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Jo Ellen Litz Volunteers Call Organizational Event

Lebanon County Commissioner Jo Ellen Litz is mounting a senatorial campaign for the 48th PA Senate District. She is running against Mike Folmer. The 48th includes parts of Donegal and all of Elizabethtown.

Team Litz to hold first meeting to organize for the upcoming Senatorial race.  

On Friday, February 12, at 12:00 Noon Team Litz will meet for the first time to begin planning events for Mrs. Litz’s bid for the 48th District Senate seat. The event will take place at Litz Headquarters at 2501 Cumberland Street in Lebanon.

Anyone interested in helping to circulate petitions, make phone calls, distribute signs, or help with fundraisers, is invited to attend. Bring your ideas and suggestions, or just sign up to be part of the team. Feel free to bring a brown bag lunch.

If you would like to help but are unable to attend the meeting, please send your name, phone number and email address to: Pam at ptricamo@comcast.net or call 717-269-2994 with any questions.

Pennsylvania Democrats Unanimously Endorse Single Payer -

Senate Bill 400 and House Bill 1660

The Pennsylvania Democratic State Committee today unanimously endorsed a resolution calling for passage of single payer healthcare, Senate Bill 400 and House Bill 1660, also known as the "Family and Business Healthcare Security Act."

Given the healthcare reform deadlock in Washington, D.C., Pennsylvania’s nation-leading status in the battle for state-based “Medicare for All,” is all the more significant.

“Not only does Pennsylvania now have the Democratic Party on board with the Single Payer healthcare for all,” said Healthcare for All PA executive director Chuck Pennacchio, “we also have the promised signature of our governor and the active support of Republican and Democratic leaders in both the State Senate and State House.”

Added Pennacchio, “Pennsylvania is clearly ‘ground zero’ for cost-saving, life-enhancing, job-creating, quality, comprehensive, publicly-funded, privately-delivered, healthcare for all. Once PA adopts the proven single payer solution, our neighboring states will move rapidly to adopt the same answer, and congress will quickly follow suit.”

Presenting the resolution before the voting body of 301 Democratic State Committee members was Tom Herman, Chair of Berks County. Seconding the motion were Jon Fox of Lancaster County and James Burn of Allegheny County. The vote in support of House Bill 1660 and Senate Bill 400 was by unanimous consent.

Specter Wins Endorsement

U.S. Sen. Arlen Specter, who switched parties 10 months ago easily won the Pennsylvania Democratic Party's endorsement at the State Committee meeting held in Lancaster this weekend at the Host Resort.

Specter, 79 years old, took the stage amid cheers of "Arlen! Arlen!" at the Lancaster Host Resort & Convention Center, appeared humbled by the endorsement given speculation about his ability to gain enough Democratic support to defeat Joe Sestak, a second term Congressman from Delaware County.

The five-term incumbent won 76 percent of the vote in the first and only round of balloting, well over the two-third supermajority needed for endorsement from the committee.

Lancaster County's seven member delegation to the state Democratic committee favored Sestak 5-2. Lois Herr, a state committeewoman from the Elizabethtown area and Congressional candidate for the PA's 16th District, supported Specter. "Arlen Specter had voted with Democrats over the years and has supported the important issues that we care about in Lancaster County" said Lois. Herr is challenging Republican U.S. Rep. Joe Pitts this year.

State Committee fails to Endorse a Candidate for Governor

Jack Wagner Auditor General	Dan Onorato Allegheny County Executive	State Senator Anthony Williams	Joe Heffel Montgomery County Commissioner

In the four-way race for governor, the state committee failed to reach a two-thirds majority for endorsement of a candidate for Governor. State Auditor General Jack Wagner attracted the most support  by fell short of the two-thirds majority needed to score the endorsement.

Allegheny County Executive Dan Onorato finished second. Newcomer State Sen. Anthony Williams, from Philadelphia, finished third. Montgomery County Commissioner Joe Hoeffel was dropped from the balloting because he received the fewest number of votes in the first round.

