Meetings and Events - Columbia Democratic Club

The Columbia Democratic Club holds meetings and events throughout the year. Follow our Facebook page for the latest meeting and event information.

General Meetings

CDC holds general meetings from September through June. We meet on the second Thursday of the month at 7:00 pm. General meetings are open to the public.

We are now holding meetings over Zoom. Zoom information is sent to everyone on our mailing list. Please send an email to columbiademclub@gmail.com to join our mailing list.

Executive Board Meetings

The Executive Board meets on a regular basis to conduct club business. The Board typically meets on the fourth Wednesday of the month. Executive Board meetings are open to members. Members are notified when meetings are scheduled. Members should email columbiademclub@gmail.com for meeting information.

Endorsement Meetings

The club regularly holds meetings to endorse Democratic Party candidates. The club also meets to adopt positions on ballot questions. The Board schedules these meetings based on the club bylaws. Members receive notice of endorsement meetings by email.

Events

Upcoming Events

Howard County Democrats Holiday Party, December 9, 2023

Join Democrats from across Howard County at our annual holiday party! The event is free and open to the public and is co-sponsored by the Columbia Democratic Club, Howard County Young Democrats, Thurgood Marshall Democratic Club, and the Ellicott City and Western Howard County Democrat Club. For more information and to register, click here. If you are able to help out with the event, please click here to volunteer.

Past Events

Howard County Democrats Labor Day Picnic, September 4, 2023

CDC Ice Cream Social, August 3, 2023

Howard County Democrats Picnic, July 16, 2023, 4 to 7 pm

Longfellow Friends of the Traditional 4th Parade, July 4, 2023

Join us to march in the 2023 Longfellow 4th of July parade! Parade kicks off from Longfellow Elementary School at 10:00 am. Walk with us or hitch a ride in our parade vehicle.

Howard County Democrats Annual Holiday Party, December 10, 2022

Howard County Pride, October 9, 2022

Oakland Mills Fall Festival, October 1, 2022

In spite of the rain we had a fantastic time at the OM Fall festival. Lots of great conversations and young and old artists made some great GOTV rocks!

CDC Ice Cream Social, August 16, 2022

We had a great turnout for our 2022 Ice Cream Social. Thank you to Howard County Council Member Dr. Opel Jones for sponsoring this event!

The Howard County Democratic Central Committee: What does the HCDCC really do & why should you care? July 2022

With so many questions about what the Democratic Central Committee really does, CDC hosted a discussion on the roles and responsibilities of DCCs featuring Justin Butler, Political Director of the MD State Democratic Party, and former HCDCC members Patricia Thomas, President of the Thurgood Marshall Democratic Club, Sue Geckle, President of the Ellicott City and Western Howard Democratic Club, and Tony McGuffin, Past President, ECDC, and founding member Western Howard County Democratic Club. The event was moderated by Columbia Democratic Club President Cynthia Fikes.

Longfellow Friends of the Traditional 4th Parade, July 2022

We once again had a large turnout for the parade, including a great contingent of our endorsed candidates marching with us, including:

Congressman John Sarbanes
Team 12 – Senator Clarence Lam, Delegates Terri Hill & Jessica Feldmark
County Executive Calvin Ball
Council District 4 Candidate Janssen Evelyn
Board of Ed Candidates Jacky McCoy and Dan Newberger
Circuit Court Candidate Alicia Altamirano for Judge

Thanks to Democratic Central Committee member McNeal Brown for lending us your truck and to Central Committee members Regina Clay, Jackie Scott, Gabe Moreno, Jennifer Jones, and Herb Smith for walking with us!

Bans Off Our Bodies – Howard County, June 25, 2022

Columbia Democratic Club partnered with progressive groups from across Howard County to sponsor a local rally in immediate response to the Supreme Court’s overturning of Roe v. Wade. Together with the Howard County Democratic Central Committee, Our Revolution Howard County, the Young Democrats of Howard County, the Howard Progressive Project, the Sunrise Movement, the Progressive Dems of Howard County, and the Sunrise Movement, we identified the following demands:

We call upon President Biden and our Federal elected officials to do everything within their power to ensure the ongoing Constitutional rights of Americans are ensured through the availability of reproductive health care services across the country.

