Action In Montgomery

AIM Action - March 9, 2006

AIM Blogger — Sun, 10 Dec 2006 14:57:00 +0000

722 AIM members from throughout the county came to Woodside United Methodist Church to present AIM’s 2006 issues to candidates for county council and county executive. These issues are:

Affordable Housing

Build 1000 affordable & work force housing units on public land by 2009.
Increase affordable & work force housing units to 25% of all new projects, and condo conversions with 30 or more units, where density increases are permitted.

Immigration

Open a full service USCIS immigration office in Montgomery County

Education: “College Bound”

Scholarships for all students who cannot afford college and have a 90% or greater attendance rate.
All high schools will have one “College Bound” counselor whose sole job it is to encourage and help students get into college.

Community Centers

$200 million to create top flight, modernized, fully staffed community centers for immigrants, youth & seniors.

Pedestrian Safety

Fix pedestrian safety concerns identified by AIM congregations.
Twenty two of the candidates for county council and County Executive came to the Action, and each committed to meet with AIM to discuss the agenda items at Candidate Nights in May and June.

The same evening Lieutenant Governor Steele and U.S. Representative Chris Van Hollen spoke and committed to insuring a USCIS Immigration Center would be built in Montgomery County. Steele promised to work with the Republican leadership of the Senate to make sure funding for the new center would pass and to set up a meeting with AIM leaders and Homeland Security.

Newspaper articles on this Action include:
Washington Post, 3/16/06
Important Faces in the AIM Crowd

Gazette, 3/15/06
Faith-based group challenges candidates to back its social, housing agenda

AIM Accountability Action - August 31, 2006

AIM Blogger — Tue, 12 Dec 2006 02:16:00 +0000

Over 600 AIM leaders came to show 29 candidates for County Executive and County Council their support for the AIM agenda and to ask each candidate to publicly commit to each agenda item.

All five candidates for County Executive came and each spoke for two minutes to state where they stand on AIM’s Issues. AIM leaders then broke into smaller groups to hear from the county council candidates whose responses were reported to the full AIM audience. Nearly every County Council and County Executive candidate said yes to our five issues including Affordable Housing, Immigration, College Bound, Community Centers and Pedestrian Safety.

Pastor Rebecca Brillhart of Sligo Seventh-day Adventist Church gave the Call to Action urging AIM members to hold politicians accountable by getting out the vote in low-voting Montgomery County precincts. At the end of the evening, the congregations took quotas to turn out 100 AIM members to knock on doors to get out the vote, and 100 AIM members to call people in two precincts in Gaithersburg and Burtonsville where AIM is focusing its Get Out The Vote efforts.

Articles on this Action:

Washington Post, 9/7/06

Forum Draws Candidates

El Preganero, 9/7/06
Vecinos definen sus necesidades a candidates

Gaithersburg Affordable Housing Action - October 3

AIM Blogger — Wed, 13 Dec 2006 02:28:00 +0000

Sixty-nine AIM members gathered for a press conference and City Council hearing, urging Gaithersburg City Council Members to adopt an affordable housing policy to require 12.5% affordable and 12.5 % workforce housing. The City Council decided instead to move forward with a proposal to require only 7.5% affordable and 7.5% workforce housing and leave out all of “Olde Town” Gaithersburg which currently has over 1100 affordable housing rental units.

Small Victory: AIM was able to work with Gaithersburg City to ensure that 15% of all new rental units will be affordable. Beforehand, the city had no rental set asides in their affordable housing policy.

These results do not sit well with AIM leaders and AIM Gaithersburg Congregations are now organizing as a group. Gaithersburg AIM members and tenants from 7 different units met on 11/28/06 for the first time. If you want to learn more about tenant organizing in Gaithersburg or possible 2007 Gaithersburg election plans, please contact AIM.

Articles on this Action:
Washington Post, 10/25/06

Affording GaithersburgResidents Divided Over Proposal for Moderate-Income Housing

GOTV - September 12, 2006

AIM Blogger — Wed, 13 Dec 2006 02:19:00 +0000

60 AIM members spent the day and evening in Gaithersburg knocking on doors, giving people rides to the polls and calling registered voters in one precinct in Gaithersburg.

