Wednesday, January 21st, the Birmingham-Bloomfield Democratic Club will be holding a joint meeting with the West Bloomfield Democrats!
The dean of Wayne State University's School of Law, Jocelyn Benson, will discuss election issues Wednesday, January 21, before a joint meeting of two Oakland County Democratic Clubs.
Benson speaks at 7 p.m. at The Corners, 2075 Walnut Lake Road, West Bloomfield to the West Bloomfield Democratic Club and the Birmingham-Bloomfield Democratic Club. The group will gather for refreshments at 6:45 p.m.
Dean Benson will discuss improving our election process, and the 2014 mid-term elections.
Further information is available by phoning Matthew Lund, president of the Birmingham-Bloomfield Democratic Club at 249-359-7300, or through the club's website.
The West Bloomfield Dems will be collecting rolls of toilet paper each meeting to donate to the Lighthouse of Oakland County. The average American family uses several rolls of toilet paper a month whereas struggling families are often limited to two for the entire month. It is encouraged for you to bring in a roll- or several- to donate.
Date: Wednesday, January 21 @ 7:00PM (light refreshments served beforehand)
Location: The Corners, located at 2075 Walnut Lake Road, West Bloomfield 48323
Guest Speakers: Jocelyn Benson, Dean of Wayne State University School of Law
A Bit on Our Speaker: Dean Jocelyn Benson was the Democratic nominee for Michigan Secretary of State in 2010. She waged a considerably skillful campaign in a year that heavily favored republicans and- though losing- outperformed the party's gubernatorial and attorney general nominees. That same year, her book, "State Secretaries of State: Guardians of the Democratic Process" was published and became the first major book to address the role of the secretary of state in enforcing election and campaign finance laws.
Benson graduated magna cum laude from Wellesley College where she founded the now-annual Women in American Political Activism Conference. She subsequently earned her Masters in Sociology at Magdalen College, Oxford. Before receiving her J.D. at Harvard University Law School- where she was general editor of the Harvard Civil Rights-Civil Liberties Law Review- she lived in Montgomery, Alabama and worked for the Southern Poverty Law Center. Benson also co-founded the group, Military Spouses of Michigan. Formerly a member of the American Bar Association's Committee on Election Law, Benson developed and supervised three statewide nonpartisan election protection efforts in Michigan. She successfully blocked the unlawful closure of a secretary of state office in Buena Vista Township in 2007 and in 2008 she led an effort to block the use of foreclosure lists to challenge voter's eligibility on Election Day. Jocelyn is married to Sergeant Ryan Friedrichs of the 173rd Airborne Brigade. They reside in Detroit.