“This is your democracy. Make it. Protect it. Pass it on.” — Thurgood Marshall

 

Last week, at a gathering on Albuquerque’s west side, I had the pleasure of listening to two Democrats talk about current legislation. What brought me pleasure wasn’t their depth of knowledge on one bill or another. It was that they were two average citizens talking about the current state of bills they were following, and referring to each piece of legislation by its bill number. Does that seem normal to you? From vetting candidates, to knocking doors to get them elected, to keeping in touch with them as they represent us, we, the people are creating a new norm. We are investing in and owning our democracy, and it’s a beautiful thing.

 

In the weeks to come, we have a couple of opportunities to further invest in our democracy. First, as our lawmakers wrap up their work in Santa Fe, many of them are arranging town halls to debrief their constituents on the 2019 legislative session. At 6:30 pm on Wednesday, March 27, West Side Democrats of Bernalillo County is hosting a Legislative Wrap Up with four of our West Side legislators. Sen. Linda Lopez, SD11, Rep. Antonio “Moe” Maestas, HD 16, Rep. Daymon Ely, HD 23, and Rep. Joy Garratt, HD 29 will join us at the Taylor Ranch Community Center to talk about their successes and challenges this legislative session. Please join us. Invite your friends and neighbors. Download, print, and share this invitation: Legislative Wrap Up Invitation.

 

The other opportunity for democratic action is our party’s leadership election cycle. Between March 23 and April 28, Democrats across New Mexico will be electing leaders from the grassroots precinct level up to state leaders. West Side Democrats is part of the Bernalillo County Grassroots Dems Coalition, which has put together a straightforward training covering the local Democratic Party election process. Special thanks to our West Side Democrats and Patty and Bob Kuning at Real Image Productions, for recording a training session. That recording and materials to help you prepare for the upcoming elections are available at BernCoGrassrootsDems.com.

 

I am honored to work alongside you at this transformative time. Together we are making a difference. We are building the bridge to a more inclusive democracy while crossing it.

 

Yours truly,

Flora