The state committee also endorsed former Philadelphia City Controller Jonathan Saidel for nomination as lieutenant governor, concluding the committee's two-day convention at the Host Inn and Resort on Lincoln Highway East.

Sturla's Majority Policy Committee considers property tax payment options for the city of Scranton

The House Majority Policy Committee held a public hearing in Scranton today to examine property tax payment options for the city, according to committee Chairman Mike Sturla, D-Lancaster.

The hearing was requested and co-chaired by state Rep. Kevin Murphy, D-Lackawanna, who has introduced legislation to help property owners in Scranton pay back taxes.

"Property tax collection needs to be both fair and efficient for cities and homeowners," Sturla said. "I was glad the Policy Committee was able to explore this issue and look at Representative Murphy's legislation that would provide homeowners with options in paying delinquent taxes."

Murphy added, "Scranton residents who fall behind on their taxes, sometimes through no fault of their own such as a layoff, must pay expensive fees and delinquent taxes in a lump sum," he said. "I firmly believe that a payment plan my bill would mandate would allow many people to keep their home – the place in which they invested so much time, money and effort – until they get through a tough time."

Those testifying included Janet Evans, president, Scranton City Council; Andrew Sbaraglia, Lackawanna County Taxpayers Association; Ron Koldjeski, deputy director for Tax Claims, Lackawanna County Tax Office; Greg Sunday, business administrator, Scranton School District; Bill Courtright, Scranton City tax collector; Kevin Gallagher, account administrator; John Opsasnick, director of Business Privilege Department; Maria Costanzo, lead auditor; and Dawn Lloyd, lead auditor.

For more information about the Policy Committee and hearing materials, visit www.pahouse.com/PolicyCommittee.

Kick-off to Mike Sturla's Re-election Campaign

Please join us and help kick-off Mike Sturla’s re-election to the State House and to celebrate Mike’s 54th Birthday on Tuesday, February 16th. This event will by held a Gusto Restaurant 335 N. Queen Street in Lancaster City from 5:30 PM to 7:30 PM.

Please RSVP to John at the WS Group by calling 717.939.5976 or emailing jjones@thewsgroup.com.

View flyer...

Elizabethtown Democrats Elect New District Leader

Elizabethtown Area Democrats gathered before President Barack Obama's state of the union to contact club business and also to elect the local Democratic Party's district leader.  Ben Donahower was unanimously elected district leader for the Great Elizabethtown Democratic Committee. 

Ben Donahower said, "I'm excited about this opportunity to lead the local Democratic Party.  There is a lot of opportunity to elect Democrats in Western Lancaster County."  Elizabethtown Democrats are anticipating significant party building in Western Lancaster Count this year.  With a contested primary for Congress, Governor and U.S. Senator, area Democrats are interested in the coming primary election.  Area Democrats are particularly excited to support their hometown Congressional candidate Lois Herr in her run for Congress against Congressman Joe Pitts.  Local Democrats expect not only interest in the national elections but in the state Senator contest in the 48th district that encompasses part of Western Lancaster County.  Lebanon County Commissioner Jo Ellen Litz will take on Mike Folmer as he seek his second term in office.

The Democratic Party is growing in the Elizabethtown area and anyone interested in volunteering is encouraged to contact Ben Donahower at 717-884-9789 or bendonahower@gmail.com for information on getting involved.

Elizabethtown Democrats Launch Blog
by Ben Donahower, Elizabethtown District Leader

The Greater Elizabethtown Democratic Committee has launched a blog at www.etowndems.info.  The blog offers news centering on the Elizabethtown area as well as state and local politics.  Party activists and concerned citizens alike will find the links and resources on the site valuable including applying for an absentee ballot, registering to vote, and election calendar.

