Black History Month events
Neighborhood Leader Program |
| Here are links from the Jan. 18 Town Hall webinar on Oregon’s plans for universal health care: • A recording of the webinar. • Dr. Bruce Goldberg’s informational slide set • The full report of the SB 770 Task Force |  |
Wyden's antidote for
divisiveness: 'The Oregon way'
Sen. Ron Wyden and LBCC President Lisa Avery Among the many questions Sen. Ron Wyden fielded during his Linn County Town Hall on Jan. 11 at Linn-Benton Community College were two that focused on the divisiveness in Congress and the politics of personal destruction.
Like millions of others, Widen said he watched late last Friday night on TV from home in Portland as at least one Republican House member nearly slugged it out with another after the 14th vote for House speaker.
“We all know the country is more divided now. … I want to show something that’s different,” Wyden said, noting that there are two basics he adheres to and that have served him well during his long political career:
• Treat people with respect.
• See if you can find common ground.
“This is the alternative to the politics of personal destruction,” he said.
Wyden complimented the audience for its respectful tone during the hourlong Town Hall.
“What I saw on TV (last Friday), those people (in the House) could take lessons from the good people of Linn County,” he said.
Wyden also praised Cheyanne Rider, president of the LBCC Civil Discourse Program, who asked one of the questions.
LBCC President Lisa Avery said the college’s Civil Discourse Program is the only one of its kind in the country. Its mission is “to promote dialogue that enhances understanding among individuals with diverse viewpoints in an open and respectful environment.”
“It’s about what we value,” Wyden said. “It’s the Oregon way — civil discourse."
— Graham Kislingbury
• This is what was on people's minds at Wyden's Linn County Town Hall (Jan. 11, Albany Democrat-Herald)
Like millions of others, Widen said he watched late last Friday night on TV from home in Portland as at least one Republican House member nearly slugged it out with another after the 14th vote for House speaker.
“We all know the country is more divided now. … I want to show something that’s different,” Wyden said, noting that there are two basics he adheres to and that have served him well during his long political career:
• Treat people with respect.
• See if you can find common ground.
“This is the alternative to the politics of personal destruction,” he said.
Wyden complimented the audience for its respectful tone during the hourlong Town Hall.
“What I saw on TV (last Friday), those people (in the House) could take lessons from the good people of Linn County,” he said.
Wyden also praised Cheyanne Rider, president of the LBCC Civil Discourse Program, who asked one of the questions.
LBCC President Lisa Avery said the college’s Civil Discourse Program is the only one of its kind in the country. Its mission is “to promote dialogue that enhances understanding among individuals with diverse viewpoints in an open and respectful environment.”
“It’s about what we value,” Wyden said. “It’s the Oregon way — civil discourse."
— Graham Kislingbury
• This is what was on people's minds at Wyden's Linn County Town Hall (Jan. 11, Albany Democrat-Herald)
Congratulations to our 39th governor!
 | 'I am honored and humbled by this opportunity to serve Oregon and its people. Together, let's work to make positive changes and deliver results for all Oregonians.' |
Taylor elected to third term as Linn Dems chair
Jerred Taylor Jerred Taylor has been elected to a third two-year term as chair of the Linn County Democratic Central Committee. Taylor, the lone nominee for chair, was elected by acclamation Jan. 5 during our Linn County Democrats Biennial Reorganization Meeting at Albany Public Library. About 40 people were in attendance.
Susan Heath. previously third vice chair, was elected first vice chair. Newcomer Bill McCoy, an Air Force veteran and retired aeronautic engineer and computer programmer, was elected third vice chair. McCoy described himself as "110 percent Democrat."
In addition to Taylor, officers reelected were 2nd Vice Chair Chris Smith, Treasurer Jackie Montague. Ambassador Paula Connaghan and Secretary Renee Windsor-White, who is also starting her third two-year term.
Also elected were State Central Committee delegates and alternates, and Congressional District 4 and 5 Committee delegates and alternates, all of whom are listed below.
