by admin | Mar 1, 2022 | old posts
John settled in Braddock — a town that is majority-Black and where he still lives — where he spearheaded a program aimed at helping kids get their GEDs and find jobs. John decided to run for Mayor after two of his students were shot and killed, and he made it his mission to reduce gun violence. John was elected Mayor of Braddock in 2005 after winning his first race by one vote.
As mayor, John created opportunities for Braddock youth, brought in new business and jobs, helped restore access to health care after a hospital closed, confronted the epidemic of gun violence, and worked with the chief-of-police to institute a community-policing model. John served as Mayor of Braddock for 13 years, and one of his proudest achievements is going 5 ½ years without a loss of life due to gun violence in Braddock.
In 2018, John ran to be Pennsylvania’s Lieutenant Governor, and won a five-way Democratic primary and a commanding victory in the general election.
As Lt. Governor, John has transformed the position, which frankly has limited power, into a bully pulpit, advocating for economic justice and criminal justice reform.
In 2019, John launched a statewide listening tour on legalizing recreational marijuana that persuaded Pennsylvania’s Democratic Governor Tom Wolf to support legalization.
John also chairs the Pennsylvania Board of Pardons through his position as Lt. Governor, which makes decisions on clemency and pardons in the commonwealth. Since taking over, he has revolutionized the post to fight to free the wrongfully convicted and give second chances to deserving longtime inmates, many of whom are disproportionately people of color that have been wronged by the criminal justice system. Within two years of taking over as chair, the number of pardon applications heard by the Board increased by 104%, and the number of pardon requests recommended by the Board increased by 69%.
In running for Senate this year, John is supporting the same core set of truths that he has been advancing for the last 20 years. He believes that the country is plagued by rampant inequality, a paltry minimum wage that has not changed in the last 12 years, poor housing and healthcare in marginalized and abandoned communities, a broken criminal justice system, a failed war on drugs, and continued restrictions on the right to vote.
For more information about John Fetterman: https://www.johnfetterman.com/
by admin | Feb 18, 2022 | old posts
“Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the ones we’ve been waiting for. We are the change that we seek”.
Barack ObamaIt is difficult not to despair in today’s political climate. Fundamental principles and rights that have been hard fought and incrementally gained are being either undermined or cast aside. Among these are:
- Equality and justice for all;
- A living wage for American workers;
- The right and opportunity to vote;
- A fair and equitable system of taxes;
- Quality education for all children;
- Universal health care;
- A safe and healthy environment;
- And many more.
These are not simply aspirational ideals. They are fundamental to the health and well-being of the country we love and to the freedoms we enjoy. It is going to take everyone, particularly Democrats and like-minded Independents, to make sure that these principles and rights are preserved and strengthened.
As President Obama said, we cannot wait for someone else or for some other time to make the changes we seek. We must recognize that living in a democracy is not a given; now more than ever, we must collectively take an active role in preserving it.
You can help by becoming an Upper St. Clair Democratic Committee Member. Each of the 18 wards and districts in Upper St. Clair is entitled to have two committee members: one male and one female. The Upper St. Clair Democratic Committee meets monthly to develop ways to help Democrats get elected.
As of now, while the Committee has many enthusiastic members, 11 of the 36 committee member positions in Upper St. Clair are still vacant. We would love to fill these positions, and the time to do so is now! Current available committee seats are listed in the table below.
Thank You
The Upper St. Clair Democratic Committee |
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If you are interested in running for a committee seat, please email: maryfmctyre56@gmail.com
by March 6, 2022. You can find the precinct (district and ward) that your reside in by going to: https://www.pavoterservices.pa.gov/pages/voterregistrationstatus.aspx and entering your address. Additional information about the Committee can also be found at: https://uscdemocrats.com/about/. |
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by admin | Feb 4, 2022 | old posts
by admin | Jan 24, 2022 | old posts
Ready to Run™ Pennsylvania
Ready to Run™ Pennsylvania provides non-partisan political training to encourage women to run for government leadership positions. The day-long program targets women considering or recently deciding to run for political office, providing training and mentoring by campaign professionals, political women, and officeholders.
