Move Forward New York Annual
Report (2017)
By Glenn Geher*
We started Move Forward New York pretty
much immediately after the 2016 election. Since then, we have come quite a long
way. Our membership now is more than 2,000. And we’ve accomplished quite a bit
in our first year. Here is a bulleted report of our accomplishments to date.
Check it out when you can - it will remind you that we have not been taking the
current national situation lightly! And it will inspire you to keep going!
December 2016
·
Protested outside of the NP Library re: Electoral College
(our first protest!)
January
·
MFNY Planning Session/Fun at the Yard Owl (Jan.
8)
·
National Day of Action supporting the ACA (1/15)
outside Faso’s Kingston Office
·
Hosted a summit to bring leaders together from around the 19th
·
MFNY 19 Planning Session on Activism 101 and
Electoral Politics with Leslie Berliant (1/16)
·
Attended various Women’s Marches and coordinate groups to attend
in Washington DC, NYC and Poughkeepsie (1/21)
·
Meeting with Z. Teachout at Gardiner Town Hall
(1/22)
·
Protested outside of Faso’s house and got the video of Andrea
Mitchell (1/28)
February
·
Mid Hudson Solidarity March & Rally -
Poughkeepsie (2/1)
·
Defend Planned Parenthood Rally (2/11)
·
UC Leg Meeting - protest ban memorializing resolutions (2/15)
·
Attend Citizen Action “How to Lobby” workshop (2/16)
·
Not My President's Day Rally at SUNY NP (2/20)
·
MFNY General Meeting and Action Session (2/26)
March
·
Kingston - People's March for Education Justice -
Hudson Valley (3/4)
·
MFNY Steering Committee Meeting (3/5)
·
Voter Resistance Registration (3/12)
·
Free Speech Rally (3/14)
·
MFNY General Meeting (3/26)
April
·
Speed Activism at Rosendale Town Hall (Debra and Rosa) 4/2
·
Wells Fargo, Divest from Pipeline Rally- Kingston
·
Tax March - Bryant Park 4/15
·
Tax March - Goshen 4/15
·
UC Leg Meeting - protest ban memorializing resolutions (4/18)
·
March for Science - Albany and Poughkeepsie (4/22)
·
People’s Climate March (4/29)
·
MFNY at the Yard Owl - Community Outreach(4/30)
May
·
Spring Canvass (5/7)
·
Save our Health Care Town Hall w/ Congressman Maloney (5/8)
·
ConCon training (5/17)
·
MFNY General Meeting (5/21)
·
Meeting with John Faso to discuss our concerns and propose a town
hall (5/30)
June
·
March for Truth (Where’s Faso & Serino) (6/3)
·
MFNY Team Elect meeting (M. Rider/H.Rodriguez) (6/4)
·
New Paltz Pride Parade and Festival (6/4)
·
Civics Class w/ Z Teachout & J Schwartz Berky (6/8)
·
Rock the Resistance - Tabled and Spoke Woodstock (6/11)
·
Civics Class w/ Z Teachout & J Schwartz Berky (6/15)
·
UC Leg meeting testimony (6/20)
·
Civics Class w/ Z Teachout & J Schwartz Berky (6/22)
·
PhoneBank for Glenn Geher’s campaign (6/26)
·
HVALF endorsement conference (6/26)
·
PhoneBank for Glenn Geher’s campaign (6/28)
·
Civics Class w/ Z Teachout & J Schwartz Berky (6/29)
July
·
MFNY Picnic (7/2)
·
Summer Canvass (7/8)
·
ConCon debate (7/10)
·
Gardiner Dems PhoneBanks (7/12)
·
Gardiner Dems PhoneBanks (7/13)
·
Supported increased Gardiner participation at the Gardiner
Democratic Caucus to support Lisa’s candidacy for Town Supervisor (7/14)
·
Summer Canvass NY19 Votes (7/23)
·
Plattekill Latino Day - support candidacy of Cindy Delgado, Gladys
Figueroa, Juan Figueroa, and Glenn Geher, (7/29)
·
Support Glenn Geher’s run stuffing envelopes (7/31)
August
·
Tabled at the Ulster County Fair (8/3)
·
Candlelight Vigil for Charlottsville (8/14)
·
Run with Glenn (8/12, 8/19, 8/26)
·
Fundraiser for Plattekill Dems (8/20)
·
Gillibrand Town Hall (8/26)
·
Town Hall with John Faso (8/31)
September
·
Supported U-Act Forum on the Con-Con (9/10)
·
MFNY General Meeting (9/17)
·
Campaigned for Glenn Geher, Lisa Lindsley, and Tracey Bartel
