West Side Forum

West Side Dems Turn Out for Immigration and Workers Day of Action in Santa Fe

By Sue Wolinsky About ten WSD members and friends were among the 1,500 protestors who participated in the Immigrants and Workers Day of Action in Santa Fe on February 3. This was 2-1/2 times more than the 600 participants that were expected, according to Rachel LaZar of El Centro de Igualdad y Derechos. Somos Accion, along with El Centro and other immigrant advocate groups, coordinated the day’s activities. The day began with training on immigration issues inside the Farmers Market building at the railyards.…

Read more about the article Ivan Pfeifer<br /><span style="font-size:16px">Vice Chair

Ivan Pfeifer
Vice Chair

Ivan is a farm boy from northeastern Illinois. He was exposed to IT (then called Data  Processing) in 1968 and held jobs at 2- and 4-year colleges through 2005, when he retired. Since leaving Illinois he has lived and worked in Wyoming, North Carolina, South Carolina, and, finally, New Mexico He has lived in New Mexico since 2003, and moved from Farmington to Albuquerque in 2010. Soon after moving he joined the West Side Democrats where he became involved with doing the website. Previously…

Read more about the article Joe Sinico<br /><span style="font-size:16px">Chair</span>

Joe Sinico
Chair

Joe Sinico is currently serving as Ward 68A Chair and serving a second term as President of the homeowners’ association in the community where he resides in Northwest Albuquerque.  He has served in various volunteer positions including treasurer of a local non-profit [5 years], treasurer of a national non-profit organization [6 years], regional coordinator of a national organization [4 years], and local chapter president of a national organization [18 years]. Other than voting, Joe’s first active participation with the Dems began in the late…

Read more about the article Welcome to NM Department of Veterans Services Secretary Sonya Smith

Welcome to NM Department of Veterans Services Secretary Sonya Smith

Welcome to NM Department of Veterans Services Secretary Sonya Smith   (NOTE: This interview was written by Sue Wolinsky of the West Side Dems, for the DPNM Veterans and Family Members Caucus website - https://nmvetscaucus.org/nm-vets-caucus/congressional-district-1/#michelle - in March 2021. It is published here with the consent of the caucus and includes updates. Secretary Smith resides on the West Side of Albuquerque.) “’Every day is Veterans’ Day’ is our motto,” declared Secretary Sonya Smith, who was confirmed in February as the fifth secretary of the NM…

WSD 2020 Annual Report Available

WSD 2020 Annual Report Available The WSD Annual Report is now available. Click HERE to download. The report presents the WSD 2020 goals (that came from the January 2020 brainstorming session) and addresses how each goal was addressed in WSD activities throughout the year. While the COVID-19 pandemic caused WSD to redirect activities to only those allowed by the state-mandated safety restrictions, most of the 2020 were met in mostly virtual ways.

Post inauguration thoughts

Post-Inauguration Thoughts I had a sigh of relief after watching the inauguration and the oath of office. After the horrendous attacks on January 6th, I really did not know what to expect. My fear, however, turned to hope and optimism as I watched Amanda Gorman’s poem. If you have not seen it yet, please do. I had several takeaways from her poem, but today I want to focus on two: first, the power (and fragility) of democracy, and secondly our path through history in…

WSD Brainstorming Session Results in Potential Goals for 2021

WSD Brainstorming Session Results in Potential Goals for 2021 Approximately 15 persons participated in the West Side Dems virtual goal-setting session held during the January 27 WSD meeting. The brainstorming session was the first part of a two-pronged meeting. The second part was a discussion of the Health Security Act, with Dr. Dana Millen as the speaker. Facilitator Sue Wolinsky said the main assumption was that pandemic restrictions would probably continue through most of 2021. The 12 goals suggested so far include: Keep informed…

Scenes from the U.S. Capitol: Then and Now

Scenes from the U.S. Capitol:Then and Now by Ellen Coplen On January 6, the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C. was attacked. I know I speak for many when I say I have been heartbroken at the scenes that have been replayed on a continuous loop on television showing unmasked thugs breaking windows, stealing items, desecrating sacred symbols of our democracy, waving confederate flags, and beating police officers (one to death) in their Trump-fueled efforts to stage a coup on our country and violate one…

Congratulations Deb Haaland!

Congratulations Deb Haaland! President-Elect Joe Biden has made history in nominating the first Native American to a Cabinet level seat. Our very own and very loved U.S. Representative Deb Haaland will hopefully breeze through the confirmation process and become Secretary of the Interior. She will have a lot of work to do to reverse the White House’s attacks on public lands for the last four years. Be Fierce! Meanwhile, various names are being publicized as interested in vying for the Democratic nomination to fill…

APD Reform Stalls: An Interview with State Representative Antonio “Moe” Maestas

APD Reform Stalls: An Interview with State Representative Antonio “Moe” Maestas By Gail Stephens Six years ago, the city of Albuquerque and the US Department of Justice (DOJ) signed an agreement to begin a process of reform that would end the Albuquerque Police Department’s (APD) demonstrated problems with the use of excessive force in arrests. An independent monitor, Dr. James Ginger, was selected by DOJ to oversee the process. Last month, Dr. Ginger issued his 12th report which reported “system-wide failures related to the…