NYSYD Rural Caucus Co-Chair Paolo Cremidis was recently quoted in The Evening Tribune about his work to organize young democrats chapters in Upstate New York and recruiting young people in rural parts of the state to run for local office.
The New York State Young Democrats wishes you all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy Hanukkah.
During this season of perpetual hope, let us look to unite to grow as a party and a nation.
See you in 2017!
The numbers speak for themselves.
Doors knocked: 561,551
Calls Made: 1,311,300
Positive Identifications: 104,608
Volunteer Shifts: 1,347
That is what the New York State Young Democrats and their county chapters were able to do this year on Campaigns. Though the fruits of our labor were not as sweet as we wish they had been, we have worked harder and smarter than we ever have before – the impact of young dems speaks for itself.
Our work as an organization puts us in the same league as some of the largest unions and the numbers they are able to produce to support Democrats running for office. Through continued work and organization is my belief the issues of Young Democrats will continued to pushed forward within the Democratic party platform.
I would like to thank the leadership of the board under President Michael Corbett and Executive Vice President Tom Meier for making such Campaign efforts possible. And to thank all Young Democrats for their support in executing the campaign plan I had out together nearly 2 years ago that has led to this moment – in this holiday season all I have is thanks to give and hope for our next campaign cycle.
NYSYD was recently mentioned in The Evening Tribune’s coverage of the Leslie Danks Burke campaign for endorsing her in her campaign for New York State Senate.
Additional coverage has also recently been given by WLEA 1480 AM.
The New York State Young Democrats convened in Bronx, NY from May 20th through May 22th to elect a new Executive Board, marking a continued commitment for building the Democratic Party New York and engaging young Democrats across New York State. The new Executive Board officers and caucus chairs are:
In addition to selecting new leadership, the organization adopted a number of reforms to how its structure. Most notably, a change to hold conventions in odd-numbered years as to ensure better coordination with the state and national parties.
“I am honored to be the first person in over a decade to be elected as President of the New York State Young Democrats for a second term,” said President Michael Corbett. “For the past two years, we have seen NYSYD become a more stable and trusted organization, both to our local chapters and the State Democratic Party. I cannot stress how vital this has been in ensuring that we take back Congress, the New York State Senate and, most importantly, keeping the White House this November. And we have already seen this with the election of Todd Kaminsky last month. While we still have a long way to go, I could not ask this endeavor.”
I must express my disappointment on the recent post on the New York Young Republican Club (NYYRC) blog. In the article, the author was angry that the rainbow flag, a longstanding symbol of the LGBT movement, was hanging at a United States Embassy abroad. Although I would not be surprised if the Tea Party elements of the GOP expressed such views, I am quite shocked that the author was a member of my age group, one which, regardless of political affiliation, tends to be more tolerant of our differences.
According to the author, the problem stemmed from a friend of his visiting the American Embassy in London. While there, the friend took a photo of two rainbow flags draped near the entrance. While I agree such a showing might ruffle some feathers in certain parts of the world, let me reiterate that this was London. Why is this an important fact? Since March 13, legalized same-sex marriage is the law of the land in England.
The author also seemed upset that the rainbow flag flew at another embassy, but that country is Israel, where a 2009 poll shows that 61 percent support same-sex nuptials, a higher percentage than in recent surveys here in America, where 55 percent of respondents favor legal gay marriage.
The author added his objection to the high number of gay ambassadors who have been appointed by President Obama. To be honest, I didn’t know whether any of our diplomats were gay. That’s because the sexual orientation of our ambassadors is completely irrelevant to me. The only thing I care about is whether they are qualified to represent the United States abroad. Furthermore, to invoke the name of the late Christopher Stevens in this bigoted diatribe is unconscionable. It almost seems as if the author is insinuating that Ambassador Stevens was killed because he was gay.
Anyway, the post from the NYYRC blog has been removed. I am hopeful that, regardless of political affiliation, my generation will continue to strive for equality for all Americans.
Official Call to Convention
Join us in Albany this May 19 and 20 as we meet for training, networking, elections and to help determine the future of the New York State Young Democrats. The following details will explain the upcoming State Convention.
Convention Chair
The Convention Chair will be Michael Gilberg. The Convention Secretary will be Seamus Campbell.
Chartering or Rechartering
Rechartering packets will be distributed and made available over the Internet on or before January 15, 2012 and and due by electronic mail by 11:59 PM on March 1, 2012. Each Chapter must also submit these packets by registered mail postmarked by the due date with a roster listing of all members including: name, voter registration address, date of birth, and optionally phone number and electronic mail address in accordance with Article II Section 1.1 and Article III, Section 5 of the NYSYD Constitution.
Anyone interested in starting a chapter or serving on the credentials committee should contact the Convention Chair, Michael Gilberg at michael.gilberg@gmail.com.
Delegates to Convention
Rechartered and Newly Chartered Chapters must submit their list of Delegates to the NYSYD Secretary, Tedd Collins at tedd.collins@gmail.com by 11:59PM on March 1, 2012. Each chartered or rechartered County Chapter shall receive two (2) delegates for the initial 25 members required for chartering, plus one more delegate per additional 10 registered County Chapter members, in accordance with Article III, Section 6 of our Constitution. The Chartering fee is $65 plus 50 cents per member, so that the minimum fee for the 25 required members is $77.50, in accordance with Article IV, Section 1. The Credentials Committee shall determine the method in which Delegates are counted per chapter. Delegate and Alternate Delegates must be members in good standing of the club they represent, in accordance with Article III, Section 3 of our Constitution. The Delegate lists must include names, gender, date of birth, electronic mail address, voter registration address and their status as Delegate or Alternate. Proxies are permitted, and individuals may be empowered to act as proxies on behalf of delegates, so long as such individual’s names are submitted prior to voting to the Secretary. No one person may hold more than 3 proxies, in accordance with Article III, Section 4 of our Constitution. All delegations are subject to the provisions of Article III, Section 6.1 of our Constitution.
