What an exciting time to be a Geauga Democrat!

You can be proud of your Party’s accomplishments…we’ve supported and elected local, county, state and national candidates, tripled the number of precincts represented by enthusiastic democratic precinct leaders, put up an interactive web site that has received half a million hits in the last twelve months, maintained our own voter data base, staffed a permanent headquarters in the heart of Geauga and marched with our smiling donkey all over the County. 

In short, we've been able to create an effective presence in a traditionally RED county but only because of your support. The combination of funding from our Platinum members and the thousands of hours invested by our volunteers give us the staying power to elect candidates that share your values. And with your help, all of our activities will continue.

If you were a Platinum member last year please sign up now for 2010. If you were a sustaining member last year consider upgrading to a Platinum membership. This year’s Platinum membership is the same cost as last year’s… $500 and you can make that investment right now on our Party’s website in less than a minute. Go to https://secure.blueutopia.com/geaugadems/contribute/ and charge your 2010 Platinum membership to a credit card. Your membership will give us the ability to continue to influence elections at all levels.

Just last fall we elected three new Democrats to local office.  In 2008 we helped to elect President Obama with the use of our headquarters and volunteers. In 2007 we helped to elect Governor Ted Strickland with a 57% margin from Geauga voters. This didn't happen by accident. We held the second fund raiser in the state for then candidate Ted Strickland in June of 2005, a full 15 months before the election. 

A few years later Ted confided that he wasn't sure how he would be received by Democrats in Northern Ohio at that point in the campaign but when he saw over 150 Geauga Democrats give him a standing ovation as he entered our event he got his answer. The local Party plays a vital role in supporting officeholders at all levels and with your help we'll continue that role.

Of course, your 2010 Platinum membership has other benefits as well! You’ll get entry to the Annual Event, our Steak Roast, Dinner at the Golf Outing, two Private Receptions where we meet and greet keynote speakers and the Holiday Party.  

It will be difficult to top past events but we’re sure trying hard.

Governor Ted Strickland was mobbed by the largest crowd our Party has ever assembled in 2007 and the private reception at Kathy Leavenworth’s beautiful home was a huge success. It was a dream come true to have a sitting Governor like Ted Strickland visit our County. 

We've also hosted Ohio Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner, Lt. Governor Lee Fisher, Attorney General Richard Cordray, Hamilton County Commissioner David Pepper, State Representative Mark Schneider, our own Judge Bill O'Neill, Judge Mary Jane Trapp and Sheriff Dan McClellan. 

We must elect all of our candidates this fall but especially the Governor, Secretary of State and Auditor positions. Those officeholders sit on the Apportionment Board which draws the various state legislative districts for the next ten years. 

The Republicans gerrymandered those boundaries so unfairly in 1991 that Ohio ended up with 21 Republican State Senators and 12 Democratic State Senators even though the total votes for all Republican and Democratic State Senator candidates  were about equal.  With your help this won't happen again.     

Go to  https://secure.blueutopia.com/geaugadems/contribute/ to sign up for the Platinum membership. As a Platinum member you get special seating and special recognition at all our events, on the membership board at the headquarters and on our website.  

The Platinum Membership is a good value because it gives you entry to four events, two receptions and automatically makes you a member of the Geauga Democratic Club.  It's a great value because you’ll be making an investment that has implications far beyond Geauga County.  

You can pay in a lump sum or stretch payments over three or six months. If you are paying over a three month period you would enter $166.66 and choose the three month option on the link noted above. If you were paying over a six month period enter in $83.33 and choose the six month option. 

Although, our donation page doesn’t have a place to indicate that your contribution is specifically for the Platinum membership we monitor and control the site daily and we will assign the correct benefits to your membership. Last year, we had more than 30 Platinum members so it's an elite group. Click here to see who is already signed up for 2010.  

The membership is the main way we fund the Party to elect local, state and national candidates. We are one of the very few small population counties to maintain a permanent headquarters. The Obama campaign was able to take advantage of that and run their Geauga phone bank and volunteers from our headquarters which helped them hit the ground running instead of spending time setting up a new headquarters in Geauga. 

That was an exciting time. It's hard to believe but 2010 will be even more important for Ohio than 2006 or 2008. We’ve struggled too hard and come too far to lose the gains we’ve made. If we allow the Republicans to unfairly gerrymander the boundaries again it's the people of Ohio that lose. 

We need your help and support. Join your fellow democrats and sign up today to be a Platinum Member of the Geauga Democratic Party….we need you and CANNOT win without you!

https://secure.blueutopia.com/geaugadems/contribute/