Stonewall Democrats of Central Maryland

September 12, 2011

Dear SDCM Member/Supporter,

With deep regret, the Board of Directors of the Stonewall Democrats of Central Maryland has decided to dissolve the organization. Despite initial strong interest in our goals and mission, the membership and contributions have dwindled, and participation in membership meetings and elections has been tepid.

Therefore, we have decided to cease operations. This is not a decision that we, The Board, has taken lightly, and it is one that was made with significant discussion and debate. In the end, it was determined, that at this time, given available volunteer power, time commitments, and certain constraints of our bylaws that it would be best to shut down.

At this time, we have nearly $2500 left in our treasury, and are in the process of paying all of our outstanding debts. After the debts have been settled, we propose to divide any remaining funds among several previously endorsed SDCM candidates who won their 2010 elections: Howard County Registrar of Wills Byron Macfarlane; Delegates Mary Washington, Luke Clippinger, and Keiffer Mitchell; and Senator Bill Ferguson.

These individuals represent our organization’s key mission – the election of LGBT persons and allies to office. These individuals were at the forefront of the marriage and transgender protections debates during the 2011 General Assembly session, and will continue to fight for LGBT equality in the coming years. Our goal with this dispersal is that these individuals can use the funds to pay down any existing campaign debts, to advance their own re-election campaigns, and/or to support the campaigns of like-minded individuals of their choosing.

We recognize that you may choose to not support this fund disbursement plan, and we respect that choice. If you object to this dispersal, you may request a refund of your 2011 dues/contribution. Your request must be received no later than September 30th. Please email your request for reimbursement to Alice Kennedy (alicekennedy42@gmail.com) and Mike Natchuras (mtncdh@aol.com).

If you have any questions about this process, or in regard to the disbursement of funds please do not hesitate to contact Alice at 410-960-9803, John Kyle at 410-523-4069, or Jodi Kelber-Kaye at 410-499-5634.

Although we are sad to close SDCM at this time, we are hopeful that we and you can find other ways to support candidates for office who support LGBT causes and interests, and we wholeheartedly support the development of new organizations, PACs, or other ways of supporting pro-equality political candidates.

Thank you for your support in the past and all the best in the future.

Sincerely,
SDCM Board of Directors
Alice Kennedy, President
Joseph Smith, Vice President
Mike Natchuras, Treasurer
Mike Dominelli, Secretary
Jodi Kelber-Kaye
John Kyle
Genya Shimkin