New York State Young Democrats Executive Board Positions
All New York State Young Democrats are invited to consider running for an Officer position on the State Executive board. Applications will be distributed on or before January 15, 2012 by electronic mail as well as on our website, nysyd.org, and are due by 11:59 pm on March 15, 2012 to NYSYD Secretary Tedd Collins at Secretary@nysyd.net.
Positions you may consider running for are:
All Candidates: President, Executive Vice President, Treasurer, Secretary, National Committeeman, National Committeewoman.
Regional Vice Presidents, Elected by a Vote of the Region: Downstate, Capital, Upstate, Central, and Western.
Caucuses, Elected by a Vote of the Caucus: Caucus of Color, Disability, Jewish, Labor, LGBT , Rural, Women
New York Attorneys in Good Standing: Legal Director
Executive Board Election Procedures
The following rules shall be used for the conduct of the New York State Young Democrats Elections. To be eligible to apply all candidates must be registered Democrats of at least 16 years of age who have not yet reached the age of 34. All candidates must submit their applications by 11:59PM on March 15, 2012 to NYSYD Secretary Tedd Collins at Secretary@nysyd.net. All Candidates shall have an opportunity to be heard and debated upon prior to their election. All elections must be conducted by roll call vote by County name in alphabetical order alternating between ascending and descending order. Each candidate may only run for one position. In an election for a position involving one candidate, one must receive a majority of the votes cast otherwise the position will remain vacant. In an election for two candidates one candidate must receive a majority of votes cast, a failure for either candidate to achieve a majority will result, in a further round of debate and voting until a majority is reached. In an election for a position involving more than two candidates, one candidate must receive a majority of the votes cast, and if no candidate received a majority then the candidate with the lowest number of votes shall be dropped from the ballot and the election run again with the remaining candidates until one candidate received a majority of the votes cast.
Write-in votes will not be accepted. Nominations from the floor will not be accepted unless there is an Amendment to the Constitution on that day and only for a position that was newly created or for which the nominee was not previously eligible for candidacy. Following the conclusion of elections, the newly elected officers will assume their positions. In the event of a vacancy after the application due date or following elections, the vacancy shall be filled in accordance with our Constitution and By-laws.
Special Executive Board Election Procedures
Each region elects a Regional Vice President pursuant to the Constitution, Article 3 Section 3. Only individuals who are registered voters in the region shall be eligible to run for a Regional Vice President position. The elections for Regional Vice Presidents will occur in a manner and time identical to all other Executive Board positions, except only votes from the respective region will be counted for each regional election.
Constitutional Amendment Procedures
All amendments to the Constitution must be received by 11:59 pm on March 1, 2012. All amendments shall be submitted to the Convention Rules Committee pursuant to the NYSYD Bylaws Article V. All proponents for a Constitutional Amendment shall be entitled to be heard by the Convention Rules Committee. Proposed amendments to the constitution must both arrticulate the specific provisions amended and the rationale for the amendment. Amendments should be subcommitted to NYSYD Secretary Tedd Collins at Secretary@nysyd.net.
Agenda and Programming
The agenda and program of the Convention will be determined by the Convention Programs committee, pursuant to the NYSYD Bylaws Article V.
Lodging
The State Committee will have a block of rooms at the location of the convention and NYSYD will be organizing hosts for attendees. If you are interested in a hotel room, staying with another Young Democrat or would like to host other Young Democrats who are attending the convention please contact Convention Chair Michael Gilberg at michael.gilberg@gmail.com.
Volunteers
The State Committee and NYSYD will need volunteers throughout the convention, to assist with everything from organizing delegates, troubleshooting, staffing sign-in tables and checking delegate credentials. If you would like to volunteer, please contact Convention Chair Michael Gilberg at michael.gilberg@gmail.com. Registration fees will be waived for non-delegate registrants who volunteer enough hours. Be sure to indicate availability, electronic mail address, and a mobile phone number.
Speaking/Scheduling
If you have ideas for speakers or entertainment or any matter regarding scheduling at the convention or convention related events, please contact Convention Chair Michael Gilberg at michael.gilberg@gmail.com
Registration
The NYSYD convention is open to registered Democrats from all over our State and Country. If you are not a delegate or alternate and wish to attend you may reserve your registration for the convention by contacting Convention Chair Michael Gilberg at michael.gilberg@gmail.com.
Key Dates
All Items Are Due by 11:59PM on the Applicable Date and must be Registered Mail Postmarked or submitted to the relevant individual.
January 15, 2012
March 1, 2012
March 15, 2012
We look forward to seeing you in May and ensuring the future of our organization.
The New York State Young Democrats
This past Sunday the Richmond County and Manhattan Young Dems took part in the annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade on Staten Island and marched in support of Staten Island Pride Events, a local group barred from carrying a banner in support of equal LGBT rights. Check out the press in the Daily News and New York Post about the event. Thanks to the Manhattan Young Dems for catching this on video!