In AIM’s targeted precinct, voter turn-out was increased by 28% compared to the other low-voting precincts (precincts with less than 25% turn-out in the 2002 primary election) in Gaithersburg.

Fifteen minutes before the polls closed, Rosa Melara from Our Lady of Lourdes knocked on the door of an 18-year-old woman who had never voted before. AIM gave her a ride to the polls and she voted for the first time.

August and September Get Out The Voe

AIM Blogger — Wed, 13 Dec 2006 02:09:00 +0000

For the last few weeks before the election, AIM leaders knocked on doors in two low-voting precincts and in the neighborhoods around their congregations. In addition, 109 people called residents of the precincts to urge them to vote on Sept. 12, 2006.

The Examiner covered our Get Out The Vote efforts:

Examiner, 9/11/06
Religious Group Works to Boost Voter Turn-out
http://www.examiner.com/printa-277087~Religious_group_works_to_boost_voter_turnout.html

Action Prep

Russ — Wed, 08 Mar 2006 21:08:00 +0000

Key AIM leaders gathered last night at Woodside United Methodist Church in Silver Spring to make the final preparations for tomorrow's major action.

Research action teams reported on the final drafts of their issue campaigns to be proposed at the action. Other leaders updated those present on the status of discussions with elected officials and various candidates who are expected to attend the action. Alisa Glassman, Lead Organizer of AIM (pictured above) then ran through the planning team's agenda for the action, which was given final approval by those in attendance.

The group then moved to the church's sanctuary to physically run through the action (pictured at left). The group critiqued each speaker after they rehearsed their piece from the podium, and then offered constructive feedback. Floor team leaders and AIM staff noted key points and made the final logistical plans necessary for the event to run smoothly.

We're ready! Hope to see you tomorrow night, at 7:15pm sharp!

Putting the "Action" in Action In Montgomery

Russ — Tue, 07 Mar 2006 21:54:00 +0000

710 AIM leaders are scheduled to attend a major action this Thursday, March 9 (7:15-9:00pm sharp!), at Woodside United Methodist Church in Silver Spring. There they will announce and ratify AIM's new 2006 Issue Agenda, and launch a massive, non-partisan get-out-the-vote effort targeting the upcoming county elections. Numerous elected officials and candidates are also expected to attend.

Contact the AIM office for further details.

AIM in the News - Affordable Housing

AIM Blogger — Sun, 05 Mar 2006 21:05:00 +0000

Russ Louch, AIM Co-Chair, was quoted in today's Washington Times as staff writer Jon Ward reported on the unmet need for affordable housing in a brief article. Ward focuses on the county's Moderately-Priced Dwelling Unit (MPDU) program that requires 12.5% of new developments to be "affordable," but exempts developments of less than 20 units.

To expand on Louch's comment, AIM believes the MPDU program was an innovative, cutting-edge program for its time, and congratulates the Montgomery County government for its implementation. Unfortunately, the program is no longer sufficient to meet the housing needs of our communities. That is why AIM has previously proposed the building of an additional 1000 affordable and workforce homes on surplus county land. That proposal received broad support from the county's top officials.

AIM will continue its work to address the critical affordable housing need in Montgomery County. In fact, AIM plans to announce a new housing proposal this coming Thursday. Stay tuned....

Where Will You Take Us?

Russ — Mon, 06 Mar 2006 20:51:00 +0000

A week ago last Friday, in an ongoing effort to recruit talented young organizers, IAF East staff held a workshop for individuals interested in pursuing an organizing career. Over 45 potential organizers attended this much anticipated event.

If AIM-style community organizing sounds intriguing to you, check out this new brochure (pdf) produced by IAF East.

Countywide Action Team Meeting

Russ — Fri, 10 Feb 2006 16:53:00 +0000

Over 80 AIM leaders attended last night's countywide action team meeting at Kehilat Shalom in Gaithersburg. We briefly discussed our ongoing Ad Book Campaign, but the majority of the evening was devoted to our evolving 2006 issue agenda. The potential issues being discussed were each an outgrowth of hundreds of individual and small group meetings AIM leaders held throughout the county over the past few months. Research action teams were formed late last year to explore these areas. Last night, leaders from each research action team made brief presentations on their findings.

