Dear DMOs, Partners, and Friends,

This has been an incredible year for the Board and staff at Democratic Municipal Officials. I first wrote to you as I took the helm of DMO earlier this year, and today I am more excited than ever to lead our organization forward. This has been a year of new direction, growth, and greater engagement, and 2019 promises to be even better.

A mural of Trump hangs in a child detention center, with a quote from The Art of the Deal.

Democratic Municipal Officials (DMO) condemns President Trump’s termination of President Obama’s DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) program.

We call upon Congress to swiftly approve a clean bipartisan bill restoring the DACA program. We encourage our members to contact your members of Congress to advocate for this position.

We encourage our DMO members and other Democratic leaders around America to introduce to the public and local media willing members of your communities who are beneficiaries of the DACA program, and who as a result are able to be productive, contributing, and valued members of your communities.

-

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Dan Besse
Tel: 336-760-4678
Email: Dan.Besse@nationaldmo.org

DMO STATEMENT IN RESPONSE TO THE EVENTS IN CHARLOTTESVILLE AND CONTINUING SUBSEQUENT REPERCUSSIONS

Chicago, IL, August 18, 2017 –

It is time for all Americans, regardless of party or region, to come together in support of unity and equality for all.

The killing and violence in Charlottesville were the acts and responsibility of adherents of the old, ugly plague of white supremacy.  We cannot accept or tolerate false moral equivalencies that blame victims of white supremacy for the violence perpetrated against them. 

Cities, towns, and counties represent the level of government closest to the people in a democracy.  They serve as laboratories of public innovation, operating at the forefront of public policy-making that establishes minimum standards of protections and social progress for residents.  They often deal with localized problems that require uniquely tailored solutions or an urgent community response.  In order to serve the needs of the public in a democracy, local governments must have the authority to innovate, the power to address urgent problems and the license to act on a wide range of economic, health, safety and social issues on behalf of the citizens of their communities and should not be preempted or unreasonably interfered with by state governments. 

DMO recognizes that America is a land of immigrants and an increasingly diverse nation which draws strength from that diversity.

America at our best and strongest has always been a welcoming nation which takes pride in serving and protecting all our citizens and residents regardless of race, religion, national origin, or ethnicity.

Voting rights are the fundamental building blocks of democracy.  Without the protected right to vote freely and without threat of intimidation, there can be no democratic system.  To be meaningful, election systems must also guarantee fair and convenient access to register and vote for all those eligible, without regard to economic status or disabilities.