We call upon the Maryland General Assembly to act with urgency and call a Special Assembly to pass an amendment to the State Constitution protecting the right to an abortion.

We also call upon the Maryland General Assembly to fund access to family planning in all areas of the state.

We call upon the Howard County Council needs to pass CR 102-2022 to tell Hogan to release funding for the training of abortion service providers

We call upon our Board of Education to ensure comprehensive sex education is available to all our students.

We call upon all our elected officials to help ensure more affordable and high quality contraceptives are available to everyone.

Big Blue Block Party, June 18, 2022

This inaugural event was hosted by CDC in partnership with the Howard County Central Committee, The Ellicott City and Western Howard County Democratic Club, The Thurgood Marshall Democratic Club, and The Howard County Young Dems. The Big Blue Block Party was a Party with a purpose! We gathered to:

⮚ Welcome Residents New and Old to Howard County
⮚ Increase Voter Engagement and Registration
⮚ Have a Great Time!!

CDC Endorsement Meeting, May 21, 2022

Our 2022 endorsement meeting was held on May 21 from 11:00 am to 1:30 pm at the Wilde Lake Interfaith Center. To view the results of the endorsement meeting, go to our 2022 Endorsements page.

Candidates Forum for Attorney General and Comptroller, May 19, 2022

This forum covered the Maryland Attorney General and Comptroller races and included a mini-forum on MD Judges. It featured judicial candidates Judge Stephanie Porter and Alicia Altamirano, Attorney General candidates Judge Katie Curran O’Malley and Congressman Anthony Brown, and Comptroller candidates Delegate Brooke Lierman and Mayor Tim Adams. The forum was moderated by CDC President Cynthia Fikes. You can view a recording of the forum on our YouTube channel by clicking here.

Candidates Forum for Howard County General Assembly Races, May 10, 2022

This forum covered competitive State-level races for General Assembly districts 9A, 12, and 13 and featured Delegate Vanessa Atterbeary, Delegate Jen Terassa, Becca Niberg, Steve Bolen, Natalie Ziegler, Delegate Terri Hill, and Delegate Jessica Feldmark. It was moderated by CDC President Cynthia Fikes and Board Member Dawn Popp. You can view a recording of the forum on our YouTube channel by clicking here.

Candidates Forum for Howard County Board of Education and Council Districts 1 and 4, May 5, 2022

On May 5, 2022 CDC held candidates forums for Howard County Maryland Board of Education and Council Districts 1 and 4 candidates. The forums featured Board of Education candidates Linfeng Chen, Julie Hotopp, Jacky McCoy, Dan Newberger, Monique Richards and Meg Ricks (forum part 1) and Council District 1candidates Neveen Kurtom and Liz Walsh and Council District 4 candidates Hank Boyd, Janssen Evelyn, and Deb Jung (forum part 2). Moderated by CDC President Cynthia Fikes, a recording is available on the CDC YouTube channel here.

Ongoing Support of Hospitality Workers in Howard County

CDC supports the ongoing fight for members of UNITE HERE Local 7 and other workers to be recalled to their hospitality industry jobs.

Howard County Democrats Annual Holiday Party, December 11, 2021

The CDC joined other Howard County Democratic clubs for our annual holiday party. Special thanks to our sponsors, Congressman John Sarbanes, Wayne Robey, Clerk of Court, HoCo States Attorney Richard Gibson Jr, HoCo Sheriff Marcus Harris, Delegate Terri Hill, and HCDCC member Sean Ford.

We Are the People Rally, December 4, 2021

Columbia Democratic Club was a co-sponsor of the We Are the People rally in support of LGBTQ students and staff and equity in the Howard County Public School System.