We then broke out into smaller groups for more detailed discussions of each issue area.

Our final issue platform is still being worked out, but the issue areas under discussion last night were: community centers, education, housing, health care, immigration, and pedestrian safety.

AIM will announce its new issue agenda at a major action at Woodside United Methodist Church in Silver Spring on March 9. Our congregations have committed to bring 710 leaders to the action, which will also be attended by numerous public officials and candidates for office.

Photo credits: Rabbi Mark Raphael, Kehilat Shalom/AIM

Calendar Update - 2/3/2006

Russ — Fri, 03 Feb 2006 22:18:00 +0000

1/15-2/24
Annual AIM Ad Book Campaign
Contact: Linda Culbertson or Harvey Lerner.

2/9 (7:30-9:00pm)
AIM Countywide Action Team Meeting
Core teams from each member congregation are expected to attend; location: Kehilat Shalom (Montgomery Village); contact: Alisa Glassman or Russ Louch.

2/16 (7:30-9:00pm)
AIM Strategy Team Meeting
All members of the Strategy Team are expected to attend; location: Cedar Lane Unitarian Universalist Church; contact: Russ Louch.

2/24-2/25
IAF-East Organizing Careers Workshop
Training and orientation for individuals interested in exploring a possible career as an organizer with the IAF (contact the AIM office for details and application); contact: Alisa Glassman.

3/8-3/15
IAF National Training
In-depth training in broad-based community organizing taught by experienced IAF organizers and national staff; qualified AIM leaders are welcome to attend (contact the AIM office for details); location: Maritime Institute (near BWI airport); contact: Alisa Glassman.

3/9 (7:30-9:00pm)
AIM Action!
We expect a major turnout (each AIM congregation has already agreed to a specific quota); many elected officials, candidates for office, the media and other guests are also expected to attend; AIM will launch its new 2006 Issue Agenda; location: to be determined; contact: Alisa Glassman or Russ Louch.

Hope, Support for Job Seekers

Russ — Tue, 24 Jan 2006 21:10:00 +0000

St. Rose of Lima Catholic Parish, a founding member of AIM, was mentioned in the Washington Post this past Sunday. The article, "Keeping the Faith When Looking for Work," offers a look at the growing number of faith-based job support groups in the area. St. Rose, in Gaithersburg, hosts the New Hope Job Search Support Group twice a month as a service to not just parishioners but the larger community as well.

Thanks to Dushaw for the link.

Calendar Update - 1/23/2006

AIM Blogger — Tue, 24 Jan 2006 07:36:00 +0000

1/15-2/24
Annual AIM Ad Book Campaign
Contact: Linda Culbertson or Harvey Lerner.

1/24 (7:30-9:00pm)
Ad Book Campaign - SCI Team Meeting
All Ad Book Team members expected to attend; location: Cedar Lane Unitarian Universalist Church (Bethesda); contact: Harvey Lerner.

2/9 (7:30-9:00pm)
AIM Countywide Action Team Meeting
Core teams from each member congregation are expected to attend; location: Kehilat Shalom (Montgomery Village); contact: Alisa Glassman or Russ Louch.

2/15 (7:30-9:00pm)
AIM Strategy Team Meeting
All members of the Strategy Team are expected to attend; location: AIM Office; contact: Russ Louch.

2/24-2/25
IAF-East Organizing Careers Workshop
Training and orientation for individuals interested in exploring a possible career as an organizer with the IAF (contact the AIM office for details and application); contact: Alisa Glassman.

3/8-3/15
IAF National Training
In-depth training in broad-based community organizing taught by experienced IAF organizers and national staff; qualified AIM leaders are welcome to attend (contact the AIM office for details); location: Maritime Institute (near BWI airport); contact: Alisa Glassman.

3/9 (7:30-9:00pm)
AIM Action!
We expect a major turnout (each AIM congregation has already agreed to a specific quota); many elected officials, candidates for office, the media and other guests are also expected to attend; AIM will launch its new 2006 Issue Agenda; location: to be determined; contact: Alisa Glassman or Russ Louch.

Community Support

AIM Blogger — Fri, 20 Jan 2006 13:29:00 +0000

This week AIM launched its annual Ad Book Campaign, an opportunity for the larger community to help support the work we do to make Montgomery County a better place to live for all of us.

