New Faces, New Energy and New Ideas

Senator Ken Jacobsen announced yesterday that after 28 years serving in Olympia for the 46th Legislative District, he will not run for reelection. The 46th District wishes to express our thanks for his nearly three decades of service to our district and the State of Washington.

District Chair Chad Lupkes said, "It is always exciting when changes happen, and the Democratic Party always welcomes new faces, new energy and new ideas. This year is not an exception to that pattern, it is following the same pattern that we see every year."

The Nominating Convention, which will be held on Thursday in conjunction with our annual Candidate Forum, is where the PCOs of our party select the official Democratic Nominee. Where we expected to have two incumbents in the House and one challenged incumbent in the Senate, the siutation on Tuesday morning is one incumbent in the House, one open House seat, and one open Senate seat. What will happen between now and Thursday evening will be fascinating to watch. Just as a reminder, anyone may be nominated from the floor for any of these positions. The question of the timing of the Nominating Convention has come up in conversation, and I need to cite the State Party rules on the Nominating Conventions:

V. B. 2. Legislative Nominees. The nominees for Washington State Senate and Washington State House of Representatives shall be chosen at a legislative district nominating convention consisting of elected and appointed precinct committee officers representing precincts in that legislative district. Such nominating conventions shall be called by the Chair of the Legislative District Democratic Party not later than 45 days and held not less than 14 days prior to the date filing for office commences. The results from each nominating convention shall be reported to the Chair of the Washington State Democratic Party within 24 hours after the convention has adjourned.

May 20th is the last possible date that we could hold the Nominating Convention in the 46th District. It's either that or we leave the decision up to the State Party Chair. We would rather our PCOs have a chance to cast their ballots.

The 46th District Democrats will provide election resources to endorsed candidates. Our Endorsement Meetings are in June for the Primary election, and August for the General election. The district organization does not judge who is allowed to run for any position. Anyone may file for any seat. It is the mission of the 46th District Democrats to elect and support candidates who pledge to enact the policy positions that are expressed in our District Platform. We also work to engage, educate and empower our members to hold elected officials accountable to that platform. We hold endorsement votes, advocate on behalf of our endorsed candidates and cast our ballots as citizens to do that work.

May Community News

by J Peter Shapiro (outreach@46dems.com)

This is an expanded version of the article that appears in the May Demogram.

This month’s column features some splendid organizations that are providing much-needed services to low-income and homeless people in our Lake City community. They are working hard to help achieve many of the social justice goals of our Platform. They deserve our admiration and support.

Neighborcare Health joins other providers at McDermott Place

Neighborcare Health is opening a primary care clinic at McDermott Place, just south of the Lake City Fred Meyer. This rounds out a collaboration of several agencies serving low-income and homeless people at that facility:

• The Low-Income Housing Institute provides apartments for previously homeless veterans and others. LIHI offers its residents programs to help them maintain stable housing, gain access to education, and obtain employment.
• North Helpine runs a food bank and emergency services office in its new headquarters at McDermott Place (see the November 2009 “Community News” column).
• RotaCare (a non-profit coalition of Rotarians and health professionals) provides acute health care through a volunteer staff at the facility.
• Americorps helps provide outreach to the surrounding community to link residents with these newly available services.

Lake City Task Force on Homelessness marks its 5th year

The Lake City Task Force supports neighborhood solutions to end homelessness in the Lake City area. The group represents local residents (people living inside and outside), many community organizations such as Meadowbrook Community Council, North Helpline, the Seattle University School of Nursing practicum program, Seattle Department of Neighborhoods, faith-based communities, and advocacy groups. The Task Force celebrated its fifth anniversary earlier this month.

Project THRIVE comes to Lake City

Project THRIVE (Treatment, Housing, Resources and Interventions for Veterans Empowerment) is creating a new service continuum for homeless veterans, a few blocks from McDermott House at the Community Psychiatric Clinic, 11000 Lake City Way. Many veterans return from serving our country with hidden injuries. Project THRIVE will operate a new veteran's resource center and provide services in supported housing for homeless veterans with dual disorders of mental illness and chemical dependency.

According to the Washington Department of Veterans Affairs, there are approximately 2,000 homeless veterans in King County. CPC will initially be providing 45 units of supported housing for the project, and plans to construct a new housing facility for homeless veterans within three years. Project THRIVE is funded by a five-year grant from the U.S Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.

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For more information about these organizations, visit our web page that provides links to Advocacy and Action Groups. Or give me a call at (206) 524-9386.