To hear an audio recording of the June club meeting, click here.

President's Report

By Lorraine Zamora

What a difference a month makes.

On June 28, the day after “the debate,” I was wondering if Three Parks could sustain the cost of operating a 2024 presidential storefront, as it has traditionally done for many national elections. As you know, the storefront is operated by club volunteers and the cost is covered by donations and button contributions. Given the growing concern I was seeing among members regarding another Biden/Trump contest, plus the additional growing concern over Biden’s chance to win, I wasn’t sure we’d attract enough volunteers or interest in buttons to make it a financial success.

No doubt Biden did the right thing by stepping down and endorsing Kamala Harris as presidential nominee for the Democratic Party. If I admired him before, I do so even more now. His withdrawal from the race was not only the right thing to do, but brave beyond any understanding of what’s been expected of an incumbent presidential candidate. Fingers crossed that we will see a revered leader like Joe Biden soon again!

Suddenly, Democrats went from “little chance of winning” to “hey, we might actually pull this off!” The thought of Kamala Harris as President seemed to fix everything, including, I’m happy to say, the successful operation of a Three Parks presidential storefront on the Upper West Side. Now, I too am encouraged and full of energy to work for a successful Democratic win and hope all our members are, too. ...

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Join Us for Sidewalk Tabling at the

Broadway Street Fair!

Join your fellow Three Parks Club members at our sidewalk table at the Broadway Street Fair! Reach out to friends and neighbors with information about our Club, the upcoming election campaign, issues, voter registration, and more.

When: Sunday, August 4, 12:00 noon - 3:00 pm

Where: Look for us on Broadway between

W. 101st St. and W. 102nd Street

Come to help any time, or just stop by to say hello.

Click here to volunteer.

Post-Primary Gratitude and a

Look Ahead

By Micah Lasher

With the dust settled on the recent primary for State Assembly, I wanted to express my deep gratitude for the tireless effort put in by the members of Three Parks Independent Democrats, over many months, which was so crucial to our victory.

I have always thought of the Three Parks endorsement as the Iowa Caucus of the West Side. Three Parks members are fiercely independent and true activists, so candidates know how important it is to work hard to earn your support. The night that Three Parks voted to endorse me was one of the high points of my campaign.

And then the hard work began — but you made it so much fun! It was a true pleasure being out in the neighborhood with you, from the start of petitioning (especially the extraordinary Mary Ann Marks!) to the end of Primary Day — even when it was incredibly cold, pouring rain (the one plus of scaffolding!), or stiflingly hot. Three Parks members are indefatigable! You are also wonderful friends, and it always lifted my spirits to be with you.

The resounding results demonstrated that there is nothing that can replace the power of truly local activism and support. Three Parks epitomizes that kind of activism. ...

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Get a Head Start on Electing a Democratic House Majority This Fall!

Three Parks Phonebank for Josh Riley for Congress in NY-19

When: Tuesday, Aug. 13, 6:00 –

8:00 PM

Virtual event – join from anywhere

No prior experience needed. Just a phone, computer, and internet connection

Click here to sign up for the phonebank. You will be asked for contact information. You will get a Zoom invitation with complete instructions the day before the event.

Congressional District NY-19, a large and mostly rural upstate district that extends from the Massachusetts border to Ithaca, is a critical swing district that Democrats lost to a Republican in the 2022 midterms (Lt. Gov. Antonio Delgado previously held the seat). On August 13, Three Parks will be phonebanking for Josh Riley, the current Democratic Congressional candidate. Victory for Riley would help Democrats win back the majority in the House of Representatives. With so much at stake in the November elections, spending a few hours on a phonebank for Josh Riley is time well spent.

About Josh Riley. Josh has a compelling personal story, impressive experience and great policy positions. See his experience, background and policy issues on his website, josh riley for congress.com

Canvass for Laura Gillen for Congress in NY-4

When: Monday, August 19, 3:30-8:00 PM

Where: Meet at 3:30 PM at the Broadway/96th St. station to take the LIRR to Rockville Centre, L.I.

To Register, click here

NY-4 in Nassau County, Long Island is another critical swing district that Dems need to flip to obtain majority control of the House of Representatives. NY-4 went heavily for Biden in 2020 and has a Democratic majority, based on registered voters; now it needs a representative in Congress who reflects that majority. Laura Gillen, the Democratic candidate for Congress in NY-4, is a compelling politician and former town supervisor of Hempstead.

About Laura Gillen. In 2017, Gillen became the first Democrat to be elected Hempstead Town Supervisor in 112 years. As Supervisor, she managed a budget of nearly $500 million and led the operations of all town departments. She took aim at waste and corruption and made the Town government more accessible, transparent and accountable to taxpayers. Her cost-saving measures enabled the Town to lower taxes for residents after years of tax hikes. For more on Gillen, see here.

District Leader Report: Civil Court Nominees and NYS Supreme Court Candidates

By Theresa Canter

Last week was very eventful in Judicial politics for both the candidates and District Leaders. The good news is that the State Legislature passed a bill adding three seats to the New York County Civil Court to be filled in the upcoming November 5 election. The strong advocacy of our State Senator, Brad Hoylman-Sigal, as well as Assemblyman Alex Bores’ on the East Side, resulted in the additional seats that will strengthen our county’s judiciary.

