27 Nov 2020 A Year in Review | Boothbay Democratic Town Committee
Submitted by: Leanne Pander, Secretary, Boothbay Democratic Town Committee
Summary of the Year
Like all groups in 2020, the Boothbay Democratic Town Committee had to adapt to the challenges of an election year turned upside-down by the coronavirus pandemic. Our expectations of sponsoring at least two large public events to support our candidates were quickly downsized due to restrictions on gatherings and a realization that volunteers might be difficult to attract. However, our committee members found that we could redirect our energy into volunteering for campaign initiatives sponsored by LCDC or individual candidates. All of us participated in activities such as phone banking, sending postcards to voters, writing letters to the editor, building and posting signs, and attending rallies in Wiscasset, Newcastle and Damariscotta. We also managed to organize a well-attended outdoor rally in Boothbay, featuring excellent speakers and enthusiastic attendees, with strict adherence to CDC guidelines. Ultimately, our two local candidates, Holly Stover and Chloe Maxmin, succeeded in their election bid, and we could proudly count Boothbay’s participation as instrumental in their victory.
The “official” members of Boothbay Democratic Town Committee are: Chair Paula Arsenault; Vice Chair Bill Hammond; Secretary Leanne Pander; Treasurer Fred Nehring; Members-at-Large, Francine Rondina and Brian Papineau.
Below is a breakdown of our specific activities through the year. It should be noted that the Boothbay Democratic Town Committee has continued to collaborate with the committees of Boothbay Harbor and Southport to support each other for discussion, planning, and hosting events; in this regard, we refer to our group as “Boothbay region” when the three committees are meeting together.
February 9, 2020: An enthusiastic crowd of 40 Democrats from the Boothbay region gathered at Ragsdale Studio in Boothbay for the 2020 Election Kick-Off meeting. Committee Chair Paula Arsenault welcomed the group and introduced officers of the town committees from Boothbay, Boothbay Harbor, and Southport, explaining that we’ve collaborated on hosting events over the last several years. Combining our resources and efforts has enabled us to produce such successful public gatherings as the “Grill & Chill Picnic” in July, 2019 and “Brewing Democracy: a Night at The Opera House” in September, 2018.
Attendees heard presentations from Maine House Representatives Holly Stover and Chloe Maxmin, and from Geoff Bates, chair of the LCDC Fundraising Committee. In addition, participants learned about the two very important election-year events coming the next month: the Maine Presidential Primary on March 3, and the Democratic Caucuses on March 8.
Photos are courtesy of Bob Crink.
February 24, 2020: Boothbay Region Committee members met at Paula Arsenault’s home to plan how to inform and encourage local voters to participate in the upcoming Primary (March 3) and Caucus (March 8). We decided to send postcards to local Dems reminding them about these events. We also discussed possible candidate-focused activities to sponsor in the coming election season, anticipating that we could hold both a summer outdoor picnic and an evening gathering at the Boothbay Opera House in the fall.
March 8, 2020: Boothbay Region Committee members attended the Maine Democratic Caucus at Boothbay High School, representing our individual towns and electing officers, representatives to the Maine Democratic Convention, and election workers for November. We didn’t know that this would be the last opportunity for a “normal” campaign season before the Coronavirus shutdown!
April 29, 2020: The Boothbay Democratic Town Committee met via Zoom to reconnect after our long isolation from one another following the March Democratic Caucus. We sadly acknowledged that we’d probably have to cancel our plans for a summer picnic and perhaps also for the fall Opera House event. We determined that in the meantime, we’d put our energy into other activities to support our candidates for November. Paula reported that LCDC was taking a strong lead in political activity, since many town committees were inactive due to the Pandemic. We agreed to participate in the LCDC “neighbor-to-neighbor” campaign of letter writing and phone calling. Committee member Francine Rondina became involved with Chloe Maxmin’s initiative to check on the well-being of seniors within Senate District 13 who were especially vulnerable at this time of isolation. Paula Arsenault and Fred Nehring would be delegates at the “virtual” Maine Democratic Convention in May.
July 20, 2020: The Boothbay Region Democratic Committee met in person at Paula Arsenault’s lakeside home, socially distanced outside next to the beach. The purpose of this meeting was to explore possible Democratic committee activities during the months leading up to the November election. We welcomed the chance to be together face-to-face as a change from “Zoom” calls and other electronic communications since the March Caucus, after which our usual types of gathering and planning had been disrupted by coronavirus shutdowns. LCDC was organizing a Drive In for Democracy: A Rally for the People for Sunday, August 30, at Wiscasset Speedway. Several of our committee members volunteered to help at this ambitious and fun-sounding event.
On a local level, the Boothbay and Boothbay Harbor Committees decided to collaborate on an outdoor event, selecting the Boothbay Common for a location where our presence would be very obvious to our local community. We chose October 3 for the gathering, to be named “Clear Choice – A Rally for Our Democratic Candidates.” As speakers, we proposed candidates Holly Stover and Chloe Maxmin and District Attorney Natasha Irving. To highlight Democratic support and appreciation of our local police, Paula contacted the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office to invite Todd Brackett as a speaker. Because Brackett was unavailable on October 3, he recommended Chief Deputy Rand Maker to represent the Sheriff’s Department.
In order to keep attendance under the CDC maximum of 100, we planned to send personal “Evite” invitations to known Democrats in our region, and to require advance registration. We also felt that this system of invitation would lessen the possibility of being sabotaged by unruly folks who might wish to disrupt a Democratic event.
September 22, 2020: The Boothbay Committee met at Paula Arsenault’s home, socially distanced outside next to the beach, to review the final details for the “Clear Choice” rally. Holly, Chloe, Natasha and Rand had all committed to speaking, and we invited Chris Johnson from LCDC to talk about “Get Out The Vote” initiatives. Musicians were lined up (donating their time), and we made plans to display as many “positive” signs and American flags as we could gather! Some RSVPs had been received, and more Evites were sent; we also decided to advertise the event on the LCDC website a few days before October 3. Lee kept a master check-in list of attendees to ensure that no more than 100 would attend the rally.
Lee reported that she’d invited Boothbay Register reporter Joe Charpentier to cover the rally. She also asked him to write an article about the security of absentee ballots at town offices; he did so with an article that appeared in the Register on September 17.
October 3, 2020: “Clear Choice – A Rally for Our Democratic Candidates.” A beautiful fall day greeted us for our afternoon event on the Boothbay Common, celebrating Democratic candidates and voters in the Boothbay region. About 60 dedicated attendees heard candidates Holly Stover and Chloe Maxmin speak about their accomplishments and the challenges ahead. Natasha Irving and Rand Maker described their efforts to focus on restorative justice, and the cooperation they’ve developed between law enforcement and the court system. Chris Johnson and Paula Arsenault urged Democrats to get out the vote by talking to friends and family members in the weeks leading up to the election. Music in the gazebo entertained all of us, and hundreds of flags and Democratic signs created a festive atmosphere. The event was a great success, especially considering how many community folks had expressed their strong support, but declined to attend because of their avoidance of any kinds of gatherings. The Boothbay Register reported on the rally with many accompanying photos.
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