Press Release: Only Democrats Will Protect Our Seniors

For immediate release — This year’s campaign in rural New York has been jolted by an October
surprise from Republican leadership in Washington. They are now openly saying that if they take
the House majority, they will hold the debt ceiling hostage to extract extreme and unpopular
concessions that Democrats would never even consider ordinarily, including restructuring and
reducing Social Security and Medicare.

The Board and Officers of the Democratic Rural Conference of New York State, along with
every single (47 total) Democratic County Chair in the organization, condemn these plans
categorically. “In the rural counties, we have aging populations. Implementing this GOP scheme
would be devastating to rural New York’s seniors,” said Judith Hunter of Livingston County,
Chair of the DRC. “They are promising to use economic blackmail by calling into question the
full faith and credit of our government to ram through measures that they can’t get passed
otherwise.”

Contrast this potentially disastrous agenda with what the Democrats have actually done. Seniors’
prescriptions will be cheaper and the price of their insulin is now capped, thanks to the Inflation
Reduction Act. Social Security checks are higher and Medicare premiums are in fact lower. “It is
clear that only the Democrats are willing to protect the senior citizens of rural New York,” said
Hunter.

The Democratic Rural Conference calls on every Republican member of Congress and
every Republican congressional candidate running in New York’s rural counties to reject
this misguided agenda from their leadership. “Will they stand with their party, or with New
York’s senior citizens?” asked Tim Perfetti of Cortland County, the Executive Vice Chair of the
DRC.

Frank Puglisi, of Cattaraugus County and DRC Treasurer, said, “The thing is, seniors in the rural
counties are already struggling, They absolutely depend on their Social Security checks and the
health care Medicare makes possible. And they have paid into these programs their entire lives;
they have earned these benefits.”

Sources:

https://about.bgov.com/news/entitlement-spending-cap-plans-linked-by-gop-to-debt-limit-deal/

https://punchbowl.news/archive/101822-punchbowl-news-am/

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2022/10/18/mccarthy-gop-medicare-social-security/?fb_news_token=5gUPcM98yxjynaX6WdoDDA%3D%3D.dOqrSpkMBUJ%2BcNVAOjmKnRtdag%2FJ3rIDvaRZjN2WokLxxQQVMgDWAmHn8sUplZUe%2FyuXfmDwZWFd9WeqHfGVpjQxQvqH%2BAgRlLScQwX%2FJgH%2FP6uN7tjAKzhBSrJ08%2FU%2B%2BqXRoPffMqVbdSM6oM5ZQqkoJ5RdwD%2B1%2Foe3TxZYLsw55RlsidtLxLX%2BC38PyitRBYTFWDUIzAt6rvxkGIcII3PU7a5kfVcvbm38PIeMOLjB9W2KgGHcJ1pR6ekXOrrodSW3DGnuv9TYE7%2Fc3U4k0vKTgCARdtPimG7LNMPscNjlUEefsxRD4lto6OX%2BpE5l5w2GAR5%2FTpqwcBiHXospd0Zcv18ZD0YqbE2BfPziBqc%3D&fbclid=IwAR0xLHvPTZviTJhGPuVuJqZAdN25j8-aSoA81MO0joSVCiY0_F3kGf84-Xg

Contact: Judith Hunter (585) 615-2986
judith.hunter@gmail.com

Full press release

DRC Resolution Commemorating Steven Jones

WHEREAS the board of directors of the Democratic Rural Conference has noted with sadness the passing of Steven Jones, founding secretary of the Democratic Rural Conference, on Tuesday, June 2, 2020, at home in Morrisville, and

WHEREAS Steven Jones demonstrated throughout his lifetime his belief in our country and its promise, and worked hard to see that upstate was not left out when it came to New York State politics, and

WHEREAS He took the NY Democratic Rural Conference from an idea to an integral part of the state Democratic party, and as the founding secretary of the DRC he drafted the bylaws that largely exist today, and helped guide the organization through its formative years, and

