City of Newburgh Democratic Committee’s Year In Review

NEWBURGH – The year has been an active one for the City of Newburgh Democratic Committee. Most recently, the committee concluded the Summer Speakers Series held over the regularly scheduled June and July Committee meetings. The series welcomed speakers from City of Newburgh and area organizations including Key to the City Recipient Joe Alvarez, Director of We Are Newburgh, Newburgh NAACP executive leadership including President Caesar Raynor, Anusha Mehar of Newburgh Girls Power and Owner/Curator of PANJA, and Damian DePauw, Director of Impact, Inc. The Speaker Series culminated in an informative, interactive presentation made by Census2020/Newburgh Counts with Community Voices Heard. Committee Members and visitors learned facts and challenges specific to the City of Newburgh such as: in the last census just 57% of city residents were counted. Presenters Ann Sullivan, Alisha Cater, Omari Shakur and Democratic Committee Members also discussed strategies for increasing the number residents counted in the 2020 count including getting involved at monthly Census2020/Newburgh Counts meetings (held at Newburgh Free Library) in the lead up to Census Day April 1, 2020.

This past Spring, the Committee voted unanimously to support the Protect Our Courts Act.

The vote took place after a discussion led by City Council Member Ramona Monteverde, who highlighted the importance of the Act to the City of Newburgh, to its immigrant community and to others. This vote continued on the path of recent unanimous Resolutions including a Resolution of Support for a Municipal ID Program and Implementation taken by the Committee in April of 2019. Both are in line with the previous City of Newburgh Democratic Committee’s March 2017 unanimous approval for the City of Newburgh declaration as a Fair and Welcoming City.

This Fall, the City of Newburgh Democratic Committee will be busy with get out the vote efforts in the lead up to the city-wide election in November where City of Newburgh residents will be voting for Mayor, Ward 3 City Council Member, and the two At-Large City Council Member positions.

Looking forward, the Committee will build on community relationships strengthened and begun over the last year including taking actions of support to reinforce the backing of past resolutions. In early 2020, the Committee also intends to host Second Annual Albany Update Committee Meetings with State Senator Skoufis and Assembly Member Jacobson.

All are welcome at the monthly meetings of the City of Newburgh Democratic Committee, held the first Tuesday of every month, beginning at 7:00pm at the Activities Center at 401 Washington Street. The next meeting is Tuesday, September 3, 2019. Connect with the City of Newburgh Democratic Committee on social media, IG: @newburghcitydems and FB: Newburgh City Dems.