Recap from January 8 Business Meeting
by Courtney Bruder, CCDC Chair
We are launching a second newsletter showcasing our committees’ hard work. This will include blog post content and recaps of events and will be sent out around the middle of the month. Keep a lookout for all the good work we’re doing and maybe even join some more committees doing work that interests you!
To keep our community informed, we will begin posting updates again regarding what Jon Ossoff is doing.
Thanks to everyone who contributed to the Christmas food drive, we donated 100 lbs of food as well as gifts!
If you’re curious about becoming a candidate, our next Candidate Bootcamp is January 24! Let’s put a Dem on the ticket for each and every race! Nate is now running our Candidate Recruitment committee, so if you or anyone you know is interested, reach out to him.
We have 4 candidates for CD 11: Barry Wolfert, Chris Harden, Ken Korcak, Dale Vines
We have 2 candidates for CD 7: Larry Long, Case Norton
Dumont Walker, candidate for HD 46, spoke about his platform, which focuses on Cost of Living, Affordable Healthcare, and Education Access. If you want to learn more or volunteer for his campaign, check out his website here: https://www.friendsofdumont.com/
Thank you everyone for your tireless efforts. We have a big year ahead of us; let’s show our Republican neighbors just how organized and strong we are.
The Cherokee Democrats have organized 24 active committees covering a range of activities. There is something for everyone. To get involved in this important year, please click HERE to complete a volunteer form to tell us what interests you.
(L-R) Barry Wolfert, Chris Harden, Dale Vines, Case Norton, and Larry Long
Thoughts from the Environment Committee
by Roy Taylor, Environment Committee Chair
As you start the new year, please ponder the meaningful quote of the amazing Carl Sagan as he describes his perspective of our planet.
As you start the new year, please ponder the meaningful quote of the amazing Carl Sagan as he describes his perspective of our planet.
“. . . On [our planet] everyone you love, everyone you know, everyone you ever heard of, every human being who ever was, lived out their lives. The aggregate of our joy and suffering, thousands of confident religions, ideologies, and economic doctrines, every hunter and forager, every hero and coward, every creator and destroyer of civilization, every king and peasant, every young couple in love, every mother and father, hopeful child, inventor and explorer, every teacher of morals, every corrupt politician, every “superstar,” every “supreme leader,” every saint and sinner in the history of our species lived there–on a mote of dust suspended in a sunbeam.
The Earth is a very small stage in a vast cosmic arena. Think of the rivers of blood spilled by all those generals and emperors so that, in glory and triumph, they could become the momentary masters of a fraction of a dot . . . .
Our posturing, our imagined self-importance, the delusion that we have some privileged position in the Universe, are challenged by this point of pale light. Our planet is a lonely speck in the great enveloping cosmic dark. In our obscurity, in all this vastness, there is no hint that help will come from elsewhere to save us from ourselves. The Earth is the only world known so far to harbor life. There is nowhere else, at least in the near future, to which our species could migrate. Visit, yes. Settle, not yet. Like it or not, for the moment the Earth is where we make our stand.
It has been said that astronomy is a humbling and character-building experience. There is perhaps no better demonstration of the folly of human conceits than this distant image of our tiny world. To me, it underscores our responsibility to deal more kindly with one another, and to preserve and cherish the pale blue dot, the only home we’ve ever known.”
— Carl Sagan, Pale Blue Dot, 1994
The Environment Committee is working on a regular series of informational articles for the new Committee Reports Newsletter. We will be covering topics concerning legislation at state and national levels as well as local concerns of the environment where we are living. If you have information that you would like to share or topics you would like us to explore, please reach out to Roy Taylor – Chair of the Environmental Committee at environment@cherokeedemocrats.com.
CCDVets Committee
by Ryan Nellums, Veterans Affairs Committee Chair
The CCDVets Committee closed out the year on a strong note with a highly successful dinner in November that brought together more than 30 attendees in support of veterans in our community. Thanks to the generosity of those who participated, we were able to collect 101 pounds of food along with several gift cards that are now helping to feed veterans and families in need. It was a powerful reminder of what this group can accomplish when we come together with purpose and shared values.
We are also excited to announce new leadership (pictured below) that will help us build on this momentum. Matthew Malhiot, a 20-year military veteran, has joined CCDVets as our new Co-Chair and will be focused on growing the group and expanding our reach. His spouse, Connie Malhiot, is serving as our Director of Veterans Resources. Connie brings deep ties within the community and will play a key role in supporting our initiatives, including food assistance programs and other direct support efforts for veterans.
Looking ahead, we are proud to kick off the new year with our first CCDVets dinner on January 21st. We will be joined by Dumont Walker, who is running for House District 46, as our guest speaker. We hope you’ll join us for an evening of community, conversation, and continued commitment to supporting veterans while strengthening our shared mission.
(L-R) Matthew Malhiot and Connie Malhiot with the 101 lbs of food donated for veterans.
The Joy of Voting Blue
by Julie Glade, Get Out The Vote (GOTV) Chair
It’s tough being the minority party in Cherokee, especially in this chaotic world of upside down.
Yet we know that Georgia can pivot Blue–even in Cherokee. The Public Service Commission (PSC) election was a clear demonstration of what can happen in Cherokee if we all show up — We know that the PSC Dem candidates swept the state, largely because of the Dem turnout in the exurbs and rural counties. These candidates ended up with such large margins that they would have won by 9,000 votes even if we didn’t count the Dem strongholds of Fulton, Dekalb and Gwinnett. This outcome rang true here–in Cherokee alone, the Dem candidates reached 40% of the vote—a remarkable impact on these races. The sort of impact that makes Republican elected officials take notice.
Then Debra Shigley came along and gave Republicans a shock by gaining 44% of the vote in SD 21. Completely unexpected, she edged out a Republican candidate from the Runoff, and cost her opponents’ campaigns hundreds of thousands of dollars. Yeah, they noticed alright.
What comes next? Influence, respect, listening ears. Dare I say, change.
I don’t have to tell anyone what a crucial time this is, or that the 2026 elections may be the last opportunity to save our country. But we must not dwell on the doom. Refrain from hopeless comments like “what’s the use we never win” or “why aren’t the Dems doing something?” And if you hear it, gently remind the speaker that this is voter suppression. Instead, ponder on the joy of the November and December election results, revel in the realization that while we did not win the elections, the increase in vote shares are indeed wins for us.
The GOTV Committee will be working hard this year—we know our efforts made a difference and Cherokee County Dems has been recognized throughout Georgia as being highly organized. Email gotv@cherokeedemocrats.com to get involved with this incredible team!
Service Committee
by Jose Barrera Bales, Service Committee Chair
In the month of December, the Service Committee donated over 100 toys to Our Lady of La Salette Catholic Church. This gesture was deeply appreciated by the parish, and we hope to be able to help again next holiday season! Big thanks to everyone who donated.
Activities Committee
by Jose Barrera Bales, Activites Committee Chair
The Activities Committee made a beautiful float for the yearly “Parade of Lights” in the City of Woodstock. Our float, decorated with a Christmas tree and blue lights, lit up the night. Our Cherokee Dems had a blast handing out candy to the kids and celebrating the season!
