio, and we know they’re just getting started. Ohio Democrats are gearing up for the fight to take this issue to the ballot and let people, not politicians, decide. And we won’t be able to do that without your help. Sign-up TODAY to let us know YOU are ready to join us in our upcoming work of collecting signatures and holding our elected leaders accountable. When we are ready to go, you will be the first to know! Sign Up Here

Free Online Training

Learn (on Zoom) to Register OH Democrats (In Person)!

Tuesday, March 21
5 – 6pm EDT
Location
Virtual event
Join from anywhere
Hosted in Columbus, OH 43016

Want to do something concrete to fight voter suppression? Learn to register Democrats, the Field Team 6 way! It’s the #1 most direct, effective way to swing elections – and it’s also incredibly fun. LEARN MORE

Say This, Not That- Control your Democratic narrative

Time
Thursday, April 6
Multiple dates available
8 – 9pm EDT
Location
Virtual event
Join from anywhere

To win elections and support progressive issues Democrats need to communicate with the most effective messaging. Join us as we discuss how we can frame our issues and promote progressive values in a way voters will embrace. Each workshop will provide background information, provide examples of good and bad messaging and time to discuss messaging on current topic. Learn more here.

Civics 101- The basics they no longer teach in school

Time
Tuesdays (multiple dates available)
April 11, 2023
8 – 9pm EST
Location
Virtual event
Join from anywhere

We cover topics from how a bill becomes a law to who your representatives are to when elections are held and so much more. LEARN MORE

Reading Room

March is Women’s History Month

A Women’s Life is a human life

A Woman’s Life Is a Human Life is the story of two movements in New York that transformed the politics of reproductive rights: the fight to decriminalize abortion and the fight against sterilization abuse, which happened disproportionately in communities of color and was central to an activism that was about the right to bear children, as well as not to. Each initiative won key victories that relied on people power and not on the federal courts. Their histories cast new light on Roe and constitutional rights, on the difficulty and importance of achieving a truly inclusive feminism, and on reproductive politics today. READ MORE

Clermont County Democratic Club Meetings

Next meeting will be Thursday, April 6, 2023 at 7pm at CCDP Headquarters, 174 E. Main St., Batavia, Ohio. The guest speaker will be Jen Perez, Director of Ohio Red, Wine and Blue. Jen will discuss the abortion amendment initiative, what it means to Ohioans and how we can help.

West Clermont Democrats will meet Monday, April 10, 2023 at 7:00 pm at Day Heights Fireman’s Memorial Building 1313 OH-131, Day Heights, OH 45150

CLERMONT COUNTY DEMOCRATIC CLUB DIRECTORY

Below is a listing of Democratic groups in Clermont County. Click on the name of each club and it will take you to their website or Facebook page with updated information about meetings.

Clermont County Democratic Party Central Committee

Please contact Ben Indino, Central Committee Chair at: benjamin.indino@gmail.com or Amanda Fox, Central Committee Secretary at: alvfox33@gmail.com for more information.

Clermont County Democratic Party Executive Committee

Next Executive Committee meeting will be Thursday, March 23, 2023 at 7:00 pm

This will be a hybrid meeting with choice of in-person at headquarters, 174 E. Main Street, Batavia, Ohio 45103 and via Zoom. Central Committee members are encouraged to attend.

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED FOR COMMITTEES

CCDP has four active committees. Each committee needs volunteers. Please consider getting involved. The strength of our party is our volunteers. You may contact the respective Chairs of each committee below by clicking on their name if you are interested in volunteering.

Finance Committee– Chair – Ben Brady

Events Committee – Chair – Katherine Lent

By-laws Review Committee– Chair- Gregg Conrad

Communications Committee – Chair – Michelle DeTemple
The Communications Committee meets the first Tuesday of each month at 7:00pm via Zoom.

CLERMONT COUNTY DEMOCRATIC PARTY OFFICERS

Benjamin Indino – Central Committee Chair
Tracy Jo Small – Central Committee Vice Chair
Amanda Fox – Central Committee Secretary

Raymond Lembke – Executive Committee Chair
Elaine Barnett – Executive Committee Vice Chair
Chris Barnett – Treasurer
Bonnie Carlier – Executive Committee Secretary

STAY CONNECTED

FOLLOW US ON FACEBOOK, TWITTER AND INSTAGRAM – VISIT OUR WEBSITE

Like, share, comment and retweet our posts. Use the hashtags #OHDems #ClermontOHDems

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. If you have critiques about content or format please feel free to voice your opinion.

Next issue will be published Tuesday, April 04, 2023. Deadline for submissions for the next issue is Friday, March 31, 2023. 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
clermontdems@gmail.com
Paid for by the Clermont County Democratic Party, Christopher Barnett, Treasurer