Dear fellow Henrico Dems,
This letter is a bit long, please stay with me, there is a lot to cover!
I hope this letter finds you well. The election of 2019 is 43 days away! If you are interested in volunteering, please reach out to a member of the executive committee and we will help you find an opportunity that fits your needs.
I am writing today about another deadline that is 20 days away; our October meeting!
We are in desperate need of a quorum for our next meeting on October 14th, 2019 at 7:30. It is of the utmost importance that we pass our revised set of bylaws before reorganization in December. We also have a backlog of over 60 folks who have been waiting for months to become members of the committee but haven’t been able to join because we have not met quorum.
For those of you who haven’t been through it before, reorganization is when the committee dissolves temporarily, literally we cease to be, and reconstitute HCDC as a “new” entity during the meeting. All members will have to submit a new Declaration of Candidacy at that time and we will elect new officers.
The reason that revised bylaws are so critical at this juncture is because our bylaws are woefully out of date. The last time the bylaws were overhauled was in 2009. At that time HCDC didn’t have access to ActBlue, Mailchimp, social media, etc. We also lacked broad interest across the county from candidates wishing to run for partisan or non-partisan office. In addition, and possibly most importantly, our membership was much smaller. These bylaws create a new structure to the roles of the Executive Committee to better serve our larger and growing membership. If you want to be part of the bylaw process, you may click here and fill out the form with comments, questions, or suggestions.
I am so proud of the work the Executive Committee and volunteers have done to help poise HCDC for the future. In less than one year we have revised the bylaws and policies and procedures, launched a new website (this week!), increased our recurring financial support by over 120%, and opened a first ever coordinated campaign office for Fairfield and Varina. This is in addition to our usual outreach efforts, Election Day support, and sample ballot program.
We have a lot to be proud of.
The revised bylaws expand the roles of the Executive Committee to better serve our larger and growing membership. It’s of special importance that you review the new descriptions of leadership roles on the Executive Committee. We need members to step up and take on roles to continue our momentum. Two of our executive committee members will no longer be able to serve because they have reached their term limits. If you have skills that you think would work well and are interested in assisting as an officer or a deputy, let a member of the Executive Committee know. We are available to answer any questions you may have.
Have a wonderful week.
My very best,
Lizzie
Chairwoman, HCDC
804-387-1717