Join us at our annual picnic in Rollinsford!

The Strafford County Democratic Committee will hold its annual picnic on August 18th. The event will be held again on the water in beautiful Rollinsford. 
Please join us as we gather with fellow Democrats to chat about politics, listen to 2020 candidates, and eat some great food!

We have worked so hard in 2019 to build the organization we have across the county--thanks to you! This picnic is our big annual fundraiser, and oh boy, do we have a lot planned for this election cycle. So come join us! It's always the Democratic event to be at.

Follow this link below to buy your tickets or be a beloved sponsor! It all helps us as we build the infrastructure we need to hold the seats we have and to expand out for more!

You can purchase your sponsorship level by clicking on this ActBlue link, or by mailing your check directly to Strafford County Democratic Committee, PO Box 247, Dover, NH 03821

Let us know if you have any questions! We are so thankful for your support! More information on the program soon!

Tickets will go from $20 to $25 on August 11th, so don't wait!

Email questions to: straffordcountydemocrats@gmail.com

Thank you!

What: SCDC Picnic 
When: August 18th at 12:30-3:30pm
Where: Rollinsford American Legion Park, Foundry Street, Rollinsford NH Buy Now Email us at straffordcountydemocrats@gmail.com with any questions or if you would like to volunteer!

The Farmington Dems and Milton Dems will have a joint meeting June 13th, 6PM,  at the Emma Ramsey Center in Milton. Everyone is asked to bring a finger food or dessert of some kind to share.

It is possible we may have some candidate representatives come to the meeting to speak to everyone and we are planning to discuss local events in the region, like Farmington Hay Day as well as the upcoming Progressive Summit, LGBT Pride Days, Democrats in the Wakefield Villages, and the NHDP State Convention.

To All from the Strafford County Democratic Committee EC:

On Wednesday, May 17, the SCDC will meet at the Rollins House at the Governor's Inn on Wakefield Street in Rochester, New Hampshire at 6:30pm. A SCDC EC meeting will be held just before the regular meeting(6pm). At the regular meeting we will be discussing the specifics of the coordinated campaign with Erin Turmelle and ask that any of you who participated attend with your comments and questions about how we can be more effective in the future. We also hope to hear from Harman as to his plans for canvassing this coming year.

We will be staffing our standing committees and committees for upcoming events. You need not be a member of the SCDC EC to participate in these committees.

Finally, we will schedule a workshop to discuss how we can capitalize on the results of our recent survey to set the direction of our committee during the next two years.

We look forward to seeing you there.

Update:



Our next scheduled meeting will be on February 9th, at 7:00 PM in Milton at the Emma Ramsey Center. Our speaker will be Olivia Zink, from Open Democracy. She will speak about voting rights and campaign finance reform.

About Open Democracy:

Founded in 2009 by renowned reformer Doris “Granny D” Haddock (1910-2010), Open Democracy is leading the New Hampshire movement to strengthen democracy and stop the corrupting influence of special interest money in politics. Over the past five years, we have educated and engaged thousands of New Hampshire citizens through nonpartisan grassroots campaigns, film and theatrical events, a national speaker series, research and publications, and local and state advocacy initiatives. In 2014, we partnered with citizens in 52 New Hampshire towns to pass warrant articles calling for an end to corporate and union spending in political campaigns under Citizens United.

Our next scheduled meeting will be on December 8th, at 7:00 PM in New Durham at the New Durham Library. Brian Hawkins, head of government relations from the State Employees Association, SEIU local 1984, will be our guest to give us his take on state government and where we are headed.
Warm Regards for a Happy Holiday Season

Our next scheduled meeting will be on Thursday, November 10, at 7:00 PM in the Emma Ramsey Center, Milton, NH. There will not be a guest speaker. The meeting is open and all are welcome to attend. We'll go over election results, talk about local upcoming events, make plans for the rest of 2016, and firm up some plans for 2017. See you there!

Attached are the draft minutes from our October Meeting. 

Agenda
Call to Order
Secretary's Report
Treasurer's Report
Digital and Social Media Report 
Old Business

• Honors Dinner Committee
• Letter Writing Committee

New Business

• SCDC Meeting
• Elections
• Other Business

 Adjournment

Upcoming Events

• November 18th 6:30 PM · Plymouth Senior Center 8 Depot St, Plymouth, NH 03264 by Jackie for NH:  Rep. Jackie Cilley to address Plymouth Area Democrats about her efforts to raise New Hampshire's wage floor

• Important Strafford County Democratic Committee meeting on November 18th, at 7:00PM, at the Durham Public Library.  The 2 primary agenda items are the election of a 11th EC member and the presentation by NHDP on the Delegate selection process for the Democratic National Convention,  in Philadelphia next year.  Both are important so please attend and encourage your committee members to as well.