Democratic committeeman Ben Donahower said, "We're really excited to launch this blog.  We can spread the Democratic message locally engaging people that local Democrats have otherwise been unable to connect with."

Anyone interested in volunteer for the Elizabethtown Democrats Launch blog www.etowndems.info and click on the "volunteer" tab.

Cocalico Dems Create the John C. Pittenger Scholarship
by Sue Stoltzfus, Cocalico District Leader

John C. Pittenger, former Pennsylvania Secretary of Education and former state representative, "'Pitt,' as he was affectionately known, was a true patriot, serving his nation, his state and his community as a military veteran, as an educator, a farmer, a lawyer, a state legislator and a state Cabinet secretary.

I am proud to announce the Cocalico Democrats voted to rename the Cocalico scholarship to "The John C. Pittenger Scholarship Award to be presented annually by the Cocalico Democrats". 

A note from Pauline Pittenger “I think naming the scholarship for Pitt is a wonderful idea. And the theme for the essays is certainly one Pitt would endorse.”

"The John C. Pittenger Scholarship Award" will be presented annually by the Cocalico Democrats" to one Cocalico High School graduating Senior in the amount of $500.00.

An applicant must present a 250 word essay to be presented to the Guidance Office by May 1, 2010.

The theme of the essay this year is: “How Will I Improve Myself & My Community in 10 Years”

All Applicants must be graduating and have been approved at an institution for higher learning. All entries will be judged by the Scholarship Committee of the Cocalico Democrats and the winner will be announced at the Cocalico High School’s Award Night.

The Cocalico Democratic District includes Adamstown Borough, Denver Borough, and East and West Cocalico Townships.

www.cocalicodemocrats.org

Facebook group - Cocalico Democrats

City Democrats Launch New Website

John Graupera, Chair of the Lancaster City Democratic Committee announced last night, Jan. 28th at the LCDC Executive Committee meeting that the Lancaster City Democratic Committee has launched a new website that features news from the city's Democratic Committee and blog commentaries from city council members. Bruce Evans is heading up the new website and hopes to involve city and county residents in a dialogue about good government.

Tim Roschel (left), Councilman and Chair of the city's Public Works Committee, comments on the recent layoffs in the fire and police departments. Todd Smith (right), newly elected council member and chair of the City's Finance Committee, comments on fiscal prudence and refinancing of bond issues.

Comments to the blog entries are welcome and may be posted on each council person's blog page.

View the city's new website... www.lancastercitydems.com

Mardi Gras Celebration with Doreen

Save March 6th, 2010 as t he date for a Mardi Gras party at The Underground with Doreen Kreiner from 7 - 10PM. The cost will be $15 a person or $25 a couple. There will be food, drinks and music (Corty and Scott from The Green Onions). All proceeds will benefit the Kreiner For Commissioner 2011 fund.

Doreen is the District Leader of Manheim Township Democratic Committee and is running for MT Commissioner in 2011.

RSVP to Doreen at 717-393-7915 or doreen@kreinerforcommissioner.com.

Order tickets on-line...

Guy K. Bard Democratic Club St. Patrick's Day Dance

Join us for an evening of music, dancing and great food on Saturday, March 13, 2010 from 8:00 p.m. to midnight at the Eicher Arts Center (next to Playhouse in the Park) in Ephrata, PA.

The Eicher Center is located at 409 Cocalico Street, Ephrata, PA.

$15.00 per person, 2 for $25.00. DJ, Door Prizes, beverages and light fare included. E-mail your RSVP to: ephratademocrats@yahoo.com

View flyer for mail in form...

Order tickets on-line...

2010 LCDC Endorsement Convention

Chairman Bruce Beardsley has announced that the 2010 LCDC Endorsement Convention will be held on Feb. 20th at  the Lancaster Host Resort. Each year county Democrats gather to endorse candidates for the spring Primary election.

Registration will begin at 8:00 AM. Candidates will be sponsor breakfast receptions.

