December 2022 Newsletter — Schoharie County Democrats

DECEMBER NEWSLETTER

Congratulations! We made it through a complicated election season!

Remember that special election back in August, plus the primary in a new congressional district? Then there was the full court press to support Matt Castelli against Extremist Elise Stefanik. Did you notice the “Fire Elise” signs? We sent out over 1000 postcards and knocked on nearly that many doors.

This is the work that we can do, when we are supported by people like you.

As we enter the holiday season, I would like to thank you for carrying our values, challenging misinformation, and seeking responsible news sources. Thank you to our volunteers for designing literature, knocking on doors and making phone calls.

Join us! As you make your year-end donations, please consider the Schoharie County Democrats. Next fall, all of the county supervisors are up for election. Your contribution will help us in the elections that matter most- those in Schoharie County.

Click here to leave a donation. You may also donate by writing a check to the Schoharie County Democratic Committee and mailing it to: SCDC, PO Box 46, Gallupville, NY 12073.

In solidarity and gratitude,

Theresa

SCDC Chair

All Politics Are Local In 2023

By Rebecca Liggieri

At the Schoharie County Democratic Committee meeting on November 16th, Joe Bozicevich, representing Schoharie, asked the most senior elected Democrat, Fulton Town Supervisor Phillip R. Skowfoe, Jr., how he conducts his successful campaigns. Mr. Skowfoe e simply replied, “I talk to people.” He went on to explain he is often invited in for coffee and when he sits at the table he listens and takes notes on questions and concerns. Then, he tries to find answers and get back to them. He is a former chairman of the Schoharie County Board of Supervisors and has served the Town of Fulton for over 25 years.

Currently, Supervisor Skowfoe is one of only two Democrats, out of 16 members, serving on the county board of supervisors. Sandra Manko, representing Sharon, is also a Democrat. The six Democrats elected to town boards are 7.5% of the total elected. This percentage is much lower than the percentage of registered Democrats in Schoharie County, which is 25% as of February 2022, according to the Board of Elections. Perhaps 2023 will be the year to close the gap with county, town and village elections on the ballot in November.

One of the core tenets for the Committee to concentrate on this year is voter turnout. According to the Schoharie County Board of Elections, our county has 5,047 active registered Democrats and 8,015 Republicans. In last month’s election for state assembly and senate offices as well as the governor and congressional seat, the overall vote tally for Schoharie County Democrats never topped 4,000, representing a 65% turnout; while Republicans went over 7,000 votes in some cases, close to 72% turnout. It seems Democrats may need to look for votes across party lines, tapping into the 1,112 registered Independents and appealing to the 4,394 “other” voters, who are spread out across the county, numbering in the hundreds in some towns.

However, the journey of a thousand miles starts with a single step, and this section of the newsletter will move forward with articles throughout the year focusing on our local races from the caucuses to candidate selection, to open seats and tight races, to incumbents and new faces. As each town and village caucuses start planning when to meet, that information will be published to give candidates time to declare and campaign as well as attend events, both sponsored by the Schoharie County Democrats and the communities in which they live. Town and village senior Democrats know that now is the time to start thinking about their caucus and who might be viable candidates.

Phil Skowfoe, Jr., Town Supervisor, Fulton, NY

A Dip Into Political Statistics from the November Election

Summarized by Sarah Meredith

According to a December 4th, Albany Times Union article by Joshua Solomon and Alexandra Harris, Democrats lost 7 out of 10 congressional districts in the November elections where they had an advantage of up to 100,000 more enrolled voters. Republicans simply turned out more voters. This resulted in Republican gains in closely contested Congressional Districts 17 and 19. The average margin of votes was 3,800, according to the TJ article, or less than 1.5% based on unofficial results from the Board of Elections. These seats were lost by 1.5%. Let that sink in. Unaffiliated voter turnout definitely tipped the balance some too, with 24.7% of votes cast in District 17, 25.5% of votes cast in D.18, and 29% of votes cast in D.19. Pat Ryan squeaked by, winning with 50.6% of the vote in District 18, running as an incumbent from our former district.

