The Knox County Democratic Party has a bunch of great events lined up for July leading up to the Truman Day Dinner on Aug. 12th at The Foundry. Details after the break...

From Knox County Democratic Party Chair Gloria Johnson:

Just want to send you an update of the many exciting events coming up in Knoxville. Don’t forget there is always more information at knoxdemocrats.org or Knox Dems on Facebook and Twitter.

Of course the city elections are non-partisan, but I am certain that everyone will be supportive of the candidates who share their values. All of the candidates could certainly use our support both financially and through volunteer work so I hope that everyone can step up in some way for their favorite candidates! (Be sure and note that several candidates have sent a message to our list and are added below.)

I would like to tell you briefly about our new Community Contributor’s Plan where you can make a regular monthly donation at the $5, $10, $20, $25, $50, or $85 level. These funds will help us to keep open a permanent office, build our party, and finance an expansive GOTV effort for our candidates. Please see the attached brochure for more information on this plan.

Here are some upcoming events you don't want to miss...

*June 30th is the Candidate Forum at the Expo Center. We hope that all Democrats will come out and support the candidates. Again, though this is a non-partisan race, the organizers have chosen to have tables for the political parties as well, so KCDP will have a table at the event. Please stop by and see us, the first 10 visitors to the table will receive a free KCDP stainless steel water bottle!

* July 1st is our First Friday Social at the KCDP HQ at 311 Morgan Street, 37917 (540-4001). Join us for wine, soft drinks, snacks and Democratic fellowship with both new and old friends from 6-9 pm. (The perfect stop after Bill Owen's Kick-Off Event at the Regas parking lot.)

Don’t forget to watch DTV from 8-9 PM with special guest Finbarr Saunders who will be joining our own Doug Veum and Dave McIlwaine. Tune in to community television channel 12.

* July 4th is the Farragut 4th of July Parade so join us in the Farragut High parking lot on the 4th at 9:00 am to walk or ride with KCDP!

* July 11th is the 1st District meeting at HQ beginning at 6:30. Contact Tony Brown (973-4086) or Mary Wilson (marytheprez@yahoo.com) for more information.

* July 16th is the East Tennessee Regional Mini Summit. We will have a video presentation of the Drew Westen messaging training that the TNDP had in Jackson, TN in May. The morning will be meetings for the East Tn. State Executive Committee members and the County Chairs. Lunch and training will be available to any Democrats interested in party building/organizing in their community or county. There will be training in votebuilder use, voter registration, organizing, messaging, and a "best practices" sharing session. There will be a $20 registration fee for the event. The training will be held at the Unite Here Building at 1124 N. Broadway from 9-5. Those who are not members of the Executive Committee or County Chairs are welcome to join the County Chairs meeting in the morning!

After the training is over, we are going to head to Time Warp Tea Room on Central Avenue for a great time and some live music! We will have MAKE IT BLUE KNOXVILLE with special musical guests from Nashville. We want to show all counties a way that they can build a fabulous fundraiser in their county with little effort. These three songwriters, Todd Sharp, James House, and Danny Flowers have written songs for the likes of Don Williams, Dwight Yoakam, Tina Turner, Christine McVie, Eric Clapton, and many more. (See attachment for more information). The music event will go from 6-9 and the cost is $10. The Time Warp is a friendly coffee/sandwich shop...feel free to discreetly BYOB if you like. The Time Warp is only about a mile from the Unite Here Building so feel free to head over right after the training and order a sandwich or a "full house" before we get started!

* July 18th the South of the River Democrats will host Joe Walsh, Director of Parks and Recreation will discuss plans for building and improving greenways and parks in South Knoxville. 6:30pm Monday July 18 at Burger King, 2800 Chapman Highway. Contact Jim Sessions (jim.sessions@comcast.net) or Diana Conn (dlconn1@yahoo.com) for more information.

* July 23rd is the Karns Community Day and Parade. Please join us in the parade and visit us at the KCDP table. The parade line up begins at Ingles on Oak Ridge Highway at 10 am so don't be shy, come on out! Feel free to contact Janice Spoone (spoojh@comcast.net) or Clay Mulford (claymulford@gmail.com) for more information.

* July 26th will be the screening event of the documentary "Morristown" @ 6:30 pm at the 3rd floor of Patrick Sullivan's, 100 N. Central Ave., Knoxville, TN. A film about the working class response to globalization. Topics include immigration, factory flight, and the organized demand for economic justice! This is a great opportunity for all interested in immigration related issues as well as labor issues to come together for film, networking, discussion and dinner. The film is approximately 1 hour long and there will be a brief panel discussion after the film. There is a $5 admission and food and drinks are available downstairs.

* August 12th is our annual Truman Day Celebration so please save the date and join us this year! The last 2 years we have had our event at the Knoxville Zoo and they were great to us, but this year we opted for air conditioning and a full buffet dinner. The event will be held at The Foundry from 6:30-10:00 PM as this venue has ample parking and has been extremely Democratic friendly! We do not have the entire program set yet, but we do know that you will get a chance to hear from our State Party Chairman, Chip Forrester, 2 great Mayoral candidates, and some excellent live music. We are still waiting for confirmation on other parts of the program. We just started selling tickets and already have sold 8 tables so don’t wait too late! Individual tickets are $50 and tables are $500. Ads in our full-color Truman Day book that knocked everyone’s socks off last year are priced as follows: full page is $200, ½ page is $125, ¼ page is $75, and 1/8 page is $50. You may have your name listed on our Patron’s page for $10.