Four workshops will be featured in the morning - “Winning Your Precinct, Computer Sampler, How Not To Do It All Yourself and It’s More than Just A Petition".

There is no charge for attending this convention. Lunch will be served at a cost of $17.00 per person. Lunch reservations must be submitted to the office by Saturday, Feb. 13th.

The general session to endorse state legislative candidates, State Committee candidates, and candidates for Governor, the U.S. Senate and U.S. Congress will begin at noon.

View tentative agenda.

Register for the convention, click here. If you register on-line and are registering for a group, list the names of people that will be attending in the comment field.

Download printable mail-in registration form...

Circulating Petition News
by Greg Paulson, LCDC Campaign Chair

February 16th is the first day nomination petitions can be circulated and signatures collected. March 9th is the final day to file petitions in Harrisburg.

Nomination Petitions are now available for candidates for state and federal office. Campaigns will distribute petitions to you prior to the Endorsement convention upon request. Petitions will be available at the Endorsement Convention on Feb. 20.

Petitions for precinct level committee persons will not be available until Feb 1. Committee person petitions may be picked up at LCDC Headquarters or a the County Elections Board offices at 150 N. Queen St. on or after Feb 1.

There is no filing fee for Committee person petitions. Ten signatures are required, collect 20.

We encourage you to return petitions to LCDC headquarters by March 2nd if you mail them. Petitions returned by mail must to notarized. Or bring petitions to our Notary Party on March 7th located in the Underground at LCDC Headquarters, 53 N. Duke Street, Lancaster, PA. 17602. Notaries will be present from 6:00 to 9:00 pm to notarize you petitions at no charge.

Please advise us if you wish to have a “Street List” for your voting district.  Street lists are a valuable tool for Circulators. 

This is important! Read all of Greg's instructions for circulating nomination petitions.

A workshop on “It’s More than Just A Petition” from 11:00-11:50 am will be offered at the Endorsement Convention on Feb 20th. Sign up for the Endorsement Convention now...click here.

Download printable mail-in registration form...

Interested in being a Lancaster City Committee Person?
by Kendra Saunders, Vice-Chair, Lancaster City Democrats

Committee persons are the backbone of the Democratic Party. Two committee persons are elected from each precinct to serve four-year terms. They are responsible for registering voters in their precinct, circulating nominating petitions, distributing campaign materials, and getting out the Democratic vote on Election Day. They also help to recruit and nominate Democrats for local office.

To run as a committee person for the primary of 2010, candidates must circulate a nominating petition beginning February 16th, get at least ten signatures from registered Democrats in your precinct, and file the nomination petition by March 9th at the Lancaster County Board of Elections (150 N Queen St). For more information, please contact Vice-Chair of the City Democrats Kendra Saunders at kendrajeansaunders@yahoo.com or 717-201-1161.

Craig Lehman: U.S. State Department Haiti Relief Information

Craig Lehman, Lancaster County Commissioner, has provided the following information from the U.S. Department of State for individuals wishing to contribute to the Haitian relief effort or who are attempting to contact family members in Haiti.

The State Department Operations Center has set up the following number for Americans seeking information about family members in Haiti: 1-888-407-4747 (due to heavy volume, some callers may receive a recording). The U.S. Embassy is still in the early stages of contacting American Citizens. Communications are very difficult within Haiti at this time.

Private Offers of Assistance for Haiti Relief Efforts

Anyone wishing to donate or provide assistance in Haiti following the devastating earthquake that struck near Port au Prince on Jan 12, 2010, is asked to contact the Center for International Disaster Information.  The Center, operated under a grant from the United States Agency for International Development's Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance and initial support from IBM, has become a valuable resource to the public. CIDI has established a dedicated page to coordinate Haiti support at:  http://www.cidi.org/incident/haiti-10a/

You can also use your cell phone to make a donation to the Haitian relief effort. Text "HAITI" to "90999" and a donation of $10 will be given automatically to the Red Cross to help with relief efforts, charged to your cell phone bill. Or you can go online to organizations like the Red Cross and Mercy Corps to make a contribution to the disaster relief efforts.