In Schoharie County, 65% of enrolled Democrats turned out to vote, compared to 72% of Republicans. As shown in the chart of our new District 21, Republicans have an enrollment advantage of 58,628 voters (that many more registered Republicans than Democrats). Stefanik won with 52,379 more votes district-wide. In order for future Congressional races to lean Democratic, there will have to be better turnout of Democrats and a cultivation of unaffiliated and open minded Republican voters. In Schoharie County it will take a healthy dose of public discourse among Democrats, unaffiliated and Republican voters who might agree with Democrats on specific policy issues.

2023 is an election year for all our local superintendents as well as some town board seats and local trustees and mayors. It is important to open conversations with neighbors and colleagues about policies and issues that can bring us together. These county-wide and district-wide numbers may give political analysts a lot to think about, but for us, in the coming year, all our politics will be local.

Source: https://www.timesunion.com/state/article/Democrats-enrollment-advantages-faded-away-in-17619332.php?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_term=headlines&utm_campaign=altu%20%7C%20daily%20headlines&sid=6363f09344683e9840073225

Help Shape the Future of Schoharie County Agriculture

Schoharie County Office of Agricultural Development

announces 2023 Survey of Agriculture

The Schoharie County Office of Agricultural Development will be conducting a survey of all the farms in Schoharie County beginning on the 6th of January. Anyone engaged in agriculture with sales of $1,000 or more is strongly encouraged to participate. The survey will be available online, though paper copies will be available at the County Clerk’s office and several other locations across the county.

It has been the better part of a decade since the last survey was completed and it is time for an update. The primary goal of the survey is to create a better record of the diverse types of agricultural operations in the county. The survey will also gauge producer’s thoughts on agricultural issues facing the county. As agencies in the county work to encourage agricultural development, the information gathered from this survey will be invaluable. It is key that connections can be made between the agricultural operations of the county and those programs, incentives, and events that are being offered. This survey is an essential step in doing just that.

Postcards with the web address and locations where paper copies will be available, will be mailed out the first week of January. The survey will go live January 6th. The Office of Agricultural Development thanks you in advance for your participation.

Any questions, comments, or concerns can be addressed to Nick Kossmann, the County’s Development Specialist for Agricultural Business at 518-295-8785 or emailed to Nickolas.Kossmann@co.schoharie.ny.us.

PREPARING FOR 2023

The Communications Committee of SCDC would like to know how best to help YOU support the democratic process in your towns and villages. There are important local elections coming up next year. All 16 town supervisors are up for election, most towns have 2 council/board members to elect, there are 3 mayoral posts up, and there are 6 villages with trustees to elect.

Our county-wide committee may seem a blunt instrument for local elections, but there are ways we can help. We encourage each town/village to consider having an early spring informal social gathering to increase enthusiasm and perhaps cultivate candidates.

If there’s interest, SCDC can put together some training for those who want to run for office, or support candidates as treasurers or campaign managers.

We can reach a county-wide audience with a couple of ads to spur voter enthusiasm and awareness of the importance of these ‘off year’ elections!

And, by the way, there will be early voting for this November cycle, so there’s plenty of opportunity to be heard when the time comes.

If you have ideas about promoting your local candidates, please don’t hesitate to get in touch! communications.scdc@gmail.com

THE SEASON OF GIVING

Many of us volunteer to help others well beyond the work we do to forward democratic ideas in Schoharie County. Some of us are in a position to help finance the work of the Schoharie County Democratic Committee. If this group includes you, please consider a donation of any size to SCDC.

You might wonder, how do we use donated money? We produce printed materials to inform voters about registration and early voting dates, and to get out the vote with postcards and yard signs. We “spend money to raise money” in fundraising events, and hold social events to bring together our community and introduce voters to candidates. Even when a location is donated for a “meet and greet,” there are expenses to promote such events, and provide refreshments when appropriate.

2023 is all about our local elections and we will be supporting Democrats who run for office. 2024 will be all about the Presidential election and Congressional seats.

If you have the means, please consider donating through this ActBlue link. The money goes directly to SCDC. When you specify your gift amount, you can choose whether and how much to leave as a “tip” for the ActBlue folks. You will get an email receipt from ActBlue.

SCDC has a stringent budget review and approval process, so your donation will only be used for authorized expenses.

Thank you for considering it! If now is not a good time, please know that this won’t be your last chance to support our county-wide efforts. You can donate with this link any time.

Donate using this link: https://secure.actblue.com/donate/schohariedems