Colin Lawrence
This is the year where I feel a strong commitment to formally participate in the Democratic Party. I’m always busy blogging on political and economic issues through my social networks but given what has happened in this past year, I feel that democracy is under threat. I was a university professor at Columbia University (graduate school of business) and hold a doctorate in economics from the University of Chicago. Barak Obama’s new home ! I am filled with ideas and deep experience and would like to be part of the Democratic effort to ensure the Dems stay in control of the House and Senate in 2022. Indeed I consider these aspirations as critical for the existential survival of democracy in the USA and indeed western civilisation.
There must never ever be a Donald elected as president again. In the UK we have seen the rise of populism and economic nationalism. Likewise in multiple European states. What can we do to leverage US clout to influence the Uk ? Already president elect Biden has made the UK back off its threat to undermine the Good Friday agreement!
So the question I ask is what can we do together to galvanise democrats abroad to vote especially in red states or red districts in blue states? Snd influence policy in the uk.
Keen to be part of the solution.
I am a NY voter and live in London.
John Lindsay
Democrats Abroad UK has undergone an incredible period of growth, culminating in our record-setting year for voter turnout, media engagement, and awareness raising in 2020. We have a strong foundation as we head into critical midterm elections in 2022, and I want to help us double down on our successes and move forward together.
As Vice Chair of DAUK, I plan to:
- Welcome diverse perspectives from the wide spectrum of our membership and make their concerns heard by the Executive Committee through frequent outreach and consultation with activists, caucuses, and other groups.
- Examine methods to improve and streamline our communications. Starting with a full-scale review of our communications plan, and working with our dedicated team to improve and scale the communications strategy, we will meet the needs of our global presence. This exercise would include collaborating with existing communications leaders across Democrats Abroad International (DA).
- Expand engagement with members through continued virtual Town Halls, enabling greater participation from across the UK.
- Work closely with our Get-Out-The-Vote team to provide committed resources and sufficient publicity to achieve our most essential purpose as DAUK.
- Establish a standing fundraising committee to fiscally support DAUK’s efforts while deepening ties to DA’s worldwide fundraising efforts.
The Vice Chair position provides an opportunity to work internally, by supporting members and volunteers across the UK, and externally, by reaching out to the wider public about the issues that matter to us most. Like the other members of Team Nicole, I have had the opportunity to support DAUK in both capacities, including:
- Serving as a spokesperson for DAUK on major radio and television outlets, including BBC radio, the Daily Mail, and Arise Media.
- Co-Chairing the Oxford chapter’s voter registration drive.
- Serving as a member of the Call the World fundraising team, which raised over $25,000 to support Democrats Abroad’s phone-banking efforts and GOTV around the world.
- Co-authoring the DA Platform Planks on Foreign Policy and Trade.
- Organizing events with DA on climate change and voter registration, including a discussion with Rep. Paul Tonko (D-NY).
Beyond my activities with DAUK, I bring a decade of political organizing, fundraising, and policy experience supporting progressive candidates and causes in the U.S. Recently, I served as a member of the foreign policy team for both Secretary Buttigieg and President Biden’s Presidential campaigns, and as a consultant to several progressive policy organizations. I also bring the experience of growing up in upstate New York, in an area that overwhelmingly supported Donald Trump, and the skills to successfully advocate to these communities – including union homes like mine.
DAUK is central to my community here in the UK, and I look forward to helping it grow, as either Vice Chair, an Executive Committee member, or DPCA representative. I hope you will join me in moving DAUK forward, by casting your vote for the members of Team Nicole – Nicole Belanger Satullo, Dr. Caroline Ruchonnet and Monica Tanouye. For more information, please visit www.TeamNicole21.com
Brett McHargue
My name is Brett McHargue and I am asking for your vote for Vice Chair of Democrats Abroad UK. Moving here from Texas in 2000, I joined Democrats Abroad almost immediately and involved myself whenever possible, from the early days of the Policy Network to the recent website launch.
After the 2016 election, shocked by the direction my country had taken, I knew more direct action was needed. I became a DPCA Voting Representative for DAUK. I attended the global and EMEA conventions in Washington DC and online. As an elections clerk I established the vote counting procedures for our first online convention. And as a software/web developer, I pushed for improving our online presence, in the UK and globally.
I now wish to serve as Vice Chair to continue that work within the UK and with our partners in the global community.
For those I have not met, I am a freelance software developer. From my university days forward, I have applied my technical knowledge and team building skills for progressive politics.
But technology has always been the means, never the goal. Some of the principles I follow as a software developer, I also follow in my political work. Most importantly “individuals and interactions over processes and tools”. We work best when we work together, open and transparently.
For the 2020 elections, with the monumental effort of a team of volunteers, I spearheaded the new DAUK website. A central source of up-to-date information, accessible by all of DAUK’s groups and caucuses has long been discussed. I was warned of the difficulties I might face with an eclectic group of volunteers. But I believe strongly that if you provide a team with a strong mission, thoughtful planning, and the right tools, then amazing things can happen. I hope the
end product speaks for itself – and it is just the beginning.
For our EMEA Convention I installed an online forum and video conference area for the sharing of ideas and policy discussion, as well as candidate delegate meetups. I later implemented a similar setup for Vote From Abroad Champions. The main goal in all my efforts has been to provide transparency and accessibility in our work as volunteers.
As the elections clerk for the conventions, I established the procedures needed to ensure a smooth election, working closely with DA members from Sweden, Germany, Israel and Luxembourg. I plan to continue building bridges with them all.
As Vice Chair I want to ensure that all our volunteers have what is needed to succeed in our mission. If you are a DAUK member, please do consider me for your vote. Together we can grow an unstoppable coalition and do the amazing. Let’s go do it!
Twitter/Instagram: @brettshane
Email: [email protected]
Caroline Rowland
As a former Democratic congressional staffer, and campaign staffer, I have given my heart and soul to helping to elect strong Democrats and further democratic policies. When working for the Florida Democrats in 2018 I saw firsthand the importance of the work Democrats Abroad does as they helped to elect my former boss in an election that was decided by 6,000 votes out of 8 million. My experience in campaigns and working on Capitol Hill make me an excellent candidate to serve as a voting member and as a member of the council. As a mother, someone who has given birth in both the US and the UK, I have a strong passion to help see that health care is reformed and we can only do that by securing more Democratic victories at the state level in 2022. I would be honored to serve in Democrats Abroad.