The U.S. Department of State website contains contact information for those looking for family members, as well as donation information.  http://www.state.gov/

Official U.S. Department of State blogsite called, “A Disaster in Haiti and How You Can Help”.  Contains information on ways to provide assistance.  http://blogs.state.gov/index.php/site/entry/

Guy Bard Club Afghan Project...

Members of the Ephrata-area Guy K Bard Democratic Club have undertaken a project that is reaching halfway around the world.  In November, Club member Dorothy Love came to Club president Ginny DiIlio with a request from her brother-in-law, Lt. Col. Kenneth Marx, of the Roughriders of the 108th Cavalry.  His division wanted to reach out to the people of Afghanistan by providing warm clothing for the cold mountain weather. 

The Club came through for the soldiers, collecting ten boxes of donations during its December 27th meeting.  Follow-up donations, including items and snacks for the Roughriders themselves, brought the total to 14 boxes.  Club members gathered at the home of George and Ginny DiIlio on January 7th to finish packing the boxes, which were donated by the Ephrata post office.

Click here to view a larger version of the picture above...

Club Photo ID:  Front row: Kathy Lindman, Ginny DiILIO, Bard Klahr, Dorothy Love, Ira Grushow, and Lisa Wickenheiser.  Back row: Jeff Lang, George DiILIO, Tim Barr, Martha Reitz, Bill Sheaffer, Van Reitz, and Dan Sweigart.

Manheim Township Dems Need Your Stuff

You may be doing your holiday shopping and thinking of what you'll "retire" to make room for new items that are purchased. If you can hang on to those items for a little while longer, the Manheim Township Democratic Club will put them to good use at our annual yard sale coming up on Saturday May 16, 2010.

We will start accepting donations in April so stay tuned for more details in the spring.  In the meantime, have a safe & joyous holiday season! If you have questions please feel free to contact Beth Truman at t.truman@verizon.net or 569-4933.

LCDC Executive Committee Endorsed HB1660 - SB 400.

Following the lead of several district committees, the LCDC Executive Committee endorsed the Family and Business Health Care Security Act, SB400 and HB1660. Earlier this month, the Warwick Democratic Committee, the Ruth Mackley Democratic Club and the Guy K. Bard Democratic Club of Northern Lancaster County endorse the legislation.

Currently, there are over 1.5 million people in Pennsylvania who have no health insurance, another 2.0 million are underinsured and, due to the economic crisis, those numbers are increasing.

The Family and Business Health Care Security Act, SB400 and HB1660, currently before the General Assembly, provides affordable, comprehensive health care for every Pennsylvanian including extensive services.

SB400 and HB1660 would replace profit-driven insurers, with a publicly funded, privately run system, paid for by using existing state and federal funds, a 3% earnings tax and a 10% payroll tax.

The bills, when passed, would save the County's municipalities, the County government, and the school boards of Lancaster County more than 62 million dollars savings annually.

Read the LCDC endorsement statement...

Read the 2006 LCDC Resolution on Health Care Reform...

Read more about SB 400 and HB 1660...

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Sherry Rebert Scholarship Fund

The LCDC has created a Scholarship Fund in honor of its dear friend Sherry Rebert.  Contributions: click here...

Headquarters of the
Lancaster County Democratic Committee

Contact:

Cynthia Mumma, Executive Director

Tracey Lynn Arriola, Office Manager

Lancaster County Democratic Committee

53 N. Duke St., Suite 218

Lancaster, PA  17602-2839

Phone: (717) 299-5701

Fax:  (717) 299-2105

Email:  lcdc@lancasterdems.com

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Office Hours

Monday thru Friday
10:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m.

other times by appointment.

Directions to the Underground at LCDC Headquarters

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