• Black Lives Matter Vigil! November 20th Fri 6 PM · Market Square Portsmouth, NH:  The message of the vigil is that we no longer accept the systematic abuse of people of color, and that the militarized police forces racial profiling, and pattern of excessive force by police are unacceptable, as is all institutionalized inequality.Please join us, get involved and show that humanity is better than this and that there will be change.Presented by Occupy NH Seacoast. Occupy NH Seacoast is a local group working to promote social and economic equality worldwide.

Next Meeting
Our next scheduled meeting will be on December 10, at 7:00 PM at the New Durham Library in New Durham.

COUNTYWIDE MEETING

Join us on Wednesday, April 15th at 7pm at the Rochester Community Center for a special countywide meeting of the Strafford County Democratic Committee.  We will be holding an election for one open seat on the Executive Committee which was vacated this winter.  This position will only be until our biennial June Caucus when all seats on the Executive Committee will be up for re-election. 

We will also discuss city/town caucuses and upcoming events in the county. We hope to see you on the 15th!

If you have any questions regarding this open position, please contact the Executive Committee Chair at ann_wright@comcast.net.

The official results of the Milton Town Warrant included the following:

Articles 2 through 5 were zoning amendments, the most controversial of which was Article 3 seeking to allow a Solid Waste and Recycling facilities in Milton. All were resoundingly defeated

Article 6, the town’s operating budget, sought to raise $3,931,159.46. It passed 880 to 332.

Article 7 sought to raise $494,760, payable over seven years for the lease/purchase of three highway dump trucks with snowplow equipment. It passed 776 to 454.

Article 8 sought $290,000 for highway and road construction purposes, partly offset by a Highway Block Grant of $110,000. It passed 954 to 287.

Article 9 sought $143,000 for the final design and engineering plans for a new fire station to be bid later this year and presented to voters in 2016. It passed 716 to 538.

Article 10 sought $240,000 for the lease purchase of a highway grader. It passed 704 to 529.

Article 11 sought $20,000 for the Recreation Department’s Capital Reserve Fund for construction of a free municipal playground. It passed 803 to 448.

Article 12 sought a similar amount for the Milton Free Public Library Capital Reserve Fund. It passed 803 to 440.

Article 13 was zeroed out at the deliberative session. It was for video and recording equipment for meetings in the town hall. The vote was 909 to 293.

Article 14 sought $2,000 for Milton P.D.’s Computer and Radio Capital Reserve Fund. It passed 870 to 331.

Article 15 and 16 were to rescind improperly prepared articles from 2004 and 2005. Both were approved by margins of over 500 votes.

Article 17, for which department heads lobbied, sought authority for the Planning Board to prepare and amend a municipal capital improvement over a period of at least six years. This was an article for which town department heads had lobbied hard, and it was approved 875 to 301.

Article 18 sought to raise $40,000 for a Milton/Maine Bridges Capital Reserve Fund. It passed 880 to 323.

Article 19 sought to give authority to the Trustees of the Trust Funds for their work. It passed 798 to 370

Article 20 sought to give authority to the budget committee to determine the default budget, and was unanimously opposed by the selectmen. It passed 324 to 857.

We invite you to a Candidate Training Workshop on Saturday, July 12, 2014, from 9:30 - 12:30 PM at the Emma Ramsey Center, Route 125, in Milton. Sponsored by The Tri Town Democrats (Farmington, Milton, and New Durham)

Creating a Cohesive Candidate Message that Attracts and Keeps Voters
Candidates for local office often struggle with how to craft messages that will resonate with their potential voters. The broad messages at the national level can help but also can drown out your campaign and leave voters in the dark about who you really are as a candidate and as a person. In this workshop, you will explore how to use the progressive narrative to craft positive messages that will not only resonate with voters but also will showcase your values as a candidate. You will be able to use your messages to give short speeches, develop candidate introductory flyers, add content to your website or Facebook page, and write effective and positive letters to the editor. This workshop is appropriate for all candidates, campaign managers, campaign volunteers, and anyone interested in developing a positive message that promotes an America that works for all of us.

Light refreshments will be served.

For more information, contact the Farmington Democrats at FarmingtonNHDemocrats@gmail.com

Think Spring: The Friends of the Milton Free Public Library will be having a plant sale Saturday, May 25 10AM-2PM at the Milton Free Public Library ("The Little Red Schoolhouse" 13 Main Street in Milton Mills). Organic heirloom vegetable starts will be available as will many annuals,perennials ,and herbs; buy 3 , get 1 free on select items. Proceeds will go to a children's garden at the library. Type of Event: Benefit. Region: Rochester. Saturday, May 25, 2013, 10:00 AM – 2:00 PM. Milton Free Public Library 13 Main Street Milton Mils NH 03852. For more info visit miltonfreepubliclibrary.org.