Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney, who represents NY Congressional District 12, is being challenged this year by a first-time candidate, Suraj Patel. We will have a chance this Thursday to hear from both candidates, ask them questions, and then decide whom to endorse for the Democratic primary on June 26.

Please show up at 6:45 pm so we can get started with the first candidate promptly at 7:00 pm. (The meeting is open to everyone, but only GSD members with voting privileges will be allowed to vote on our endorsement.)

7:00 pm — Suraj Patel
Patel is an alumni of Obama campaigns in 2008 and 2012, president of his family’s hospitality company, and a lecturer at NYU’s business school.
Website: surajpatel.nyc

Sister District is a national organization created out of the ashes of the 2016 presidential election. Its goal is to harness Democratic energy from deep blue districts like ours to help get out the vote in truly swing districts around the country. Focused especially on state legislative races (which will help determine new congressional districts after the 2020 census), Sister District helped with the tremendous successes in Virginia in 2017, and now is resetting targets for 2018.

First up is a special election for Florida State House in February, where Democrat Margaret Good is hoping to flip this Sarasota District.

 

Grand Street Dems launches its 2018 partnership with Sister District with this phone bank for Margaret Good on February 12. Help us make calls and participate in this year’s Democratic #BlueWave across the country.

Our next regular meeting will kick off with a report from our state representatives, Assemblymember Yuh-Line Niou and State Senator Brian Kavanagh. They will be reporting, and taking your questions on, the 2018 legislative session and budget process.

Immediately following the Albany Report, GSD will hold its first regular meeting of the year.

Thanks @yuhline_niou @briankavanaghny & the great crowd of @grandstreetdems that came to hear their Albany Report and club updates! Next up: Phone Banking on 2/12 for @goodforflorida with @sisterdistrictny12. RSVP at link in bio. #gsdalbanyreport #stategovernment #bluewave

A post shared by Grand Street Democrats (@grandstreetdems) on Feb 9, 2018 at 4:21am PST

It was wonderful seeing so many of you this past weekend at the Women’s March. I hope you’re feeling energized and ready for more action.

And on that note …

I’m joining Planned Parenthood on Tuesday, March 13 for a Day of Action in Albany. We’ll be meeting state representatives to demand that New York State be a leader on reproductive rights by advancing access to sexual and reproductive health care in 2018.

Bus transportation is provided by Planned Parenthood from 26 Bleecker Street. Breakfast and lunch will also be provided, plus training for all attendees.

I’m going and would love to have you join me (I’ve never been to Albany!) for what sounds like a great day with an organization I enthusiastically support.

If you’re interested in coming to the Day of Action in Albany:

1. Please register yourself via this link; then
2. Email me directly to let me know you’re coming. I’m in touch with Planned Parenthood NYC and can make sure we’re on the same bus.

Spots on the bus are filling up — if you want to come, you need to RSVP to Planned Parenthood and to me by this Friday, January 26th.

In 2018, Grand Street Democrats is teaming up with Sister District to help shape elections outside our immediate neighborhood, leveraging our strong Democratic advantage to swing districts where the outcome is in doubt and the balance of power in state government is decided.

To kick-off our partnership, we’ll be preparing together for the January 20 Women’s March in NYC with a protest poster-making party on Saturday, January 13.

This is a family-friendly event — kids are more than welcome, they are great artists and natural protesters!

At our regular meeting in November our members outlined a half dozen committees that will help us direct activities for Grand Street Democrats. So we’re not going to waste any time — let’s start 2018 with a Committee-palooza!

What’s a Committee-palooza? Honestly, we just made it up. But here’s how we think it works: You and your neighbors (and the friend you bring with you) break out for the GSD committee you care about and brainstorm specific goals and actionable steps for the new year. Then each committee shares those ideas with the whole club, so we can align our priorities and get to work.

For example, let’s say you care about helping Democrats across the country pick up seats during the 2018 mid-term elections. You sit down at the Big D table to decide what projects will be most effective — fundraising, phone banks, out-of-state canvassing — then make a plan to identify candidates to support or outside organizations to partner with.

Or, you’re dismayed by the massive new skyscrapers going up on the waterfront combined with the new developments closer to home. So you join the Political & Social Action Committee and start coming up with a plan to support zoning changes on the Lower East Side or pressure the MTA to increase access to public transportation.

The idea is to do some talking … and then chart a path from talking toward action. We want to find real opportunities for progress, and deputize club members (you!) to make change happen.

Are you ready?

Our friends from Corlears Hook Park have donated hundreds of daffodil bulbs to brighten up the neighborhood. And with school out on Tuesday for Election Day, we thought it would be a good time to get these bulbs in the ground.

If you are free for a couple hours of gardening along Grand Street, please join us! We will have some tools and gloves available, but not for everyone — if you have any tools of your own please bring them. Kids are more than welcome but not required!

What’s next for Grand Street Democrats: our first public meeting on Monday, November 13. Please join us, and encourage your politically-minded neighbors to join us as well.

The goal of this meeting is to set club priorities for the coming year and form committees to take action on those priorities. The specific activities of the club will be driven by your passions, so those of you with some time to devote to progressive causes in the neighborhood will have a tremendous opportunity to shape what Grand Street Democrats becomes.

Everyone is welcome, free of charge. But if you would like to become a member of the new club, to acquire voting privileges and have a more active say in club activities and endorsements, 2-year dues of $60 will be collected at the meeting.

Let us know what your goals are for the club.

And if you want to become a member, you can pay your membership dues online.