Susan Heath. previously third vice chair, was elected first vice chair. Newcomer Bill McCoy, an Air Force veteran and retired aeronautic engineer and computer programmer, was elected third vice chair. McCoy described himself as "110 percent Democrat."
In addition to Taylor, officers reelected were 2nd Vice Chair Chris Smith, Treasurer Jackie Montague. Ambassador Paula Connaghan and Secretary Renee Windsor-White, who is also starting her third two-year term.
Also elected were State Central Committee delegates and alternates, and Congressional District 4 and 5 Committee delegates and alternates, all of whom are listed below.
2023-24 Linn County Democratic Central Committee
Officers:
Chair: Jerred Taylor
1st Vice Chair: Susan Heath
2nd Vice Chair: Chris Smith
3rd Vice Chair: Bill McCoy
Treasurer: Jackie Montague
Secretary: Renee Windsor-White
Ambassador: Paula Connaghan
Delegates/Alternates:
State Central Committee Delegates:
Susan Heath, Chris Smith, Carolyn Wagner
State Central Committee Alternates:
Nathan Burroughs, Krystal Overvig, Ben Watts
Congressional District 4 Committee Delegate:
Cindy Bethell
Congressional District 4 Committee Alternates:
None
Congressional District 5 Committee Delegates:
Stacey Bartholomew, Steve Harbert, Scottie McKee
Congressional District 5 Committee Alternates:
Scott Bruslind, Sheree Speaks-Mahi, Wendy Nilsen
Officers:
Chair: Jerred Taylor
1st Vice Chair: Susan Heath
2nd Vice Chair: Chris Smith
3rd Vice Chair: Bill McCoy
Treasurer: Jackie Montague
Secretary: Renee Windsor-White
Ambassador: Paula Connaghan
Delegates/Alternates:
State Central Committee Delegates:
Susan Heath, Chris Smith, Carolyn Wagner
State Central Committee Alternates:
Nathan Burroughs, Krystal Overvig, Ben Watts
Congressional District 4 Committee Delegate:
Cindy Bethell
Congressional District 4 Committee Alternates:
None
Congressional District 5 Committee Delegates:
Stacey Bartholomew, Steve Harbert, Scottie McKee
Congressional District 5 Committee Alternates:
Scott Bruslind, Sheree Speaks-Mahi, Wendy Nilsen
New Albany councilors McGhee,
Montague and Newton sworn in
Albany’s three new city councilors offer
their new year’s resolutions and hopes for 2023
Ramycia McGhee, Jackie Montague and Steph Newton, shown after receiving the Linn County Democrats’ endorsements for Albany City Council in October, will be sworn in Jan. 4. The Albany City Council has a younger and more diverse look this year with the addition of its three newest members. Steph Newton (Ward 1), Jackie Montague (Ward 2) and Ramycia McGee (Ward 3), all endorsed by the Linn County Democrats in their fall City Council races, were sworn in during a special City Council meeting Jan. 4 at City Hall. More than 70 people packed the council chambers, and applauded the new and outgoing city councilors.
“It’s good to go in with two other women who have similar ideals,” Newton said in a recent interview with the Linn County Democrats. “We all have different life experiences, but we all really like each other.”
All three offered their new year’s resolutions and hopes for the council in 2023.
Ramycia McGee, an English and literature professor at Linn Benton-Community College, says her year doesn’t start on Jan. 1, but on her birthday, Jan. 26 (It’s a birthday she shares with Newton. McGhee will turn 38 that day, Newton 33.)
“Between Jan. 1 and Jan. 26 is a trial time,” said McGee, noting that she is resolved to work toward getting the starting time of city Budget Committee meetings changed from 4 to 6 p.m. to make it easier for working people to attend. She also wants to push for more affordable housing in Albany.
“I’m the only renter on the City Council,” she said. “I’m concerned about the skyrocketing rental prices in this area. My rent just increased $150 a month.” She would like to see some form of rental control or rent security, “so people have a decent place to live.”
