The Annual General Meeting of Democrats Abroad Montreal will take place Tuesday, March 26, 2019 at 6:00PM EST
688 Rue Sherbrooke Ouest, Room 361, Montreal, QC H3A 0B2
Below are the candidate statements for each office. Electronic ballots plus the RSVP link to attend the AGM will be distributed to registered members of the Chapter on March 11th and must be voted by midnight EST March 25, 2019.
Chair
Brent Jamsa
Hello, I am Brent Jamsa, and I would be honored to serve as the DA Montreal Chair. I recognize that the Chair is responsible for the general administration and well being of the chapter. This means we must work together to ensure the prosperity of our chapter for years to come. If elected, I pledge to work more closely with Democrats Abroad at McGill with coordinating events and discussion meetings. As well, I support the work being done to expand our DA university network.
In terms of relevant experience, I have served as a Project Manager for Democrats Abroad at McGill since June. In this role, I was responsible for implementing and coordinating our phone banking operations to swing districts back home. Together, we made over 4,000 calls and a lasting impact. As well, I have previously served as a Page in the 438th General Assembly of Maryland and served four years in various portfolios in my countywide student council. One particular stint included a two year mandate as Legislative Affairs Director, which required that I be in constant communication with Maryland legislators regarding legislation that were of interest to public school students. Under my mandate, our keynote legislation finally passed the legislature and became law after multiple attempts under other Directors. Moreover, I served as Parliamentarian in my senior year, which demonstrates my interest in parliamentary procedure as it relates to running organized meetings with Roberts Rules of Order. With this, I humbly ask for your support. Thank you.
Randi Weitzner
My name is Randi Weitzner and I am running to be the next Chairperson of the Montreal Chapter of Democrats Abroad.
No one in the Democratic Party, regardless of which of the many announced candidates one supports, can ignore the urgency of doing everything possible to stop another four years of Trump. I would have to say my number one priority for my work with DA right now is to reach out to each and every US citizen residing in and around Montreal and making sure that they are registered to vote in their home state and have requested an absentee ballot. The 2018 midterms showed the power of the youth vote and the absentee ballot vote and it is my mission through November 2020 to create our own Blue Wave in the “Great White North”.
I would like to see the Montreal Chapter take on a more active role in a number of different areas: social activities, “educational” activities, political discussion groups. As a trained social worker, former employee of the New York City Department of Personnel and volunteer on various local government committees, I believe I possess the necessary interpersonal skills and government experience to make these things happen.
On the advice of the McGill chapter of DA Canada (and with their valued assistance), I have created a Facebook page to outline my priorities and concerns for the DA Montreal Chapter in more detail. I would encourage all DA Montreal members to take a look and post comments/ask questions. Here is the link. http://www.facebook.com/Randi-Weitzner-2371597459735351/
Montreal is a diverse and vibrant city and I would like to see our chapter be that as well. This is an important time for Democrats. This is our chance to set things right and get our country back on track to serve ALL Americans, including those of us who have chosen to live and/or work in Canada. Let’s do this together. I urge you to get involved, take up the challenge and work with me to make our chapter a difference maker. I believe my leadership will get us there.
Please cast your vote for me as Chairperson of the Montreal Chapter of Democrats Abroad.
Vice Chair*
*Both candidates for Chair have also expressed a desire to run for Vice Chair
Brent Jamsa
Hello, I am Brent Jamsa, and I would be honored to serve as the DA Montreal Chair. I recognize that the Chair is responsible for the general administration and well being of the chapter. This means we must work together to ensure the prosperity of our chapter for years to come. If elected, I pledge to work more closely with Democrats Abroad at McGill with coordinating events and discussion meetings. As well, I support the work being done to expand our DA university network.