Ready to Run™ Pennsylvania is part of the Ready to Run™ National Training Network of the Center for American Women and Politics (CAWP) at Rutgers University (NJ).
by admin | Oct 28, 2021 | old posts, USC Democratic Committee
September 29, 2021
Chair Mary McIntyre began the meeting at 7:00 pm with the Pledge of Allegiance.
Treasurer Peg Babnik reported the committee’s bank account balance of $6,651.00. Vice Chair Jason Fincke noted that this is the most money the committee has ever had in the bank.
Picnic Summary – Mary McIntyre
Mary thanked everyone for their involvement and contributions for the Committee’s picnic held at South Park on Sunday, September 12th. She noted the event was quite a success with approximately 125-150 attendees, including many judicial candidates for the November 2nd election, as well as our Democratic candidate for School Board: Jen Schnore. The exact amount of funds raised will be reported at the next committee meeting, but it is believed to be in the $3,800 – $4,000 range.
A discussion followed as to where to hold future fundraisers. The prevailing opinion was that since the Alpine Club did such a great job with the food that the establishment would be the best choice for future fundraisers, either at the restaurant or by using its catering services. Mary noted that the establishment is a Democratic-friendly venue as many other Democratic fundraisers are held there.
There was a discussion regarding the township’s policy of not permitting the rentals of its facilities for fundraising events. It was suggested that the committee investigate how to get the policy modified.
Candidate Tom Caulfield
Magistrate District Judge Tom Caulfield, who has been chosen as the 10th Democratic candidate for Allegheny County Common Pleas Court, spoke to the committee. He discussed his background and his “highly recommended” ranking by the Allegheny County Bar Association. The 10th judgeship became available when Judge Guido Angelis recently announced that he would not run for a retention vote.
School Board Meeting – Mask Mandate and Redistricting – Deb Allen
Deb Allen summarized the USC School Board meeting that was held on September 28th. She noted that 16 people were in the audience: two attendees chose to present comments to the Board. They thanked the Board for upholding the current mask mandate in schools and for their concern for the safety of the district’s students.
School Board members outlined the many penalties that the district would face if the mask mandate issued by Gov. Wolf was not followed.
She pointed out that security was present at the meeting and restricted anyone not wearing a mask from attending the meeting.
Deb Allen also noted the need for the committee to closely watch the progress of proposed bills coming from the state’s Republican legislators that would undermine Gov. Wolf’s school mask mandate, such as SB846. She suggested that we contact Senator Devlin Robinson to express our opposition.
She also encouraged everyone to research and get involved in the redistricting process currently being undertaken in Pennsylvania by visiting www.senatorhaywood.com/event/redistricting or calling his office at 215-242-8171 to learn more about redistricting educational workshops Senator Haywood’s office will be sponsoring.
Committee Next Outreach Project – Mary McIntyre and Bernadette Fincke
Mary and Bernadette spoke about the committee’s next outreach project which involves sending letters to the townships’s non super voters, explaining the importance of November’s election and listing the endorsed candidates. Packets including voter lists and envelopes were distributed to volunteers. Postage stamps, which will be paid by the committee, were not available at the meeting. It was decided that stamps will be distributed on Sunday, October 3 from 12 – 2 pm at the township’s Old Rec Center parking lot. Additional packets will also be available as more volunteers are needed. Mary will send out an email notification.
The meeting ended at 8 pm.
by admin | Oct 1, 2021 | old posts
Volunteers are needed to stuff and address envelopes with a letter targeted to township residents which list the endorsed Democratic candidates for the November 2nd election. Packets (letters, voter lists, and envelopes) along with stamps will be distributed on Sunday, October 3, from noon to 2 pm at the township’s Old Rec Center parking lot. If you cannot make it on October 3rd, email maryfmcintyre56@gmail.com to arrange a packet delivery or pick up.
John settled in Braddock — a town that is majority-Black and where he still lives — where he spearheaded a program aimed at helping kids get their GEDs and find jobs. John decided to run for Mayor after two of his students were shot and killed, and he made it his mission to reduce gun violence. John was elected Mayor of Braddock in 2005 after winning his first race by one vote.
