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June Newsletter Volume 18 Number 5
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Find out more about these and other events by visiting the Calendar on our website.
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June 5–7 – KC PrideFest 2026
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Theis Park 4701 Oak Street, Kansas City.
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June 8 – Platte County Democratic Women’s Club
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6:30 pm, Platte City Library, 2702 NW Prairie View Rd, Platte City. Featuring: Pam May, candidate for State Senate District 34; Josh Smead, candidate for Congressional District 6; and Jacoby Wynkoop, candidate for State House District 13.
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June 9 – WDC (Women’s Democratic Coalition for Northern Platte County)
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7:00 pm, American Bowman, 500 Welk Street, Weston.
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June 11 – Platte County Democratic Women’s Trivia Night
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6:00 pm, Platte Woods Pizza Shop, 7678 NW Prairie View Rd, Kansas City. $20.00 per person includes pizza and soft drink. Come alone or bring a team.
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June 13 – Voter Registration Training & Canvassing
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10:00 am, Green Hills Library, 8581 N Green Hills Rd. Come alone or bring a friend. Signup.
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June 16 – Northland Democratic Club
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6:30 pm, Clay County Democratic Headquarters 5526 N Antioch Rd.
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June 18 – Platte County Democratic Central Committee
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6:00 pm, Platte City Library, 2702 NW Prairie View Rd, Platte City.
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June 24 – Community Talk: Amendments on the August 4 Ballot
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6:00 pm, Platte City Library, 2702 NW Prairie View Rd, Platte City. Featured speaker: MO House Minority Leader, Rep. Ashley Aune.
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July 4 – Parkville Parade Celebrating America’s 250th Birthday
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9:15 am, meet on NW 63rd St west of Price Chopper to help decorate and march with us.
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Turnout is Essential in the August 4 Primary
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Gov. Mike Kehoe recently announced that two proposed constitutional amendments will be on the August ballot. These measures amount to a one-two punch against regular citizens’ power and their pocketbooks. Amendment 4 would limit the influence of citizens on how Missouri is governed. Amendment 5, the “tax everything” amendment would shift the tax burden from high-income to low-income residents. Vote NO on both!
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Amendment 4 would change the citizen initiative process in a way that would make it nearly impossible for citizens to successfully use the 100-year-old initiative process. In recent years, initiative petitions have allowed voters to overturn an abortion ban, raise the minimum wage, legalize marijuana, limit tax increases, expand Medicaid and legalize sports betting. None of these would have been possible if Amendment 4 had been in place. VOTE NO
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Amendment 5 – Eliminating the income tax sounds good until you realize that relying on sales taxes is the most regressive tax system available. Most of income taxes are paid by high income residents. Sales taxes are paid by everyone. To make up for lost revenue, sales taxes would have to be applied to many things that are currently exempt: groceries, day care, legal services, dentists, doctor visits, prescriptions, barber shops and beauty parlors. The reduction in revenue would starve essential services like public education and health care, putting urban as well as rural hospitals at risk and eliminating Medicare Expansion because funding would not be available. VOTE NO
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Also on the August Ballot
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Amendment 1 – Renews the one-tenth-cent sales tax that funds state parks, historic sites, and soil conservation. This is not a new tax.
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Amendment 2 – Direct election of county assessors. Requires counties to elect their assessor instead of allowing charter counties to appoint a trained professional. Platte County is not a Charter County. This amendment would have no effect in Platte County.
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Amendment 3 – which would make abortion illegal again – will be on the November Ballot.
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July 8 – voter registration deadline
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July 21 – early voting begins in person at Platte County Board of Elections, 2600 Prairie View Road, Platte City, MO. 8:00 am to 5:00 pm Monday through Friday.
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August 4 – Primary Election Day
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Ever since MAGA unleashed it’s firehose of hate and destruction, Democrats have been asking “what will it take to get these otherwise decent people to see beyond FOX News and the President’s tweets” to understand what is actually happening and begin to imagine a better future – one where there is room to listen, to compromise, and to work together toward a better tomorrow.
