Poway has a New Home for Democrats

NEWSLETTER
ISSUE NO. 1 • AUTUMN 2005
Poway has a
New Home for
Democrats
On August 9th, a small group of Poway residents
gathered in the malodorous community meeting
room of a local strip mall intent on changing
Poway history. The goal of these enthusiastic
Poway Democrats was to establish a Democratic club that would offer Poway’s 6,833 registered Democrats a friendly environment for networking, stimulating their activist interests, becoming informed about issues and supporting the
Democratic Party platform.
With 21 founding members, newly elected club President, Pete Babich, explained that our local club “is
a source Democrats can come to for answers and concerns. We want to reach all Democrats and we’re
here to help if they want to get involved.” THE POWAY DEMOCRATIC CLUB (PDC) is chartered by the
San Diego County Democratic Party. The club hopes to soon play an important role in Poway by
increasing voter registration and supporting Democratic candidates on the state and national levels.
PDC’S FIRST GENERAL MEETING
Five weeks later, on September 15th, the group’s initial goal became a reality when the first general
meeting of THE POWAY DEMOCRATIC CLUB
was held at Templar’s Hall in Old Poway Park. At
that meeting, members and guests participated in a
lively discussion of major local issues currently
facing the city of Poway. Connie Messina and Nick
Stavros, both former city council candidates,
guided the audience on specific areas of concern,
such as the city’s plans for redevelopment.
PDC IN THE POWAY HERITAGE DAYS PARADE
The Club participated in its first public activity as it entered
the Poway Heritage Days Parade in September. Three
club members who own hybrid cars lent their vehicles to
us to decorate and display our Democratic spirit. Poway’s
Chamber of Commerce received our entry graciously and
a good time was had by all the club members and friends
who joined in. THE POWAY DEMOCRATIC CLUB received an enthusiastic “THUMBS UP” from the editors of
The Poway News Chieftain who congratulated the club on
its active engagement in the community festivities.
Up Close & Personal Scott Currier
Scott Currier has been a
resident of Poway for 12
years. He is a California
native and moved from
Pasadena to San Diego in
1974. Scott graduated
from Mesa Community
College and Cal Poly San
Luis Obispo in horticulture. He’s a sports fan,
plays tennis, and also
likes to work on classic
cars. Scott and his wife, Lynne, have two daughters. One
is a student at San Diego State and the other attends
Poway High School. Scott was a teen during the Viet Nam
War and Watergate eras and witnessed what misapplied
power can do to our country. “I believe we are in a similar
or worse situation today,” Scott said.
Scott continued, “I've not been very politically active, other
than voting, though I do try to keep on top of issues and
have written several newspaper editorials in the past. My
current pet peeves are the lack of checks and balances in
our current government, the lack of anti-trust oversight and
campaign finance reform. Taking back the House in the
next election is a priority. I believe our system of government is the best and if we pay attention and act, the pendulum will swing back.”
Scott was surprised to learn that Poway has over 6800
registered Democrats and nearly as many voters who are
not registered as REPUBLICAN or DEMOCRAT. “Who
knew?” he exclaimed. “I hope THE POWAY DEMOCRATIC CLUB will give voters a voice in Poway they haven't
had in the past.”
Poway Democratic Club Officers
PRESIDENT - Pete Babich • 858-748-1645 • president@PowayDemocraticClub.org
VICE-PRESIDENT - Scott Currier • 858-673-1028 • vicepresident@PowayDemocraticClub.org
SECRETARY - Ellen Weimer • 858-485-7544 • secretary@PowayDemocraticClub.org
TREASURER - Diane St. John • 858-487-9489 • treasurer@PowayDemocraticClub.org
PDC INFORMATION LIASON OFFICER - Marijo Van Dyke 858-486-3218
POWAY DEMOCRATIC CLUB MAILING ADDRESS - PO BOX 28 • POWAY, CA 92074
President’s Message
Welcome to the first newsletter of THE POWAY DEMOCRATIC CLUB (PDC)! This will be the first of
many newsletters intended to keep members informed of upcoming events and to create a spirit of
community. The club has come a long way since our formation meeting on August 9th. The press
release created by Karen Knecht and the resulting newspaper articles created a ton of buzz about the
club. Marijo Van Dyke’s effort to organize our participation in the Poway Heritage Days Parade was a
big hit and our appearance even drew applause from the audience. Thanks to Robert Knecht, we
have a functioning web site, and our first general meeting drew thirty-three people. Not many clubs
have come this far so fast. I applaud everyone’s effort to provide our club with a great start.
However, our work is just beginning. There are over 6800 Democrats in Poway and our vision is to
have all of them view the PDC as their primary source for information, networking, and political action.
NETWORKING, INFORMATION, AND ACTION are the three areas of focus that will provide the
foundation for everything we do.
The first area of focus is to create an environment where Democrats in Poway and nearby areas can
meet and develop NETWORKING relationships. PDC general meetings will absolutely not consist of
just one-way communication. We will encourage meeting participation and sharing of ideas and
opinions. As we become better acquainted with each other, our community will grow stronger.
The second area of focus is INFORMATION. The board will be working hard to schedule interesting
speakers who will discuss current political events. Topics will range from local and state issues to the
current lock Republicans have on federal government. While I’m sure there will be a healthy dose of
Bush-bashing, we also want to provide programs that probe beneath the surface and provide insight
into how we can make a difference.
That leads to our third focus, ACTION. It’s fun to meet people with similar ideas and hear speakers
who reinforce our opinions and beliefs, but it means nothing if we don’t take action and influence real
change. The PDC will work to create a network of informed and energized members who write
letters, make presentations, make phone calls, knock on doors and do whatever it takes to increase
Democratic voter turnout in Poway.
I’m very much encouraged by our early action efforts. At our first general meeting, both Connie
Messina and Nick Stavros stressed that the Poway City Council had been dragging its feet regarding
televising council meetings. On September 20th, five PDC members attended the council meeting
to support televised meetings. PDC member, Anne O’Dell, made a
very passionate speech, and the council approved the proposal. The
council was leaning toward approval anyway, but I’m confident our
participation helped push them in the right decision. Had we been
involved sooner, I’m sure it would have been approved sooner.
These are small steps, but I believe the future for our club is bright.
With your help, we can become a role-model for other clubs to
emulate.
Pete Babich
POWAY DEMOCRATIC CLUB WEBSITE: www.PowayDemocraticClub.org
PDC Meetings, Special Events & Announcements
DATE & TIME
DESCRIPTION
LOCATION
OCTOBER 29, 2005
SATURDAY, 2:00 – 4:00pm
MEET FRANCINE BUSBY - 50th DIST.
CONGRESSIONAL CANDIDATE
ESCONDIDO - ROYE JOHNSTON’S
HOME - PHONE 760-753-6300
NOVEMBER 1, 2005
TUESDAY
LAST DAY TO REQUEST ABSENTEE
BALLOT FOR NOVEMBER ELECTION
CALL REGISTRAR OF VOTERS PHONE 858-565-5800
NOVEMBER 8, 2005
TUESDAY
ELECTION DAY –
STATEWIDE SPECIAL ELECTION
NEIGHBORHOOD POLLING PLACE
NOVEMBER 10, 2005
THURSDAY, 7:00PM
POWAY DEMOCRATIC CLUB
GENERAL MEETING
CHECK WEBSITE OR CALL MARIJO
VAN DYKE FOR LOCATION - 858-486-3218
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Poway CA 92074
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