​​​May 18, 2021
Good evening fellow Linn County Democrats,
 I want to take a moment to thank all of our endorsed candidates who worked their tails off this cycle, and the Linn County Democrats who volunteered, wrote letters, phone banked, texted and canvassed for hours on end. While tonight’s results are not what we had hoped for, we should all feel proud of our efforts to fight for equity in our schools.
Thank you, Will, Frank, Alison and Denee, for putting yourself out there and fighting to keep Albany moving forward. Your platforms and ideas are important and have inspired so many people, and we are so thankful to you for stepping up to run for office. We look forward in supporting you for whatever comes next.
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In solidarity,
Jerred Taylor
Linn County Democrats Chair

Deadline to vote is 8 tonight
The Linn County Democratic Central Committee has unanimously endorsed four candidates in school board races for the Greater Albany Public Schools in themSpecial District Election that ends tonight (Tuesday, May 18). Ballots must be placed in an official ballot drop box by 8 tonight. (Links to ballot drop sites in Linn and Benton counties can be found below.)
The Linn Democrats endorse:
• Frank Bricker, Zone 1.
• Willard Sheppy, Zone 2.
• Alison Ecker and Denee Newton-Vasquez, At-Large Position 2 (a three-way race)
Each of the four candidates spoke and fielded questions April 17 during the Linn County Democrats' Special Endorsement Session on Zoom. Seventeen Linn County Democratic Precinct Committee People voted.
The four candidates align with our values, and we appreciate their strong support for equity, diversity and inclusion.
If you haven't voted and you live in the Greater Albany Public Schools district, we urge you to vote for Frank, Willard and Alison or Denee.
– Linn County Democrats
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How Will We Finance State-based universal health care? What are the possibilities for shifting our collective healthcare dollars out of administrative waste and into equitable delivery of care for all Oregonians? 
These questions will be explored during a Zoom conference, starting at 7 p.m. Wednesday, May 19. (The registration link is below.)
Speaking will be Warren George, semiretired business consultant; and Marty Wilde, 
State Representative District 11. Doug Boysen, CEO, Samaritan Health Services,. and Charles Gallia, former Health Authority Senior Policy Adviser and Senate Bill 770 co-author, will be the panelists.
A question-and-answer period will follow the presentations.
The conference is sponsored Mid-Valley Health Care Advocates (MVHCA), the League of Women Voters, and Health Care for All Oregon (HCAO).

• Biden declares "it's good to be back" in speech that outlines ambitious plans (April 28, CBS)
• Biden's address, annotated and fact-checked (April 29, CNN)
• Opinion: What grade did Biden get on his speech to Congress? (April 29, CNN)
• Biden's address in 3 minutes  (April 29, CNN)
• Five takeaways from Biden's American Families Plan (April 28, Washington Post)
• Fact Sheet: American Families Plan (April 28, The White House)
• Photos: Scenes from Biden's speech to Congress, a night of many firsts (April 29, NPR)
• Help is Here: The Democrats' Guide to Promoting the American Rescue Plan