Please see the latest bulletin here.
It includes the following message from the DRC Chair, Judith Hunter:
Dear Friends of the DRC:
2020 has been a year when customary practices and traditions have had to give way to the realities of a pandemic that has upended just about everything. When it became obvious that it would be unsafe to meet in April, the DRC Board and Officers postponed our annual conference until September. Since then New York has done extraordinary work in controlling the spread of COVID-19, but that is not true of the rest of the country. No one knows what the next few months will bring, and, as things currently stand, a gathering as large as the DRC would not be permitted. There’s no way we can be confident it will be possible to meet in person this fall. Given the large financial commitment to the venue our conference requires, the Officers and Board have decided that this year’s DRC will be a virtual, online one.
The main business we have to conduct virtually is to hold our 2020 elections. Besides half of the Board members, each region will be electing someone to the new positions of regional Vice Chairs. Please expect to be hearing from Chair Phil Jones and the rest of the Nominating Committee about how this year’s elections will be conducted. The intention is that votes will be cast by regular mail both for security and to accommodate the DRC’s weighted voting system. However, candidates will make their presentations prior to the voting by email and Zoom sessions (Zoom sessions can be done like a conference call, in case your computer or internet won’t support video).
Because we need to reach the correct potential voters for each county (Chairs and all State Committee members), it is essential that we have the most current names, email addresses, and mailing addresses for them. We have found that the State Committee’s information is all too often out of date, so we need the current information as soon as possible. Please note that new State Committee terms do not begin until county reorganizations occur, so even if your county has new incoming State Committee members the information we need is for members whose terms will soon be expiring. Please send to the DRC Secretary John Hurley (jfhurley@rochester.rr.com) or the DRC Communication and Outreach Chair Bill Thickstun (wthickstun@gmail.com).
For those of you who have already registered for the 2020 DRC, please know that we will be happy to count your payment as your registration for the 2021 DRC. If you would prefer to get a refund for your registration fee, please contact DRC Treasurer Frank Puglisi at fvp9900@yahoo.com or 716-861-9749.
Taking the DRC virtual for 2020 was a difficult but unavoidable decision. Please know that we have every intention of bringing you a fantastic DRC in 2021, and we look forward to the time when we can all gather in person again.
Sincerely,
Judith Hunter
Chair, Democratic Rural Conference of NY State