Rep Your Block, in coordination with 7 local Democratic clubs and 169 County Committee members (and counting) released this statement on Sept. 29, 2022. It calls for accessibility, fairness, and transparency when the County Committee Organizing Meeting continues on October 3.
The statement is copied below. If you would like to add your name, please fill out this form.
STATEMENT:
COUNTY COMMITTEE MEMBERS DESERVE ACCESSIBILITY, FAIRNESS, AND TRANSPARENCY WHEN THE MEETING CONTINUES
On September 21, elected County Committee members expected to vote on rules and officers to establish the Brooklyn Democratic Party at their Organizing Meeting.
However, County Committee members were not able to take those required votes after party leaders started the meeting three hours late and announced an unworkable plan to add voting privileges for different groups of appointed members at different times. When the meeting was forced to end after the venue’s power was shut off, County Committee Chair Arleny Alvarado-McCalla declared the meeting “adjourned.”
Brooklyn Democrats request that our local Democratic Party meet these basic expectations when we continue the Organizing Meeting on October 3:
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Accessibility:
- Reschedule the adjourned meeting to 6 PM, rather than meeting at noon on a weekday, so County Committee members with work and family obligations have a more reasonable chance to participate.
- Provide a clear explanation of the electronic voting process at the start of the meeting, and show the progress of each vote on screen, so CC members can feel confident that their votes will be counted.
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Fairness:
- Allow County Committee members who attended the first meeting to designate a proxy if they are not able to attend the adjourned meeting. These CC members, all volunteers, already gave more than four hours of their time at the first meeting, and it’s not their fault that the meeting had to be adjourned. They should have voting rights when the meeting continues, and any proxy votes they were holding should also transfer to the person they designate.
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Transparency: Share essential information on any contested votes so members know what to expect and so the meeting can proceed smoothly:
- Share publicly the slates of appointees: confusion around these slates contributed to the delays that caused the first meeting to fail. CC members deserve to know all their choices before the vote is called. In addition, CC members, District Leaders, and Assembly District Committees who worked together to compile these slates should have a chance to speak on behalf of their nominees before voting takes place.
- Share the voting information from the first meeting, including numbers of proxies held by each CC member and district leader, the list of CC members who attended, and the names and Election District seats of the new appointees who will be given credentials to vote.
- Share any proposed changes to the party rules that CC members will vote on at this meeting. A coalition of clubs submitted this proposal by the Sept 18 deadline, shared it online, and handed descriptions of the proposal to attendees at the first meeting. CC members deserve to know in advance if any other rules proposals will come up for a vote.
- Share information on all officer candidates that CC members will vote on at this meeting. A coalition of political clubs is supporting this slate of officers for the County Committee, but official party communications via email have only mentioned another slate of candidates. Information about all candidates should be shared.
County Committee members showed up in good faith last week to participate in our party, and we expect our party to hold an accessible, fair, and transparent meeting next week.
SIGNED,
Rep Your Block
New Kings Democrats
Brooklyn Young Democrats
Independent Neighborhood Democrats
Lambda Independent Democrats
South Central Brooklyn United for Progress
North Brooklyn Progressive Democrats
Central Brooklyn Independent Democrats
169 County Committee Members (see this doc for the full list of signers)