President’s Annual Report
2010- 2011
At the Annual May Membership Meeting, as president I give a brief summary of our activities for the year. Tonight, we are delighted to have Supervisor Don Horsley as our guest speaker. He was with us last year as part of our candidate forum, campaigning in a close election with several other strong Democrats. We are pleased to welcome him back as Supervisor for the Third District, San Mateo County Board of Supervisors, and to hear about the issues that he is dealing with and what is on the agenda for the future.
Meeting face to face with our elected officials is one of the important things the Club does. This past September, Congresswoman Anna Eshoo joined us at our campaign kick-off event at the HMB Brewery. This spring we co-hosted a candidate forum for the Supervisor race for the First District with Pacifica Democrats and encouraged everyone to attend the MCC-League of Women Voters debate in Moss Beach. We congratulate Dave Pine, a club member, as our newest Supervisor. Many club members were involved in that campaign.
This past year we endorsed Measure E, the parcel tax to support the schools, and many of us phone banked, put out yard signs, and helped raise money. We also endorsed School Board members Fraya McCamant and Kirk Riemer. For November, we endorsed the state-wide ticket and propositions, provided buttons, bumper stickers, yard signs, and phone banked. We also produced a one page endorsement flyer to pass out at Pumpkin Festival, have on our web page, and generally made available for get-out-the vote efforts. This flyer is one of the items most requested come election day.
We continued our Voter Registration efforts at Dreams Machines, Farmers’ Market, and Pumpkin Festival, registering about 200 voters this year and over 2,000 in the past four years. We also continued our community outreach with Coastside Hope, adopting a family and volunteering with the holiday program.
I am now an elected delegate to the San Mateo Democratic Central Committee, with April Vargas and Deborah Lardie as my alternates. I was not able to go to the State Convention this year, but two of our members did attend, John Lynch and Margo Manly. We held a board planning retreat in the fall and conducted a follow-up survey of the members. This event tonight and what you are going to hear about for our upcoming calendar reflects what many of you recommended. Thank you to the current board and all of you who have volunteered your time and money this year. We have a lot to do for 2012 and we are counting on your continued support.
Brigid O’Farrell, President