Christine’s Holiday Wish List
First, thank you all for subscribing to this newsletter, and I hope you and your family have a joyous holiday season!
Second, this newsletter is near and dear to my heart and it’s a work of unpaid love. This holiday season, if you feel moved to show your appreciation for this work, here are some options from my Holiday Wish List:
Donate to Emerge Arkansas - Your contribution today can help Arkansas women step up and sleigh —I mean, slay— in leadership roles!
Become a member of the Democratic Party of Benton County - join now and help us elect Democrats in 2024!
Join the Democratic Party of Arkansas Heart of the Party donation program - the state party has turned the corner and is worthy of your support!
Become a For AR People Change Maker - great opportunity to get your very own “Greetings from Radical Left Arkansas” mug for all your hot beverage needs!
Throw a few dollars at Arkansas Advocate for the stellar reporting they produced this year that is accessible for FREE on the internet and via email. We need this type of publication to succeed in order for Arkansans to get timely and accurate information about their state.
Any way you can support is greatly appreciated! Thanks - Christine
Community Involvement Opportunities
Apply for the 2024 Volunteer New Beacons of Hope Community Leaders Program
Are you – or do you aspire to be – a leader who can make change happen for your family and loved ones, for your community, and ultimately for the country and our shared future? Someone who, with a little guidance and support, can make BIG things happen? If so, then MomsRising wants to partner with you!
The volunteer New Beacons of Hope Community Leaders program will develop your leadership as you mobilize your local community to take action. This leadership development program will create power as participants receive training and other learnings to boost confidence and sharpen their advocacy skills. They join a national network of Super Moms who coordinate with and support each other to directly influence policy making. Application deadline is January 10, 2024.
Municipal Government Awareness
Bella Vista
Next Council Mtng: Monday, Dec. 11 at 5:30 p.m. (2483 Forest Hills Blvd) - Work session
Items of Note:
Multiple vacancies are available to be filled on the following city committees: Arts Council (due Dec. 31), Active Transportation Advisory Board (due Feb. 5), and Tree Advisory Board (due Dec. 20) - apply HERE
Bentonville
Next Council Mtng: Tuesday, Dec. 12 at 6 p.m. (305 SW A St.)
Items of Note:
Read, Worth Sparkman’s reporting in Axios NWA on the “Attainable Housing project set for Bentonville” and OnARwatch reporting, “Bentonville council member calls housing program ‘socialism’”
Coffee with the mayor virtual event discussing city accomplishments from 2023 will be held at 8 a.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 19th; register HERE
Read Alex Golden’s reporting in Axios NWA on “What’s in Bentonville’s 2024 budget”
Cave Springs
Next Council Mtng: Tuesday, Dec. 12 at 6:30 p.m. (134 N. Main St.) - Work Session
Items of Note:
Bidding on the restoration of the city’s community building will be going before the council on the Jan. 23rd meeting; additional details from Mike Jones and NWA Dem Gazz HERE
Centerton
Next Council Mtng: Tuesday, Dec. 12 at 6 p.m. (210 Municipal Dr.)
Items of Note:
City council will consider approving to call a special election to extend the current one cent sales tax for capitol projects
Gravette
Next Council Mtng: Tuesday, Dec. 12 at 5:30 p.m. (202 Main St. NE) - Committee of the Whole
Lowell
Next Council Mtng: Tuesday, Dec. 12 at 6:30 p.m. (216 N. Lincoln St.)
Items of Note:
At this week’s meeting, the council will approve the 2024 budget for the city
Pea Ridge
Next Council Mtng: Tuesday, Dec. 19 at 6 p.m. (911 Weston St.)
Rogers
Next Council Mtng: Tuesday, Dec. 12 at 6 p.m. (301 W. Chestnut)
Items of Note:
Check out the “Working America” exhibit featuring 40 photos (by LA based artist Sam Comen) of American immigrants and first-generation Americans at work at the Rogers Historical Museum (313 S. Second St.) from now - Jan. 7th; read Becca Martin-Brown’s report from NWA Dem Gazz HERE
Siloam Springs
Next Council Mtng: Tuesday, Dec. 19 at 6:30 p.m. (400 N. Broadway)
Springdale
Next Council Mtng: Tuesday, Dec. 12 at 6 p.m. (201 Spring St.)
Items of Note:
This week, Council members will be asked to approve spending a little more than $330k in ARPA funds to go to scholarships for students completing programs through Business & Industry Training Trade School
Congrats to Springdale’s Black Apple Hard Cider for placing fourth in the 2023 U.S. Open Cider Championship
County Government Awareness
Leadership Benton County 2024
Congratulations to the participants selected to participate in the Rogers Lowell Chamber Leadership Benton County program for 2024! See full list HERE.
Benton County Quorum Court
Committee of the Whole - Dec. 12 at 6 p.m.
Quorum Court - Dec. 19 at 6 p.m.
Planning Board - Dec. 20 at 6 p.m.
