PebbleCreek Democratic Club members were disappointed to hear that, at the last minute, their planned speaker, Representative Ruben Gallego, candidate for U.S. Senate in 2024, was called back to Washington, D.C. However, two local speakers stepped in at the last minute and gave important updates about local Democratic efforts in the state and in Legislative District 29 (LD29) specifically. PebbleCreek is now in LD29, a huge district that encompasses most of the Western side of the state and much has changed in preparations necessary for the 2024 election.
Eric Stafford is a candidate for the State Senate and represents the younger generations now getting involved in politics. Eric spoke of the need for more youth to become politically active and engaged in the issues that concern them. He talked about his interest and experience in industry and organization from the point of view of the worker. His experiences as an aviation mechanic gave him much insight into the needs and plights of workers today and how these have changed over the past 40 years.
Mr. Stafford is also concerned, like many, about the cost and availability of quality healthcare and medications. Ordinary Americans are greatly affected by these issues and their needs must be represented in both local and national government.
Sarah Tyree, Democratic Chairperson for LD29, focused on bringing people together, an initiative the District calls “Bridging the Gap”. Ms. Tyree, a former social worker and Army Veteran, spoke of the need to listen to people over party to overcome the divide in society today. LD29 has a five point plan to achieve this goal. First individuals need to form partnership pairs with another of a different generation or someone involved in voting issues. Second, because of the enormous size of LD29, a “deep dive” is needed into some parts of the District that have historically been ignored. Third, the District (and politics in general) needs more diverse candidates across all ages, ethnicities, backgrounds etc. Fourth, private communities like PebbleCreek, must be engaged into the District. Lastly, local candidates need support both with financial contributions and by volunteering time.
Bringing Independents into the fold is also a very important issue. This involves communicating accurate information to them. Another idea is to apply mentoring to encourage voters to become educated about local candidates and feel more confident about voting down ballot instead of just at the top.
PC Democrats are extremely grateful to both these speakers for their willingness to help out. The PC Democratic Club meets on the first Wednesday of the month in the Tuscany Falls ballroom. Social hour at 6 p.m., meeting at 7 p.m. Meetings are open and all are welcome. For more information go to www.pcdemclub.org.