President’s Message

April 2008

I’ve been reading David McCullough’s biography of John Adams, the story of how Adams, Jefferson and others spent years of achingly long hours of work away from their families, suffering snubs by foreign diplomats, to make the United States of America a reality. I am aware that we are the inheritors of all that passion and work of the founding fathers, as we choose those individuals who can best steer our schools and our city through difficult times for the benefit of all our citizens.

The tasks of the founding fathers were monumental, but ours are also challenging.

What direction should Oakland take? Is our crime problem solvable, or intractable? Can we deal with the problem of 3000 to 4000 Oakland students missing school every day? Can the schools create an atmosphere where all students can be motivated to learn and prepare for their futures?

These are hard questions, and we start with the answers right here—on April 17th, you will have the second of two opportunities to hear candidates, ask questions and choose which individuals to endorse for office.

You will have a second important responsibility, too. After we have made our endorsement selections, we need to broadcast our choices to the wider community of Democrats and independents who share Democratic values. We need your help to do that:

Can you walk your neighborhood delivering MGO flyers?

Can you hand out flyers at BART or farmers’ markets?

Can you phone voters to urge them to vote for our picks?

If so, call Judy Cox or Jean Brown to volunteer. Our impact all comes down to you.

Judy Cox, President

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