McGee, who succeeds longtime City Councilor Bessie Johnson, will be the first Black woman to serve on the council. “Women have always been in leadership roles, even in unofficial ways,” she said. “Black women have always been in the forefront.”
As a city councilor, McGhee vows that she will “always be working, always be listening and approachable."
Jackie Montague, 47, is a senior process leader at ATI Speciality Alloys and Components in Millersburg. She defeated Josiah Blaisdell in the Ward 2 Council race and will succeed Stacey Bartholomew, who opted not to run. Her resolution is to learn as much as possible “so I can serve the community well.”
Montague, who served for a year on the city Planning Commission, is concerned about growth impacting the environment. “We need to be smart about how we grow,” she said. “We need to look at density first as we expand the urban growth boundary.”
Affordable housing is also high on her list of priorities. “Twenty percent of our population needs some sort of accommodation in their housing,” particularly for an aging population. There is a great need for low-barrier housing shelter and for creating more affordable housing, she said.
Montague is treasurer of the Linn County Democrats and plans to continue in that role if re-elected Jan. 5 during the Linn Dems’ reorganization meeting.
Steph Newton, who owns Multnomah Marketing, defeated Greg Hamman, longtime Councilor Dick Olsen and Matthew Prudell in the Ward 1 City Council race.
Newton, who is believed to be first Jewish woman elected to the council, serves on the board of the Beit Am Mid-Valley Jewish Community, and is in charge of membership and events. She plans to remain on the Beit Am board, but is stepping down as chair of the Albany Human Relations Committee and as 1st Vice Chair of the Linn County Democrats.
As she starts her council term, her new year’s resolution “is to learn as much as I can.”
Newton wants to see a boost in the city’s collection of Transit Lodging Taxes that, she said, it’s missing out on now. She also will push for a Latinx-themed plaza in a city park. A mid-valley Latinx resident suggested the creation of such a plaza in Timber-Linn Memorial Park in the early 2000s, She was rebuffed by the council and received some ugly comments from people in the community. Appalled by the reaction to that proposal, a number of people urged the creation of what would become the city’s Human Relations Commission in 2007.
Newton and her husband, Scott, have two children, 7-year-old Isla and 19-month-year-old Woodrow. She wants to bring the perspective of a parent with young kids to the council. She also hopes to make the council and the city “more accessible, more equitable and a voice for people who haven’t been represented and make Albany more progressive.”
***
The new city councilors join returning Councilors Ray Kopczynski, Matilda Novak and Marilyn Smith; and Alex Johnson, Albany's first Black mayor, who was re-elected Nov. 8 and sworn in for his second term during the Jan. 4 meeting. Smith was elected Council President at the meeting. Outgoing City Councilors Bessie Johnson, Stacey Bartholomew and Dick Olsen, who was not in attendance, were honored for their service and presented with framed keys to the city.
— Graham Kislingbury
“It’s good to go in with two other women who have similar ideals,” Newton said in a recent interview with the Linn County Democrats. “We all have different life experiences, but we all really like each other.”
All three offered their new year’s resolutions and hopes for the council in 2023.
Ramycia McGee, an English and literature professor at Linn Benton-Community College, says her year doesn’t start on Jan. 1, but on her birthday, Jan. 26 (It’s a birthday she shares with Newton. McGhee will turn 38 that day, Newton 33.)
“Between Jan. 1 and Jan. 26 is a trial time,” said McGee, noting that she is resolved to work toward getting the starting time of city Budget Committee meetings changed from 4 to 6 p.m. to make it easier for working people to attend. She also wants to push for more affordable housing in Albany.
“I’m the only renter on the City Council,” she said. “I’m concerned about the skyrocketing rental prices in this area. My rent just increased $150 a month.” She would like to see some form of rental control or rent security, “so people have a decent place to live.”
McGee, who succeeds longtime City Councilor Bessie Johnson, will be the first Black woman to serve on the council. “Women have always been in leadership roles, even in unofficial ways,” she said. “Black women have always been in the forefront.”