WHEREAS Steven Jones was selfless in contributing to his community in Madison County through service to his clients, including municipalities and school districts, to local service clubs, to American Legion Boys State, and to many others, and

WHEREAS Steve’s kindness, sunny disposition and relentless positivity were key to the DRC’s success, and

WHEREAS He served as Madison County chair and on the state Democratic Committee for many years, and gave of his time and expertise to many campaigns, from local to presidential, and

WHEREAS as members of the DRC, all of us benefited from Steve’s work as he set the standard for what we, as underdog upstate Democrats, should aspire to: persistence, integrity, humility, humor, and love,

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Board of Directors of the Democratic Rural Conference of New York State hereby recognizes, commemorates and honors the contributions of Steven Jones to the nation, the state, and his community through his hard work, devotion and time, and his role in the founding and success of the DRC;

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Board of Directors mourns the loss of Steven Jones and extends its sincere condolences to his wife Cindy and family members.

DRC Statement Regarding Systemic Racism, Police Reform, and Black Lives Matter

Drawing on the tradition and history of rural New York’s role as a source of many movements for reform and equality in America, the Democratic Rural Conference of New York State affirms that Black Lives Matter. Recent events have all too painfully demonstrated yet again that racism is systemic and pervasive, especially in our policing and criminal justice. We urge all communities in the rural counties to enter into the State Police Reform and Reinvention Collaborative with the seriousness and openness to change it deserves.

We note with approval the countless peaceful demonstrations occurring all over rural New York calling for reform and racial justice. For so many of these small communities to turn out in such numbers shows how important this moment is. We commend the many Democratic candidates who have added their voices to this movement. And we will redouble our efforts to welcome, recruit, and encourage people of color to participate in every level of the political system.

Bulletin #37 (July, 2020) is now available

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

Bulletin #36 (February, 2020) of the DRC is now available

Please see the latest bulletin here.

It includes the following message from the DRC Chair, Judith Hunter:

Dear Friends,

Please plan to join us in Liverpool on April 17-18 for 2020 Vision! The presidential straw poll should be especially exciting, and all conference registrants will be able to vote. See the details below, and feel free to contact me with any questions.

In other news, several DRC officers/Board Members and two additional county chairs went to Albany in late January to lobby for DRC priorities: improving broadband access in rural New York and getting relief on signature requirements for our nominating petitions. We had uniformly positive and supportive meetings with Lt. Governor Kathy Hochul, Senate Leader Andrea Stewart Cousins, and several other State Senators and Assembly Members. With unified Democratic control of the Legislature, we need to build and strengthen our relationships there. We plan to lobby each January going forward. We were warned that getting the petition signature requirement lowered by 25% would probably not be supported by downstate Assembly members, who don’t understand how difficult it is to circulate petitions in winter weather in rural counties, where voters are few and far between. But we continue to push (the one-year reduction passed last year wasn’t finalized until well into the petition window). So any calls you can make to Albany could help. Please ask for support for S7326, being carried by Senator Rachel May, and A9703, being carried by Assembly member Billy Jones. We are also resending the letter from DRC members to Senate and Assembly members.

In October I testified before the Public Campaign Financing Commission hearing in Buffalo. My testimony emphasized that rural counties are generally not as wealthy as suburban ones, so a one-size-fits-all approach would disadvantage candidates in rural New York. Fortunately, that view prevailed in the final Commission plan, which sets lower fundraising thresholds for candidates to get matching funds in counties with lower incomes. I also spoke to how important it was in local elections to retain the option of creating independent (small-i) ballot lines, which will be unaffected by the new plan.

Please keep the DRC in mind when you’re planning events for this coming spring and summer. I have spoken at 3 counties’ dinners in the last few months (Wyoming, Cattaraugus, and Yates), and I will be happy to give brief remarks about the DRC in as many other counties as I can. There are other Officers and Board Members who would also be willing to speak.

Feel free to contact me about issues pertaining to the DRC or Rural New York. You can email me at Judith.hunter@gmail.com or call me at 585-615-2986. See you in Liverpool!

Judith Hunter, Chair
Democratic Rural Conference of New York