The following are not KCDP events but are messages from candidates to you…

* Bill Owen, candidate for City Council at Large seat B, would love for you to join him this Friday, the 1st, in the Regas parking lot from 5:30-6:30 PM. You may tour the historic Regas building, see the plans for renovations for Regas Square, have some shaved ice, hear some good music, and listen to one short Campaign KICK-OFF speech. (See official invitation attached)

* Finbarr Saunders, candidate for City Council seat C, would like for you to join him in seeking solutions and building bridges. He is a native to Knoxville who has a proven history of community involvement and leadership. He would love to have your support and you may sign up to volunteer or donate to his campaign at finbarrsaunders.com.

* Message from Madeline Rogero for Mayor campaign:

Please attend the Concerned Citizens’ Debate on Thursday night, June 30 at the Expo Center. Doors open at 5 PM. Listen to candidates for City Council, Mayor, and State Senate District 6. For more information: (link...). Wear your Madeline for Mayor t- shirt.

Celebrate the 4th of July with Madeline at the Mighty Musical Monday concert at the Tennessee Theater, starting at 12 noon. Madeline will be the M.C. as Beckye Thomas, Bill Snyder, and Freddie Brabson entertain you. (link...)

To find out how to support Madeline’s campaign for Mayor, go to (link...) or call the campaign headquarters at 865-524-6065. “Like” us on Facebook at (link...) and follow us on Twitter at (link...).

*UPDATE: Mark Padgett for Knoxville City Mayor

A Knoxville native, I grew up in the Lonsdale and Halls community and was raised to value public service and working-class values. My father, Mike Padgett, owned a restaurant in Lonsdale and served as Knox County Clerk for over two decades. My grandfather, Bill Padgett, owned a grocery store in Lonsdale and served in the City Council during the early sixties.

In 2003, Governor Bredesen appointed me to be part of a team assigned with improving state government. With innovative thinking and cutting-edge technology, we improved customer service while slicing 5-10 percent in waste from multiple state departments.

That experience inspired me to start my own business: eGovernment Solutions. With $5,000 from my savings and a borrowed laptop, I launched a software company that helps government work for the people, not the other way around, by making key services available online. I’m proud to be the only candidate who has ever created a job, made payroll, or started a small business – all of which make me uniquely qualified to become Knoxville’s next CEO.

I’m running for Mayor because I have a passion for public service – using innovation and new ideas, I want to strengthen our city and make it an even better place to work and live.

I have a four-point plan to move Knoxville forward:

Job Creation and Economic Growth: Increase support for local small businesses, recruit world-class companies to create new jobs, promote public-private partnerships with UT and Oak Ridge, and establish Knoxville as a great place to start a business.

Stronger, Safer, and More Connected Neighborhoods: Support neighborhood associations (and help organize neighborhoods without associations); strengthen codes enforcement; expand greenways and parks to connect neighborhoods to downtown; address the causes – not the symptoms – of our community’s challenges; and invest in all neighborhoods from Lonsdale to West Hills to keep families safe.

Transparent and Efficient Government: Protect taxpayer dollars; simplify online access to information; cut waste and inefficiencies; foster open and transparent dialogue; and streamline permit processing.

Downtown is Everyone’s Neighborhood: Invest in infrastructure (bricks & mortar and technology); leverage private investment for revitalization/redevelopment projects that feed into downtown; increase city revenue through activities and growth; expand services and retail; and create and support events that engage Knoxville’s residents.

To learn more, I’d like to invite all of you to the following events…

Concerned Citizens Mayoral Debate on Thursday, June 30 at 6:30pm
Knoxville Expo Center, 5441 Clinton Highway

Meet/greet the candidates at 4:30pm – Mayoral debate starts at 6:30pm

Forums like these are critically important because the next Mayor is going to face hard decisions in a tough economy. I believe that this election is about the future of Knoxville and our economy – and voters deserve to know the candidates’ specific plans to move Knoxville forward.

Need a t-shirt to wear to around town? Stop by our campaign’s HQ (117 South Gay Street).

Volunteer Kickoff on Saturday, July 9 at 10:00am
Mark Padgett for Mayor HQ, 117 South Gay Street

Need a yard sign, bumper sticker, or t-shirt? Want to sign up to volunteer or help register people to vote? If you answered yes, then swing by the campaign HQ to learn how you can help Mark become Knoxville's next Mayor!

And if you missed my interview on WBIR’s “Inside Tennessee,” please be sure to check it out online here:
(link...)

For more information, please visit (link...) - and please be sure to vote on September 27!

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Well, certainly some qualified folks that can use our support so come on out to the Concerned Citizen’s Debate this Thursday and support your favorite candidates!

We would love to see you at any of the other KCDP events as well.

Gloria Johnson, Chair

Knox County Democratic Party

865-660-9800