The additional Civil Court seats will help with processing the backlog of current cases we now have in Civil Court. Governor Hochul signed the S.9839 bill on July 17, allowing the Executive Committee, comprised of the District Leaders of the Manhattan Democratic Party, to meet on Thursday, July 25 to select the nominees reported out of the panel who are eligible for the three newly created New York County Civil Court vacancies. The Executive Committee selected Harold Bahr by acclamation, and upon a series of votes, selected Elizabeth Shahmas, and Crystal Villaseñor for the second and third seats as the Democratic nominees for the November 5, 2024 General Election. We congratulate the nominees and offer our support to our highly qualified and diverse slate of nominees. ...

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Become an Election Day Poll Worker – We Need 10,000 Poll Workers for November!

The Board of Elections in the City of New York is hiring Election Day poll workers to work at poll sites across New York City for two upcoming elections:  the Presidential Election will be on November 5, and the Mayoral Primary on June 24. Training and certification begins on August 12 and goes through October 19 for the above two elections. If you are interested or know someone who would be, please sign up for training.

• Election Inspector: Earn $250 for each election worked plus $100 for completing the four-hour training course and passing the exam.    
• Interpreter: Spanish, Chinese: Earn $250 for each election worked plus $25 for completing the two-hour training course and passing the exam. No need to be a registered voter.

Earn up to $650 for completing the training course, passing the exam and working both Election days.

HOURS/LOCATION: 5:00 AM until the polls are closed and closing tasks are completed, which will be after 9:00 PM. The BOE will try and assign you to a poll site near your home.

HOW TO APPLY: Visit nyc.electiondayworker.com or call 866-VOTE-NYC (866-868-3692). Click here to download the application.

The 20th Anniversary of the

By Theresa Canter

After sweating through a week of ominous weather forecasts, July 24 turned out to be a great day for a picnic in the park!  Over 80 Three Parks members, friends, electeds and candidates once again gathered on the Pool Lawn in Central Park for the Club's 20th anniversary of our Annual Potluck Picnic. It was the perfect opportunity to socialize with friends and neighbors in the beautiful park setting, and to share the bounty of tables piled high with plentiful fried chicken, tasty salads, fruits, and desserts.

We were joined at the picnic by our electeds: NY State Senator Brad Hoylman-Sigal, Assembly Member elect Micah Lasher, City Council Member Shaun Abreu, and Broadway Dems District Leader Curtis Arluck and our own State Committee members – Lynn Thomas and Doug Kellner. Also in attendance were candidates for NYS Supreme Court – in alphabetical order – Justices Suzanne Adams, Jim Clynes, Ashlee Crawford, Gerald Lebovits, Judy Kim.  Our Civil Court candidates include nominees Harold Bahr,  Elizabeth Shahmas, Crystal Villasenor, and Ralph Wolf, our candidate in the 5^th Judicial District in November.  Other Civil Court candidates include Mark Shawhan, Eric Wursthorn, and Brian Krist. 

As always, it takes a whole lot of Three Parkers to plan and pull off a successful picnic! Many thanks to all the members and guests who brought lots of good food and drink to share; and those who volunteered to transport supplies, set-up, serve, photograph and clean-up after the event—including Dan Cohen, Janis Brodie, Corinne Constantine, Paul Froehlich, Daniele Gerard, Edafe Okporo, Josh Pepper, Lois Safian, Irene Shrier, Michael Stearns, Roschel Stearns, Deborah Thomas, Lynn Thomas, Daniel Tsadok, Chuck Wall,  Lauren Williams and all the others who pitched in to help as needed.

Below are some photos of the picnic.

More Picnic Photos ...

Meat Production Is Draining the World's Water Supply

By Daniel Tsadok

"The journey of raising beef is among the most complex of any food."

Pennsylvania Beef Council

As the planet continues to heat up, responsible water management is more important than ever. Mexico City is currently experiencing a severe water crisis. So is Johannesburg. Meanwhile, freshwater usage has surged globally in the past half century. "Renewable internal freshwater resources" per capita has decreased from 1970 to 2019 by astonishing numbers: 37% in high income countries, 61% in middle income countries, and 84% in low income countries. There has been a decrease of 59% across the world.

It may not be surprising that globally, agriculture is the biggest consumer of water on the planet, but what may be surprising is the extent. According to Hannah Ritchie and Max Roser, "Globally, we use approximately 70 percent of freshwater withdrawals for agriculture."

Before continuing, it is important to note that most scientists distinguish between different forms of water. Two of these are "blue water" and "green water". The fresh water we use every day, and that exists in rivers, lakes, streams, reservoirs etc., is blue water, and for the sake of this discussion, we can consider green water the level of moisture in the soil and air, including rain. As important as blue water is, and as much as we depend on it, green water is essential for agriculture, and therefore our survival: higher levels of green water mean richer soil and more rainfall, as well as less of a dependence on blue water for crops. ...

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Don't Miss Out! Renew Your Three Parks Membership Now for 2024

Click here or mail in the membership form at the

end of this newsletter.