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Perinton Democratic Committee 101
"We need to elect candidates from the school
board to the senate and everywhere in between”
“We need to translate the energy of activism in to action”
“We’re in every zip code”
-Tom Perez
Newly elected Chair, Democratic National Committee
I have always felt like an outsider looking in when it comes to politics. My family never discussed the topic at the dinner table or anywhere else. No one in my family held a public office or was involved in the government. As an adult, I've always felt like an activist, wanting to help those who couldn’t help themselves or were being bullied, wanting to keep the environment safe, wanting the town government where I lived to stop over developing land before it was too late. I may have wanted to do something but didn’t know how or maybe I was just not that interested in learning how to get involved. This election has changed that for me and for many people, maybe for you too.
Political committees have always seemed like a clique to me. I never thought seriously about joining a committee - thinking that was for someone else to do. A few years ago, I was invited to a meeting, I attended meeting and had no idea what was going on. I didn't feel like I fit in. I felt like I didn’t know enough about politics or government to be part of this group. As leaders of the Perinton Democratic Committee, we are trying to change that mindset. We want to be inclusive and encourage diversity. I now believe that I know enough and you know enough. What we don’t know, we’ll figure out together. Outlined here are the Perinton Democratic Committee basics or Democratic Committee 101. I hope this summary of terms and groups will help to you understand the basics. Attend a meeting. Join the committee. Translate your activism into elected action in our community. The recent election has made it clear, it is our duty as citizens to get involved and stay involved.
Structure:
Democratic National Committee (DNC) – Tom Perez, Chair
New York State Democratic Party – Sheila Comar, Executive Chair
Monroe County Democratic Committee (MCDC) – Jamie Romeo, Chair
Perinton Democratic Committee (PDC) – Pat Domaratz, Leader
What are the goals of the PDC?
To act locally - turn local activism into local action.
To act strategically to support local issues and candidates.
To make democratic action habit forming.
Leadership
The Perinton town committee is composed of 4 officers who are elected by members of the PDC.
Current list of officers:
Leader – Pat Domaratz
Chair – Julie Domaratz
Financial Officer – Nora Tuthill
Communication Officer – Sue Owens
Additionally, there can be up to six appointed Sector Leaders that help the officers engaging the committee members who represent the 56 election districts located in the Town of Perinton.
Committee Members
There are 56 election districts geographically located in the town of Perinton. There can be up to 4 committee members for each election district, allowing a total of 224 possible committee members on the PDC. Some districts will have more than 4 members living in the district. Those members will be placed to cover a different district that has less than 4 members living in it.
Am I a committee member? How do I become a PDC member?
Attending a PDC meeting does not automatically make someone a committee member. To be a committee member one must live, work or worship in Perinton and be registered as a Democrat. Typically, the Leader, Pat, will ask attendees wishing to become committee members to leave their information with him at the end of the meeting. The leader then takes those requests and submits them for approval at the monthly Monroe County Democratic Committee (MCDC) Executive Board meeting. PDC Committee Members are duel members of the MCDC as well together with members of other Monroe County town and City of Rochester committees. If you are not a registered Democrat you can still attend committee meetings. Democrats in attendance who are not committee members may not vote on official committee matters, but are always welcome to PDC meetings to learn, focus their activism, and meet new friends..
What is a PDC Committee Member required to do?
Meet with other Democrats in their neighborhoods to understand issues that they have. Committee members represent the interests of enrolled Democrats in their election districts, and represent the Democratic Party within their election district.
Circulate petitions for signatures within their assigned election district during election campaigns.
Attend meetings if possible
Bring attention to issues important to the committee and the community during the new business portion of the meeting. If you have new business to discuss at a meeting, please email in advance of the meeting to: PerintonDemocrats@gmail.com so that we can plan time appropriately.
Support the committee financially – we ask for an annual $25 minimum, or more if financially feasible, contribution to help support the PDC aims. Support fundraising efforts for the committee and candidates.
Work on behalf of local Democratic candidates to elect them to public office. This can be done by hosting house coffees, walking your neighborhood to let voters know about our candidates, display a yard sign and talk to friend and family about our candidates.
We want everyone who wants to be involved to get involved. Our aim is to be inclusive, encourage activism and elect local candidates supporting democratic principles. This movement is about taking the “grassroots” efforts of those in our community and translating them into democratic action. We will lead with our values. This is more important now than ever. We’re in every neighborhood AND every zip code.
