Howdy! I'm Mark Van Akkeren, your new Political Committee chair. First, a big THANK YOU to Duncan LeBlond for his excellent stewardship of this committee over the past couple of years—and best wishes to him as he continues his advocacy work in Georgia!
We've been busy making our environmental voice heard in local politics. Recently, we successfully engaged in the Senate District 17 vacancy committee process, where we endorsed Katie Wallace. Katie was eventually selected to fill the seat, and we've had several productive follow-up conversations with her about the coming year. The prospects look encouraging.
We're also focused on strengthening our political infrastructure by rebuilding the Small Donor Committee and revitalizing the Independent Expenditure Committee. Both of these efforts will position us to play a more impactful role in state and local elections, as well as the crucial Democratic primaries next June.
I'll continue updating you on our Political Committee's work through the chapter newsletter, but as our activities ramp up, expect more frequent communications. To make sure you receive those timely updates, please sign up HERE.
Looking forward to a productive year ahead!