AIM has three primary funding sources:
- Our core operating budget is funded by the dues our member congregations pay to the organization.
- We receive additional funding in the form of grants provided by local, regional and national foundations.
- And finally, we produce an annual Ad Book.

The Ad Book is basically a yearbook that outlines AIM's work and successes of the previous twelve months. Members of the larger community (individuals, other organizations and businesses) are able to purchase ads of varying size in the book as a way for them to support AIM. The Ad Book is professionally printed and then distributed to all 32 member congregations.

If you are interested in purchasing an ad, or would just like more information on this important fundraising project, please contact the AIM office. Thanks!

Victory for Shady Grove Affordable/Workforce Housing

Russ — Wed, 18 Jan 2006 21:10:00 +0000

Congratulations to the AIM Housing Action Team who through their persistent organizing and action achieved a major victory this week!

Yesterday the Montgomery County Council approved a new Shady Grove master plan (.pdf) in a lopsided, 8-1 vote. Councilmember Phil Andrews (Dist 3) was the lone dissenter. The approved plan includes the 6,340 residential units proposed by planning officials in a new "urban center" development that will replace the county service park currently adjacent to the Shady Grove Metro station. AIM leaders supported this increased density as necessary in order to include the maximum number of affordable and workforce housing units. 1,200 such units are to be included.

This issue was covered in a recent Washington Post article, as well as the Montgomery Gazette.

"An Abiding Belief In Political Action"

Russ — Mon, 16 Jan 2006 18:11:00 +0000

"[AIM] ...has built itself into one of the county's most influential advocates on social issues."

That's from the print edition headline of the Washington Post's December 8th "Montgomery Extra" cover story. The article itself, by staff writer Cameron Barr, is an interesting read and one of the most in-depth pieces we've seen since our founding six years ago. Check it out.

When One Suffers....

AIM Blogger — Sun, 15 Jan 2006 04:45:00 +0000

Earlier this week one of AIM's member congregations, St. Mark's United Methodist Church, was targeted by vandals who defaced a number of buildings in the historic African-American community of Boyds. This past Thursday, AIM leaders from across the county attended a press conference* held by Rev. Tim Warner, pastor of St. Mark's and other community leaders and elected officials.

Speaking on behalf of AIM's 32 member congregations, Rev. Jeff MacKnight made the following statement:

Good afternoon. My name is Jeff MacKnight. I am the pastor of St. Dunstan Episcopal Church in Bethesda. And I am a leader in AIM, Action In Montgomery. I met Rev. Warner two and a half years ago through our work together in AIM. Two years ago, 40 AIM leaders met at the Boyds Negro School for AIM's annual retreat. Ms. Betty Hawkins blessed us that day with history of the school and of the Boyds community.

If I had never met Rev. Warner or the members of St. Mark's United Methodist Church, I would still have been outraged by these acts of hate. Yet, I have known, prayed and fought for justice side by side with Rev. Warner and St. Mark's leaders for two and a half. We are neighbors, we are all children of God.

St. Paul said, "When one suffers, we all suffer together. When one is honored, all rejoice together." (I Cor 12:26)

In my heart, it feels like the swastikas were painted on my church in Bethesda. Rev. Warner and St. Mark's members, AIM clergy and lay leaders are appalled and hurt. We cannot accept such bald-faced bigotry, nor excuse such ignominious acts. We will continue to stand together and fight for justice in Montgomery County. We aim for One County.

*Washington Post article (free reg required)

Welcome!

AIM Blogger — Fri, 13 Jan 2006 17:05:00 +0000

Welcome to the Action In Montgomery (AIM) blog!

A group of AIM leaders has been discussing how the utilization of internet technology could augment our more traditional community organizing work. While we continue to believe that social change is best accomplished through the building of a relational power base in our communities, and in teaching leaders how to use that power for the common good, we also recognize that the web offers some intriguing tools for the dissemination of information. It is in that spirit that we are launching this blog.

The blog's primary focus will simply be presentation of information and updates on AIM actions, events and our current issue campaigns.

Please explore the rest of our website, but if you would really like to learn more about AIM, contact an AIM leader in your congregation or community, or contact our office.