·
Tabled at Community Community Action Festival at Hasbrouck Park
(9/24)
·
NY 19 Votes - Canvass (9/24)
·
Canvass Gardiner Dem to support Lisa (9/30)
·
Served on the Co-ordinated Campaign Committee for Ulster County -
various dates
·
Renewable Energy Now forum at New Paltz First Reformed Church
October
·
Tabled at Applestock in NP (10/7)
·
ConCon debate SUNY New Paltz (10/16)
·
Campaigned for Glenn Geher, Lisa Lindsley, and Tracey Bartel
(numerous dates throughout the month) - Canvassing & Phone banking
o Jam with Glenn and Rock the
Vote (10/20)
·
Melissa Servant presented on the Con-Con in Hudson (10/22)
·
Attended/Supported Tracey Bartel at Fundraiser (10/25)
·
MFNY General Meeting and GOTV (10/29)
November
·
Campaigned for Glenn Geher, Lisa Lindsley, and Tracey Bartel
(11/1-11/7) Canvass & Phone banking
·
Get out the vote - increased knowledge and turn-out (11/1-11/7)
·
Attended forum with Jeff Beals and pushed out the date for Cronin
Art Gallery (11/3)
·
Faso Friday - Education/Tax Reform Rally (11/10)
·
Tax $cam Press Conference & Rally (11/15)
·
Sponsored Faso Friday in Kingston (11/17)
December
·
Hosted Pat Ryan for a meet and Greet (12/4)
·
Renewable Energy Now Rally in Albany (12/6)
·
Co-sponsor and tabled of the Candidate forum at SUNY NP (12/6)
·
Attended forum with Brian Flynn and pushed out the date for Cronin
Art Gallery (12/8)
·
Co-sponsoring Democratic candidate forums with U-Act (12/10)
·
Attended Climate Smart Gardiner to support moving this process
forward (12/12)
·
Executive Meeting to plan goals for 2018 (12/17)
Other
·
Collaboration with Schumer’s office
·
Collaborative Ulster County Group Leaders Meetings
·
Coordinated meetings with U-Act, March On NP
·
Many Letters to the editor and news articles connected with MFNY
·
Updated Calendar of Events and Website
·
Attend various Democratic Committee Meetings and Town Meetings
·
Social media initiatives: Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter
presence
·
The Uprising: The official blog of Move Forward New York
·
The 86th Federalist Paper: The official newsletter of Move Forward
New York
·
Move Forward New York the Next Generation / Internship Program: We
have more than 20 middle school and high school students volunteer on behalf of
the cause - many of whom have received service credits for their work
·
Several letters to elected officials and to newspapers that played
a key role in the release of New Paltz resident (and husband and father), Joel
Guerrero
Looking ahead - 2018
January
·
Co-sponsoring Democratic candidate forums with U-Act (1/7)
·
Women’s March - Various Locations (1/20)
·
Co-sponsoring Democratic candidate forums with U-Act (1/21)
June
·
CD 19 Primary
November
·
Take back Congress!!! (11/6/18)
During this time in our nation’s history, complacency is not an
option. It is a privilege to live in a democracy. And we are fortunate to have
the First Amendment as a foundation for our voices. Working together, the MFNY
community has accomplished quite a bit in our first year. This said, each day
the news tells us that we do not have the luxury of sitting back. So thanks to
everyone in the MFNY community who has helped us make many advances to this
point. And here are to the next steps. Here is to moving forward.
*NOTE: The lion’s share of the content of this report was written
by MFNY founder, Debra Clinton.
*************************************************************************
If ever there was a time to become politically active and rise up, that time is now. Here is to the uprising.
Note
that the views expressed herein are expressly the views of the author and are
not necessarily the views of Move Forward New York as a collective entity.