State Government Awareness
Arkansas Civic Health Index
The recently released, first ever Arkansas Civic Health Index report shows the current status of civic engagement in Arkansas and provides tangible recommendations on how to improve citizen engagement in the state. The report was completed in partnership with the National Conference on Citizenship, a federally chartered nonprofit organization that works with U.S. states and municipalities to publish these reports using special data from the U.S. Census Bureau.
Report Highlights:
Arkansas ranked 51 (out of 51) in voter participating in the 2020 presidential election; only 62% of eligible voters were registered; and only 54% of those registered voted
In 2020, voting & registration rates decreased for white and black residents in comparison to 2016. Black Arkansans had a significant decrease in voting percentage from 58.8% in 2016 to 44.7% in 2020
Arkansas students (age 18-21) voting rate rose from 41% in 2016 to 57% in 2020
94th General Legislative Assembly:
Read Michael R. Wickline’s report on State Rep. David Ray (R-Maumelle) desire to reexamine the rule barring campaign contributions during and a 30 day period before and after regular legislative sessions, HERE. Read the Arkansas Attorney General’s opinion HERE.
Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders - Governor Board Appointments
from State Senator Greg Leding’s newsletter:
This Friday, the Senate Committee on Rules, Resolutions, and Memorials will meet 15 minutes upon adjournment of this week’s Arkansas Legislative Council meeting to consider appointments made by Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders. Among the appointees is former state senator Jason Rapert. Governor Sanders has named him to the Arkansas State Library Board.
Rapert served in the Arkansas Senate from 2011 to 2023 before losing the Republican primary for lieutenant governor in 2022. He’s perhaps best known for his legislation limiting abortion access in Arkansas and is perhaps the person most responsible for our state’s near-total ban on abortion. (The current law, in place since the US Supreme Court overturned Roe in 2022, doesn't even include exceptions for rape, incest, fatal fetal anomalies, or the health of the mother.)
Rapert has made it clear that, if confirmed, he plans to bring the kind of attacks against public libraries and librarians we’ve seen in the legislature to the board of the Arkansas State Library, a body that serves as the “information resource center for state agencies, legislators and legislative staffs; provides guidance and support for the development of local public libraries and provides the resources, services, and leadership necessary to meet the educational, informational and cultural needs of the citizens of Arkansas.”
Those who have opinions about any of the gubernatorial appointees should contact the members of the Rules committee and their own state senator before Friday.
Election Information
Ballot Initiative Updates:
“Arkansas Government Transparency Act” and the “Arkansas Government Transparency Amendment” both from Arkansas Citizens for Transparency have been submitted to the AG; read more about the proposed Act from Tess Vrbin at the Arkansas Advocate HERE and the proposed Amendment from Hunter Field at the Arkansas Advocate HERE
“Arkansas Reproductive Healthcare Amendment” from Steven Nichols and supported by Arkansans for Limited Government (AFLG) was rejected by the Attorney General last week. Read Tess Vrbin at the Arkansas Advocate for the information on the rejection and next steps HERE.
“Arkansas Election Integrity Restoration and Preservation Amendment” and the “Arkansas Absentee Ballot and Absentee Voting Election Integrity and Security Amendment” both from Restore Election Integrity Arkansas were rejected by the Attorney General last week. Read Antoinette Grajeda at the Arkansas Advocate for the information on the rejections HERE. Also note, these “hand-counted paper ballot” initiatives are coming from conspiracies tied to Donald Trump’s claims the 2020 election was stolen.
Political Training Opportunities
Democracy Policy Network
The Democracy Policy Network released three outstanding new policy kits on housing! Links to the information:
Social Housing: On how states can enable and empower the creation of municipally-owned, mixed-income housing developments
Limited Equity Housing Cooperatives: On how states can support the cultivation of affordable, tenant-owned housing developments
Tenant Bill of Rights: On how states can protect tenants, limit evictions, and increase tenant power in landlord-tenant relations
Best Practices Institute (BPI)
This month BPI is launching their first-ever Activate- 2-Win (A2W) Training Series!
A2W is a free 10-month, 10-part course, covering several aspects of grassroots campaigning designed to prepare you for Election Day in November. The first session will start on Tuesday, January 23, 2024. Each session will take place on the 3rd Tuesday of the month at 7PM EST. BPI will be sending out follow-up emails every Wednesday post-training session with all of the materials that were covered and the corresponding quiz.
A2W has a two-part registration:
Complete this form to begin registering for this exciting new program.
Sign-up for the Victory Vault to ensure you can access the training videos.
You must register by Sunday, January 14, 2024!
Odds & Ends
Common Ground AR, the nonpartisan group established in 2021 by former State Senator Jim Hendren (Republican turned Independent) has gone inactive - read Doug Thompson’s report with the NWA Dem Gazz, HERE
Read Al Gaspeny’s report in the NWA Dem Gazz, “A tale of two districts: Bentonville, Austin tackle teacher housing goal in different ways”
Listen to District 3 Podcast episode 223 - “Building a Strong Foundation for Democracy with Will Watson, Political Director of the Democratic Party of Arkansas”
Read The 19th new four-story package investigating the experience of being pregnant in modern-day post Roe America HERE