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We may have reached that pivotal moment as mainstream Republicans finally said ENOUGH and went home early for the Memorial Day Holiday without addressing the administration’s current imperatives:
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- Its push for a $1.8 billion-dollar retribution fund to pay off Jan 6ers and other cronies
- the $70 billion addition to the $170 billion already approved for masked ICE agents to terrorize blue cities and disrupt polling places
- the $400 billion for the completely unnecessary ballroom with its additional billion for underground and above ground security enhancements.
- $100 Million for the Independence Arch celebrating the return of imperialism (?) while the president imagines winning quickly in Iran, taking over Cuba, Greenland, or maybe Canada and the Panama Canal…
- Also on the administration’s wish list is permanent immunity for the first family from IRS audits (and prosecution) while the rest of us struggle to pay our bills. (No one is talking about reducing our taxes.)
- Maybe it was turning the reflection pool into a mock (no swimming allowed) swimming pool or the mid-decade gerrymandering to rig the mid-term election. All in the shadow of the East Wing’s rubble, and the cemented-over rose garden.
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Whatever it was that pushed Republicans over the edge, Democrats need to move beyond the horrors. We do not need to play the blame game. We know where credit is due. What the world needs now is ideas we can advocate for and politicians who are willing and able to implement positive changes. We need investments that will give our children a future. We need to rebuild and defend our democracy. The founders were right to fear tyranny. We do not want or need a strong man to protect us.
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We do need every bit of imagination to encourage us, to inspire us, to guide us toward the better world we want for our friends, family, colleagues and teammates, for our city, state, county and country. Don’t let anyone tell you your talent doesn’t matter. We need you to use your art, music, writing, wit, your voice and your presence to express what many are feeling in these dangerous times. We all need to speak up and show up! We need you to help us find our way to a better world.
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Platte County Democratic Central Committee
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The Platte County Democratic Central Committee met on May 21 at the Green Hills Library. Rene McCreary, chair of the events committee, reported that the early May fund raiser, Music and Mimosas, was a great success. More people attended than at previous events. Rene thanked everyone who helped make this a memorable event with special thanks to Melissa Hickman and band for providing the music.
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Cindy Conser and Jackie Older-Hefner provided a presentation on work toward finding Precinct Captains for Platte County’s 45 precincts. A map of precincts and description of the responsibilities were provided. The most important aspect of this initiative is to break down the responsibility for organizing into neighborhood-based areas and to seek volunteers in each of those areas to help get information out and volunteers into each precinct.
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Chair Peter Coyne reported that the search for a Platte County Democratic Election Headquarters continues. The June 18th Meeting will be at the Midcontinent Library – Platte City Branch, 2702 Prairie View Road, Platte City, MO.
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Northland Democratic Club
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The Northland Democratic Club met on May 19 at Clay County Democratic Central Committee Headquarters. Candidate presentations were made by Amy Minich, candidate for Missouri House District 8; Pam May, candidate for MO Senate District 34; Tracey Steele, candidate for MO House District 12, and Hans Peter, candidate for Platte County Clerk.
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Also in attendance were candidates Dan Kinate (MO House District 16), Dustin Lloyd (MO House District 39), and Tiffany Moore (KCMO City Council District 6 At-Large, April 2027).
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Missouri House of Representatives
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Missouri Senate District 34
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U.S. Congressional District 6
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Wes Rogers for KC Mayor Campaign Kickoff. 5:00 pm, June 4, Boone Theater, 1701 East 18th Street, Kansas City.
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Candidate Meet & Greet. 6:00 pm, June 5, Main Street Grill & Bar, 203 Main St, Dearborn. Jacoby Wynkoop, Shereka Barnes, Josh Smead, LaTonya Williams.
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Coffee with the Candidate (Shereka Barnes). 9:00 am, June 6, The Cozy Hollow, 519 Mainstreet Unit G, Weston.
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Shereka Barnes Canvass Kick-off. June 7.
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Pam May Dollar-Match Fundraiser. Ends June 30.
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