In terms of relevant experience, I have served as a Project Manager for Democrats Abroad at McGill since June. In this role, I was responsible for implementing and coordinating our phone banking operations to swing districts back home. Together, we made over 4,000 calls and a lasting impact. As well, I have previously served as a Page in the 438th General Assembly of Maryland and served four years in various portfolios in my countywide student council. One particular stint included a two year mandate as Legislative Affairs Director, which required that I be in constant communication with Maryland legislators regarding legislation that were of interest to public school students. Under my mandate, our keynote legislation finally passed the legislature and became law after multiple attempts under other Directors. Moreover, I served as Parliamentarian in my senior year, which demonstrates my interest in parliamentary procedure as it relates to running organized meetings with Roberts Rules of Order. With this, I humbly ask for your support. Thank you.
Gilbert (Gib) Primeau
Hello, my name is Gib Primeau and I am a candidate for the Vice Chair position. I’m a lifelong Dem from Indiana, from a family that has voted blue going back to FDR at least. I have been living in Montreal since 2015 and work as a research assistant/collaborative coordinator at McGill. Prior to that, I was a social worker at a skilled nursing facility in western Washington state. In my career so far, I have made it a priority to be detail-oriented, conscientious, and to hold myself to a high standard, whether I’m writing something, organizing meetings or events, or advocating for clients. I always strive to be friendly and respectful to people, and to seek consensus. I feel a little guilty getting to live in Canada while such terrible things are going on back in the States, and I would like to make more of a contribution to the Democratic Party if I can.
Randi Weitzner
My name is Randi Weitzner and I am running to be the next Chairperson of the Montreal Chapter of Democrats Abroad.
No one in the Democratic Party, regardless of which of the many announced candidates one supports, can ignore the urgency of doing everything possible to stop another four years of Trump. I would have to say my number one priority for my work with DA right now is to reach out to each and every US citizen residing in and around Montreal and making sure that they are registered to vote in their home state and have requested an absentee ballot. The 2018 midterms showed the power of the youth vote and the absentee ballot vote and it is my mission through November 2020 to create our own Blue Wave in the “Great White North”.
I would like to see the Montreal Chapter take on a more active role in a number of different areas: social activities, “educational” activities, political discussion groups. As a trained social worker, former employee of the New York City Department of Personnel and volunteer on various local government committees, I believe I possess the necessary interpersonal skills and government experience to make these things happen.
On the advice of the McGill chapter of DA Canada (and with their valued assistance), I have created a Facebook page to outline my priorities and concerns for the DA Montreal Chapter in more detail. I would encourage all DA Montreal members to take a look and post comments/ask questions. Here is the link. http://www.facebook.com/Randi-Weitzner-2371597459735351/
Montreal is a diverse and vibrant city and I would like to see our chapter be that as well. This is an important time for Democrats. This is our chance to set things right and get our country back on track to serve ALL Americans, including those of us who have chosen to live and/or work in Canada. Let’s do this together. I urge you to get involved, take up the challenge and work with me to make our chapter a difference maker. I believe my leadership will get us there.
Please cast your vote for me as Chairperson of the Montreal Chapter of Democrats Abroad.
Secretary
Debra Lazar
I am originally from Massachusetts and have been in Canada 34 years (in Montreal for 28). I’ve been an active member of DA Montreal for about ten or eleven years and was Vice Chair of our chapter for approximately two years during a time when we had a rather small active membership. Because of this, the boundaries between the Executive roles were very fluid with everyone chipping in to do what needed to be done. During this period, I was also a volunteer teacher at RECLAIM Literacy Centre while also serving on their board for five years, with three of those in a secretarial capacity. While I have opted to take a back seat for the past few years (two weddings to plan and health issues of various family members), I am eager now to seek a more active role once again. These are challenging times and I am excited to make my contribution, as small or as large as it may be. I look forward to meeting all of you and to carry on with the work of moving our chapter and the Democratic Party forward. Thank you!!
Treasurer
No nominations received. Nominations for Treasurer will be accepted from the floor during the AGM.
Democratically yours,
DemsAbroad Montreal Nominations & Elections Committee
Charlie Baranski, Chair
Andrew Figueirido
Claire Rawson-Dannenbaum, Teller of Elections
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