As a city councilor, McGhee vows that she will “always be working, always be listening and approachable."
Jackie Montague, 47, is a senior process leader at ATI Speciality Alloys and Components in Millersburg. She defeated Josiah Blaisdell in the Ward 2 Council race and will succeed Stacey Bartholomew, who opted not to run. Her resolution is to learn as much as possible “so I can serve the community well.”
Montague, who served for a year on the city Planning Commission, is concerned about growth impacting the environment. “We need to be smart about how we grow,” she said. “We need to look at density first as we expand the urban growth boundary.”
Affordable housing is also high on her list of priorities. “Twenty percent of our population needs some sort of accommodation in their housing,” particularly for an aging population. There is a great need for low-barrier housing shelter and for creating more affordable housing, she said.
Montague is treasurer of the Linn County Democrats and plans to continue in that role if re-elected Jan. 5 during the Linn Dems’ reorganization meeting.
Steph Newton, who owns Multnomah Marketing, defeated Greg Hamman, longtime Councilor Dick Olsen and Matthew Prudell in the Ward 1 City Council race.
Newton, who is believed to be first Jewish woman elected to the council, serves on the board of the Beit Am Mid-Valley Jewish Community, and is in charge of membership and events. She plans to remain on the Beit Am board, but is stepping down as chair of the Albany Human Relations Committee and as 1st Vice Chair of the Linn County Democrats.
As she starts her council term, her new year’s resolution “is to learn as much as I can.”
Newton wants to see a boost in the city’s collection of Transit Lodging Taxes that, she said, it’s missing out on now. She also will push for a Latinx-themed plaza in a city park. A mid-valley Latinx resident suggested the creation of such a plaza in Timber-Linn Memorial Park in the early 2000s, She was rebuffed by the council and received some ugly comments from people in the community. Appalled by the reaction to that proposal, a number of people urged the creation of what would become the city’s Human Relations Commission in 2007.
Newton and her husband, Scott, have two children, 7-year-old Isla and 19-month-year-old Woodrow. She wants to bring the perspective of a parent with young kids to the council. She also hopes to make the council and the city “more accessible, more equitable and a voice for people who haven’t been represented and make Albany more progressive.”
***
The new city councilors join returning Councilors Ray Kopczynski, Matilda Novak and Marilyn Smith; and Alex Johnson, Albany's first Black mayor, who was re-elected Nov. 8 and sworn in for his second term during the Jan. 4 meeting. Smith was elected Council President at the meeting. Outgoing City Councilors Bessie Johnson, Stacey Bartholomew and Dick Olsen, who was not in attendance, were honored for their service and presented with framed keys to the city.
— Graham Kislingbury
MLK's legacy lives on at his alma mater
|
"Martin Luther King Jr. is incredibly important to Morehouse. ... He has a statue on campus that you can’t help but admire every time you drive down Westview Drive as he points to that shining star on a hill. I think that MLK would be the first to acknowledge that we have a lot more work to do, especially when it comes to social justice,
racial justice and economic justice." — Jonathan Bradley, Sacramento Kings social media manager and a Morehouse College graduate |
|
Words of thanks from Chris Smith
 Chris Smith and his dog Simon like to walk in Albany's Bryant Park. Chris is 2nd Vice Chair of the Linn County Democrats. | I want to thank you all for all the donations you selflessly gave. Tragedy strikes when you least expect it, and the Nov. 5 fire at my home caught me at a particularly vulnerable time. Your donations helped keep me off the streets and gave me the only cushion I had to reassemble my life. From the money needed for gas to get to work, to repair what things I could salvage, and even to buy my dog food. Every cent made a measurable positive impact in my life. Words fall far short of the gratitude that I feel. Often in life is easy to just wish well for someone in the midst of hardship, but each donation was a tangible action given to me to help make things better when they were dire. Happy holidays and thank you so much for everything. – Chris Smith ***** Twenty-one people donated a total of $1,600, reaching the GoFundMe goal for Chris. Thank you to everyone who donated! – Graham Kislingbury |
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